Sanitizing the Water System
Always label your mixed cleaning solutions
Sanitizing the Water System
The generally accepted method of sanitizing your RV's fresh water system as outlined below involves filling the fresh water system with a solution of household bleach and running the solution through the entire RV water system. Then let it stand for at least four hours. Finally, flush the system to remove the bleach taste and smell.
Drain all of the water out of the water system, this includes hot water tank, fresh water tank, and the water lines and then close all of the drains valves. You do not want to start this process with water that is questionable or of unknown quality in your RV water system.
Determine the size of your RV water system, the fresh water tank plus the hot water tank and 2 to 3 gallons for water lines depending on the size of your recreation vehicle.
Chlorine as a purification and disinfection, chlorine is an important chemical for water purification (such as water treatment plants), in disinfectants, and in bleach. Chlorine in water is more than three times as effective as a disinfectant against Escherichia coli than an equivalent concentration of bromine, and is more than six times more effective than an equivalent concentration of iodine.
Prepare a 5% sodium-hypochloric solution using chlorine bleach (non-scented and non-gel) and water.
US Public Health Service approves disinfection with 50 ppm residual chlorine.
Add bleach mixture to the water tank - Never pour straight bleach into the RV fresh water tank!
If you have a bypass for your hot water tank, make sure that is set for normal use so that the bleached mixture will be pumped through the hot water tank.
Top up the fresh water tank with water.
Run the chlorinated water through all lines (hot and cold one at a time) for one or two minutes, you should be able to smell the chlorine.
Top up the fresh water tank with water again.
Let it sit for 4 hours minimum, overnight is better. The most important thing is to wait for the appropriate amount of time for the tank to be properly sanitized. Note: Double the bleach is not half the time
Drain and rinse the water tank and water lines several times with fresh water.
The water should now be safe to drink but if the chlorine odor is too strong you can add a mixture of 1/2 cup of baking soda and a gallon of water to the fresh water tank, repeat the fresh water flush.