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07-29-2018, 10:25 AM
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#1
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: S. Ontario, CAN
Posts: 20
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Sanitizing water tank?
Hi everyone,
I have a question about sanitizing our water system.
Our Cruiser Aire has one of the Anderson 4-way valves on our water system- the type that you have to actually attach a hose end to, not the type where you can just insert a hose to fill the water tank.
There is a Winterize/Sanitize setting on the valve, which uses our water pump to draw up fluid. We use this to pump antifreeze through our system at the end of the season, and that works great. However, it obviously bypasses the water holding tank somehow- it just goes straight into the pipes and out the faucets. Perfect for winterizing, but how am I going to get bleach solution into my water tank to sanitize? Is a big funnel with a hose adapter (I have a Water Thief for anyone familiar with that) my only option? Or do people not sanitize their water holding tank? That doesn’t sound right. I’m sure people that can pour water straight into their tanks must do that.
I am thinking that I must have to fill my water tank in the usual manner, then add bleach using a funnel and hose adapter somehow.
Any advice?
Thanks!
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07-29-2018, 12:57 PM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 5,715
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I use a tablespoon of pool chlorine and using a funnel, place it into my water hose. I connect the hose and then fill up the rv's water tank.
__________________
Mark & Susan
Lehighton, Pennsylvania
EAGLE HT FIFTH WHEEL | 30.5CKTS - '13 Ford F150 SCREW - PullRite Superslide - Roadmaster Active Suspension
Member - "Northeast Adventures RV Rally Group" & "Mason-Dixon Bunch"
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07-30-2018, 07:47 AM
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#3
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: S. Ontario, CAN
Posts: 20
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A-ha! That’s a good idea, just use the powdered pool chlorine and it dissolves on its way into the tank? Nice! And, I just happen to have some of that! Double nice! 😄
(A tablespoon is all you need for a 40 gallon tank then, correct? I would have thought more!)
Thank you!!
~honey
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07-30-2018, 10:54 AM
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#4
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 5,715
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1 tbs is all you need.
__________________
Mark & Susan
Lehighton, Pennsylvania
EAGLE HT FIFTH WHEEL | 30.5CKTS - '13 Ford F150 SCREW - PullRite Superslide - Roadmaster Active Suspension
Member - "Northeast Adventures RV Rally Group" & "Mason-Dixon Bunch"
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08-05-2018, 04:28 PM
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#5
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Seasonal Camper
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 391
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4 way?
I read somewhere on some model, perhaps my new camper which isn't delivered yet., that you could put the water valve in a certain position and Add Water from a container with a hose in it by turning on your water pump. Is it possible that is the fourth valve on the 4-way?
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08-05-2018, 04:34 PM
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#6
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: S. Ontario, CAN
Posts: 20
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Yes- the winterize/sanitize position does do exactly that, but it bypasses the water holding tank so that you don’t need 40 gallons of RV antifreeze to winterize your trailer. It just pulls the fluid into the pipes, not the holding tank.
So I was looking for a way to get bleach solution to enter my water holding tank to sanitize it, which requires you to attach a hose. This is unlike many other models of RV where you can just put the end of a hose or funnel into a hole and fill it, and doesn’t require a pump or anything.
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08-05-2018, 07:13 PM
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#7
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Seasonal Camper
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 391
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I found this information in 2018 Crossroads RV manual, to sanitize your tank:
Power Fill Models:
1. Drain the tank by opening the low point drains. Close the drains after water has drained.
2. Prepare a chlorine bleach solution of ¼ cup to one gallon of water for every 15 gallons of tank capacity.
Example: Use 2 ¾ gallons of the solution for a 40-gallon tank. If using Ultra bleach concentrations,
reduce bleach to 1/8 cup to one gallon of water.
3. Add solution to tank through the tank vent located on the side of the coach. This vent is an arched shape part with the words “tank vent” on the vent cover. The vent cover is removable and held in place by detents on either side of the vent. Remove the bug screen inside the vent. Using a funnel and tube,
add the sanitizing solution. Reinstall the screen and cover when done.
4. Open each faucet/fixture until a distinct chlorine odor is smelled. Close faucets and let stand 4 hours.
5. Drain system and flush with fresh water until chlorine odor and smell is gone. (If a water filter has been added, change it at this time).
