RV Water system question...
I recently purchased a 2011 Work and Play Toy Hauler. My first RV!! I'm reading that the fresh water lines should be sanitized. The books say to fill up the fresh water tank with water/chlorine mix and let sit for a while, then dump the tank. The only drain that I see on the fresh water tank is like a little 5/16" valve. I'm trying to figure out how to get the 80 gallons of water/chlorine drained out of this tank. I can see spending several hours at a dump station somewhere.....or draining it at my home into 5 gallon buckets, then trying to figure out what to do with the water (I have a septic system, so couldn't really dump it in the sewer. I could use the RV water pump to pump it into the grey water tank, then it would be easier to dump. But how hard would that be on the pump, and how long would that take? Any help??
Also wondering about running down the road with the propane powered fridge running. This may be standard practice, I really don't know. I can see me having a wreck, or someone running into me and then we have a propane bomb. But I guess it would be the same if they hit my tanks!! Anyway, just thought I'd ask. I know you folks have done about everything and have vast amounts of knowledge that I can try to learn from!! Thanks!!
Also wondering about running down the road with the propane powered fridge running. This may be standard practice, I really don't know. I can see me having a wreck, or someone running into me and then we have a propane bomb. But I guess it would be the same if they hit my tanks!! Anyway, just thought I'd ask. I know you folks have done about everything and have vast amounts of knowledge that I can try to learn from!! Thanks!!
0
-
Sure the tanks can get moldy if they are left with water in them for extended periods. But if you just fill them use them then drain you should have no problem. They say to add some bleach but I just fill them half, drive around the block to shake it up then drain.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eckvo39PnJU/UKaR-f7fqZI/AAAAAAAAABY/d6mcdQAc_Yg/s1600/Website+pics+028.jpg
Look up under there should be two capped ends so you can drain the whole system both hot and cold in the winter or after a trip. Look toward the rear under the shower / bathroom. Remember to open the inside sink and shower . Also there is a plug on the hot water heater you need to remove. inside so air can flow in. Should be able to pull to a edge of a parking lot and drain in about 15 mins.
As for LP and the fridge and the road... I wouldn?t ever travel with the tank in the open position. You can throw some ice packs or put food in a cooler with ice. If you precool it by plugging in and running on electric at the house it will keep cool for hours. Just too much liability for a fire with traveling.0 -
My Desert Fox, Toy Hauler, Has 2 separate dump valves. On left side below floor level. Accessible from the out side. Black Water is 3" diameter. Gray Water 1 1/2". I flush both of them weekly. When full, usually takes less than 10 minutes.
If you haven't flushed them yet. I would dump them, at a RV dump station. At least the first time. To make sure the values work properly. And you don't get any nasty surprises. When you open the values, the first time. Use diluted bleach, to make sure the fresh water holding tank is sanitized. Than flush with lots of fresh water.0 -
You can travel with the propane refrigerator running. You do have to cut off the propane if you go through any tunnels. People travel with the propane fridge running all the time. I normally run (pre-chill) my fridge using electricity a few days before camping, then fill it right before I leave and it keeps everything cold for several hours. I rarely travel with mine more than 4 hours one way. As far as the water system, I use 1 cup of bleach and fill the water tank then flush it through all the lines using the on board pump. Once all lines are flushed, I drain the holding tank and then flush the system with fresh water. Make sure you winterize the system each fall. I normally do mine in October. Bypass the water heater or you will use a extra 5 or 6 gallons of RV antifreeze. Most newer units have a bypass built in. I have been doing this for over 20 years, so feel free to ask any RV related questions. Don 0 -
Good write up. Agree 101%roswellnative wrote:Sure the tanks can get moldy if they are left with water in them for extended periods. But if you just fill them use them then drain you should have no problem. They say to add some bleach but I just fill them half, drive around the block to shake it up then drain.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eckvo39PnJU/UKaR-f7fqZI/AAAAAAAAABY/d6mcdQAc_Yg/s1600/Website+pics+028.jpg
Look up under there should be two capped ends so you can drain the whole system both hot and cold in the winter or after a trip. Look toward the rear under the shower / bathroom. Remember to open the inside sink and shower . Also there is a plug on the hot water heater you need to remove. inside so air can flow in. Should be able to pull to a edge of a parking lot and drain in about 15 mins.
As for LP and the fridge and the road... I wouldn?t ever travel with the tank in the open position. You can throw some ice packs or put food in a cooler with ice. If you precool it by plugging in and running on electric at the house it will keep cool for hours. Just too much liability for a fire with traveling.
Long time RV'er here.
The bleach sanitizer every year here and just let it run on the ground afterwards - it's harmless at 15 gal water to 1 gal bleach . Good info here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=RV+water+system+sanitizer+w+bleach+formula&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS724US724&oq=RV+water+system+sanitizer+w+bleach+formula&aqs=chrome..69i57.18966j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
rv.net
Tons of info and a toyhauler section.0 -
You really don't need to FILL the storage tank. Put in 10-15 gallon of the chlorine mix and drive around for 15 minutes, then run the mix through the lines into the gray/black water tanks to flush those out.
