Scamp Water Inlet Replaced; Flushing? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 05-21-2017, 07:53 PM   #1
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Scamp Water Inlet Replaced; Flushing?

Today we replaced the water inlet and connected hose that runs to the water tank. It was a pretty easy job except for the anxiety and worry about busting through the fiberglass! I got the inlet piece from Scamp and gosh, that little guy is just not curved like the trailer is. We tighten everything very slowly and carefully and didn't have any pull through, thank goodness.

The other minor complication was that the wiring for the trailer lights was glued to the original rivet for the inlet. This was a byproduct of the factory insulation install. My husband had to very carefully drill out the rivets from outside while I watched from inside to make sure there were no casualties of innocent bystanders.

We replaced the original pool hose(?) with a vinyl one and I'm so glad we did because it was super-gross inside. I'm sure it was so bad because of the fact that our inlet had pretty much disintegrated into nothing and couldn't keep anything out.

Anyway, all done and happy with the end results. NOW, any instructions or advice on flushing and sanitizing the tank? My manual only has instructions for tanks hooked to pressurizing pumps. We are low tech/old school with our little hand pump...

[Note: My "after" photo is not a true after. It was before we put the hose clamps back on properly.]
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Old 05-21-2017, 10:12 PM   #2
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1/2 cup of bleach then fill the tank to mix it, pump water through any faucets. Let it sit for a few hours/overnight, drain the tank, fill with fresh water, pump through the faucets. Repeat a couple times and you're good to go. Bleach properties dissipate pretty quickly.
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Old 05-21-2017, 10:24 PM   #3
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I would definitely install a 6" deck plate for easy access to the water tank, see Donna D.'s message #9, http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ing-54000.html
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Old 05-22-2017, 07:49 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Borrego Dave View Post
1/2 cup of bleach then fill the tank to mix it, pump water through any faucets. Let it sit for a few hours/overnight, drain the tank, fill with fresh water, pump through the faucets. Repeat a couple times and you're good to go. Bleach properties dissipate pretty quickly.
Thanks! I think I rig up my blue boy to catch the first batch of bleach water... 2 for 1!
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Old 05-22-2017, 07:54 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Triker View Post
I would definitely install a 6" deck plate for easy access to the water tank, see Donna D.'s message #9, http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ing-54000.html
Awesome, thanks. I was hoping there was some way to access the inside of the tank. I don't think mine was used very often but it is 34-years-old so I'd love to check it out and see if we should just get a new one.

I also found this thread with pictures incase anyone else reading is curious:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ank-62021.html
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Old 05-22-2017, 08:03 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by StephLeach View Post
...NOW, any instructions or advice on flushing and sanitizing the tank? My manual only has instructions for tanks hooked to pressurizing pumps. We are low tech/old school with our little hand pump...
...
See Sanitizing your Fiberglass Trailer's Water System
From Operating Manual for SHURflo Potable Water Pump


Electric or hand pump, just run the water through all the lines one way or another.
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Old 05-22-2017, 08:11 AM   #7
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"Bleach is not as dangerous as radioactive waste" <-- What a funny thing to say!

I think I'll still capture the bleach water and put it down the drain. We live right next to a creek with all sorts of water birds and wildlife.

Thanks for the link.
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Old 05-22-2017, 09:24 AM   #8
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Be veery, veery careful using bleach as a sanitizer. It works great, but is pretty near impossible to get rid of the smell and taste if overdone. Add the access hatch and get inside it and SCRUB IT. Use baking soda too, a nice, natural abrasive. Elbow bending, sinus irritating, knee killing scrubbing. Rinse, rinse, rinse and rinse.

Or read this for some actual guidance...
How Much Bleach Should Be Used to Sanitize a Water Tank? | Gone Outdoors | Your Adventure Awaits

If you can scrub it, you probably won't need to take it for a ride.

I am enjoying your restoration experiences. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 05-22-2017, 12:51 PM   #9
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Thanks Kay! Yeah, bleach scares me a little bit. I'm thinking of going with the hatch/scrubbing route and then maybe a vinegar rinse. My Dad also said a lot of his peeps (GMC Motorhome Enthusiasts) use hydrogen peroxide. I'm going to look into that more as well.
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Old 05-22-2017, 04:01 PM   #10
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Hey Steph, I installed a 4" deck plate centered in the middle of my 25 gal tank. Plenty of room to get to all corners. 6" may be over kill unless your tank is long though .
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Old 05-22-2017, 05:37 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by StephLeach View Post
Thanks Kay! Yeah, bleach scares me a little bit. I'm thinking of going with the hatch/scrubbing route and then maybe a vinegar rinse. My Dad also said a lot of his peeps (GMC Motorhome Enthusiasts) use hydrogen peroxide. I'm going to look into that more as well.
Sodium hypochlorite (pure bleach) is the gold standard for sanitising. It is used by kitchens, food preparers, etc worldwide. Properly done it is the accepted substance and method for governments and regulatory agencies.

If you choose to use Hydrogen Peroxide, read this first: https://wcam.engr.wisc.edu/Public/Sa...eroxide%20.pdf
(You might end up even more scared).

By all means scrub. Remove all contaminates large enough to be visable and then follow these directions. You will be fine. Waste solution can be further diluted if that makes you feel better, and spread out where it will be exposed to sunlight which will break it down or in the municipal waste system if they approve (not a septic system)
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Old 05-23-2017, 07:27 PM   #12
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Thanks for the info Gordon. It makes sense. I mean, anything you use to sanitize should not go in your body or you'd be sanitizing yourself!
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Old 05-23-2017, 07:30 PM   #13
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Yeah, I was thinking about that Dave. My tank is only 10 gallons. Are you able to get your whole arm in the 4" opening or do you use a tool/brush?
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Old 05-23-2017, 08:18 PM   #14
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Pure hydrogen peroxide's nasty stuff, but it does have the advantage of decomposing to water+oxygen with minimal provocation. From what I've found, there's a couple downsides to using it for RV tank sanitization:
1. Cost. A high enough concentration (much higher than NaClO bleach) to sanitize effectively is way, way more expensive (and more hazardous) than the equivalent amount of NaClO bleach.
2. Tank/pipe damage. At concentrations high enough to sanitize, it's probably even worse for plastics than the NaClO bleach is.

The peroxide will actually react with the chlorine bleach to produce water+oxygen and a bit of salt, so it might be useful to use some to help eliminate chlorine smell/taste. Not 100% sure on the right concentrations/amounts to do that, though, and you'd definitely still want to rinse well and let it sit for a while to make sure you're not drinking any peroxide.
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Old 05-23-2017, 11:20 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by StephLeach View Post
Yeah, I was thinking about that Dave. My tank is only 10 gallons. Are you able to get your whole arm in the 4" opening or do you use a tool/brush?
Yes, but not my whole arm....my hand hits the interior walls first
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Old 05-25-2017, 07:28 PM   #16
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ha ha ha!
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Old 05-27-2017, 07:21 PM   #17
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Deck Plate Install

While everyone else was out camping today we went ahead and installed a 4" deck plate in our water tank. I'm so glad we did cause there was a TON of debris inside the tank. Nothing growing, thank goodness, but just lots of sand and dirt etc. Not surprising considering what bad shape the old inlet was in. The install was pretty easy. Tomorrow we're running a new line from the tank to the sink....might as well, we've come this far. After I get the line in I'll sterilize and flush.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
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