sanitizing fresh water tank

[Loriroy]

new to forum just bought a 2011 coachman concord 300i think its an ss have a slight oder inside I think I need to sanitize the tank can anyone tell me how to start owners manual is not very helpful if you have pictures that would be great

[Gsxrgrizz]

I️ don’t have any pictures but here’s what I️ do.....

1. Fill my tank full with water from my hose at the house.

2. Add roughly a cup of bleach. The water/bleach ratio depends on tank size..you can Google that.

3. Run a fair amount of this solution through your lines...about 60 seconds per tap.

4. Let it sit...I️ leave mine overnight.

The next morning, dump the tank and re-fill with fresh water. Flush the system with water again as in step 3. Let it sit for the day then dump that water. From there you should be good to go. If you still have a slight taste, I️ add some “real lemon” juice from the grocery store.

I’m sure there are hundreds of ways to do this but this is how I️ do it and have never run into problems

[Loriroy]

Thank you can I️ just dump the bleach solution in where I️ hook up the hose for the fresh water

[Gsxrgrizz]

Yes, I️ use a short hose and a funnel though so I️ don’t get bleach on anything that it might stain or damage

[DKRITTER]

You tube is a great asset in learning how to's for RVing. Here's a very good link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEepug8N-aE&t=47s

[Flybob]

Lots of good information above, but most odors in an RV are caused by black and grey tanks and not the FW tank. FW tank will usually result in bad tasting water. Are you sure it is a FW tank issue?

[Loriroy]

No I’m not but was thinking it could be the black tank and grey as you said how can I️ take care of that I️ thought maybe add some water to the tanks and add that happy camper stuff

[Flybob]

Some water and Happy camper if you are not in an area where it is freezing. But even with stinky tanks ( and they usually stink) you should not have odors in the unit. Make sure all your drains ( traps) have some water or antifreeze in them as that isolates them from the tank odors. Then check under then sinks for a vent that looks like the photo attached . They are notorious for sticking open. Some times taping on them helps, but they are easy to replace. I would focus on black and grey tanks first.

[Loriroy]

Ok thank you very much I️ live in Vegas it usually doesn’t get freezing cold is it wise to leave water in your tanks or should they always be empty

[Gsxrgrizz]

In a pinch, especially when it’s hot, assuming it’s not a trap or vent, I’ve added a little Mr. Clean lavender scent to help out

[Loriroy]

How no I️ know if water is in the trap and how would I️ get it out or check it

[Flybob]

If it is not going to freeze, just pour a cup of water down each drain. The trap is a "U" under the sink / shower, that will trap a small amount of water in the bottom of the "U" and create a seal. You should do this after each trip as towing over bumpy roads can splash some out and not leave a complete seal.

[JP Camper]

I would bypass the WH while sanitizing.

[lacamastraveler]

Originally Posted by Loriroy

new to forum just bought a 2011 coachman concord 300i think its an ss have a slight oder inside I think I need to sanitize the tank can anyone tell me how to start owners manual is not very helpful if you have pictures that would be great

US Public Health Service
The sanitizing procedure is in conformance with the approved procedures if RVIA and ANSI A119.2 and the U.S. Public Health Service.
Use one of the following methods to determine the amount of common household bleach needed to sanitize the tank:
Multiply “gallons of tank capacity” by .13; the result is the ounces of bleach needed to sanitize the tank.
The standard solution must have four (4) hours of contact time to disinfect completely. Doubling the solution concentration allows for contact time of one (1) hour

Here is my method: The amounts listed are for my RV; you will need to calculate for your tanks:

1. Remove In-line Water Filter
2. Drain the Hot water tank, flush with city water running
3. Replace hot water tank cap
4. Add some fresh water to tank
5. 6 Oz of Bleach; 12 Oz will reduce wait time to one hour (41 gal Fresh Water + 6 gal hot water=47 gal x .13=6 oz or 12 oz for one hour
6. Fill Fresh Water tank
7. Turn on water pump
8. Turn on hot water faucet until hot water tank is full (pump will stop)
9. Add 6 gallons of water to replace water in hot water tank
10. Turn on hot water faucet until air bleeds out and smell bleach. Turn off hot water faucet and turn on cold faucet until smell bleach.
11. Let sit for 4 hours; 1 hour if used 12 Oz of bleach
12. Open all faucets hot and cold and pump out water. Pump is 2.8gpm so should empty in about 15 minutes.
13. Add one Gallon of white vinegar and fill tank
14. Turn on all hot and cold faucets; let run until dry.
15. Install Water Filter (new every 12 months);
16. Add Fresh water as needed

Note: I add the white vinegar to remove all smell of the bleach. Vinegar smell dissipates very quickly. I buy the cheapest vinegar I can find.

