HOW TO: Sanitize an RV Fresh Water Tank

[@RVgeeks]

Thanks! I'm really appreciative of all our viewers and commenters, and try to do what I can.

[@RVgeeks]

@VidLeslie We have 105 gallons of fresh, 65 grey & 45 black. When boondocking, the 2 of us each take 1 VERY sparing navy shower every day & prepare all meals on board. The grey is *always* the limiting factor. One week is easy... 10 days if we're really careful. When the grey is full, there is always at least 1/4 tank of fresh left. Black takes about 2 weeks for us both to fill up. Tips: run shower into a pitcher until warm, turn off shower when soaping up, use paper plates.

[@RVgeeks]

We really do LOVE our Mountain Aire. We've had very few troubles over the years and it's been great. We've toured about every major motorhome factory in the country (Monaco, Country Coach, Winnebago, Travel Supreme, Integra, and of course Newmar) and have never seen anything we feel beats ours for quality, floorplan or systems. We already decided that our next motorhome would be another Newmar. We're planning to tour Tiffin next month, so we'll get back to you if we're super impressed. lol

[@RVgeeks]

Fresh water is available at most dump stations. Be sure to use the water source marked "potable water" and not the one used for rinsing out your sewer hose.

[@RVgeeks]

Hi Ryan. Sanitizing is primarily to make the water safe to drink, and we only use cold water for drinking. Also, if we put bleach into the hot water tank, we'd have to drain it and flush it out to get all the bleach out.

[@RVgeeks]

Good suggestion. We do try to keep water use down, even when we're fully hooked up (short showers, full loads of wash, etc), but it is a bit difficult to deal with the water used when sanitizing the tank. One way we try to minimize it is by not sanitizing more often than needed... only about twice a year (we're full-time... part-timers should be good with once a year, at the start of the season). We also never sanitize in areas with water restrictions or drought, like the desert SW.

[@RVgeeks]

@Marion Blair You sure can add the beach solution into the fresh water fill. Getting it into the fresh water tank is the goal, and that will work just fine.

[@RVgeeks]

That's exactly right. When connected to an external water source (like a hook-up at a campground), the water pressure from the outside spigot takes care of sending water to all your faucets. Without that, you need the water pump to do the job of pulling water out of the fresh tank and pushing it to your faucets. The pump is the only way to use water from the fresh tank.

[@RVgeeks]

So glad that we've helped. Very exciting that you're going full-time. Be sure to have your RV checked out thoroughly first by a reputable shop... especially tires and other safety items. Maybe we'll see you on the road (we snowbird in the desert SW, so you never know. ;-)

[@shelleyfunny19]

Ok, so I was gonna pay a hundred bucks to rv dealership to show me around my new vehicle but ur getting me there! I know about my tanks now and just made my first repair, fixed door lock handle. my tanks are next. PLEASE keep ur fab vids coming! Thanks

[@RVgeeks]

Correct. We could of course use the water heater bypass to bleach the hot side without including the water heater, but since we never drink from the hot side, we've never bothered (not even sure there's a reason to keep the heater bleach-free, other than the extra flushing needed afterwards). Nothing wrong with doing that though, and maybe a good idea, especially with children. We'll be sanitizing our tank again sometime this coming month, so maybe we'll do both sides this time and video it. ;-)

[@TravelswithYoly]

Ed at the factory told me to run anti-freeze thru it but I wasn't sure if he told me to do that only because they hadn't built in any other options. Just needed to verify that the anti-freeze wouldn't harm anything and that it would be able to be completely flushed when sanitizing. We're new to the RV lifestyle and have a lot to learn (been watching many of your videos). As you can see by the videos on our channel, we love the T@B. Leaving this Sunday for our second adventure in it. Thanks again

[@RVgeeks]

There's no harm in running anti-freeze through your water heater, and if there's no drain, that's your only option. For people who are able to drain it, and by pass it, they run anti-freeze through the rest of the system only. Saves on anti-freeze and having to rinse it out, but without a drain, anti-freeze it is! :)

[@RVgeeks]

Hope you're having fun with your new RV!

[@SkyRiverRVSales]

Awesome to see you are so helpful to people who respond to your videos. Thank you for a great video.

