Fresh water tanks

[thumbs]

I have a new fifth wheel that hasn't been used as of yet. We plan to take a shake down trip this weekend.

What is the proper way to take on water and care for the fresh water tanks in the trailer? How do you keep the water fresh and keep any contaminants out? I am concerned about anything eventualy growing in the tanks like mold. I know I should drain the water each time I return but should I add a bit of clorox and bakeing soda to each tank when filling?

Thanks for the help

 

[ralphie]

Fresh water tanks

I disinfect my tank in the spring only. I can see our tank and have never observed anything growing on the sides. I never use our own well water to fill the MH tank. While it won't make us sick (we have had it tested) it doesn't taste too good. I make sure to refill only from a known good water source. I never drain the tank between trips. I do have a filter at the kitchen sink that we use for drinking water and cooking purposes. I add a new filter in the spring. I'm sure some folks will jump in here and object to the way I do it, and perhaps they may make some good points about sanitary conditions, etc. I can only tell you that I've never had the water tested after it's sat in the tank for a while, and none of us have ever gotten sick, including the dog and cats, from using the water from the tank.

 

[Gary B]

Fresh water tanks

Hi Gary, check with your dealer and find out if they sanitized the water system in the prep. If they did you should be good to go if not you may want to put about a cup of bleach in the fresh water tank then fill it up and with the pump, pump it thur the system, open the faucets in the kitchen, bathroom and shower, toilet etc, then leave it set for a couple of hours them drain the tank, put in some fresh water and pump out the clorox water and you should be good to go. If you wish you can use soda to neutralize the clorox, but it isn't necessary, for a quick flush. No you don't have to do every time you use it, as the previous poster stated once a year in the spring after setting for a couple of months, I then recomend leaving the clorox mixture in for 24 hrs or so and thats probaly when you would want to use the soda rinse. Good luck with your shake down trip, hoping you have good wheather. :laugh: :bleh:

 

[hertig]

Fresh water tanks

Whenever I run water to my RV, either to the water connection or to fill the tank, I have an inline water filter at the faucet. It was $20 or $30 at Camping World and is supposed to stop bacteria. I have a better filter on the sink (supposed to stop virus as well). This setup didn't help at my folks place (they have a water softener and even after passing through both filters I could taste the salts).

I know this does not address tank maintenance, but I figure the 2 filter system will minimize problems.