Having major water struggles (water is cloudy)

[Comanchecreek]

My procedure is to first do a thorough flush and drain of the system. Do not forget the toilet, outside shower, and any washer hookups your trailer may have and also don't forget to flush the low point drains. Many people forget those, and the lines trap cruddy, or antifreeze laden water only to suck that water back into the system during regular use. I then put about 2 cups of bleach in by pouring it into the hose then running the hose into the tank fill. I run the pump till I smell bleach at each outlet, then shut the system down. I let the bleach sit in the system for a couple of hours then begin the flush. I continue to fill and drain the water tank while I run the water through the plumbing via the city water hookup. Once I think the system is flushed, I then put clear water in the tank and again flush the system with the pump to be sure and clear any residue from the pump and relief valve. If you still get chlorine smell then start over till it's gone. This is the same flushing I do in the Spring to get the antifreeze out also. Be sure the water heater bypass is open so the water heater gets flushed and disinfected also. You may not be getting your water heater flushed adequately and it is back feeding cloudy water into your system. We use our system for making coffee and ice, and have never had an issue with cloudy stinky water. Of course, if you do this and your water is still cloudy, I gotta go with the other guys that it is what you're putting in there, not the pipes.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Bbouch84

So ive noticed this year that after i de-winterized amd sanitized TWICE i can not for the life of me get my water to be clear. The water doesnt smell but no matter what i do if i use fresh tank or city water hook up get the water to be clear. I do use an inline filter but thats newish. Any ideas on what i can do?

Originally Posted by HerveVR

Bbouch84,

How was your RV winterized ?

If the procedure used was by pouring antifreeze in FW tank and running the pump, I know why you are in trouble.
Even draining and rinsing the FW tank will hardly remove all antifreeze in the bottom. Antifreeze is heavier than water.
It might be the cause of the issue.

That is the reason why winterizing should be performed via a dedicated Kit inserted between the FW tank and the pump.

The OP said in their first post it was the same when on city water. That eliminates the fresh tank and anything in it unless they are using city water and the pump simultaneously. (which they shouldn't be BTW)

[Bbouch84]

Water is just cloudy not brown pink or anything...

When i winterized it i unhooked the feed line to the pump and put a hose on that then into my antifreeze bottle and by passed water heater and ran threw all lines.

When i sanitized i used a cup and a half of bleach in the fw tank ran threw the lines as well.

[nomad297]

I run across this a lot in residential and commercial plumbing systems. There are several things that cause it which are usually easily remedied. The first thing to check (depending on where you see the cloudy water) is always the faucet’s aerator. The aerator is designed to introduce air into the water, and the more clogged they get with debris, usually, the more aerated the water becomes. If your toilet’s water isn’t cloudy, the problem is most likely your faucet’s aerators or the flow restrictors. Of course, the screen in your toilet’s fill valve could be getting clogged, too, causing cloudy water, but if it is clear, check your faucets before digging too deep into the other possibilities.

Spring-loaded check valves can cause cavitation and aeration when they don’t open as far as they should. Valves/shutoffs — especially ball valves, will do the same thing if they are not opened all of the way. I see this very often when somebody hasn’t turned on their main water shutoff all of the way — every fixture in the house flows with cloudy water. This is especially common/noticeable where the source pressure is very high and the valve is just cracked open a little. That noise you hear when the water is flowing through a valve in this situation is the air/cavitation — not the water, per se.

There are so many other things in a building’s water system that can cause this, but in an RV, it should be pretty easy to nail it down. You need to look for a restriction somewhere in your system that is common to both the city water and the tank water.

Google “Water Cavitation” or “Water aeration” to give yourself a better understanding of what I am talking about and what you should be looking for.

Bruce

[TheWolfPaq82]

Bruce I think you nailed it. The OP has never let a glass sit long enough to see if it clears and I was thinking the same thing about Cavitation. See it all the time in our TT at first of the season and it gradually goes away with repeated usage. If I flush for a LONG time when dewinterizing, I don't see as much.

[CedarCreekWoody]

I agree, air in the water. But apparently the OP isn't checking for that. Such a simple issue and nothing to be concerned with.

[5picker]

Just to remind...

Air in the OP's system was mentioned as early as post #4 and post #6.
In post #5 the OP says the water never clears up.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Just to remind...

Air in the OP's system was mentioned as early as post #4 and post #6.
In post #5 the OP says the water never clears up.

"The water never clears up could mean either of two things.

1. I ran a glass of water and it never cleared, or
2. I've run several glasses of water and they all came out cloudy.

Since I can't readily think of anything that would cause permanent cloudiness, I vote for the second option. I'm thinking we don't know whether the cloudiness clears.

There are only a couple of sources of air entering the water:

• Antifreeze port not completely closed (if using the water pump/tank).
• Air entering from a filter canister that's loose or contains air
• Cloudy water entering on the city water line. (Has the OP actually filled a glass from the hose going to the trailer?)

The third one actually happened to us last weekend. Three weeks earlier the park water system was shut down, just as we were getting ready to leave. Management told us it would be down for four hours, so we just left rinsed, dirty dishes with the trailer. When we returned last weekend we had cloudy water. A glass of water cleared in less than a minute. The water cleared after we ran and picked a couple of quarts.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Just to remind...

Air in the OP's system was mentioned as early as post #4 and post #6.
In post #5 the OP says the water never clears up.

Actually I read post five to say he never gave (which i think he misspelled as "have") it a chance to clear up. In any case I wish him well and that the solution is simple.

[rlh1957]

Did I miss the response to OP... How long after pouring the glass of cloudy water did you let it sit and see if there was any sediment or cloudiness cleared up? The air bubbles can stay in the system for days depending on how much air or microscopic air bubble formed when flushing out the system.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

"The water never clears up could mean either of two things.

