Water tank?

[Donny55]

Good afternoon fellow fiberglass campers,

I have a very good question. I have never owned a camping unit with a water tank. I'm not sure when the last time it was used. So....how do I clean this tank with chemical's?
It is a 76' Trillium, and it has not gone on an adventure for years...

Thank you everyone.....Donny

[Dan Meyer]

Here is one way: How Fresh Is Your RV Fresh Water System? - RV Information (RV Maintenance)

-- Dan Meyer

[Byron Kinnaman]

I just purchased a tank cleaning and sanitizing set of chemicals from Camping World. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks pretty easy to use and should clean out and sanitize your tank ready for use.
Even if it had been used I would do the cleaning and sanitizing before use. That's was even recommended for a new tank.

By the way, Clorox and other household bleaches no long have Chlorine in them, which many of the older recommendations say to use. I have no idea how effective the non-chlorine bleach is. That's why I bought something made for cleaning and sanitizing a water tank.

I also recommend cleaning and sanitizing once a year, and using a high quality ceramic filter to filter water going in. I use a 3 micron filter with an activated charcoal core.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

By the way, Clorox and other household bleaches no long have Chlorine in them, which many of the older recommendations say to use.

Huh?
Been sodium hypochlorite as long as I remember.
Sodium hypochlorite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clorox - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Roy in TO

Huh?
Been sodium hypochlorite as long as I remember.
Sodium hypochlorite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clorox - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I guess you're just a few years old then.

Remember Purex? It's no longer manufactured. They stopped when they were forced to stop using chlorine.
Your link to Wikipedia does state that sodium hypochlorite is used as a disinfectant. However, I had zero luck with trying to shock my well a couple years ago with it. A few years earlier the chlorine version worked fine. I believe the amount of chlorine was 1.6% in chlorine bleach when you could get it.

I believe part of the change was to prevent the bleach from altering the color of fabric. In the older stuff anytime you got it on a dyed fabric it removed the dye.

Again, since the only reference to sodium hopochlorite us a disinfectant is Wikipedia I'm still a bit skeptical. Wikipedia is known for inaccuracies.

[Roy in TO]

google this:

infection control sodium hypochlorite

You will find all the academic references you need. About 189,000 results (0.40 seconds). I'll let you know when they tell me it is no longer an effective disinfectant in health care. Shocking a well and disinfecting a surface are two different beasts.

[Roy in TO]

Health Canada guidlines for disinfecting a well with bleach:
What's In Your Well? - A Guide to Well Water Treatment and Maintenance

[Bob Miller]

NEWS FLASH..... Clorox MSDS
http://www.thecloroxcompany.com/down...leach0809_.pdf
Common Household Clorox still is a sodium hypochlorite containing product. That, a lot of water and a few minor ingrediants are still all that's there.

Some of the color bleaches and pretty smelling versions may not have the good stuff but, at least according to the mfg., basic Clorox still does.

That said:
I never use my supply tank for cooking or drinking water, just for washing, showers, the loo etc. For drinking & cooking I use refillable 1 gallon plastic bottles that start every trip as ice bergs in the refrigerator.

Why? Because a holding tank can be a perfect incubator for anything that just happens to sneak in from the hose or bucket you use for filling your tank.

There are some fancy water tank disinfecting liquids, tablets and powders, but as far as I have seen, they ae all basically sodium hypochlorite in one form or another.

Once a year I empty the supply tank, put in 2 cups of the cheapest bleach I can find and add 10 gallons of water. I run it through both the hot and cold system for a day or so, tow it around a bit to get the splash factor going and then drain it out. I follow with two good rinses of the entire system and call it good. Except for the extra finger growing out of my left hand, everything is just fine.

BTW: If you want real power, swimming pool bleach is plain double strength sodium hypochlorite

[mmeyer]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I guess you're just a few years old then.

Remember Purex? It's no longer manufactured. They stopped when they were forced to stop using chlorine.
Your link to Wikipedia does state that sodium hypochlorite is used as a disinfectant. However, I had zero luck with trying to shock my well a couple years ago with it. A few years earlier the chlorine version worked fine. I believe the amount of chlorine was 1.6% in chlorine bleach when you could get it.

I believe part of the change was to prevent the bleach from altering the color of fabric. In the older stuff anytime you got it on a dyed fabric it removed the dye.

Again, since the only reference to sodium hopochlorite us a disinfectant is Wikipedia I'm still a bit skeptical. Wikipedia is known for inaccuracies.

Actually liquid bleach never really had chlorine in it as pure chlorine, it has always been the hypochlorite ion (HOCl-) whether it came from sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite ( also known as HTH "hi test hypochlorite" or from the solution of chlorine gas in water which forms the hypochlorite ion. The hypochlorite ion is what does the "killing"
Typically it it comes from the manufacturer as 12.5% Sodium Hypochlorite by weight which means that 1 gallon of this liquid sodium Hypochlorite is equivalent to 1 pound of chlorine gas. This liquid is just diluted and some other chemicals such as fragrance or other things added to the bottle and sold as bleach.
I just looked at the wife's store of bleach and Wally World bleach has a little over 6% by weight sodium hypochlorite while the ValU brand had only 3% which may account for the weakness (she probably thought she was saving $ with the ValU). You have to read the labels.
Also keep in mind that the Hypochlorite solution is not very stable and rapidly decomposes in the bottle. We figure the 12.5% stuff degrades about 1% per month which may be another reason it didn't work too well.
When I bring a new water tower or water plant on line I always start with about 50ppm equivalent chlorine to disinfect the tankage lines and facilities and have only had to redo tehe treatment 1 time in 30 years.
My 2 cents.
Michael J

[Thee Jimbo]

Building on what Bib said ... I just bought a 1980 Scamp. All water lines (both from tank to sink. As well as the citi water feed) faucets, lines et al . I AM replacing. Never can be too sure when it comes to my health.

