new water tank taste

[RJW]

Anyone have any idea how to speed up getting rid of the plastic taste from the water tank and lines in a new camper?

Thanks in advance.

[Grand Surveyor]

About the only thing to do is sanitize the system. For a 20 gallon fresh tank pour 1/2 cup of bleach in your white potable water hose then fill the fresh tank. Once full run all faucets until you smell the bleach & let it sit for 3 hours. Empty the fresh tank (I run the bath & kitchen faucets into the grey tank) then refill the fresh tank 1 or 2 more times flushing out the bleach through the faucets. Having done that I have never had any poor tasting water from the tank. Others may use the fresh water tank chemicals but I have never felt the need.

[dimurrrw]

The advice given by Grand Surveyor is excellent. However, the taste you are complaining of may be the result of using a new water hose. (Yes, I mean a white potable water hose made for RV's.) Try hooking up your supply hose without hooking to the trailer. Let some water sit in it for a while, then taste that water. It may answer your question and it doesn't hurt to try.

I found this out the hard way about twenty years ago. I made a three day stopover and hooked up as usual. The water tasted so bad that I paid a visit to the campground office to inquire about the problem. Bottom line: There was noting wrong with the water at the campground - it was my never before used hose that was imparting a foul taste. I've occasionally experienced the same problem since then and have never found a solution to instantly kill the bad taste. Only time seems to resolve the problem.

Hope this helps.

[powerboatr]

both of you youngins are correct
sanitize the fresh water hose and the tanks
they sell sanitizing tablets but i have found they dont work as well as bleach and rinse
we do ours every spring and anytime the fresh tanks sits full or empty for more than a month, youd be surprised how fast foul tastes can delvelope

i rinse teh tanks three times and i have found a neat trick to run water back up the drain line for the fresh tank which stirs up the water real well and gets it rinsed IMO better


a little bleach wont kill you but it sure does wreak hovoc on the intestines

[NDJollyMon]

Vinegar is great for getting rid of plastic -like taste & smell. A gallon or two dumped in the tanks, and pumped thru the lines may help. I'd let it sit in the system awhile. Maybe add some water to the tank and drive around to get it to slosh around. You can always dump the vinegar into your potable water hose as well. Just pour some in, hook the ends together, and let it sit awhile.

[RJW]

Thanks to everyone, looks like I'm bleaching it tonight.

[Grand Surveyor]

That'll work until they find a way to fill it with Sam Adams & keep it fresh and cold!

[RJW]

Just picked up some sam Adams last night for the trip next week, I keep coors lite on tap at home and usually get something different for camping or when we go out for dinner.

Regards, RJW

[KyDan]

I agree with the others about bleach and flushing but the bad taste
might also be left over from winterizing RV antifreeze.
It might not be plastic you taste but antifreeze.
The solution is the same.
Sanitize and flush with fresh water.

My white plastic RV hose gives the water a bad taste if we're hooked
up to city water and the hose is sitting in the sun.
Cloudy days and at night it doesn't seem to be as bad or at all.

We've learned to fill coffee pots and iced tea jugs right after a good flush!!
It works for us!