Dewinterizing ????

[seaswirl]

Ok, so I am getting ready to drain all the pink out of my system, and flush everything, my ?? is, I have read before to use a bleach mixture to sanitize the system. should I keep the HWH bypassed when I do this?? and also I have never even used my Fresh water tank, I always hook up to city water. should I put the bleach mixture in my tank and pump it through, or can I just use the hose I use on the pump for pumping the antifreeze in right out of a gallon jug. how much bleach do I use and do I just run it through everything and then just let it sit in the lines to clean? any info would help. thank you.

[Bassdogs]

AVOID OVERKILL. First put water [about 1/2 tank] and then flush it thru the pump and water lines. That will flush out that evil pink stuff and also rinse your previously empty tank. Then add about 5 gallons of water to the tank and a quart of bleach and repeat the above process. Step 3 refill the tank to 1/2 and flush it thru the system. OK with all that, next year I would avoid the pink stuff altogether and blow out your lines with a small compressor. With care this is completely safe and you avoid having any residual taste or smell in the Spring. Others will say use the pink, but I have been going the compressor method for 15 years and have never had a problem.

[my toys]

No do not bypass the water heater. You need to sanitize the inside of the water heater as well as the rest of the lines. If you bought your rv new, if there has never been water in the fresh tank. The choice is yours. If there has ever been water in the fresh tank, I would sanitize it.

[mike837go]

I'll argue with Bassdogs and suggest that there is no kill like overkill when you are dealing with the health and safety of your family and friends!


1. Bring the water heater on line.
2. Flush everything with tap water
3. Sanitize the whole water system
4. Add a small amount of bleach to the FW tank with every refill.

[lukenick1]

Do I have to do this if I never used the fresh water tank and only city hook up? Can't I just attach city hose and turn all faucets on to get the pink out?

[mike837go]

Originally Posted by lukenick1

Do I have to do this if I never used the fresh water tank and only city hook up? Can't I just attach city hose and turn all faucets on to get the pink out?

How much plain tap water will it take to remove 99.999% of the bacteria, viruses and parasites that may have taken up residence in the water lines of the RV over the winter?

Plenty of bleach and water solution in the FW tank. Pump it until you smell chlorine at every faucet. Let stand several hours. Flush with tap water.

Cuts way down on stomach issues when your meal times are way off, the water is different and you are eating with different folks.

Personally, I sanitize the heck out of the water system and I carry 5 gallons of water from my home's well for drinking water.

[lukenick1]

Originally Posted by mike837go

How much plain tap water will it take to remove 99.999% of the bacteria, viruses and parasites that may have taken up residence in the water lines of the RV over the winter?

Plenty of bleach and water solution in the FW tank. Pump it until you smell chlorine at every faucet. Let stand several hours. Flush with tap water.

Cuts way down on stomach issues when your meal times are way off, the water is different and you are eating with different folks.

Personally, I sanitize the heck out of the water system and I carry 5 gallons of water from my home's well for drinking water.

Just so you know I am a newbie and just got my unit this past summer. I winterized it draining all water and pumped in antifreeze. So with that said, do I still fill the holding tank I never use with bleach/water and pump it through the system? Or can I pump it through the bypass hose from a jug of bleach/water?

[mike837go]

Since you don't (and claim will never) use the fresh water holding tank, you can just use the bypass hose to sanitize your water system.


But where are you going to mix the 3-4 gallons you'll need?


What's the proportion @4 gallons when the usual sanitizing solution is 1/4 cup of bleach to 15 gallons of water?

[lukenick1]

Originally Posted by mike837go

Since you don't (and claim will never) use the fresh water holding tank, you can just use the bypass hose to sanitize your water system.


But where are you going to mix the 3-4 gallons you'll need?


What's the proportion @4 gallons when the usual sanitizing solution is 1/4 cup of bleach to 15 gallons of water?

I can use a 5 gal bucket and throw a couple capfuls of bleach in.