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08-06-2018, 10:23 AM
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#8
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Family Vacation Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Alberta
Posts: 132
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Tank Sanitzation
Heres my 2 cents, which technically dont exist in Canada as we no longer have pennies.
Since sanitization of the 'WATER SYTEM" is the objective, I believe the fresh water holding tank is important as well, who knows what lurks in that box after a hard winter of being empty and dry and dark.
Using the methods stated in this section will sanitize the lines, maybe. The last time I had anything to do with powered chlorine (bleach) it certainly did not dissolve instantly in cold water, so putting some in a hose and then connecting the hose to the city connection I do not think will sanitize the lines, in my opinion. the granular bleach will simply be pushed thru the lines and out the taps to the gray/black holding tank.
What I do is partly FILL the fresh water tank, pour in 2 - 3 cups of liquid bleach, (I want to smell bleach when I turn on a taps), fill the tank up completely, activate the pump (one wants to sanitize it as well), run all the taps individually (this may be 2 - 5 gallons, at each water point, depending on your unit) till I can smell bleach in the water, this ensures that the individual lines and pump all have a bleach mixture in them.
I then let the system sit for a couple of hours, run more water out the taps (maybe 2 - 3 gallons at each point), hopefully flushing all those little microbes.
Then I drain the fresh water tank, using the low point drain, partially refill the fresh water tank, run water at each fixture til the bleach smell seems to have disappeared, this may be another 2 - 3 gallons of water, and then re-drain the tank, again. Again partially Refill the tank for a 2nd (or 3rd if you're counting the initial fill, with bleach) and repeat the running of fixtures to ensure clean fresh water is at the point. Drain the water from the tank again (now it has had 2 fills of clean water and drains to remove any residual bleach / water mixture). You are now ready with a clean SANITIZED water system.
At this time if there was any bleach left in the lines it would not be harmful, you probably ingest more bleach (chlorine) in a pool or hot tub, than you will get from a glass of water from your system.
True it wasted some water (potentially 100 gallons) one could conserve some of that by partially filling the tank initially, with the bleach and taking the uint for a ride around the neighbourhood and letting the beach mixture sloosh around the fresh water tank.
All of this is "In my opinion".
__________________
2012 Sunset Trail by Crossroads
29BH
2016 F150 Lariat
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08-06-2018, 10:43 AM
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#9
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: mo
Posts: 2,097
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One thing we have always done is after the flush with the bleach we mix one box of baking soda with a pitcher of water dump that in then add water to about 1/3 full then run some out each faucet hot and cold then let it set overnight to "sweeten" the lines. Just a thing my folks did back in the day when you had metal water tanks with a air pump for your pressure and copper water lines.
__________________
2009 Seville VF32KS
2019 GMC Sierra 3500HD Crew Cab Denali.
6.6 Diesel standard box.
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08-06-2018, 07:18 PM
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#10
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 5,715
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Having used the granular chlorine it does go into the tank and remains there until the tank is full. It dissolves over a little bit of time and then I run it thru the system. Leave it overnight. You will smell the distinct chlorine smell cioming out all the faucet.
Liquid bleach is only 5% chlorine, whereas the pool chlorine is 65% chlorine. If bleach was that good a sanitizer, municipal pools and water supplies would be using it instead of the pool type chlorine.
But, whatever works for you, do it. Better alternative is to dump in a quart of vodka. Does the same thing with no smell.
__________________
Mark & Susan
Lehighton, Pennsylvania
EAGLE HT FIFTH WHEEL | 30.5CKTS - '13 Ford F150 SCREW - PullRite Superslide - Roadmaster Active Suspension
Member - "Northeast Adventures RV Rally Group" & "Mason-Dixon Bunch"
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08-08-2018, 12:42 PM
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#11
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Seasonal Camper
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 391
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Yeah but what a waste of vodka!
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08-08-2018, 04:44 PM
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#12
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Family Vacation Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Alberta
Posts: 132
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wingerdinger
Yeah but what a waste of vodka!
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Yeah but not need/want to rinse, Just use the laced water and eveyone will be happy
__________________
2012 Sunset Trail by Crossroads
29BH
2016 F150 Lariat
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08-08-2018, 07:08 PM
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#13
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: mo
Posts: 2,097
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__________________
2009 Seville VF32KS
2019 GMC Sierra 3500HD Crew Cab Denali.
6.6 Diesel standard box.
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