Fresh Water Tank

Skip it. Sanitize it when you plan to use it.

Rosscoe40 wrote:
I'm getting my new TT out for the first time this weekend. I want to hook it up to city water and flush the pink stuff out so I can use the sinks, toilet, and shower. I know normal procedure for de-winterizing is sanitizing the fresh water tank but I don't plan on using it this time. Will it hurt anything if I skip this step? May be a dumb question but I'm new to full hookup.

De-winterizing and sanitizing the FW tank are essentially two different things, although it makes sense to do one before the other.

I have had my RV for almost a year now and it has never been sanitized, since I don't consume the water. Just use it to flush. I have never boondocked but if I do it will be sanitized beforehand. I had the previous RV 3 years and always had city water so even though that was sanitized once I never drank from it either.

All depends on how you plan to use this water.

wmoses wrote:

Rosscoe40 wrote:
I'm getting my new TT out for the first time this weekend. I want to hook it up to city water and flush the pink stuff out so I can use the sinks, toilet, and shower. I know normal procedure for de-winterizing is sanitizing the fresh water tank but I don't plan on using it this time. Will it hurt anything if I skip this step? May be a dumb question but I'm new to full hookup.

De-winterizing and sanitizing the FW tank are essentially two different things, although it makes sense to do one before the other.

I have had my RV for almost a year now and it has never been sanitized, since I don't consume the water. Just use it to flush. I have never boondocked but if I do it will be sanitized beforehand. I had the previous RV 3 years and always had city water so even though that was sanitized once I never drank from it either.

All depends on how you plan to use this water.

You don't have to consume the water. If you wash your hands, shave, brush your teeth, shower, etc, you can wind up with some nasty bacteria from unsanitized fresh water systems. In fact, if you use it for cooking and don't bring it to a boil, you can get ill. Best bet if there is any chance of skin contact or ingestion of any type is to sanitize the system.

Even if you're on the road and take a break to use the restroom, simply activating the pump can get bacteria into the entire fresh water system that could make it into your pipes later when you are using city hookups. It just takes a cup of bleach and a few hours to be safe.

Where can I get an adaptor to fill my fresh water tank??? I would like to have 15 gallon for bathroom emergencies, or other emergencies which may well require water. I also need to replace the protector for my city water intake as the proctor has broken off

Kalait - You can most likely go to any RV dealer or Camping World and they will let you know how to fill your fresh water tank and if you need any parts.

Roscoe,
As stated even if you don't plan on drinking the water it still needs to be sanitized. Although if you're always using city chlorinated tap water you are probably fine.
But really you can buy a small bottle of unscented bleach at Walmart for around a dollar fifty. Pour 2 oz (1/4 cup) for every 10 gallons of tank capacity into your fresh water fill. Then fill the tank and pump the water to each faucet, toilet, and outside shower until you smell bleach. I also make sure to let it fill the water heater.

Let it sit overnight and drain it in the morning. Drain the water heater tank. Then fill the tank with fresh water and purge out all the faucets and fill the water heater again. Then drain it all again and it's ready to go.

If it still smells like bleach just flush it one more time. It will take maybe 30 minutes of actual work time as most of the time is waiting for the tank to fill or drain.

People will caution you about not pouring bleach directly into the fresh fill pipe. I say the bottle the bleach comes in is plastic and the fill pipe and tank are plastic. Also the bleach is going to get washed down with the hose as you fill the tank. It's not going to hurt anything the few times that you actually pour bleach down the hole.

.

opnspaces wrote:
Roscoe,
As stated even if you don't plan on drinking the water it still needs to be sanitized. Although if you're always using city chlorinated tap water you are probably fine.
But really you can buy a small bottle of unscented bleach at Walmart for around a dollar fifty. Pour 2 oz (1/4 cup) for every 10 gallons of tank capacity into your fresh water fill. Then fill the tank and pump the water to each faucet, toilet, and outside shower until you smell bleach. I also make sure to let it fill the water heater.

Let it sit overnight and drain it in the morning. Drain the water heater tank. Then fill the tank with fresh water and purge out all the faucets and fill the water heater again. Then drain it all again and it's ready to go.

If it still smells like bleach just flush it one more time. It will take maybe 30 minutes of actual work time as most of the time is waiting for the tank to fill or drain.

People will caution you about not pouring bleach directly into the fresh fill pipe. I say the bottle the bleach comes in is plastic and the fill pipe and tank are plastic. Also the bleach is going to get washed down with the hose as you fill the tank. It's not going to hurt anything the few times that you actually pour bleach down the hole.

.

5% sodium hypochlorite (household bleach) will tend to leave some residual taste/odor in the plastic it comes in contact with, maybe better to dilute the bleach, somewhat, and introduce it that way.

Otherwise, your sanitation advice is spot on.

Thanks for the advice!

Rosscoe40 wrote:
I'm getting my new TT out for the first time this weekend. I want to hook it up to city water and flush the pink stuff out so I can use the sinks, toilet, and shower. I know normal procedure for de-winterizing is sanitizing the fresh water tank but I don't plan on using it this time. Will it hurt anything if I skip this step? May be a dumb question but I'm new to full hookup.

Water fill tube found at any camping store or RV dealership parts department or on line at CW.


http://www.rvadenver.com/new_page_30.htm
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/water-tank-filler-with-shut-off-valve/4674

FYI: And don't be cheap, buy the one with the shut off valve and buy the one with the larger diameter. Trust me you won't regret it! :C

rockhillmanor wrote:

Rosscoe40 wrote:
I'm getting my new TT out for the first time this weekend. I want to hook it up to city water and flush the pink stuff out so I can use the sinks, toilet, and shower. I know normal procedure for de-winterizing is sanitizing the fresh water tank but I don't plan on using it this time. Will it hurt anything if I skip this step? May be a dumb question but I'm new to full hookup.

Water fill tube found at any camping store or RV dealership parts department or on line at CW.


http://www.rvadenver.com/new_page_30.htm
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/water-tank-filler-with-shut-off-valve/4674

FYI: And don't be cheap, buy the one with the shut off valve and buy the one with the larger diameter. Trust me you won't regret it! :C

I made my own. I wanted a longer tube on mine to reach into the water tank itself instead of just into the fill hose. With it I can fill the tank at full flow. The local hardware store had all the parts I needed.