1. I ran a glass of water and it never cleared, or
2. I've run several glasses of water and they all came out cloudy.

Since I can't readily think of anything that would cause permanent cloudiness, I vote for the second option. I'm thinking we don't know whether the cloudiness clears.

There are only a couple of sources of air entering the water:

• Antifreeze port not completely closed (if using the water pump/tank).
• Air entering from a filter canister that's loose or contains air
• Cloudy water entering on the city water line. (Has the OP actually filled a glass from the hose going to the trailer?)

The third one actually happened to us last weekend. Three weeks earlier the park water system was shut down, just as we were getting ready to leave. Management told us it would be down for four hours, so we just left rinsed, dirty dishes with the trailer. When we returned last weekend we had cloudy water. A glass of water cleared in less than a minute. The water cleared after we ran and picked a couple of quarts.

I don't know if the OP actually filled a glass but...
In my post # 8... I ask this question...

Originally Posted by 5picker

Just asking... what does the water look like BEFORE going into your R/V?

In post # 9 the OP answers...

Originally Posted by Bbouch84

Water looks just fine before entering the travel trailer. Could there be some sort of residue somewhere and how could you remove it?

[CedarCreekWoody]

Frustrating, isnt it? I give up. Lol

[Bbouch84]

I will be testing the letting water sit method as well as not using the filter this weekend and post my results.

[Bbouch84]

Well here is an update.. Hooked up at our campsite hooked to city connection did not use filter and water was a little cloudy/bubbly at first and after about 3 min it cleared right up. I believe the filter was bad still might be gettig a little air in the system from somewhere or the aerators are junk will be doing a check on all that. When we get back home.

[CedarCreekWoody]

I'm glad you identified the cause of the condition. I doubt the filter is bad, this is very common. Give it time to settle in. Time cures all ills, or at least teaches us to live with it.

[A32Deuce]

On a,past trip, I wondered what was wrong with the water pressure. Took the hose off and had great pressure. Changed outside filter and all was good. Could not believe the difference in weight of the old to the new filter. Stuff gets in them and thank goodness they keep it out of the system.

[nrkmann]

IMHO it is foolish to put antifreeze into the water supply side. Use an air compressor and blow your lines out until opening each valve does not blast more water out, only air. I use a $39 AC from HF and it takes about an hour. Antifreeze goes into the grey and black water tanks via about 1/2 gal into each sink drain & down the toilet.

City water has enough chlorine to sanitize in the spring by filling the lines and the FW tank, letting it sit overnight and repeat. If you are paranoid add one tsp Clorox bleach per five gal to the FW tank and pump it through the system.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

On a,past trip, I wondered what was wrong with the water pressure. Took the hose off and had great pressure. Changed outside filter and all was good. Could not believe the difference in weight of the old to the new filter. Stuff gets in them and thank goodness they keep it out of the system.

I actually backflushed my filter this spring--external Camco type at the pedestal. I just held the outlet end against the faucet and turned the water fully on. The first burst of water that came out had foreign matter, then cleared almost immediately.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by nrkmann

IMHO it is foolish to put antifreeze into the water supply side. Use an air compressor and blow your lines out until opening each valve does not blast more water out, only air. I use a $39 AC from HF and it takes about an hour. Antifreeze goes into the grey and black water tanks via about 1/2 gal into each sink drain & down the toilet.

City water has enough chlorine to sanitize in the spring by filling the lines and the FW tank, letting it sit overnight and repeat. If you are paranoid add one tsp Clorox bleach per five gal to the FW tank and pump it through the system.

I do not have enough hands or long-enough arms to apply air pressure to the outside city water inlet and hold the toilet valve open at the same time.

The Dometic toilet valves are very fragile and vulnerable to cracking if the slightest drops of water freeze in them. And they are expensive. I have seen really bad water damage when the valve freezes. In the spring, when water was turned back on, the valve leaked a thin stream which invisibly ran down the water feed into the floor. The problem was discovered when the floor fell out and the side wall separated. I'd rather see the pink stuff flowing into the toilet.

I've never explicitly protected the drains. I guess that by running water into the fixtures until it's good and pink I've implicitly protected the traps.

[tomaziegler]

Originally Posted by Comanchecreek

My procedure is to first do a thorough flush and drain of the system. Do not forget the toilet, outside shower, and any washer hookups your trailer may have and also don't forget to flush the low point drains. Many people forget those, and the lines trap cruddy, or antifreeze laden water only to suck that water back into the system during regular use. I then put about 2 cups of bleach in by pouring it into the hose then running the hose into the tank fill. I run the pump till I smell bleach at each outlet, then shut the system down. I let the bleach sit in the system for a couple of hours then begin the flush. I continue to fill and drain the water tank while I run the water through the plumbing via the city water hookup. Once I think the system is flushed, I then put clear water in the tank and again flush the system with the pump to be sure and clear any residue from the pump and relief valve. If you still get chlorine smell then start over till it's gone. This is the same flushing I do in the Spring to get the antifreeze out also. Be sure the water heater bypass is open so the water heater gets flushed and disinfected also. You may not be getting your water heater flushed adequately and it is back feeding cloudy water into your system. We use our system for making coffee and ice, and have never had an issue with cloudy stinky water. Of course, if you do this and your water is still cloudy, I gotta go with the other guys that it is what you're putting in there, not the pipes.

You must make sure that you open (and flush) low point plugs and drains. My newer unit had that cloudiness until I remembered that I had flushed everything several times except for those. I would also argue that whether you are on pump, or on city water, you are going to get that cloudiness unless you drain and flush those areas. Once you flush those thoroughly, you should be good. If still cloudy, you have another issue!