How To Sanitize an RV Water System
Updated! We show you how to thoroughly sanitize both hot and cold sides of your RV’s fresh water system.
Don’t have a winterizing kit? No problem! Here’s the trick we use:
https://youtu.be/lEBscJ-qb98
Want to sanitize the cold water side only? Here’s how:
https://youtu.be/kOlPwmwlaMo
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We’ve been drinking the water from our RV’s fresh water tank for over a decade without a problem. It’s perfectly safe to do, as long as you sanitize your fresh water system periodically. We do ours about twice a year (keep in mind that we’re full-timers… those who store their RV all winter should be fine sanitizing once a year, in the spring).
Clean, safe, sanitary drinking water is a breeze when you take a few basic steps to manage the fresh water system on your motorhome, travel trailer of fifth wheel. Fresh, drinkable, potable H2O doesn’t only come from bottled water, but right from your RV’s tank, saving money and plastic in the process.
We’ll show you how to use bleach (standard, liquid household bleach… not gel, and not scented) to kill any bacteria that may be present in your camper’s water system, and have all the safe drinking water you need.
If you saw the first video we made on this topic over two years ago, we only sanitized the cold water lines. That’s because the primary purpose of sanitizing is to make the water safe to drink. Since a lot of people asked about sanitizing the hot side of the system as well, we’re going to do both hot and cold sides today.
You can see the original video here: http://youtu.be/kOlPwmwlaMo
If at all possible, the deal time to do this is on a day when you’re planning to take a long drive, preferably down some pretty twisty roads. This will agitate the water in the tank, helping to clean it as you drive, and make sure the top of the tank gets splashed too.
Since we’ll be doing some tank flushing as part of the process, your trip should ideally take you from one full hook-up RV park to another one, neither of which should have drought or water use restrictions.
It’s particularly important to end your drive at an RV park with water hook-ups, since you’ll be arriving with a tank full of bleachy water.
The only supplies we’ll need for this job are some bleach, a 1-gallon pitcher and an old measuring cup.
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You should use hydrogen peroxide to sanitize your water lines and tanks.
If you use bleach your pump seal will fail and/or leak Rubber gaskets will fail and/or leak and your discharge will fail and/or leak more quickly.
I think I’ll chime in here
Three years ago my water tank had to be replaced it was split so after dropping the underbelly and disconnecting hoses from the tank the vent for the tank was black
It was black with mould no amount of bleach or sloshing around or anything else was going to get that mould out of that vent hose so the hose had to be replaced half inch ID plastic available at Lowes or Home Depot five or 6 feet of it
No one in any of these tutorials ever touches on the vent you can’t clean the vent out you can’t put a pipe cleaner types device down the vent pipe it will just push the mould down into the tank. in the vent needs to be replaced.
You may be able to pull the manifold or the fell station off the RV far enough to be able to see the vent hose to determine whether it is contaminated with mould
now thats gotta be old woman springs road driving into yucca
Do you sanitize the section of line in the rv from the city water hookup or just the line from the fresh water tank?
What are your thoughts about the washing machine? Should that also be bypassed?
,
Thank you so much, great video. I came to the video after reading your blog. I have a few questions, if you don't mind. We are going for our 1st big trip in April. We live in New York and we're gonna head to Florida and back which will be a 25 day trip. What I want to do (and ask you if this is OK) is to de-winterize and sanitize the water system at home a day or 2 before even leaving to go to our 1st destination 3 hours away, and then emptying my freshwater tank and flushing the system finishing the sanitizing process at the 1st campground. So my questions are is it OK to leave all of the anti freeze and some bleach in my Gray tanks for those few days? And of course having the bleach in the system for a few days (more than the 8 hrs suggested)…is that too long? PS- Also my Gray tank holds 39 gallons so that shouldn't be a problem with how much is going into it before getting to my 1st camp ground, correct?
If we must leave the bleach water in the system longer than 8 hours (due to a much longer drive), is that ok or do we need to be concerned if it's left in for such a long period? Thank you for this video! Always love learning from you guys!
Great information, thank you.
Okay, so let me get this correct. The hot water isn't already sanitised because it's…..scalding?
Great video and instructions as usual geeks!
Despite this amazing video that is so complete in its explanation, I managed to have a silly issue.
For some reason it takes a really long time for my freshwater tank to empty when just running the faucet. Over 2 hours! It was 1 AM when I decided that it still smelled like bleach and I was going to rinse it a second time. To my surprise, my freshwater tank is bigger than my gray water tank. I was under the impression all my tanks were 100 gallons, since the LED indicator brings everything to 100. Silly me!
I was determined to get the second rinse completed but I was so tired, I decided to set my alarm and take a little nap. I set my alarm for 50 minutes, which seemed conservative for the amount of time it would take to empty this tank, but when The alarm went off and I stepped out of bed, the floor was soaked!!! Oops!