You didn't see this here but a common way to get rid of what's left is just find a low traffic gravel road, partially open the dump valve, and drive.0 -
DONDALINGER wrote:You can travel with the propane refrigerator running. You do have to cut off the propane if you go through any tunnels. People travel with the propane fridge running all the time. I normally run (pre-chill) my fridge using electricity a few days before camping, then fill it right before I leave and it keeps everything cold for several hours. I rarely travel with mine more than 4 hours one way. As far as the water system, I use 1 cup of bleach and fill the water tank then flush it through all the lines using the on board pump. Once all lines are flushed, I drain the holding tank and then flush the system with fresh water. Make sure you winterize the system each fall. I normally do mine in October. Bypass the water heater or you will use a extra 5 or 6 gallons of RV antifreeze. Most newer units have a bypass built in. I have been doing this for over 20 years, so feel free to ask any RV related questions. Don
+1000
This
Be aware some tunnels do not allow ANY portable {20, 30 40 100 lb} Lp tanks to pass thru. An Rv such as a motor coach has a tank permanently mounted and CERTIFIED by the dot and others for road travel so they are good anywhere.
A great website to join {free} is here:
http://www.rv.net/forum/0 -
Dump the drinking water on the ground or driveway. A little chlorine in the water is not going to hurt anything. 0 -
First couple of times I used diluted bleach to sanitize my RV water tank and system.
Then I found that using Sodium Dichloro-s-Triazinetricone was much easier and did not required flushing bleach tainted water out of the system.
Here is how:
The way I Sanitize My RV's Fresh Water Tank.
A friend and fellow full time RVer, Bill Randolph told me how he uses something other than household bleach which works well for him and I also started using it. I think it is worth passing on to you. Before he retired, Bill spent twenty years in the swimming pool business. He's an expert when it comes to sanitizing swimming pools and spas and says the same rules apply to RV fresh water systems.
Bill uses Chlorinating Concentrate (Sodium Dichloro-s-Triazinetricone or Sodium Dichlor for short). Sodium Dichlor contains 62% available chlorine. Compare that to household bleach which has something close to 3%. One pound of Sodium Dichlor is equal to 8 gallons of bleach! Also, household bleach contains other stuff, including a lot of salt, and that salt and other stuff is what causes the bad taste and why you have to flush the fresh water tank so well.
Bill says it takes only 1 teaspoon of the concentrate per 100 gallons of water to initially sanitize the system. Remember to run water through all the faucets. It's okay to use the full teaspoon even on smaller tanks because you will be flushing the tank before adding the water you intend to drink but it seems wasteful.
Like most of us, Bill travels with a near empty tank to reduce weight. So if he arrives at park where he plans to stay and they have well water, he drops a half teaspoon per 100 gallons of the concentrate into the fill tube and fills his water tank. This insures the system will always be sanitized. No, you do not have to flush again. It's the equivalent to drinking chlorinated city water. If you are filling your tank from a source that is already chlorinated then you don't need to add the concentrate.
That said, if you don't like to drink chlorinated water, don't add the concentrate to the water you intend to drink. Assuming, you fill your water tank from a trusted source you should be safe. Or, you can add the concentrate and then filter the water you drink or cook with.
Truth is I almost always seem to be filling the fresh water tank from a chlorinated source (city water supply) so I seldom need to to use the concentrate. And we do filter our drinking water.
This is not a case where more is better. This stuff is concentrated and it's best to use just what Bill recommends.
Because Sodium Dichlor is so highly concentrated you only need to carry a very small container... buy the smallest container available. And it is dry crystals so there is less chance of a spill. However, because it is so concentrated it is highly corrosive so you do have to be careful how you store it and use it. You should be able to find Sodium Dichlor (Chlorinating Concentrate) at any pool supplies or spa store. Bill says there are several brands to choose from but brand should not be a factor in your choice... it's all the same stuff.
http://rvbasics.com/techtips/sanitizing-your-rv-fresh-water-system.html
Sodium Dichlor is available anyplace that sells pool/hot tub supplies. It's cheap and it's granular so easy to take along in the RV.
0 -
If you use the ity bity drain instead of pumping it out via faucet, why would you not just let it run onto the ground? Odd. 0 -
I?ve owned 4 campers and not once did I drink water from a faucet. 0 -
jimdeere wrote:I?ve owned 4 campers and not once did I drink water from a faucet.
You lap from lakes and streams?0 -
I?d lap from a muddy hoof print if it was all I had. 0 -
Mr Perfect, you are full of it today. I would rather take a whoopin than kill off some of my wife's grass. I'd have to live in the toy hauler!!! She takes pride in her yard!!
And if that's all it takes to make her happy, I'm not going to disturb it!!0 -
The fresh water tanks on the two TT's I had (and have) had a 90 degree drain that also acted as a bung for the tank. Unscrew the whole thing and the water would drain out a 1" hole instead of the normal drain. Yours could be different. A second for running some of the solution through the whole water system. The pipes can get nasty, also. Remember to bypass the water heater when you do this. Same as preparing for winter storage.
I think running the roads with open propane tanks is a state thing, just like carrying passengers in the trailer when moving. I do know that both are illegal here in NY....what isn't, right?0 -
mstrblaster wrote:Mr Perfect, you are full of it today. I would rather take a whoopin than kill off some of my wife's grass. I'd have to live in the toy hauler!!! She takes pride in her yard!!
And if that's all it takes to make her happy, I'm not going to disturb it!!
Kill it by watering it? How does that work?0 -
Yea, I am worried about watering it with chlorine water. Much more chlorine than normal!! But maybe it won't hurt anything....that's the reason I was asking you knowledgeable folks!
Thanks for the great responses. I've learned a lot. Keep up the good work!!0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
16 comments