water tank cleaning

[jeana]

HI Roadtrek-like MurHT van

Had it 4 yrs .At first I used the detergent someone sold me. WAY too many suds even though I tried again cutting amnt way down .So now using vinegar But getting it ready for spring trips-- takes SO much water to rinse it out Such a waste! to rinse out the antifreeze then a little vinegar water MUst be a better way! What do others do?

[avanti]

Are you asking about your fresh tank?
If so, the standard advice is to sanitize the system once or twice a year using a weak bleach solution. Half a cup of bleach is plenty for most b-van tanks.

Also, never, ever put antifreeze in your fresh tank. If you insist on winterizing with that stuff, you need a way to bypass the tank and just fill the pipes and fixtures. A mostly-empty tank is not going to be damaged due to freezing.

Better yet, skip the pink stuff entirely and winterize using compressed air.

[jeana]

Originally Posted by avanti

Are you asking about your fresh tank?
If so, the standard advice is to sanitize the system once or twice a year using a weak bleach solution. Half a cup of bleach is plenty for most b-van tanks.

Also, never, ever put antifreeze in your fresh tank. If you insist on winterizing with that stuff, you need a way to bypass the tank and just fill the pipes and fixtures. A mostly-empty tank is not going to be damaged due to freezing.

Better yet, skip the pink stuff entirely and winterize using compressed air.

Yes once a year

There is conflicting info about damage bleach does so I use vinegar

The antifreeze I think is needed I do not have access to compressed air . I understand if it were 100% dry it could not freeze but the f irst yr we must have had some water in the water pump and it got damaged and the advice is to make sure I get antifreeze into it

[jrobe]

A dilute bleach solution works fine but I now use a better option. One of my hobbies is home brewing beer. Brewers sanitize all of their tanks and hose lines with a food safe sanitizer called Star San (or Saniclean). It contains food grade phosphoric acid which sanitizes quickly and safely. It is food safe and doesn't even need to be rinsed off of brewing equipment. It is mixed at a rate of 1/5th oz per gallon of water so an 8 or 16 oz bottle lasts a very long time. I mix up 2 gallon (2/5th oz) let it sit in my water tank for a short time and then run it through my water lines. It requires surface contact for only a few minutes to sanitize. I then fill the water tank and run some through the water lines again although technically this isn't even necessary (Brewer's don't rinse it). It doesn't leave any odor like bleach. I pay about $20 for a 16 oz bottle which would last forever for RV use. I think it works great.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by jeana

Yes once a year

There is conflicting info about damage bleach does so I use vinegar

The antifreeze I think is needed I do not have access to compressed air . I understand if it were 100% dry it could not freeze but the f irst yr we must have had some water in the water pump and it got damaged and the advice is to make sure I get antifreeze into it

The bleach is used almost universally. In the proper dilution it will damage nothing. To my knowledge, vinegar will not do the job. It will kill some pathogens, but chlorine bleach is far more effective, which is why chlorine is used in municipal water systems.

I did not make myself clear concerning antifreeze. What I meant is you don't have to put it in the TANK. Unless the tank is full, there will be plenty of room for expansion of residual water, so no damage will happen. BUT, the pump and plumbing are an entirely different issue. Yes, you MUST winterize all that. Usually there is some way to introduce the antifreeze into the pump rather than the tank. You then pump it throughout the system. Often it is via the "city water" input, which bypasses the tank. If you don't have such a setup, it isn't too hard to install. But, putting antifreeze directly into the tank is wasteful and unnecessary.

Originally Posted by jrobe

A dilute bleach solution works fine but I now use a better option. One of my hobbies is home brewing beer. Brewers sanitize all of their tanks and hose lines with a food safe sanitizer called Star San (or Saniclean). It contains food grade phosphoric acid which sanitizes quickly and safely. It is food safe and doesn't even need to be rinsed off of brewing equipment. It is mixed at a rate of 1/5th oz per gallon of water so an 8 or 16 oz bottle lasts a very long time. I mix up 2 gallon (2/5th oz) let it sit in my water tank for a short time and then run it through my water lines. It requires surface contact for only a few minutes to sanitize. I then fill the water tank and run some through the water lines again although technically this isn't even necessary (Brewer's don't rinse it). It doesn't leave any odor like bleach. I pay about $20 for a 16 oz bottle which would last forever for RV use. I think it works great.

That is very interesting. I like it. Can you point to a brand?
Thanks!

[RT-NY]

Originally Posted by jeana

The antifreeze I think is needed I do not have access to compressed air . I understand if it were 100% dry it could not freeze but the f irst yr we must have had some water in the water pump and it got damaged and the advice is to make sure I get antifreeze into it

I installed a bypass between my fresh water tank and water pump. When I winterize, I just switch it over and pump the antifreeze (the pink stuff) directly from the jug into the rest of the system, leaving the fresh water tank isolated. I just drain the fresh water tank and never put antifeeze into it.

[booster]

Originally Posted by jrobe

I mix up 2 gallon (2/5th oz) let it sit in my water tank for a short time and then run it through my water lines. It requires surface contact for only a few minutes to sanitize. I then fill the water tank and run some through the water lines again although technically this isn't even necessary (Brewer's don't rinse it). It doesn't leave any odor like bleach. I pay about $20 for a 16 oz bottle which would last forever for RV use. I think it works great.

How does 2 gallons of mix disinfect and 15-20 gallon water tank when the contact of the mix is needed to work?


I use bleach like most folks and always try to make sure to run extra in the tank to force some disinfectant through the vent hose, also.

[jrobe]

Originally Posted by booster

How does 2 gallons of mix disinfect and 15-20 gallon water tank when the contact of the mix is needed to work?

It isn't rocket science. For brewing, I use about 1/2 gallon in my 10 gal fermenter and brewing tanks. Pour it in and slosh it around. This is exactly what all brewers do to clean their big tanks. The biggest risk in brewing beer is infected batches. This stuff virtually eliminates this possibility.

For the RV, put it in the freshwater tank and drive forward and backward a few feet to slosh it around and then turn the pump on and open each faucet.

https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/star-san

https://www.amazon.com/Star-San-B006...32&sr=8-1&th=1