Whether or not you travel full-time in your RV, there will be instances where the water in your tank will set for a period of time. This may occur during periods where the RV sits in storage between trips or you have a long-term stay with full hookups. It is recommended your fresh water tank is sanitized every 6-8 months to prevent or kill the growth of bacteria.

The best time to sanitize your fresh water tank is before a long trip to make certain the chlorinated water is agitated during the cleaning process. You want the chemicals to splash over the entire water tank to safeguard its effectiveness. It is important you plan your drive or trip to conclude at a location with sewer/water hookups as your fresh water tank will be full of a chemical solution and will need to be thoroughly rinsed out.

We are going to describe the procedures we use to ensure a clean, safe water supply to our faucets. For this process, you will only need either a one-gallon pitcher or we use an old one-gallon water jug, your least favorite measuring cup, and household bleach (check the bottle of bleach to see if you are using regular or a concentrated solution)

• Fill your fresh water tank to the 50% mark with fresh water.

There are a few steps you should take before introducing the cleaning solution into your tank and water lines.

• If your refrigerator is equipped with an ice maker, turn it off.
• If you have a water filtration system, make sure to bypass the system to prevent any chlorinated solution from contaminating the filters.
• Turn on the hot water heater bypass valve.

Now the fun part of cleaning the tank…

• After filling your fresh water tank to 50%, turn off or disconnect the water supply on the city water supply side.
• On your water lines, flip both hot/cold winterizing valves to the bypass stage.
• Flip your fresh water tank fill valve to the fill setting.

Now we will mix our cleaning solution…

• Fill your one-gallon container approximately 3/4 full of water.
• If you are using regular beach, mix 1/4 cup of bleach for every 15 gallons of your fresh water tank capacity. If you are using concentrated bleach, mix 1/4 cup of concentrated bleach for every 23 gallons of your fresh water tank capacity. (We have a 100-gallon fresh water tank and use concentrated bleach, so we use 1 1/4 cups of concentrated bleach).
• Pour your measured bleach into your one-gallon container.
• Turn on your water pump to draw the solution into your fresh water tank.
• Once the solution has been drawn into your fresh water tank, make sure to clean the winterizing tube by drawing one-gallon of fresh water through the line.
• Re-connect the city water supply line or simply turn the water on if you are still connected.
• Continue to fill your fresh water tank to 100%. After filling the fresh water tank to 100%, turn off the water supply and disconnect your water hose and store it away.
• Flip your fresh water source valve back to normal use and turn on your water pump. With your water pump turned on, turn on all of your faucets to draw water from your fresh water tank through all of your lines until you smell the chlorine. Once the chlorine is detected, turn the water off at the faucet.

Now your RV’s fresh water tank and all of your water lines have been prepped for cleaning. It is important that everyone having access to your RV is informed the fresh water tank is being treated to prevent any accidental poisoning from drinking the chlorine mixture.

NOTE: If your RV does not have a winterizing fill kit, you can perform the same task by simply pouring the solution directly into the fresh water tank by using a funnel or hand pump.

Lets go for a drive. It is recommended the cleaning solution remain in your fresh water tank and water lines for a minimum of four hours. Once you have arrived at your full hookup destination, it is time to drain your fresh water tank. You can accomplish this one of two ways: 1). Open the low-point drain on your fresh water tank to drain all of your tank (Note: Although this is an acceptable method, we do not recommend this due to mess it creates) or 2). Connect your sewer hose to the RV parks sewer inlet, open your grey tank valve, turn your water pump on and open all of your faucets allowing the fresh water tank to flow into your grey water tank and into the sewer until the tank is empty. Your water pump will not be harmed using this method.

After your fresh water tank is emptied, fill it back up to 100% via the city water connection side and drain it again until you can no longer smell the chlorine solution. This may have to be repeated at least twice.

Finally, let’s reverse what we did in the beginning.

• Turn the hot/cold water lines bypass valve off and your inlet valves back to normal use.
• Turn off the bypass valve on your hot water heater and turn the inlet valves back for normal use.
• Turn your ice maker valve back on (if equipped).
• Flip the bypass valve on your water filtration system and your inlet valves back to normal.

Congratulations!!! You have successfully sanitized your fresh water tank and can enjoy a cold glass of water knowing it is safe for your family. Remember, this process should be completed every 6-8 months for safe water consumption from your tank.

The post How To Sanitize Your RV Fresh Water Tank – Our Next RV Adventure appeared first on Our Next Rvadventure.

Wait just a second, did I say we were leaving our granddaughter behind…NO WE ARE NOT!!!  Thats right, we talked her mommy into allowing Grammy and PaPa to take her with us for an entire month with the pure intention of totally spoiling her and ease our separation anxiety.

Thirty years ago, Lana and I honeymooned in Colorado Springs so it was a clear choice we would start our full-time life together there.  After saying our goodbyes, we picked up our granddaughter and began the nomadic lifestyle we had dreamed about.

Our first destination stop was the Garden of the Gods RV Resort.  See our review of the resort here.  Once we arrived and got set up, we headed over to the Garden of the Gods.  Garden of the Gods is filled with several 300′ tall red sandstone rocks towering above the valley and encompassing over 15 miles of hiking trails.  There is everything to do from bike riding, rock climbing, horseback riding, and Jeep/Segway tours.

Having a 16-month old with us inhibited some of our recreational activities and we contemplated purchasing a child carrier but we still found a way to maneuver her stroller along the trails and over the rocks to visit the Siamese Twins and Balancing Rock.

The second day we visited one of our favorite small towns, Manitou Springs.  Manitou Springs downtown is full of fun, small eclectic shops, restaurants, and pubs.  We had a wonderful time taking a stroll downtown window shopping and stopping into the Colorado Custard Company for a quick snack.

Downtown is extremely busy during the summer time as thousands of tourist flock to the areas nearby attractions ( Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Manitou Incline, and America’s Highway….Pikes Peak) so we would suggest arriving early to acquire a parking spot.

We spent our third day at the RV resort installing a UV-LED water purfication system called ACUVA.  I had watched two YouTube videos, one by the RVGeeks and the second by Less Junk More Journey, about this installation of this product and both channels received a $100 discount code through ACUVA.  Lana and I had always been concerned about drinking water at campgrounds, RV resorts, and through our fresh water tank and this seemed to be a great fit for us.  The installation was a breeze and I can attest the water is the best I have ever drank!!  We highly recommend this product and the customer service is quite outstanding.  Here are a couple photos of the install.

The package includes all of the mounting hardware, the UV-LED purification system, water filter, and a beautiful chrome water dispenser.

Our fourth and final day was spent at the RV resort relaxing in the heated swimming pool and swinging at the playground.  We had a nice steak and potato dinner on the grille and then took a long walk around the RV park.  One thing we immediately noticed staying at a RV park, no one is a stranger and everyone is eager to meet new people no matter what type of pull-behind, fifth wheel, or motorhome you are driving.  We think we are going to like this lifestyle….

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