Luckily it didn’t overflow for too long, a few towels on the floor solved the problem, but please don’t anyone do what I did and fall asleep while doing this!
I had it set in my mind that my gray tank was the same size as my freshwater tank but that is not the case clearly. 😂
I am so grateful because it could’ve been so much worse! 🙏🏻🌻💕
I’m in the empty phase of the process right now, and I prefer to run it through my sewer opposed to dumping it on the ground, and I’m just wondering do I need to worry about the water pump burning out running for so long?
Thank you so much! Is it OK to leave the water that’s in the tank currently, that has been in there for several months, or should I drain it first and then fill it to halfway? Or does it matter?
I have a Precision Temp Hydronic water heater. Do I still need to bypass my water heater? I don't see a way to bypass it…
Thanks!
We do not have a gravity fill on our RV, but we do have a winterizing kit.
Whenever we run out of fresh water while boondocking, we use your tip of flipping the winterize lever to "winterize" and the water fill lever to "fill" to pump fresh water from water cans into the fresh water tank. It saves having to use an external pump. (Sometimes we don't bother to refill the fresh tank and just use the cans as external tanks. Both methods work fine.)
So confused 😫
Great video
I know old video. But I came cross it seen what it was about some good information. Right up until you said dumping Clorox bleach into the sewage line. That’s a no no. Do you have any ideal what people go through to try and keep their septic tanks in good working order with the proper bacteria levels and here you are flushing Clorox bleach into a tank that needs bacteria to break down the waist in it. That’s why I love watching YouTube videos you got people destroying peoples septic services you got people using drinking water tanks as portable septic tanks. If youtube start checking peoples videos for giving incorrect information and removing them they be no videos on YouTube. 😂😂 The bad part is that in the beginning of your video you have a logo RV geeks and so far I trusted RV geeks until now.
I always refer back to this video before sanitizing my tanks, great refresher. You mentioned you turn off your ice maker. Wouldn't you be worried that the water line going to the ice maker could contain bacteria? I am off to sanitize my mh tomorrow and the ice maker is the big blocker for doing a fast job, or easy job. This will be one more of many times in the past I have done this but I don't remember doing the ice maker in the past. Thanks for all the great videos!
Are you the How its Made voice guy?
Got it, thanks. Good online session this evening. I used vinegar instead of bleach to clean out the hot water tank, but once you told me about the smell being bacteria in the hot water tank, then I have to try it again with bleach. That smell can get bad when washing dishes. Appreciate everything:-)
1/4 cup bleach to 15 gallons of water is 960:1 ratio correct? Some people seem worried about bleach damage but this seems like a really safe level. I mean, the CDC recommends 5824:1 ratio for drinking water sanitation, so this is not a crazy amount of bleach.
It’s my understanding that bleach can cause damage to stainless steel. I’d research this before using bleach if you have stainless steel in your water system, sinks, etc.
There is no need to drive around. The solution in the lines is what does the job.
Hey there. we have a keystone sprinter and I dont see how or where to attach a winterizing kit. any advice? we need to get algae out of our tanks.
Bravo
Thanks for the great video! You mentioned that you can get thru 10 days on your 105 gallon tank for two people, which seems like very low usage. Can you provide some tips on how you got it down that low? Thanks!
Bleach on 💩
Scrolled through all (I think) comments to see if this was answered. Sorry if I missed it, but I’m assuming you would want to run the dishwasher and washing machine briefly as well??? Also, should you let some water flow through the toilets as part of sanitizing all lines??? Thank you!
WARNING: The last few years most liquid bleach is NOT sanitizing bleach. If a jug of bleach Does Not Clearly mention for Sanitizing – IT WILL NOT Do So.
Geo pro trailer
I always buy jug water, I never drink out of the freshwater tank, many tank designs are extremely difficult to santize, washing and for the toilet is all I use it for.
I missed the part where I was to Stand on One foot and hop around… Great info, I'll have to watch (listen) to it 3-4 more times.
I use a mixture of water and white/clear vinegar to sterilise my water system. Vinegar is food safe and also helps with limescale.
That is a Delta faucet (0:10) model series 172, 173, 174, 176, 178.
PSA – Be careful traveling down the road with a full fresh water tank. It's one thing to ask the tank straps to hold a full tank while stationary. It's another thing going down the road with all the potholes, twists and turns we encounter. Many rigs' tanks are simply not properly strapped. This was so with my last TT. Ensure that the mfg recommends this before you lose a tank on the road. Remember that water weighs 8.34 lbs per gallon. My 70 lb. FW tank, when filled, is 583 lbs. That's a lot of stress on those straps. Be 100% sure they're designed for that load before trying this. I carry some water in my Open Range 5er, but no more than half full. There's usually a water source near your destination, and you can always carry an extra water tank in the bed of your TV.
Then use backing soda to help in sanitizing and killing the taste of chlorine.
My annual anal aqua alteration (sanitation in my habitation) Video,
THANKS!!
Vinegar works well too and isn't toxic.