Bad Water Smell

[cahillprc2]

If this has been asked before I couldn't find it. We bought a new TT from a dealer a little over a year ago. Unfortunately due to the deaths of my son and wife, we never got to use it until about a month ago. Unfortunately, it appears that the dealer DID NOT drain the water system including the water heater or fresh water tank after pre-delivery testing and demo. So water sat over last summer, winter and this spring UGH ! Clearly we need to sanitize! But I've read where bleach can be bad for the water pump and other seals, as well as the W.H.

I also read somewhere that you could use Hydrogen Peroxide in place of bleach. So I poured 2 16 oz bottles into the tank and ran it through all the pipes and water heater. a day or two later when I went to drain it all out, there was a foul sour smell coming from the water. I completely drained everything including the WH, refilled the 35 gal water tank adding a 1/2 cup bleach, and changed the bypass valves so bleach water would not go to WH. Then ran all fixtures H&C lines. at first the foul smell was still coming out but quickly went away. However I could not detect a bleach smell. Nevertheless I let it all sit overnight and in the morning, added another 1/2 cup bleach and ran all faucets again. If this does not take care of the problem, What else can I try??

Thanks in advance, and I apologize for the long question.

[Coolerman]

Just did my Sonic Venture water system in preparation for out fall camping trip.
I used Clorox bleach.
Added the 2 cups of bleach to the fresh water tank, then filled it completely. This also fills the hot water tank as I drain that tank every winter.
Ran water through all the lines until I smelled the bleach. Let it sit in the lines and tanks overnight.
Next I opened all line drains, and pulled the anode from the hot water heater to drain it.
Flushed the fresh water tank twice, closed all line drains then hooked to city water and flushed all the lines for 5 minutes.
The last thing I did was to mix up 2 gallons of water with a couple of ounces of bleach added and using a funnel, poured that into my 50' fresh water hose, tied the ends together and agitated that around for a couple of minutes, then let that sit for a couple of hours before attaching it to a hose bib and flushing for 5 minutes. NOW I am ready to go camping!

[garmp]

I had a similar thing and traced it down to the hot water tank. Drained it,, pulled the anode and bought one of these. And was shocked at the **** that came out. Threw in some vinegar and let sit, then drained and all was well.

[JimK-NY]

cahillprc2 wrote:
......Tomorrow I'll drain it again and flush everything with the baking soda and hopefully the bleach smell with dissipate. At least with the strong bleach smell I can be pretty sure everything has been disinfected ??

Yes, your system has been disinfected. BTW, it is likely that the bleach smell will decrease within a few days. In fact I often leave some excess bleach in the system after sanitizing it. That will help to keep the water safe and fresh for a few more days until it dissipates.

[cummins2014]

wa8yxm wrote:
Bleach can be bad for the water pump and seals.. Well yes. straight up
But 1/4 cup to 15 gallons of water is what we use to sanatize.. I might, in your case. go a bit higher. say 1/3 or even 1/2 per 15 gallons

And another factor is time.. 1 hour 2. hours a Week
The first.. Not so bad. the week. not so good

Then flush with a mix of water and baking soda. Use about one cup for your entire tank (Dilove in warm water and add to tank)
Then fresh water.

Give it the old SNIFF test. and last a taste test.

You might want to run the bleach mix 2 or 3 times fresh water flush in between

Be sure to pump it through EVERYTHING.

I keep hearing this bleach thing, used it for 12 years on the same fifth wheel ,and never had an issue with anything. It sure seems like its the accepted method by many for many years . Once every spring works for me .

[Sjm9911]

Yea , you have to open and sanitize all the lines. If you miss one the bad stuff can get back into the system.

[cahillprc2]

Thank you everyone. I was able to remove the foul smell with the bleach and using about 1/3 cup per 15 gal. I almost forgot the outside shower but caught it after draining the bleach water out and refilling with fresh water tank. The water coming out of the faucets was still smelling pretty bleachy even after a good 15-20 min so I figured that would sanitize the outside shower since we only use that for washing off feet and equipment or the dog. Tomorrow I'll drain it again and flush everything with the baking soda and hopefully the bleach smell with dissipate. At least with the strong bleach smell I can be pretty sure everything has been disinfected ??