[@RVgeeks]

We're full-time, so we never store our RV and all systems have been active continuously since the RV was new. That said, we have been off the RV for periods of time while traveling by plane (sometimes a month at a time) and we always leave everything exactly as if we were on board. We just sanitize the fresh tank a couple of times a year, and leave the water in it all the time. Other people may drain the tank, but we don't.

[@RVgeeks]

To empty the fresh tank into the gray tank, you can turn on the water pump, and run your kitchen faucet into the sink while the gray tank is closed, thereby filling the gray tank. Just be VERY careful not to run too much. Most RVs have larger fresh water tanks than gray water tanks, so you can overflow the gray (it will come up through the lowest drain… usually the shower). Once water is in the gray tank, you can only drain it to through the sewer connection, not put it into the black tank.

[@RVgeeks]

I'd suggest that anti-freeze in the water heater is harmless, but since you have a connection at the factory, I would call and ask them for as much information about winterizing a 2013 T@b as they can provide. Best of luck and congratulations on your new rig! (I watched your walk-through video, and it is a beauty)! :)

[@RVgeeks]

Thanks Dean. Appreciate your input and suggestions!

[@VanlifewithAlan]

I am glad I saw this as I have been too afraid to use bleach in the fresh water tank. I have been cleaning mine out using wine vinegar. Many people use Milton. I would have thought that only one rinse out would leave residue, I would leave it on constantly for some time to clean it out. Also I would let it run out through the taps, I appreciate you may not want to put pressure on the pump but it would clean out the pipes and the waste tank.

[@shelleyfunny19]

I promise! And please know that i respect ur rv experience and expertise, so never hold back on those tips. If u have s list of "must do" regularly's please pass it my way. Again, thank you for your well wishes and all the great vids!

[@TravelswithYoly]

Yes you are correct about the red T@B and also very thorough in your response. I looked carefully for the 3/4 inch screw off cap and couldn't find it so I called the factory. Ed Kaufman told me that they no longer install that cap and supply only the fresh water tank drain valve (petcock). He told me that you can't drain the hot water tank in the 2013 T@B. That being the case I just needed to know if there would be any harm in running the ant-freeze there because of what I heard in other videos.

[@starquasar1]

Wow!! You have the neatest RV that I have ever seen in you tube.

[@RVgeeks]

Thanks for the really nice comments. Really nice to hear. :) I like you plan for sanitizing. We are thinking about including the hot water lines this time too. We might kill three birds with one stone: 1) Sanitize the water system, including hot water; 2) Drive the RV to agitate the bleach solution (haven't moved the RV in a month and it's time to exercise it); and 3) Flush the water heater with vinegar, which will empty all bleach out. The perfect Spring Cleaning trifecta! :D

[@RVgeeks]

Oh.... and congrats on your new Winnie!!!

[@RVgeeks]

Congrats Shelley!! I just saw the listing and it looks great! Our 1st RV was a Fleetwood Bounder and we loved it. The ad said it had a generator. We'd suggest waiting on solar panels until you see how and where you use the RV. They're expensive and you have to be a pretty regular dry camper to make the investment worthwhile. So happy for you. Best of luck. Maybe we'll see you on the road. :)

[@shelleyfunny19]

Listing starts 1995 34ft southwind, if u care to peruse. Sooo well maintained, great layout,.pretty.

[@RVgeeks]

Hi again. Is your RV the red Tab trailer featured in a couple of your videos? If so, I just found the Tab owner's manual online and it says in "To winterize the water system" section: 1) Open the petcock under the floor below the water tank and drain out the water 2) Open the 3/4" screw-off cap under the camper to drain water from the lines and hot water tank. "Opening the pressure relief valve on the water heater will assist in draining." Remove anode. Blow lines out or fill with anti-freeze.

[@RVgeeks]

We would indeed like to sanitize the ice maker line, but there's no practical way to get the bleach all way through the line without letting it sit for a day or so to make multiple batches of ice. Then we'd have to do the same thing to get the bleach out of the line. Seemed over the top, even for us. ;-) Yes, this tip does indeed pertain to brand new RVs. It's one of the first things we would do when buying a new rig.

[@careya]

You guys are the best. Thanks for the helpful videos for newbies like me.