I you do use your originals, don't just clean them by flushing bleach (or whatever you decide to use) but disassemble soak and clean then reassemble. Cootiea love to hide in all kinds of nooks and crannies!!

[BCDave]

Having a pool in my yard, I am accustomed to the concept of "chlorine" - which is available in the form of powders and 'pucks" as well a liquids at your nearest pool or spa supply store. Wally World carries it, Canadian Tire, Costco etc all have it in season. Powdered bags of "shock" are a good source of powdered disinfectant.

If your pool has managed to "run away" due to lack of disinfectant (symptom is very dark green water), liquid chlorine is added and voila! Clear, sterile safe water again! (and then ya gotta vacuum the layer of dead algae off teh bottom!)

Getting stuff to disinfect your tank isn't difficult - just "think outside the box"

[Donna D.]

Rather than use a bunch of chemicals of which you're not sure will affect the taste... how about installing a couple of deck plates that allow you to visually inspect the inside of the tank, hand scrub it out and thoroughly dry it when put into storage.

Just another idea: Deck Plate Install Sebastian installed the deck plates so he could use the tank for other things... but this will give you an idea.

[Daniel A.]

I made chlorine for thirty years before retiring the hypo does have chlorine in it, called a process byproduct commonly used as bleach.

Heat is what causes the chlorine to be released.
Bleach will take care of all those nasty bugs in the water.

Me I never use my water tank for drinking water.

BC Dave liquid chlorine vaporizes to a gas above freezing the more heat the more gas. Manufactured its temperature is - 30 C recreation centers only add gas never as a liquid.

[Donny55]

Thank you to every one again! I used to have a hot tub, and used the "shock" stuff all the time. My water tank will not be used for drinking water, I really can't trust it. I will keep it clean, and I'm going to install a water filter for the "sink" line, so I can use it for dishes. I will flush it with Javex first, then double rinse.

Again, thank you to everyone who tries to help out.

Donny

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

NEWS FLASH..... Clorox MSDS
http://www.thecloroxcompany.com/down...leach0809_.pdf
Common Household Clorox still is a sodium hypochlorite containing product. That, a lot of water and a few minor ingrediants are still all that's there.

Some of the color bleaches and pretty smelling versions may not have the good stuff but, at least according to the mfg., basic Clorox still does.

That said:
I never use my supply tank for cooking or drinking water, just for washing, showers, the loo etc. For drinking & cooking I use refillable 1 gallon plastic bottles that start every trip as ice bergs in the refrigerator.

Why? Because a holding tank can be a perfect incubator for anything that just happens to sneak in from the hose or bucket you use for filling your tank.

There are some fancy water tank disinfecting liquids, tablets and powders, but as far as I have seen, they ae all basically sodium hypochlorite in one form or another.

Once a year I empty the supply tank, put in 2 cups of the cheapest bleach I can find and add 10 gallons of water. I run it through both the hot and cold system for a day or so, tow it around a bit to get the splash factor going and then drain it out. I follow with two good rinses of the entire system and call it good. Except for the extra finger growing out of my left hand, everything is just fine.

BTW: If you want real power, swimming pool bleach is plain double strength sodium hypochlorite

Do you have any idea where your tap water comes from? How long it sits in pipes ore reservoirs?

[Eddy Ann]

I JUST REMOVED THE TANK AND USED A CHLORINE/WATER SOLUTION. CLOSED UP ALL THE HOLES (INTAKE/OUT TAKE, ETC...) AND KEPT THE SOLUTION IN THERE FOR A FEW DAYS, MAKING SURE I ROTATED THE TANK OFTEN TO GET ALL 6 SIDES. SURE SMELLS AND LOOKS FINE. TOSSED THE HOSE TO THE SINK...EEEEEEUUUUUU..... LIKE A NASTY 6TH GRADE SCIENCE EXPERIMENT.....!

[mmeyer]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Do you have any idea where your tap water comes from? How long it sits in pipes ore reservoirs?

Tap water from a municipal system is probably the safest commodity that you purchase, much safer than the food supply where every year there are many reports of consumer deaths and sickness.
All municipalities have to preform checks as to the quality of the product, Typically a Chlorine residual is checked daily or more often for larger systems. Bacteria tests and chlorine resuidals are checked at strategic spots in the system where the water may not be used as rapidly to ensure that it is suitable for consumption.
Periodically other tests for lead copper and numerous potential organic contaminants are required for all systems. Each year the municipal water supplier is required to send to each customer the results of these tests and explain any deviations. The allowable limits for these potential contaminents are derived by the EPA based on the premise that a consumer drinking 2 liters of water per day for 70 years would have a 1 in 1,000,000 chance of having some ill effect from that chemical contaminent. Bacteria and viruses and such are always set at 0,which is why keeping a Chlorine residual is so effective.
The food you buy and the water you buy in the plastic bottle by the case at a store has little or no regulations of this type and the water can sit in the plastic bottle for months in the back seat of your vehicle leaching all of the plasticizers out of the bottle which may explain why it tastes funny sometimes.
Michael J.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Donny55

......... My water tank will not be used for drinking water, I really can't trust it. ............Donny

Do what you feel is best, but if you ever saw the inside of your plumbing pipes in your home, you'd never drink the water again.

[baron100]

I now carry bottled water for drinking and cooking.

Keeping all the components of the trailer water system sanitary for drinking is problematic.

Fresh water sources along the trail are often questionable.

[Daniel A.]

Cleaning with bleach will take care of problems and will leave your water safe.
The bigger problem is when refilling where is the supply coming from hence the reason I use bottled water for drinking.
As for using the water for cleaning or cooking I would not worry about the supply.