Sanitize/fill fresh water

[J2999]

Just purchased a used (two year old) TT and want to sanitize the fresh water tank and system before using.
I understand the bleach ratio, but what water do you use? We are getting it cleaned out at home, so can we use standard outside spigot and hose water? Or do we need to take the TT to a potable water filling station and fill the tank there, let it sit overnight, then go back and rinse it through from the potable water station?

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Assuming that your "outside spigot" is on the same supply as your house tap water, just use it. The chlorine bleach will kill anything in the water and anything residing in the tank and lines.

Since your new TT may have been sitting a while before you brought it home, be sure to circulate the chlorine bleach solution through all of the water lines, including any toilet flush, ice maker, washer and other systems. Let it sit for four hours or so, and then drain/rinse several times to remove the residual chlorine taste.

TJ

 

[Neal]

Welcome to RVForums @J2999. Here is a thread that may interest you. I bought the stuff referenced in post #6 but haven't used it yet.

Question - Sanitizing your RV fresh water tank

I admit I don't do this often, maybe once a year I'll put Clorox in the fresh water feed line and then fill the fresh tank. I've heard of other chemicals being used, variations in how often it's done, etc. I guess too climate (heat) matters, if I was in Florida I'd probably do it more as the...

rvforums.com

 

[J2999]

Thank you so much for the recommendations. Very glad to hear that. Do you guys drink from your fresh tank or bring bottled/gallon water?

 

[Neal]

I drink from the city water line directly that bypasses my tank but is filtered by the dual coach filter system (sediment and carbon) and I also drink from the fresh tank as well which is also filtered.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

A belated welcome to RVF, @J2999; I got carried away with providing a response to your question and failed to extend a welcoming hand. Sorry. Glad to have you join us.

I didn't want to complicate the answer to your question regarding "bleach," so just proceeded on that track. However, since @Neal raised the question of alternatives. This is what I use.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TIV1KA/?tag=rvf01-20

Any of these thing will do the job, they just do it a little differently. Chlorine bleach is a tried-and-true method and the only slight downside is that it can leave a chlorine taste residual if you don't fully rinse every line and the tank itself.

TJ

 

[J2999]

Thank you for the warm welcomes! Happy to be part of this community!

On a side note to the above, is it ok to fill the fresh water tank from a house outside spigot using a clean hose? I’d rather have some water on board prior to heading out and would just like to fill up at home.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

You are going to need a dedicated drinking water supply hose for your RV, so may as well get one now. You should get one for RV potable water use rather than just a garden hose. Any local RV store, Walmart, etc. will have them or you can get them online via Amazon, et al.

I mark my drinking water supply hoses with a band of green electrical tape at each end (near the connector) and use that hose ONLY for drinking water. I carry an additional hose in the RV (marked with a red band at each end) for use in washing the rig, flushing the black tank, etc.

As for filling from the house tap, that should be fine.

TJ

 

[Neal]

Thank you for the warm welcomes! Happy to be part of this community!

On a side note to the above, is it ok to fill the fresh water tank from a house outside spigot using a clean hose? I’d rather have some water on board prior to heading out and would just like to fill up at home.

If my fresh sits for a while then I will drain it and refill it and in that process I may put 1/3rd in, drain again, then refill. Never hurts to be careful and keep your fresh water clean. Whether house or campground spigot I always run it for a bit first to purge the rust and whatever crawled in there first then attach the hose.

 

[J&JD]

And always sanitize the water spigot pryor to attaching the drinking water hose. If you have ever watched some of the habits of other rvers while unhooking their wet bay you might not like what you see ?. I use a quaternary ammonia solution for sanitizing the hookups as it is way more stable than diluted bleach which degrades quickly.