[Etstorm]

If you leave untreated water (no chlorination) it will go bad quickly. I drain mine and flush with vinegar.

[mobeewan]

If your hot water still smells like rotten eggs even after sanitizing you may have to add some white vinegar to the water heater tank and let it set. It is recommended to remove the relief vale to pour it into the water heater tank, but you could also use the winterizing connection to pump it into the tank by opening the nearest hot water faucet to the water heater.

Drain the water heater first before filling it with 2 parts vinegar one part water. So for a 6 gallon water heater tank you'll need 4 gallons of white vinegar. You'll need a little extra if you use the winterizing connection but don't have to mess with removing the valve. This will also help to descale the water heater if it's needed.

[wa8yxm]

Bleach can be bad for the water pump and seals.. Well yes. straight up
But 1/4 cup to 15 gallons of water is what we use to sanatize.. I might, in your case. go a bit higher. say 1/3 or even 1/2 per 15 gallons

And another factor is time.. 1 hour 2. hours a Week
The first.. Not so bad. the week. not so good

Then flush with a mix of water and baking soda. Use about one cup for your entire tank (Dilove in warm water and add to tank)
Then fresh water.

Give it the old SNIFF test. and last a taste test.

You might want to run the bleach mix 2 or 3 times fresh water flush in between

Be sure to pump it through EVERYTHING.

[TechWriter]

naturist wrote:
May I suggest using hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach?

A quart bottle in my 35 gallon fresh water tank pumped through the water system, including filling the water heater, and left for a couple days does as good as bleach.

"As good as bleach"? I disagree.

If you are using over-the-counter hydrogen peroxide (3% solution), then it won't be effective as a disinfectant.

To get something stronger like 12%, you'll end up paying about $20 for a 16 oz bottle.

Bleach is the most effective and least expensive disinfectant.

However, if you don't want to use bleach, then use Purogene.

naturist wrote:

Peroxide isn't hard on seals and hoses, doesn't leave behind any horrible and hard to flush out tastes and odors.

The RV myth that won't die. First, RV plumbing is either ABS or polyethylene. Bleach won't harm either. Finally, those "seals" in an RV are most likely made from bleach-tolerant Santoprene.

[JimK-NY]

Bleach is readily available, very inexpensive and works well. Again the amount to use is 1/4 cup household bleach for every 15 gallons of water. Most of us overdue the soak time. The minimum soak should be at least an hour.

More is not necessarily better and eventual high bleach concentrations for long periods of time might kill pump seals. The RV should handle the recommended protocol with no issues. My pump lasted 10 years including 2 years with full time use. I replaced it for about 15 minutes of effort and less than $100.

Be sure to treat the hot water system including the HW tank. That means you must drain it, fill with treated water and then drain again after an hour or so.

[down_home]

CW had a kit to clean the water system. a bit more involved than just bacteria killing bleach. If you have algae etc now in the tank once the chlorine is gone it can come back.
I would buy the kit. ..but i don't remember the steps to clean or what is in it.
Super saturation with bleach will kill everything though but...it is tough as heck to get its traces out but still a great idea. Half a tank of super saturated water on a rough road and lots of braking should get all the corners. While at it clean your gray and black tanks good with bleach. For sure you got some nasties there.

[dedmiston]

naturist wrote:
May I suggest using hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach?

Peroxide isn't hard on seals and hoses, doesn't leave behind any horrible and hard to flush out tastes and odors. A quart bottle in my 35 gallon fresh water tank pumped through the water system, including filling the water heater, and left for a couple days does as good as bleach.

Hi Naturist. He actually used the peroxide before he tried bleach.

[naturist]

May I suggest using hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach?

Peroxide isn't hard on seals and hoses, doesn't leave behind any horrible and hard to flush out tastes and odors. A quart bottle in my 35 gallon fresh water tank pumped through the water system, including filling the water heater, and left for a couple days does as good as bleach.