[@RVgeeks]

Thanks Carey! Glad to be of help. :)

[@imbnsmarter]

RVgeeks

[@shelleyfisher5364]

I LOOOOOVED THE ARTICLE! I feel sooo fortunate to have stumbled across your videos, not just any rv self help vids, as it is so totally obvious that what you do, you do from the heart. That transcends all the technology between us. How very kind and sweet and considerate of you to have forwarded me this particular article, knowing of my querry into financial backing on the road. I think I will adopt your philosophy, and get out of my own way. I think I am my own biggest obstacle. Start looking at what I love to do, dont worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to see (a little Carpenters' flashback, but it applies!) just be...just be me...Organically! How freeing you are! Thank you for the inspiration, and the article. Your pal, Shelley Fisher ps: cant reply thru my mail, dont know why

[@RVgeeks]

Hi Shelley! Not sure why you can't reply through your mail, but so glad you got through! Thanks so much for the kind words. We certainly hope you have a wonderful launch to your RVing life as soon as you're ready. You definitely have the right idea. :) We'll be sure to look you up next time we're in Vegas (or wherever you might be wandering). ;-)

[@RVgeeks]

Since we spend lots of time in places with non-city water (as in no chlorine), we generally sanitize at least twice a year. You'll hear a lot of opinions on this one, from once a year to every three months. Not sure if there's any official recommendation though.

[@shelleyfunny19]

Thank u! U were the first person i said the words to, "i bought an rv" :) i plan to give it a good clean out with instruction from ur vids. I actually plan to ditch the house and conventional life and hit the road. I'm sure one day we'll bump heads! I thank u for ur advice and will pay heed. Ok, i just made some hard boiled eggs, that peeled w no prob :)

[@RVgeeks]

Water heaters normally don't get winterized because there is usually a way to drain the water out instead.

[@gmaylon]

This video was great. We are new RVers and this extremely helpful information. Thanks, Travelenman

[@RVgeeks]

Rotten egg smell is usually sulphur... very typical of water in the Desert Southwest. Is your customer by any chance located somewhere around Phoenix... or does she move around to different areas, using water from various sources? I'd be interested to know if the smell is coming from the fresh water tank, or the fresh water source. Please let me know how you make out after sanitizing the tank.

[@RVgeeks]

Would you find it acceptable to have to boil water in your house all the time? We live in our RV full-time, not just for weekend getaways, so boiling our water as SOP would be a royal pain.

[@greggprosch3943]

We are parked in Florida at a lake and there is algae everywhere. The first time I noticed something in the water I thought it was because my undersink filter was bad. The way I noticed was when I used the ice from the icemaker my ice water tasted "funny". Then after the ice would melt I would see tiny white particles floating in the water. I changed the filter, it was ok for a while but then started again. Last weekend we had to move the coach and as I unhooked the fresh water, don't ask why but I looked down the hose. I saw lots of green stuff I thought was leaves, now I realize its algae. It is a white drinking water approved hose but there is algae in it. I had been noticing "particles of green leaves" when flushing the toilet. We are fairly new at this (one year in) so we didn't realize we probably should have sanitized our new to us 2009 Fifth Wheel. Thanks for your help, will keep pushing forward..

[@RVgeeks]

Having algae in the RV park water connection is definitely bad! If you can actually see stuff in the water without even looking carefully, it must be really bad! I would stop drinking the water, and get a whole-house filter right away, and add it inline at the faucet. Is that park pumping water right out of the lake or something?!?! Hope you get it all cleaned up. The hardest part will be getting the fresh water tank cleaned out, assuming you filled it from this water source. And definitely SANITIZE YOUR FRESH TANK if you're drinking from your on own water supply. You should also replace that water hose, as the algae is probably growing in there. Best of luck.

[@abark]

+RVgeeks Places in the south that use surface water can have a algae smell/taste. Gets worse in the summer.

[@tazblink]

Someone mentioned the water supply hose needs cleaning I always drain my white antibacterial hose after use and never store it full of water. Run some bleach water through it also. If your potable source water has any kind of oder or taste use a activated carbon filter to fill your tanks, works great. Good video thanks for sharing.

[@RVgeeks]

Good point. Try using a small funnel to add some bleach directly into the hose.

