No matter what your plans with your RV might be, your source
of fresh water is your lifeblood. With fresh water, you can cook, clean, shower
and drink. Without it, well—you’re in the Stone Age. That’s why it’s so important
to learn how to clean an RV fresh water tank. Here are some quick tips for
keeping it clean and preventing any fresh water problems from developing in the
first place.
RV Fresh Water Tank
Cleaning Essentials
Before you get started with learning how to clean an RV
fresh water tank, there are some essential things to know about your fresh
water system:
- Safety
first. For example, if you’re cleaning the entire system, never drain your
water heater when it’s still hot or under pressure. Draining the overall system
is essential for a good sanitizing, but you shouldn’t even get started until
you’re sure that the system is ready. You want clean water, but you don’t want
to sacrifice your own safety or damage your RV in the process. - Time.
Put aside a solid chunk of time—think a day on the weekend—in which you’ll be
able to work. Cleaning a fresh water tank can be a time-intensive process. The
good news is that with consistency, you won’t have to do it very often. - Know your
systems. Examine your hot water tank and learn how to drain everything. It’s
only prudent to get acquainted with these systems sooner rather than later. - Distinguish
systems. Remember to keep your potable water systems distinct from other
systems. For example, your potable water hose should be used for potable water
only.
With these essentials out of the way, let’s get to some
specific steps.
How To Clean An RV
Fresh Water Tank
Once you understand the process, you’ll see that it’s simple
to clean your RV water system—especially the tank. Experts recommend using a
specially-designed solution for the tank, such as a four gallon to one cup
ratio of water to bleach for every ten gallons your tank holds. That means if
you have a 40-gallon tank, you would mix in ten cups of bleach total—one for every
four gallons of water.
After adding this solution to your tank, fill it completely
with fresh water. Then run all of your sinks and faucets to work the bleach
through. You should be able to smell the bleach, and your tank should be empty
by the end.
You can then fill up the tank with fresh water and let it
sit overnight—this will help wash away any bleach residue. If you still smell
bleach, repeat the process with only fresh water until you’re sure that the
water you’re drinking is potable and clean. This might sound time intensive,
but you’d be surprised at just how simple the process is. It’s also cheap.
Caring For The Rest
Of Your RV
Your fresh water tank is not the only item in your RV that
needs regular maintenance to perform at its best. To make your life as an RV
owner easier, browse all of our RV
cleaning products for your maintenance needs.