Material in fresh water tank

[geezerbob]

We have a 2011 Jay Feather Select 23B There is a brown material clogging up the water filter by the fresh water tank. It also clogged up the low point water drain valve. It is brown in color and has the consistency of soft caulk. A small sample does not dissolve in paint thinner, acetone or vineger.
When a sample sits in a closed vial of water it has a strong chemical smell.
We have owned this camper for 3 months and the previous owners did not use it very often and it sat in one spot for the most part. Since we owned it we have put more road miles on it then they did.
I sent the same message as this into the JayCo company email customer support contact. I have not heard back yet.
I have since flushed the fresh water tank several times but still get small amounts coming out.
Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated.
Bob

[troutslayer]

Wow! That's a new one. I guess all you can do is keep flushing the tank to try and clear the "gunk" out. In the meantime you may want to contact someone to have a water sample tested. Maybe that will tell you what it is and how hazerdous it may be. If you have a college or university nearby they may have a department you can use to get it tested.

[Grumpy]

Sounds like you have a large amount of fungus/slime in the tank it will probably take a good shock treatment. If it was mine I would use a "pool shock treatment" and then rinse, rinse, rinse until the chlorine odor was gone.

[BNear]

A couple of things to ask you; you said it's clogging up the filter by the fresh water tank. Is that before or after the tank? I'm assuming and hoping before the tank, as in from the source and before it enters your system. If it's coming through your filter and into the your water system, check your filter, it may be possible that your filter was removed and never replaced or the filter is past its life and needs to be replaced. Second question, where was the last time you added or used a water supply prior to noticing this problem, it may be that the water source is either very hard and needs filters to be used. The chemical smell is similar to an issue I had in my house with a submersible sump pump that went south, the water actually smelt like diesel fuel, the color could simply be silt which suggests to me that the source of your water was well supplied and the well is very low causing the pump to kick up silt from the bottom when the pump activates. I doubt highly this is initially a problem with your trailer but has been noticed by you because of your filtration system either not having a filter, the filter is past its life or you are using the wrong type of filter for the water being supplied.

I know it's a lot but I hope this helps you track down the problem

[geezerbob]

Hi All: Thanks for the replies. The water filter is next to the water pump and filters water that is drawn from the fresh water tank. It is small about 2 1/2 inches in dia. Inside the small round plastic housing is a metal screen.
That is what was collecting the material. Also the shut off valve was clogged that drains water from the bottom of the fresh water tank. The source of the material and how it got into the fresh water tank is mystery 1. #2 what is it.
#3 how to clean the tank out. I like the idea of getting it analyzed.
Maybe I can figure out how to post a picture of the material on this forum. I'm new to this group. I haven't found a chemical yet to dissolve the sample that I have
Bob

[BNear]

Originally Posted by geezerbob

Hi All: Thanks for the replies. The water filter is next to the water pump and filters water that is drawn from the fresh water tank. It is small about 2 1/2 inches in dia. Inside the small round plastic housing is a metal screen.
That is what was collecting the material. Also the shut off valve was clogged that drains water from the bottom of the fresh water tank. The source of the material and how it got into the fresh water tank is mystery 1. #2 what is it.
#3 how to clean the tank out. I like the idea of getting it analyzed.
Maybe I can figure out how to post a picture of the material on this forum. I'm new to this group. I haven't found a chemical yet to dissolve the sample that I have
Bob

Seems to me that the source; in this case is your actual fresh water tank, is the obvious culprit. To my point in a previous post, where and when was the last place you filled the fresh water tank? I would certainly, as others have suggested, empty the tank and clean it out. I would start by trying to simply flush it with fresh city water, do your entire system as well. From there, use normal (sent free) bleach in the tank, add a 1/4 of bottle of bleach and then fill the tank, let it sit for an hour then empty and flush it with fresh city water again. Keep doing this until it the tank is clean and clear. DO NOT USE ANYTHING HARSHER THAN HOUSEHOLD BLEACH IN THE FRESH WATER TANK - regardless of what type of filtration you use from there, you could damage the tank.

Consider also replacing the filters and any hoses that were used to add the suspect water to your fresh water tank.