[@RVgeeks]

Sorry arhivus, but you don't know what you're talking about. The fresh water system in an RV is designed to hold potable water and thousands of RVers drink it every day with no problem. Proper sanitizing keeps the system safe, and we've been drinking water from the tank for over 10 years with zero problem. Some people may choose to drink bottled water, but as full-timers, we don't have room to haul it around. We also prefer to reduce plastic waste and expense by utilizing our own water supply.

[@roadboat9216]

RVgeeks Likewise. We fulltimed for 3 yrs and lived pretty exclusively from the tank water. We also cruised much of the world in our sailboat, getting water from a huge variety of sources and countries. We even fill our tanks from river water up the jungle creeks of Panama. The locals drank it their whole lives and had no problem, nor did we for 2yrs there. We did use a good quality drinking water filter most of the time.

[@pstoner999]

Very useful information, thank you ! Was good too to get your suggestions that help with boondocking like how to save some water. If you have some more info and tips that help with boondocking, I would value learning more from you about that topic.

[@RVersity]

This is what I might suggest for a few BOONDOCKING TIPS: (1) Use sun visors in every window. Keep the sun out as much you can. (2) Park so the sun is hitting the side with less windows. (3) Reduce water consumption. Washing dishes, showering, flushing the toilet etc... (4) Don't run the A/c and heat as much. Invest in fans and portable propane heaters. (5) Invest in solar panels. Maybe even something from Goal Zero a Yeti company. I also have Zamp solar system and panels installed on my sprinter van. Hope this helps! 🙋🚐🙌

[@tazblink]

I have done it this way for more than 30 years they are right on the money However I always did the hot water side also and that includes the hot water tank, just make sure you drain the hot water tank well. Dont forget the toilet and outside shower I run all the water lines they are part of your fresh water system too. That little bit of chorine has never hurt any seals on my rv's.

[@RVgeeks]

Thanks for the comment. :) For a good overall exterior look at our motorhome, you can check out our recent video about an RV site for sale in British Columbia.

[@RVgeeks]

@poormancooking I had never heard of Star San before, so I Googled it. Primarily for cleaning brewery equipment, but might work for water tanks too. Why not try it out and let us know how it works.

[@madgetrix]

Thnx for the info..=) Me and my wife are considering getting a rv... and this part has been a big grey area for me..

[@MarionBlair]

Good tips. Would pouring the bleach in the FW fill accomplish the same thing? What's the difference between the antifreeze inlet and the freshwater inlet? Is it the suction hose?

[@mpdacor]

That was so good!! I will save this video in my collections!!

[@RVgeeks]

+Mona Piper Thanks Mona! 😊

[@Marguerita]

Thanks very much - your videos are awesome! I am transitioning into full time RVing, as a total newbie, so I really appreciate them. I signed up for your newsletter too :) ~Marguerita

[@shelleyfunny19]

RvG! Its me, Shelley from LV, i bought an rv today! 1995 southwind, Fleetwood. In love with it! Ur opine please: generator or solar panels - pros and cons. Thanks! Oh, its on LV craigslist

[@RVgeeks]

You definitely need to stop running up the water once you smell bleach coming out of the faucets. Otherwise you'll run your fresh water tank dry, defeating the purpose of bleaching it! :)

[@SergeAyotte]

Thank you for the reply RVG!! I wish I could "full time", but another few years before I can :)

[@RVgeeks]

In looking at our RV, it seems that they started with the tanks (fresh, black & gray) and built everything else around them. lol I can't imagine what a nightmare it would be to try to remove or replace them. ;-)

[@RVgeeks]

We wish! lol We shot this on our Newmar Mountain Aire.

[@leoward79]

awesome vid and very clear....gotta love the "sniff test"..lol

[@RVgeeks]

Don't know how you'd get the tablets into the tank, and not sure it would be enough chlorine. The only reason to sanitize is to make the water safe to drink, so if you're planning to drink bottled water, you don't really need to worry about it at all.

[@RVgeeks]

Every instruction we've ever seen, even from RV manufacturers, says to use 1/4 cup of bleach for every 15 gallons of water to sanitize the fresh water system. There are no seals or gaskets in the fresh water system, as it's similar to a household plumbing system. You're probably thinking of the black and grey water systems, which have seals in the toilet and blade valves that need to be cared for.

[@MarkVallevand]

Nice. But I wonder if non toxic sanitizer like brewers use will work. Dairy men use something non toxic and not bleach.