[Havasu Bill]

I pour a cup of bleach into the hose and then connect it up to the fill. Then fill the tank and run the faucets/shower for several seconds till I can smell the bleach. Finish filling the tank and let it set for a few hours and drain.
I fill and drain/ run faucets till I don’t get any bleach smell.
Finally, I pull the faucet aerators and clean them. Amazing how much crap gets in them and reduces water flow.

[CurtPutnam]

I think the advice to look at your black & gray tanks 1st is sound. Re: the fresh water tank, we don't worry about sanitizing it for several reasons: The first reason is that all kinds of road crud can collect in the tank unless yours has a screw on cap. Therefore, no matter how clean you get it to start with, after several days on the road quite a bit of dust & stuff will have found its way into the tank. Despite the foregoing, we keep it clean enough for the dog to drink and to brush teeth with.

We take bottled water for drinking and coffee making. Frozen bottles help cool the fridge down quickly and keep it cold in case the gas shuts off while traveling. We also use the frozen bottles of water in a cooler full of beverages. That avoids the problem of melting ice sloshing around in the cooler.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by CurtPutnam

I think the advice to look at your black & gray tanks 1st is sound. Re: the fresh water tank, we don't worry about sanitizing it for several reasons: The first reason is that all kinds of road crud can collect in the tank unless yours has a screw on cap. Therefore, no matter how clean you get it to start with, after several days on the road quite a bit of dust & stuff will have found its way into the tank. Despite the foregoing, we keep it clean enough for the dog to drink and to brush teeth with.

We take bottled water for drinking and coffee making. Frozen bottles help cool the fridge down quickly and keep it cold in case the gas shuts off while traveling. We also use the frozen bottles of water in a cooler full of beverages. That avoids the problem of melting ice sloshing around in the cooler.

I'd be interested in seeing what kind of fresh tank fill your unit has that it allows 'road crud' into the fresh tank. In 40+ years of camping I have never encountered this situation.

I have only ever seen factory fresh tanks have either a gravity fill with a removable cap or a filler via the city water hose. Neither of these would allow 'quite a bit of dust and stuff' into the fresh tank if properly maintained.

[Mountainmanbob]

In between camping trips I usually put a couple of table spoons full of bleach into a bicycle water bottle fill with water squirt into water tank.

Next day run all inside faucets for a little while so as to let the small amount of bleach into the lines.

Never had a problem with funky water.

Bleach will dissipate in a couple weeks.

We have a small water tank for larger tanks add a couple more tablespoons. If we keep it clean it does not take much.

M-Bob

[CurtPutnam]

Originally Posted by 5picker

I'd be interested in seeing what kind of fresh tank fill your unit has that it allows 'road crud' into the fresh tank. In 40+ years of camping I have never encountered this situation.

I have only ever seen factory fresh tanks have either a gravity fill with a removable cap or a filler via the city water hose. Neither of these would allow 'quite a bit of dust and stuff' into the fresh tank if properly maintained.

Our previous RV (29' Itasca Class C) just had an open gravity fill hole into which we could stick any length of hose. Even though it had a door, it was loose and crud accumulated. Don't remember what our current trailer has as we've only filled it once - and my wife did that as I've been wheelchair bound for the last 7 months.

Perhaps I raised non-existent demons in which case I apologize to all and sundry.

The hoses I have around the house lay out on the ground or get coiled up in a pot. Neither arrangement is sanitary. The hoses at our storage place are less so as are the campground hoses I've seen. A while back I started a thread asking if folks drink CG water. About half do and about half do not.

The point is that if one is not going to drink water from the tank then there is no point in getting all bothered about sanitizing it.

[Mountainmanbob]

Bacteria if left untreated for too long will grow some funky stuff.

M-Bob