Possible Potable Water Blunder, maybe

[dnr733]

I cannot guarantee the water I used to fill my fresh water tank was potable or not. We did not drink any of this water and it only stayed in the tank overnight. A very dark and rainy night that helped my uncertainty. I do use a filter on my water hose if that matters.
So any suggestions on how to make sure my tank is fairly clean? More than just a flush?
I appreciate your opinions in advance.

Dan

 

[Rene T]

Sure. Sanitize it and while you’re at it do the entire fresh water system. It’s easy to do. If you don’t know how, ask.

where did you get the water from?

 

[SeilerBird]

I would not worry one bit.

 

[Rene T]

I would not worry one bit.

Tom, I think I would worry if it came from a river flowing through a industrial city or from a hose sometimes provided at a dump station. Other than that, I wouldn’t worry either.

 

[dnr733]

I used my hose with my filter. I was more curious about any tank cleaner that I should run,

 

[Rene T]

I used my hose with my filter. I was more curious about any tank cleaner that I should run,

Where did the water come from? City water, a well, campground water or what?
You got your camper last fall so I would sanitize it so you start out nice and fresh.

 

[UTTransplant]

Filters do nothing for bacteria. Sanitize.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Pretty hard to beat chlorine bleach. Mine's stewing with it as we speak, will dump, fill with fresh and it's ready to go.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Matt_C]

Hydrogen Peroxide will beat chlorine any day and you won't taste it for the rest of the year. Don't use drug store stuff. Go to a place that sells the 20~25% for hot tubs. Wear gloves while you are handling it.

Matt

 

[Rene T]

Hydrogen Peroxide will beat chlorine any day and you won't taste it for the rest of the year. Don't use drug store stuff. Go to a place that sells the 20~25% for hot tubs. Wear gloves while you are handling it.

Matt

What ratio/mixture would you use?

 

[Isaac-1]

Hydrogen peroxide is also much more likely to eat the seals in your plumbing system

 

[Kirk]

If you plan to use water from the RV for drinking, cooking, washing dishes, then I strongly recommend that you sanitize the water system. In fact, most of us do that annually. There are some easy directions at this link.

 

[UTTransplant]

Hydrogen Peroxide will beat chlorine any day and you won't taste it for the rest of the year. Don't use drug store stuff. Go to a place that sells the 20~25% for hot tubs. Wear gloves while you are handling it.

Matt

Bleach will cost under $1, and I definitely don’t taste it all year. Fill your tank twice while running faucets, and it leaves no taste or smell. It is also the recommended approach by all the health folks I am aware of (CDC, my county health).

 

[camperAL]

Hello,

I use bleach to sanitize as well. Important to run through the pipes to the various faucets, including the outside one.

While we were stopped in a city for a month, I filled our water tank and the chlorine in the water was really strong. I felt that since it was in the tank and running through the faucets for the month I was there, I could proabably skip sanitizing this current round. In the shower would burn my eyes some and smell was there.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There are sanitizing instructions in this sites RESOURCES area as well. https://www.rvforum.net/resources/water-system-sanitizing.75/

 

[winona]

Ditto on sanitize. Better safe than sorry. I'm headed out to the driveway to do mine today. After I smell chlorine at several faucets, I'm nose-blind so started using the chlorine strips sold for pools and hot tubs. Then when I flush and fill with clean water, I can test again.

 

[JudyJB]

And the smell and taste will be gone in a couple of days anyway. I full-time, so I sanitize mine every 3-4 months. (Also, I drink my tank water, by the way.) First, I pull out a couple of gallons of water before I sanitize, so I have water to cook with or drink for a day or two. Then, I dump in a couple of cups of chlorine and fill the tank up. I run it through all the faucets and let it sit for a few hours. Then dump it out and refill. By the time I take a shower that night and wash dishes, plus flush, I will add more fresh water the next day, and it will taste fine.

 

[Edd505]

If your worried dump it and sanitize, like the song "Why Worry". Not many polluted water systems in the nation.