[@RVgeeks]

Nope. Gray water is not used to flush the toilet. Fresh water does that. It may seem like it would be a good idea to re-use the gray water that way, but once you had some of it sitting in your toilet (there's always a little water in the bottom of the bowl to act as an odor seal against the black tank beneath it), you'd probably be pretty unhappy with that. Gray water can smell worse than black, especially when boondocking (dry camping) when using small amounts of water at a time).

[@shelleyfunny19]

Thanks, that makes a world of difference in my mind about calculating for tank use and fullness. U rock (but u know that :)

[@bill1299]

I purchased a used trailer and my hot water heater smelled like rotten eggs. I used this method to flush the hot water tank. I let the water sit in the system for a day and the hot water tank has been smell free going on a year now.

[@RVgeeks]

+Bill Havighorst Excellent! So good to hear. Thanks for sharing Bill!

[@josephatnip2398]

There was probably absolutely nothing wrong with the water that was in the hot water tank chances are that trailer was used somewhere where they have sulfur in the water here in Missouri in a lot of places out in the middle of the state there is a lot of sulfur in the ground anyway it makes the water smell like rotten eggs especially the hot water it's like the water gets worse when it gets warm but it won't hurt you people drink that stuff I don't know how they do it I have good water where I live but I guess they get used to it

[@rev800man]

We already used the fresh water tank without sanitizing (didn't use the water for drinking though). Didn't plan on it but our first trip out with the coach the campground didn't have water hook up! So we filled er up and used it for washing dishes and showering. Yeah I guess sanitizing the ice maker would be extreme, eh? lol

[@danf215]

FIRST - THANK YOU for a great video. Well done! Question - is this process best (or only) done when hooked to sewer system? i,e, the grey water tank is going to get a lot of water and chlorine water from this process... should we only do it where we can flush the grey water tank at the same time? I have a gravel carport so draining the water system is no problem, but I wouldn't envision a common practice of spilling the grey water tank there...

[@RVgeeks]

Hi Dan! Thanks for the nice comment. If you have a gravel area where you can drain the fresh water tank directly onto the ground, you should be in great shape. The small amount of water that you will be running up through your faucets during the process will of course end up in your gray tank, which we suggest should not be drained onto the ground. However it shouldn't be a large enough volume of water to necessitate draining the gray tank. Hope this answers your question.

[@DJKID777]

well we always boil a big pot of water and we have water for weeks and it taste pretty clean and plus we don't mind and is cheaper on us in my opinion i think boiling water is the best and wen u freeze it is amazing

[@Mrfishingexpert]

This helped alot! And one question... Is this video taken on a Prevost tour bus?

[@crusty451]

do you recommend emptying the fresh water and hot water tanks before letting the rv sit for say, more than a few weeks at the time?

[@RVgeeks]

Each year we spend some time traveling by air, leaving the RV parked for anywhere from a couple of weeks to two months, and we've never emptied either of those tanks. The fresh water should be sanitized twice a year anyway, and the anode in the water heater (assuming you have a Suburban heater) gets replaced annually, too. So a little more time with the anode in water won't prevent it from lasting a year either way. The black and gray tanks are always nice left mostly or completely empty if possible. ;-)

[@SergeAyotte]

Thank you RVGeeks for all those wonderfull video.. Question? When not using the RV for a couple of weeks, do you leave the fresh water tank full, or should it be emptied and flushed?

[@williamkennison8920]

just something we do to use the bleach water to its fullest. Run the bleach water through a CLOSED grey water tank until it is full then turn the faucets off and drain the grey water. If there is still water in the fresh tank repeat until drained adding some citraclean on the second fill up to freshen and break down any residue. Let that sit for a bit or drive on a good twisty road to agitate it before draining the tank.

[@RVgeeks]

Thanks for the great tip, William!

[@luannprater]

We are newbies. I LOVE your videos!!! I've got my bleach water and a winterize kit on our Coachmen Santara 2003. The water pump button is in a different compartment where the outside shower is and next to the winterizing compartment. This makes it a little bit of a challenge but doable. However I didn't do something right because it didn't syphon the bleach water, instead the water rain out from the drain under the RV onto the ground. And then the water pump shut off after just a minute or so. I saw there is another water pump switch on the inside next to the door to the RV. Is that suppose to be on too? If so, how can I monitor that while on the other side of this with the pitcher. I'm a bit overwhelmed right now. Thanks!

