Water line sanitation

[Jaycorookie]

I have an Eagle RLOK and would like to know if there is a best practice to follow concerning water line maintenance. At the start of the season i flush out all the antifreeze from the lines by hooking up to city water. Then take 5 gallons of water with 1/2 cup of bleach and pump a couple gallons into the fresh water holding tank, then switch the water intake into "WINTERIZATION" and pump the mixture into all the faucets including the outside water outlets. Let it sit overnight or a few days then when i get to my destination flush the lines again with city water.

I do this once a year and my rig may not be used for a month or couple months during the year before it gets winterized again. Is it best to leave the city water in the lines during non use or drain the water using the l low point drains. The good thing about Jaco is they use PEX which i believe is impervious to mold or other nasties growing in your water lines. I always drain the hot water tank when the rig is not going to be used for awhile. Regarding the fresh water tank i leave a couple gallons of bleach water mixture in there until winterization just to eliminate anything nasty growing in the tank. I don't consume any water out of the fresh water holding tank.

Whats your best practice on water line maintenance?

 

[RogerR]

I have not had problems leaving water in the lines and tank. But I usually drain it out of habit. Once I forgot to drain the hot water heater for several weeks and it went bad big time. I ran a lot of city water through it and that cleaned it out.
Note, most city water (vs. well) has some chlorine in it. I use a a chlorine bleach each spring and then just flush the tank and hot water heater periodically
We carry gallon jugs for drinking/cooking and tank water is only used for washing.

 

[norty1]

I usually leave the water in the lines and tanks as long as it is fit to drink what's in the fresh tank. even though we don't drink the tank water hardly ever. I do drain my water heater tank if it is going unused for over a month or so. I sanitize my lines and fresh tank only once a season and change the filters twice a year, more if we get into some bad tasting water.

We flush the tank and lines often when traveling.
I guess that may seem reckless but we have never had a bad experience that I remember. We carry water from home or get it from retail stores if the water has a offensive taste. We have stopped using single use plastic bottles after reading about the danger of them polluting the water and use bottles with a better quality plastic.

 

[Jaycorookie]

I have not had problems leaving water in the lines and tank. But I usually drain it out of habit. Once I forgot to drain the hot water heater for several weeks and it went bad big time. I ran a lot of city water through it and that cleaned it out.
Note, most city water (vs. well) has some chlorine in it. I use a a chlorine bleach each spring and then just flush the tank and hot water heater periodically
We carry gallon jugs for drinking/cooking and tank water is only used for washing.

Thank you!

 

[Jaycorookie]

I usually leave the water in the lines and tanks as long as it is fit to drink what's in the fresh tank. even though we don't drink the tank water hardly ever. I do drain my water heater tank if it is going unused for over a month or so. I sanitize my lines and fresh tank only once a season and change the filters twice a year, more if we get into some bad tasting water.

We flush the tank and lines often when traveling.
I guess that may seem reckless but we have never had a bad experience that I remember. We carry water from home or get it from retail stores if the water has a offensive taste. We have stopped using single use plastic bottles after reading about the danger of them polluting the water and use bottles with a better quality plastic.

Thank you!

 

[Jaycorookie]

I usually leave the water in the lines and tanks as long as it is fit to drink what's in the fresh tank. even though we don't drink the tank water hardly ever. I do drain my water heater tank if it is going unused for over a month or so. I sanitize my lines and fresh tank only once a season and change the filters twice a year, more if we get into some bad tasting water.

We flush the tank and lines often when traveling.
I guess that may seem reckless but we have never had a bad experience that I remember. We carry water from home or get it from retail stores if the water has a offensive taste. We have stopped using single use plastic bottles after reading about the danger of them polluting the water and use bottles with a better quality plastic.

Thank you!

 

[Jaycorookie]

I have not had problems leaving water in the lines and tank. But I usually drain it out of habit. Once I forgot to drain the hot water heater for several weeks and it went bad big time. I ran a lot of city water through it and that cleaned it out.
Note, most city water (vs. well) has some chlorine in it. I use a a chlorine bleach each spring and then just flush the tank and hot water heater periodically
We carry gallon jugs for drinking/cooking and tank water is only used for washing.

Thank you!

 

[mrmom]

We too flush the lines with city water. Usually do it after each trip to clear out "well water" and before a trip if the rig has sat for more than a couple of weeks. I figure the chlorine in the city water is good enough for the house so why not the trailer as well!

 

[Jaycorookie]

I have not had problems leaving water in the lines and tank. But I usually drain it out of habit. Once I forgot to drain the hot water heater for several weeks and it went bad big time. I ran a lot of city water through it and that cleaned it out.
Note, most city water (vs. well) has some chlorine in it. I use a a chlorine bleach each spring and then just flush the tank and hot water heater periodically
We carry gallon jugs for drinking/cooking and tank water is only used for washing.

We too flush the lines with city water. Usually do it after each trip to clear out "well water" and before a trip if the rig has sat for more than a couple of weeks. I figure the chlorine in the city water is good enough for the house so why not the trailer as well!

good point thanks!

