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Sanitizing fresh water tank? Bleach?

JRJR
Explorer
Explorer
What is a good way to sanitize my fresh water tank? Should I use bleach? If so how much?

Thanks
John
22 REPLIES 22

JimK-NY
Explorer II
Explorer II
At one time I had a link to an official website with a recommended treatment protocol. The protocol was 1/4 cup of bleach for each 15 gallons. I believe the soak time was a half hour or an hour. People seem to want to error on the conservative side so I have seen that extended to hours or even overnight. I go with an hour or two. I also make sure I move plenty of bleach treated water through the lines. Also be careful to totally fill your tank. It is even a good idea to drive so treated water washes off the top of the tank.

The biggest risk is contamination with pseudomonas which is typically not harmful for anyone with a healthy immune system.

work2much
Explorer
Explorer
I think people would freak if they saw what city water main looks like on the inside. We just fill it through one of those cheap camco filters when we fill. Every few months I drain the tank and then just refill it.

Most city supplies already have stuff in the water to kill all the crum in the cities water mains.
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Ski_Pro_3
Explorer
Explorer
The reaction is oxygen gas and salt water.

JRJR
Explorer
Explorer
Some say bleach some say peroxide, so I thought I would use both! Not a good idea. I put 1 ounce of bleach in a glass cup went to add 1 ounce of peroxide and I thought the whole mess was going to blow up. Giant reaction.

Ski_Pro_3
Explorer
Explorer
I use the same stuff I use for my hot tub and the same levels. If it kills off the hot tub ****, it sure will in a fresh water tank too. Then flush of course.
Use the spent water for washing your driveway and sidewalks. I hook up the drain to my pressure washer, leaving the cap off the filler for air to enter, and blast away! Doesn't seem to hurt any landscaping in the area.

Jim2007
Explorer
Explorer
Hi... I use Spring Fresh... cost a few dollars but nontoxic to humans. Jim2007
TV: 2016 Dodge 2500 Diesel
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Jim
Explorer
Explorer
gbopp wrote:
the bear II wrote:
cheap wine will do the job and taste better than bleach

Better yet, drink the cheap wine while using bleach to sanitize the FW tank. ๐Ÿ™‚


Once again, The Bear II is spot on...

...and gbopp is coming on strong with another great idea...
Jim@HiTek
Have shop, will travel!
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Lwiddis
Explorer
Explorer
Me too, cewillis!
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egarant
Explorer III
Explorer III
PUROGENE

This product is used everywhere. I've been using it in my RV as soon as I heard about it three years ago. Much more effective than straight chlorine.
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gbopp
Explorer
Explorer
the bear II wrote:
cheap wine will do the job and taste better than bleach

Better yet, drink the cheap wine while using bleach to sanitize the FW tank. ๐Ÿ™‚

cewillis
Explorer
Explorer
Preventative = 1 oz bleach / 60 gallons (you can still drink and use it).


I've done roughly this ever since I bought the TC new. Never a problem.
I carry a dilute beach spray bottle, and use it on both ends of my potable water hose and whatever faucet I'm using with every fill.
Cal

GordonThree
Explorer
Explorer
the bear II wrote:
cheap wine will do the job and taste better than bleach


absolutely not!

hard to tell if poster is joking?

wine is mostly sugar with a small amount of alcohol. it's the exact opposite of what you would want to use to sanitize any system or surface. sugar is food, and that's not something you want to introduce into the water system.

as suggested in other posts, an oxidizing agent like bleach or peroxide is the correct tool.
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ScottG
Nomad
Nomad
SidecarFlip wrote:
ScottG wrote:
The standing method is 1/4 bleach (Do not use low splash) to every 15 gallons of water.
On their website, Clorox says that 30 minutes is sufficient but I usually leave it overnight.
To completely kill the bleach in the water and remove any smell or taste of it, poor in a few ounces of hydrogen peroxide (perfectly safe and amount doesn't really matter), run it through the lines and then drain and refill.


I use Hydrogen Peroxide myself instead of bleach. Has no smell, kills everything and is safe to ingest diluted. Never been fond of the bleach smell. I use 35%.


I never could find out how much H2O2 to use per gallon. :?

flownaksala
Explorer
Explorer
I also use Chlorine in powder form. Leave it overnight and then flush the next day with no residual taste or smell. It will kill everything. I try to do it once/year to be safe. I have this chore setup in my Automotive Wolf car maintenance software ( www.automotivewolf.com ) on my computer to keep track of it since the program creates a great vehicle maintenance log so I have a detailed record of everything that's been done on my RV. This software makes it esy for me to keep up with the maintenance on all my vehicles.