[@RVgeeks]

+Luann Prater Hi Luann! It shouldn't matter which water pump switch you use, because they should all be momentary switches connected together. So any time you turn one on or off it's the same as using any of the other water pump switches. In other words they're all the same. If water is running out onto the ground, it's possible that you have a low point drain open. We suggest trying this out by pumping in plain water first as a test. If water runs out, go to that spot where the water is coming from and see if there's a valve above it designed to drain the plumbing system. If so, close that valve. One other option would be if you have what's called a "gravity fill". That is simply an opening on the side of the RV that you could stick a hose or funnel into and pour water into the fresh water tank. If you have one of those, that is the easiest way to get the bleach solution into the freshwater tank, without even using the wintering kit. But keep in mind... if you have a low point drain open, you still could end up with water running onto the ground, so you might want to test that first. Hope this helps!

[@poookie1b23]

Hi. I just looked at your video as I'm about to do this for the first time with our new trailer. I winterized it last year using the pipe you showed to put in the antifreeze. This is where I get confused. From my understanding, using the pipe with the pump merely sends the fluid through the lines but not into the tank itself. To put it into the tank, I'd have to pour the bleach mixture into the fill hole on the side of the trailer. What am I missing here? Regards, Louis

[@RVgeeks]

Hi Louis! If you set the tank fill valve to "tank fill", the water/bleach mixture will go into the tank when you turn the pump on. But if you have a tank fill on the other side of the RV where you can just pour it in, that's the easiest. Check out our updated video about tank sanitizing and that might add some additional info: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHbIoaidbbNgl6c. Hope this helps!

[@poookie1b23]

RVgeeks Thanks for the quick reply. I looked at the video again and realized I don't have the "tank fill" option on my trailer. Tank fill on the outside it is then...

[@carrietakushi2485]

Thank you. How often do you suggest sanitizing should be done?

[@RVgeeks]

+Carrie Takushi We generally sanitize twice a year

[@carrietakushi2485]

+RVgeeks TY for the quick response.

[@usmcoth]

Another thing that you can do it (if your tank is visible and see through) you can use a UV flashlight to kill microorganisms in the water supply. This is especially true when traveling to places where the water is known for containing intestinal parasites but you need water and assumed that boiling it was the only solution or that just using it for showering, shaving and dishes didn't stop the RV'er from getting sick. PS: You should do one on keeping your grey/black tanks SHUT in Southern USA because of roaches.

[@kansascowboy5721]

Very helpful video! Thank you

[@whym23]

Hello, I would like to know if this should be done to a brand new travel trailer tank before we start using it? Thanks in advance.

[@RVgeeks]

Absolutely!!

[@Lavenderblue333]

Hello... I was wondering at the apparent waste of the treated water and just thought that perhaps one could route that water into some blue jugs. As I recall, bleach is often used to treat dodgy water. Could you not put the treated water to the side for use later, perhaps with caps slightly loose in order to vent the chlorine? Just a thought...

[@klouism1]

Thanks for the information.

[@Judgementday1984]

your voice sounds like Seth Rogen's lol love these vids. keep em comin

[@RVgeeks]

Wish I could do his laugh! lol

[@mreid08]

What is a good rule of thumb to when to sanitize the fresh tank? Im a nub at this, getting a trailer soon.

[@RVgeeks]

We're full time and we sanitize once every six months. If you store the RV all winter, once in the spring before the RVing season should be fine.

[@TravelswithYoly]

Since the unit is tightly contained in a small cabinet above another cabinet, just below the countertop, there is barely room enough to get your hand in to raise the relief valve lever, let alone remove the anode rod. I don't know what they expect you to do relative to servicing the water heater. This comment is meant to follow the one previously posted ... not sure of how they'll be organized here. Thanks again for your help. If you have any further advice, please let me know.

[@rahdon]

Thanks for the video! I just got my rig sanitized and Further is taking the longest pee in her life right now dropping 75 gal. =)

[@paramandans]

Good to know, thanks for the info.

[@steves5350]

maybe I missed it but how often or when do you want to do this process? do you want to do this to a new camper?

[@RVgeeks]

+steve s We sanitize our fresh water system about every 6 months, and YES!... you absolutely want to do this to a new camper!