[Flapper]

Yikes! Do NOT use a quart of bleach!!! Jayco recommends 1/4 cup per 16 gallons of water, and at most 1/2 cup. Using a quart for five gallons can damage your plumbing, especially the heater core. Not to mention be a bear to flush out, or make you and yours really, really sick if you accidentally don't get it all and drink it!

Also, YES, you should fill and sanitize your fresh water tank! Despite best intentions, there can be a bit of moisture in the valves, and those are good places for bacteria to lodge and grow. So just do it all, it's not that hard.
BTW - at the recommended concentration, you can just dump the bleach water on the ground - it won't even hurt the grass.

One tip - after letting the bleach water sit for the recommended amount of time, do an initial flush, then fully drain the hot water heater using the drain plug. Reinsert the plug, and flush again. The heater can store a few gallons of water, and is not real efficient on turning it over when you run the faucets.

Here's a cut-n-paste from a Jayco manual: (some Jayco's won't pump water into the tank like noted here, you have to manually add the bleach solution into the tank via the gravity fill connection):

WARNING: Failure to sanitize the potable water
system could result in death or serious
illness.
WARNING: Chlorine is poisonous. Always recap the
household bleach bottle and clean utensils
and containers after use.


SANITIZING THE PLUMBING SYSTEM
Potable water systems require periodic
maintenance to deliver a consistent flow of
fresh water. For your personal safety, the
plumbing system should be sanitized when
your RV is new, at the beginning and end of
each season and when the water system
becomes contaminated (or approximately
every three months of use).
How to sanitize with a water pump (if so
equipped)
1. Level the RV and drain the fresh water
system.
2. Close the drain valves.
3. Prepare a chlorine solution using 1/4 cup
of household bleach (sodium hypochlorite
solution) to one gallon (3.785 liters) of
water in a container. Prepare one gallon of
solution for every 15 gallons of tank
capacity. This will result in a residual
chlorine concentration of 50 ppm in the
water system.
If a 100-ppm concentration is required as
discussed in step 9, use ½ cup of
household bleach with one gallon of water
to prepare the chlorine solution. One
gallon of the solution should be used for
each 15 gallons of tank capacity.
4. At the gravity fill connection, place a hose
into the container with the chlorine
solution.
5. Turn the water pump ON.
6. After the recommended amount of
solution is in the tank, turn OFF the water
pump.
7. Open the hot water line on all the faucets
until water begins to flow continuously and
a chlorine smell is noticeable.
8. Close the hot water lines and repeat with
the cold water lines on the faucets.
9. Let the solution remain in the system for at
least four hours when disinfecting with 50-
PPM residual chlorine.
If a shorter time period is desired, then a
100-PPM chlorine concentration should be
permitted to sit in the system for at least
one hour.
10. After the required period, drain the
chlorine solution from the fresh water
system (see Draining the fresh water
system).
Some solution may remain in the water
heater and will be flushed in the following
steps:
11. Fill the fresh water system completely full
using clean (potable) water.
12. Then, drain the fresh water system (see
Draining the fresh water system).
If a chlorine taste lingers in the water, flush
the water system with a solution consisting of
one-quart vinegar to five gallons of clean
water. Re-flush as necessary.

[Flapper]

Originally Posted by mike837go

I'll argue with Bassdogs and suggest that there is no kill like overkill when you are dealing with the health and safety of your family and friends!


1. Bring the water heater on line.
2. Flush everything with tap water
3. Sanitize the whole water system
4. Add a small amount of bleach to the FW tank with every refill.

As to #4 - make sure it is a SMALL amount, if you do this. Swimming pools are normally between 2-5 part per million. Anything above that, and a public pool will shut down due to safety concerns. Tap water has far, far less.

So, how much? If 1/4 cup per 16 gal. makes a 50 ppm (parts-per-million) concentration (per Jayco), that means you need 25 times less, or about 1/2 TEASPOON for every 16 gal. your tank holds. Reality is, since the water starts out clean, is that you can use as little as 1/8th teaspoon and still get effective killing! Going heavier just risks ruining your heater, and your family!

(the above assumes you already previously sanitized, you have to sanitize and rinse first to kill whatever might be currently growing, then you can use a very low dose to maintain things. But really, the above is not needed at all....)