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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / October 2006Question Re: Water system sanitization
For the last two years my clear water tank (about 8 gal.) has been mostly empty and unused because I was too lazy to look for and replace a bad galley pump. I am now the proud owner of a new working galley pump. My problem is I need to sanitize my system before I use it. I know I can use chlorine bleach to do this; but I don't know for how long I should leave it in the tank and/or how much bleach to my 8 gal. of water. Your information will be appreciated Tnx Dave '73 Western Field in amazingly good shape for its age You could try about 1/2 cup of bleach w/6 gallons of water ... let stand for at least three hours before draining... > For the last two years my clear water tank (about 8 gal.) has been mostly > empty and unused because I was too lazy to look for and replace a bad galley [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Dave > '73 Western Field in amazingly good shape for its age > You could try about 1/2 cup of bleach w/6 gallons of water ... let stand > for at least three hours before draining... I agree. Also, be sure to run some treated water THROUGH the system - and new galley pump - before beginning the "let stand" period. If your water tank is portable, pick it up a couple of times during this process to agitate the contents then run a little more through the system. If it's a fixed tank, agitate the trailer. This is accomplished by towing it around the block a couple of times. The same thing might be accomplished by retracting the stabilizers and JUMPING on the bumper. Be sure to SECURE the trailer before doing this so it doesn't roll away. An easy way to secure the trailer is hitching it to the tow vehicle. Running a dilution of vinegar and water through the system following sanitizing will help remove the chlorine odor. Again, agitation of the storage tank will ensure that those areas that are not submerged during the process receive some treatment. Good luck! :) JR >Running a dilution of vinegar and water through the system following >sanitizing will help remove the chlorine odor. Again, agitation of the >storage tank will ensure that those areas that are not submerged during the >process receive some treatment. I brew beer at home--so sanitizing is a key component of making beer. When it comes to sanitizing my RV tank, I use the same stuff--Iodophor Sanitizer. It is available at any homebrew store that does wine or beer. It is a common sanitizing agent used in bars and restaurants. It takes very little--and no rinsing. Mark Filice 2004 Homestead Settler 255RS 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 > I brew beer at home--so sanitizing is a key component of making beer. When it > comes to sanitizing my RV tank, I use the same stuff--Iodophor Sanitizer. It is > available at any homebrew store that does wine or beer. It is a common > sanitizing agent used in bars and restaurants. > > It takes very little--and no rinsing. All of that is true and correct about Iodophor...and I've been brewing for 10+ years and never thought to use it for sanitizing my camper's water system. Huh... It requires 1 tablespoon of Iodophor for five gallons of water. Contact time is about 15 minutes at that dilution...but as mentioned in a previous post, you still have to either fill your whole tank and add enough sanitizer for the full volume, or drive your camper around to slosh the sanitizer around in the tank. And don't forget to pump it through your whole plumbing system to sanitize everything. Negatives about Iodophor: 1. It's not as dirt cheap as chlorine (a quart is about $12-15), but it should be much simpler since you'd be able to skip the water/vinegar rinse stage that's necessary with chlorine in order to neutralize its smell & taste. 2. If you use it in any stronger dilution than 1 tbs. per 5 gallons, you might detect a faint but harmless iodine aroma and taste in your water unless you flush it out of your system first. 3. It is a dark (iodine) liquid which can permanently stain white and transluscent plastics, if that matters to you.  SignatureSteve Kranz Homebrewer extraordinaire, banjo player mediocaire Visit the Midnight Homebrewers' League on the web at: http://users.adelphia.net/~smkranz How about city water? Does have stuff in it that will tend to somewhat sanitize the tank when you pour it in? I know I can occasionally taste the chlorine in the water... Of course that won't help us in another month when we move to the country and have well water... Wesley > All of that is true and correct about Iodophor...and I've been brewing > for 10+ years and never thought to use it for sanitizing my camper's [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > 3. It is a dark (iodine) liquid which can permanently stain white and > transluscent plastics, if that matters to you. > How about city water? Does have stuff in it that will tend to somewhat > sanitize the tank when you pour it in? I know I can occasionally taste the > chlorine in the water... Of course that won't help us in another month when > we move to the country and have well water... > > Wesley City water won't effectively sanitize a buggy water tank and plumbing system. It has chlorine or, more likely, chloramine to keep already disinfected water safe. But if your system is harboring bacteria or virus bugs, mold, fungus, etc. you need a robust sanitizer of sufficient strength and contact time. From the U.S. EPA: "Chloramines are weaker disinfectants than chlorine, but are more stable, thus extending disinfectant benefits throughout a water utility's distribution system. They are not used as the primary disinfectant for your water. Chloramines are used for maintaining a disinfectant residual in the distribution system so that disinfected drinking water is kept safe." Bottom line for me is that city water does not have sufficient levels of disinfecting chloramine (or chlorine, for that matter) to effectively sanitize a camper's drinking water system. SignatureSteve Kranz Homebrewer extraordinaire, banjo player mediocaire Visit the Midnight Homebrewers' League on the web at: http://users.adelphia.net/~smkranz Exercise common sense if using iodophor .... Rinse after using. "Excessive iodine intake (extended consumption of about 0.75 milligrams per day) can cause iodine goiter, a condition characterized by enlargement of the thyroid gland. One ounce of a 25 ppm iodophor solution contains 0.75 milligrams of iodine. To leave that much sanitizer on your equipment would correspond to very careless technique." > Exercise common sense if using iodophor .... Rinse after using. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > solution contains 0.75 milligrams of iodine. To leave that much > sanitizer on your equipment would correspond to very careless technique." Any normal sanitizing process should not be a problem. Note the reference to EXTENDED consumption. Even if you got that dose out of the first tank full, it will still be minimal, overall. SignatureChris Cowles Gainesville, FL '00 Coleman Mesa/'05 Durango Hemi >How about city water? Does have stuff in it that will tend to somewhat >sanitize the tank when you pour it in? I know I can occasionally taste the >chlorine in the water... Of course that won't help us in another month when >we move to the country and have well water... There are standard for how much city water you need to run before a system is considered "sanitized". I can't remember (my father worked in water quality so it's kind-of osmotic (pardon the pun)) the exact numbers but to run that much water through the kind of system you're discussing would be extremely tedious. Rich SignatureI am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. --Robert A. Heinlein |
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