[@steves5350]

RVgeeks , awesome, thank you , Im very thorough when it comes to getting stuff done the right way although i don't know everything. I'm still learning and these videos that you guys post or very helpful thank you for the quick response

[@phoenix1964]

Hello, could you please tell me about how many gallons of water, total, washed through the black water elbow into the sewer during this process.

[@RVgeeks]

+phoenix1964 No water needs to go into the sewer line, as it can all be drained out through the fresh water tank's low point drain.

[@Rockhound6165]

Question concerning the hot water tank. I was getting a rotten egg smell from my faucets and am in the process of doing the above to clean the fresh water tank and pipes, however, you recommended not running this through the hot water tank(I'm assuming to avoid corrosion) but can I just drain my hot water tank then run clean water through it?

[@RVgeeks]

If you're going to flush the water heater anyway, you sure could do that without a problem. Follow the steps in our video "How to Sanitize an RV Water System" to see how to do both the hot and cold sides: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHbIoaidbbNgl6c If you think the smell is coming from the water heater and want to sanitize it too, you could just skip the step where we have you bypass the water heater. We'd suggest that that might not really do the job though, since the water in the heater probably won't get enough of a concentration of bleach that way. We'd suggest trying the following steps: Sanitize both side of the water system exactly as outlined in the video mentioned above. If the rotten egg smell is still there (and coming from the hot water vs the cold), then try flushing and cleaning your water heater with vinegar, like in the videos we have on that topic: Atwood: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3zKYYVvpM6AhpI Suburban: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5uogaxoZtN8qLM Suburban Anode Follow-Up: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpTbeXx8gLGJmMU Hope this helps!

[@TravelswithYoly]

Why shouldn't you run anti-freeze through the water heater to winterize it if you sanitize it again before use ? Mine is in a cabinet with no option to drain it, yet there is a shut off valve inline with the fill line so it seems contradictory to me ?

[@memberofthetribe1]

I'm thinking about getting a Newmar Mountain Aire. How do you like it? Do you have any gripes about it? Please let me know. Would love to hear more from private owners before I buy.

[@RVersity]

The bigger the RV the bigger the problems. Newmar is a great brand. It also depends on your lifestyle and how you will be Rving. Full time, part time. with people or pets? Parked or driving etc... Plus, what type of amenities and features do you want in your RV slides, auto leveling or dumping, powered fans... Hope this helps... 🙋

[@scottwall4669]

Hey Pete, Icon skylight advertises their products in Trailer life..and the install link is yours!!! They speed up the video so you sound like Mickey Mouse. I hope these Canuks are paying you guys!! If not....no order!!!

[@RVgeeks]

+Scott Wall Hey Scott! Thanks for the heads up. Couldn't find their ad, but I would like to see if they've taken our content. Any chance you could shoot me a link to [e-mail]? Much obliged.

[@joegaragozzo1640]

Great info! Thanks.

[@barneywalton1168]

Is there anyplace that this video (and others) are in written form so I can follow the instructionos and not try to remember them?

[@RVgeeks]

Hi Barney. If you Google the topic that you're interested in (such as "Sanitizing an RV fresh water tank" you will find many articles written about these sorts of topics. You can then print them out and follow along as you work. There are probably a lot more written instructions than video ones! lol But our video itself is not available in written form.

[@barneywalton1168]

Thanks so very much. I always forget about Google. Went there and got my answer. Thanks again.

[@RVgeeks]

Glad to help, Barney. Have fun sanitizing! ;D

[@aguyandhiscomputer]

At 4:50 you mention only sanitizing/bleaching the cold side. Why not also do the hot since you're already there? Does it have to do with filling the water heater? Still trying to get my young children to not use the hot water side when brushing their teeth.

[@JevinDeml]

Where do you find fresh water when boondocking?

[@Marguerita]

How often do you do this procedure to sanitize?

[@RVersity]

Every time you empty the tanks and start a new batch a dirty water :)

[@RVersity]

I use Happy Campers organic powered. 🤔 Never tried bleach or any chemicals. Maybe baking soda or vinegar could do the trick 💡

[@RVgeeks]

Happy Campers in the FRESH tank?! That's only for the black & gray tanks. According to the CDC, chlorine is what kills bacteria in stored water and water containers. Bleach at 1/4 cup per 15 gallons of water is SOP for sanitizing.