 

[piperinv]

I blow out the water lines with air every fall to winterize it. In the spring, I sanitize the freshwater tanks and plumbing by filling the tank with bleach water and then using the pump to fill all the waterlines. I then let it sit for at least 24 hours to clean everything out. After the bleach, I flush the fresh tank twice to remove the bleach water. Not sure if this is the "best" way, but it's how I do it. I ALWAYS use a three-stage water filter system when visiting campgrounds to limit what goes into my RV. (I don't use it when connected at my house, though. )

 

[Jaycorookie]

I blow out the water lines with air every fall to winterize it. In the spring, I sanitize the freshwater tanks and plumbing by filling the tank with bleach water and then using the pump to fill all the waterlines. I then let it sit for at least 24 hours to clean everything out. After the bleach, I flush the fresh tank twice to remove the bleach water. Not sure if this is the "best" way, but it's how I do it. I ALWAYS use a three-stage water filter system when visiting campgrounds to limit what goes into my RV. (I don't use it when connected at my house, though. )

Sounds about what i do except i don't fill up my fresh water tank since I don't trust my tank sensors which are a joke not sure what will happen if I fill the fresh water tank past capacity will probably blowup! The bleach mixture I use is 5 gallons of water add 1/2 cup of bleach pump a couple gallons in the fresh water tank and leave it in there. I never use the water out of that tank and driving down the road the movement should provide a good continual washing of the tank. To sanitize the lines I switch the pump to winterize and pump the bleach mixture to all the facets then let it sit for a day or two then hook up to city water and run that through. I might be using too much bleach according to the book your supposed to use some ratio which I am guessing at. Still alive so far!

 

[piperinv]

Sounds about what i do except i don't fill up my fresh water tank since I don't trust my tank sensors which are a joke not sure what will happen if I fill the fresh water tank past capacity will probably blowup! The bleach mixture I use is 5 gallons of water add 1/2 cup of bleach pump a couple gallons in the fresh water tank and leave it in there. I never use the water out of that tank and driving down the road the movement should provide a good continual washing of the tank. To sanitize the lines I switch the pump to winterize and pump the bleach mixture to all the facets then let it sit for a day or two then hook up to city water and run that through. I might be using too much bleach according to the book your supposed to use some ratio which I am guessing at. Still alive so far!

Interesting point on the fresh tank. I have always filled it until it comes out of the tank overflow. Then I know it is full. I don't drive with it this full, but I do that for sanitizing. Maybe I am doing it wrong??

 

[LuckyDuck]

Interesting point on the fresh tank. I have always filled it until it comes out of the tank overflow. Then I know it is full. I don't drive with it this full, but I do that for sanitizing. Maybe I am doing it wrong??

I bought an inexpensive water meter for the hose. I know how many gallons my FW tank holds and just watch the meter so it doesn’t overfill. Easy peasey.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

As it relates to bleaching your tanks and or lines, there can be some downsides to the pump rubber and even some issues with faucet rubber washers if you make the mix too strong in a way to shock mainly the tank. Over time the way that I do it is that I sanitize my tank with the bleach blended water only. Pour the bleach in my fill tube with a funnel before filling the tank up with freshwater. I let it sit for a day and sometimes i will drive it around a bit and sway the TT.

Then I let it sit for another day. Then I drain my tank at the bottom drain valves completely empty. Then refill it with clean water. What I do for the lines, if my TT has been sitting for a while is I hook up my freshwater hose to my outside fitting and flood the main lines with freshwater at every faucet, both sides of course.. Of course you do need to be mindful of flooding your grey water tanks if you plan on taking the rv on a trip that requires a lot of room for your greywater tank without the ability to dump.

If you have the typical 6 gallon tank and the water has been sitting, of course in most cases when you start back using it you can get that rotten egg smell, or just a nasty smell.

With the city or well water hooked up, I let my hot water side run before leaving home for a while, that flushes my hot water tank and the hot water lines. If you wish to minimize some smell, as a regular method and use or carry full tanks of water, then use a box of baking soda in your tank, again mixing it with some water on a concentrated mix and put in the tank .

 

[Jaycorookie]

Interesting point on the fresh tank. I have always filled it until it comes out of the tank overflow. Then I know it is full. I don't drive with it this full, but I do that for sanitizing. Maybe I am doing it wrong??

If it works for you and you isn't breaking stuff then go for it thanks for your input

 

[Jaycorookie]

I bought an inexpensive water meter for the hose. I know how many gallons my FW tank holds and just watch the meter so it doesn’t overfill. Easy peasey.

i did not know such a thing existed thanks!

 

[LuckyDuck]

i did not know such a thing existed thanks!

 

[Jaycorookie]

As it relates to bleaching your tanks and or lines, there can be some downsides to the pump rubber and even some issues with faucet rubber washers if you make the mix too strong in a way to shock mainly the tank. Over time the way that I do it is that I sanitize my tank with the bleach blended water only. Pour the bleach in my fill tube with a funnel before filling the tank up with freshwater. I let it sit for a day and sometimes i will drive it around a bit and sway the TT.

Then I let it sit for another day. Then I drain my tank at the bottom drain valves completely empty. Then refill it with clean water. What I do for the lines, if my TT has been sitting for a while is I hook up my freshwater hose to my outside fitting and flood the main lines with freshwater at every faucet, both sides of course.. Of course you do need to be mindful of flooding your grey water tanks if you plan on taking the rv on a trip that requires a lot of room for your greywater tank without the ability to dump.

If you have the typical 6 gallon tank and the water has been sitting, of course in most cases when you start back using it you can get that rotten egg smell, or just a nasty smell.

With the city or well water hooked up, I let my hot water side run before leaving home for a while, that flushes my hot water tank and the hot water lines. If you wish to minimize some smell, as a regular method and use or carry full tanks of water, then use a box of baking soda in your tank, again mixing it with some water on a concentrated mix and put in the tank .

Thanks for your input!