Sanitize your freshwater tank - Podcast

Ensure clear and fresh H20 before and in between your RV trips.

Like a stagnant summer pond grows algae and hatches mosquitos, the stale, wet confines of a freshwater tank can be a breeding ground for bacteria, protozoa, algae and mould. When you take your RV out of storage, or before you put it in storage, you may want to take the time to sanitize your tank.

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‘Sanitize’ is a term that is now commonly used every day as killing viruses and bacteria is more important than ever. While winterizing and de-winterizing are other familiar terms among experienced RVers, sanitizing the freshwater tank often is overlooked.

By not having clean drinking water, the chances of illness increase. Many enthusiasts use inline water filters and while they’ll remove sediment, chlorine, and some heavy metals, they often won’t prevent microorganisms from getting in. Serious contamination is easier than you may think. It only takes a careless moment by someone at the dump station to contaminate the freshwater fill hose or you could fill your tank somewhere before a boil water advisory becomes public.

How often you should sanitize your tank depends on how often you use your RV. As a rule of thumb, it should be done every six months. If you don’t use it very often, it’s recommended you perform it every three months. A partially full tank that sits unused makes a great breeding ground. We sanitize our tank before and after storage (if we store it!)

It's a relatively simple process to sanitize your freshwater tank. You can always get a professional to do it, but if you have some time, a funnel, some household bleach, and a measuring cup, you can easily do it yourself.

The first step is to turn off the water heater and then drain the water system. Open the low-point water drains (both hot and cold), your freshwater tank drain, and the hot water tank drain (and yes, some organisms love to grow there as well). We turn on our water pump to get out as much water as possible, as quickly as possible. If you like this idea, just be careful not to let the pump run dry as it could cause damage.

Next, measure 60 ml (¼ cup) of bleach for every 55 L (15 gal) that your tank holds and pour it into a bucket with 4 L (1 gal) of water. Our Black Rock 22RKS has a 290 L (77 gal) tank so we add 1.25 L (.3 gal) of bleach to 4 L (1 gal) of water. Pour this diluted mixture into your freshwater fill with the help of a funnel (or water pump if you have one).

Now it’s time to fill the freshwater tank with clean, potable water. By filling it to the top, you’ll know the whole tank is getting sanitized. Now, turn on all of the faucets one at a time until you smell the bleach water coming out. Close each one after you do.

It takes some time to work properly and we suggest you leave it for five to 12 hours. We leave it overnight. Then drain the system and refill the tank with clean potable water. Open all of the faucets once again, flushing the system until you can’t smell (or taste) bleach. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.

Finally, replace any water filters and you’re done!