[@acajudi100]

Thank you.

[@montezoomas]

Hose doesn’t suck Water from bucket line shown in video. I hear pump running. But no water flows through pump. What am I doing wrong? 2022 KSDP

[@RVgeeks]

Hi Monica! Sorry we're just now seeing your question. Hope we didn't miss the opportunity to help. The most common reason for what you're describing is the valves not being in the correct position. Try flipping any water bypass valves while the pump is running, and when set correctly, the water should begin to flow up into the system.

[@montezoomas]

RVgeeks that’s ok. I found out that there’s a different process for 2022 Newmar Kountry Star. Their direction is to use the whole house filter not the dewinterizing hose. So I guess it’s a good thing it didn’t work 😱

[@VidLeslie]

how long does it take to use up the fresh water in an rv with one person taking 2 five minute showers a day, cooking, flushing the toilet, etc.? How often do you need to refill the tank when boondocking?

[@RVersity]

EVERY RV IS DIFFERENT: This is completely different based upon the RV tanks, how much the hold and the person. FOR EXAMPLE: I have a class b sprinter and I'd go ahead and reduce those 5 minute showers to Navy showers. KEEP IN MIND: Bigger Rvs have bigger tanks. REDUCE WATER USAGE: Then you would want to think about ways to reduce water consumption and usage. Maybe use paper plates, don't flush the toilet or get a composting one. Hope this helps 🙋

[@deandacosta6923]

with the concentrations he is advocating contact time is more important. I would recommend 24 hours of soak time before flushing. Given that bacteria, viruses and other waterborne pathogens tend to be mobile it makes sense to also sanitize your hot water lines and not just the cold side. Just make sure your water heater is off and cold for the duration since heat breaks down chlorine quite rapidly.

[@shelleyfunny19]

Oh, so once its gray its not used as black? Would seem a there tier processes would be a conservative method. So my water flushes my toilet? fresh goes to both gray and black tanks? And YES! having a blast! I just love her.

[@greggprosch3943]

I don't have labels on everything in my utility center. What do valves A & B go to?

[@RVgeeks]

Hi Debra. Without seeing it we can't tell how your system is set up. If we send you a private email address, can you send us a couple of photos of the area? There's a chance we'll be able to get an idea from that.

[@greggprosch3943]

RVgeeks Thanks, while waiting for your reply I did find a manual online (the correct one) I now know whats what, but still not sure what A&B you are referring to - and I did take some pics that I have been sharing around the web the last couple of days that I would absolutely send along. I really need to get this done, we have algae. There are instructions in the manual about sanitizing, but THEY refer to a "water heater bypass" that I cannot find. Would that be essential (to turn it off) in order to sanitize?

[@RVgeeks]

Debra Prosch Bypassing the water heater is not a requirement. We do it to avoid having to do so much flushing to get the bleach out. If you haven't sanitized for quite some time, you might want to include the water heater anyway. It will just take more flushing to get the bleach out. Now for the bad news..... algae will not go away no matter how much you bleach the tank. Bleach gets rid of bacteria, not algae. All the bleach will do it turn the algae from green-ish to white-ish. We had one extremely miserable experience with algae in our fresh water tank, which we discovered because the screen in our water pump was getting clogged up with it. It required the removal of the water tank, cutting round access holes into the tank and installing marine deck plates in them and reaching into the tank through those access holes to thoroughly scrub it and rinse out every drop of old water. Prior to that, we drained the tank and flushed it repeatedly, including extra-strong bleaching, but nothing else worked. It's not possible (in our RV anyway) to totally drain the tank by opening the low point drain. Some water remains no matter what and we simply could not get rid of all the algae without taking this extreme step. Sorry to bear bad news, but you have a challenge ahead to get rid of algae.

[@Borzke]

Do I need to run my water pump the whole time the bleach is in the system to keep everything pressured up? Or can I shut off the pump once I've ran the bleach water through all the faucets? Thank You!

[@RVersity]

The water pump is used to add pressure. If you turn the faucet on and realize there is no water coming out then you will need to turn the water pump on to pull the water from the fresh water tank thru the lines. After the first run of bleach I would then empty and run a fresh batch no bleach through. Because you don't want any left over bleach to bathe in.