While most areas of the country are enjoying negative wind
chills and your RV has been fully winterized, it is a great time to think about
how fresh your RV fresh water system is. After a long winter of sitting, it is
almost a guarantee that there is minimal moisture in your RV fresh water system
that could create unsafe drinking water in the future.
Many RV owners make the mistake of assuming that RV fresh
water systems stay safe and fresh like home water systems because they get so
used to living on their natural amenities. Sure, plugging into city and
campsite services might provide clean, safe water, however that is not always
the case and therefore RV owners should never make a guarantee that their fresh
water is completely safe to drink, shower, or use for cooking.
To make sure you keep your RV fresh water system as clean
and contamination-free as possible, follow these simple steps:
- For fresh water, always use a white non-toxic
drinking hose. While other hoses might be cheaper or longer, if they are not
labeled for safe drinking water, they might contain lead or other dangerous
chemicals which could pollute your fresh water system. To keep this hose clean
internally, once done, tighten both ends together before storing in a clean
location. - Install a high quality filtration system to
control and remove bacteria. While water filters will not purify water, a high
quality filtration system for your RV fresh water system will control and
remove a large quantity of dangerous contaminants found in drinking water such
as bacteria and lead. A highly recommended filter is the Hydrolife. Using
electro chemical oxidation reduction that could kill off harmful contaminates,
these filters protect against the typical chemicals and bacteria found in water
while also reducing pesticides, fungicides, and other organic contaminates
found in local water supplies. - Sanitize your RV fresh water system at least
once a year. Even though it is recommended by many manufactures to sanitize
your system when you notice stale or bad smelling fresh water, some owners
prefer to sanitize their fresh water system at least every spring and multiple
times throughout the year depending on usage.
To sanitize your RV fresh water
system, start by draining your water heater after the water has been cooled
down and pressure released. Then, locate the low point hot and cold water lines
along with the drain plug for the fresh water holding tank, open up both lines
and fresh water tank, and then turn your water pump on to evacuate the system.
After all the water is out, turn the pump off, close all the drains inside,
hook up both the hot and cold low point water lines along with drain plug and
gather up your cleaning supplies.
A great solution for sanitizing
your RV fresh water system is ¼ cup of house hold bleach for every 15 gallons
of water you fresh tank holds. Mix the necessary bleach along with water into a
1 gallon bucket or container and then pour the mixture into the fresh water
tank and top off the tank with fresh water. To sanitize the system, turn on
your water pump, open up all hot and cold faucets, and run the bleach and water
mixture at each faucet until you can smell the bleach.
Now that the system has been sanitized,
close all faucets, drain the entire system again, and replace with fresh
potable water. Flush out each faucet by turning them on and wait until the
bleach smell has dissipated. On some larger RVs or fresh water tanks, this
process might take 1-2 times to eradicate all smells.
On the road, owners sometimes
forget the little comforts of home, such as clean water, could hurt a
pleasurable journey. By following these simple steps, you are well on your way
to your next destination with the cleanest, safest fresh water possible.