Disinfecting water lines

[Spur]

Hey guys,
Dumb question. How do you properly drain the water out of the trailer? I only use city water so the fresh tank is never full. I’ve been just draining the water heater and going home. The low point drains don’t seem to do anything so I assume they are for the fresh water tank.

How do I sanitize the water lines and how often should I do it? Thanks!

[Woodworker]

You'll need to put water in your tank with some bleach an pump the water into your lines until you get a whiff of the bleach to sanitize them. Then drain the tank and flush both tank an lines to get rid of the smell from the bleach.
1/4 cup bleach per 10 gallons of water. Some say let it sit at least 4 hrs I let mine sit over night.

[Brownie]

Spur,

You haven't identified your rig, so this is sort of a generic summary of the disinfecting process.

How often to disinfect depends on your use and water source. I summer at a State Park in Michigan, where I use my FW tanks & pump. I winter not far from you in Ingram, where the full-hookup water has a ton of calcium/lime. I typically flush & sanitize my FW tank and water lines every spring - just before I head back to Michigan. I use 1/4 cup of bleach per 15 gals. of water. I dump the bleach into a bucket, mix about a gallon of water and use a funnel to dump the mixture into the FW intake. Then I fill the FW tanks completely full, turn on the pump, close all the drains and open all the faucets to get the bleach solution into all the water lines. Let it sit for about 4 hours, then drain, rinse 3 times (until I can't taste bleach in the water from any of the faucets), then fill the FW tanks about 1/3 and I'm good to head back north.

If you don't use your FW tanks, you can disinfect your water lines only by adding the bleach solution to the lines through the winterizing function in your rig. You do have 2 drains for your water lines - one for the Hot line and one for the Cold line. The shut-offs are often under the bathroom vanity, but that varies from model to model. Shut off the water source and the water heater. After the water heater has cooled, open up those low-point drains and the water heater drain plug to flush the system. Once the system is drained, replace the WH plug, but open the pressure relief valve and all the faucets. Use the winterizing system to pump the bleach solution through the water lines and into the water heater - until you smell it coming out of the faucets and the water line drains. Because you're filling the water heater, it will take about 7-9 gallons of the bleach solution. Let it sit for about 4 hours, then open the water line drains and the water heater plug to drain the system. Ones the system is drained, restore your water source, open all the faucets and flush water through the system until you no longer smell (or taste) bleach in the water. Replace the water heater plug, close the pressure-relief valve and all of the drain valves. You'll probably have to dump your grey tank(s). Otherwise, you're now good to go!

Of course, there is another line of thinking that asks "When was the last time you sanitized the water system in your "stick-n-brick" home"?

Best of luck and HAPPY CAMPING!

[Jagiven]

As others said, you do not mention which rig you have.

You have at least three low point drains. 1st, outside, for the fw tank. The other two will be next to each other typically under the bathroom sink. Depending on the rig, you might have another pair.

There is two primary different procedures to get the bleach solution into the tank. Do you have a gravity fill port, or a command center?

If you have a gravity fill port, you can mix up a concentrated solution and pour it with the help of a funnel or water bandit. On my tt, my outside shower is near my gravity fill port. I remove the shower head, shove the hose into the fill port, turn on the cold water valve. Step inside, flip the winterizing valve to winterizing mode, shove the pickup hose into my solution and turn on the pump. Followed up by a gallon or two of fresh water. Then use my hose to top off the tank. Once the tank is nearly full, flip the valves back to normal mode, and pump the bleach solution through all the lines, as mentioned above. Let it sit atleast 4 hours, I usually let it sit over night. Next day, with the grey water valve open, flush a lot of water through the lines.

If you have a command center, you need to remove the inlet hose washer, flip it over, so the screen pushes on the plastic check valve. Hook up a small hose, and pump the water into the tank. Just like if your winterizing, but make sure your directing the water to you FW tank. Then flip the valves and pump through the system.

[Spur]

I have a Jayco 26BH. I’ve had it for four years and have never sanitized the lines. The water tastes great thanks to my filters. So sanitizing is important huh? Yeah...the lines in my house have never been sanitized lol.

[Colorado]

Originally Posted by Spur

I have a Jayco 26BH. I’ve had it for four years and have never sanitized the lines. The water tastes great thanks to my filters. So sanitizing is important huh? Yeah...the lines in my house have never been sanitized lol.

When you do sanitize don’t forget to remove the filters from the housings. Ask me how I know...

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by Spur

I have a Jayco 26BH. I’ve had it for four years and have never sanitized the lines. The water tastes great thanks to my filters. So sanitizing is important huh? Yeah...the lines in my house have never been sanitized lol.

Big difference, the water in your house does not sit for weeks and weeks all year long.

[Iraqvet05]

I had the 26BH but I don't recall it having any filters on it from the factory. If you want to purge all (most) of the water out of the lines, bypass the water heater, open the low point drains then use about 30 PSI of compressed air to blow out the lines.

I rarely used my FW tank either so I just sanitized the lines. I used the bleach formula mentioned above. I'd suck the solution into the lines with the winterizing tube off the water pump, let the solution sit per the instructions then purge it out with fresh water. I sanitized once a year, at the beginning of the year.

[BrentB]

If you never sanitize, you could end up with a problem like this:
https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...lob-65800.html

[curver900]

the best way is to do it every spring regardless even if you don't use the tank... it is cheap insurance.. That link must be to one where someone left the water in there all the time never draining it that is the only way that happens.. if you drain it it will dry out and that wouldn't happen... and it wouldn't have happened if they sanitized it once a year either.... just preventative maintenance like anything else....

[Ohiofinlander]

Don't forget to sanitize any components that will be used for water in addition to what's integrated into the RV. Such as any portable water containers and hoses. I will typically fill the water containers with bleach/water and then attach my fresh water hoses, and then empty directly into the fresh water tank port.