Water Tanks

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Hi

I was hoping to get the opinion of our members on water tanks.

I remember when I bought my first "camper" and was trying to find infomation.

So here are the questions:

1) How often should you clean the tank?

2) How long is it safe to drink the water from the tank once it is filled?

3) Is it nessesary to use chemical tablets each time you re-fill?

4) Any other advice?

Hopefully your answers will allow people new to Motorhomes to gain from our members experience and expertise.

Phil
 

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We are going to be no help what so ever sorry - we found using a water tank very inconvenient so have installed a couple of water bottles under the sink, we have to fill them more regularly but don't have any of the worry of cleaning out tanks etc.
 
I don't think I've ever cleaned a water tank. Flushed it through maybe if it has been unused for a while. I think the trip is to leave the drain tap open when not in use to allow it to empty and dry out properly.
 
We use the water tank for everything except drinking - we buy a couple bottles of still (cheap) water and then keep these in the van refilling them from the tap on site, using them for drinking and cleaning teeth! Thgrow them away at the end of our break away and then start again.
 
I guess we just haven't trusted ours as we always buy very old vans and if you saw the state of them before we "do them up" you would understand we just don't know what other owners have done to them !
 
Drip drip...

We are like almost everyone else in that we fill the onboard tanks for showering/washing/cooking etc and have a number of 5L bottles we use for drinking/toothbrushing etc that we either re-fill or dispose of and start again on the next break..
 
Even though we have large on-board tanks. We have always used them for Washing, Showers etc. We also use Plastic bottles for drinking water and if necessary, fetching water. On-board tanks can be flushed out like this:-

You should santize the water tank at the end and start of the season:-

Dilute 1/4 cup of household bleach for each 15 gallons of tank capacity in a gallon of water.
Add the chlorine solution to the water tank. Never pour straight bleach into the water tank.
One tap at a time, let the chlorinated water run through them for one or two minutes. You should be able to smell the chlorine. (Make sure you are using the water pump and not an external water supply.)
Top off the water tank and let stand for at least three hours over night is better.
Completely drain the system by flushing the taps for several minutes each. Open all plumbing drains (if any) and the hot water tank drain plug and drain until the tank is empty.
Close all valves and taps and drain plugs.
Fill water tank with fresh water.
Flush each tap for several minutes each repeating until the tank is again empty. (Make sure you are using the water pump and not an external water supply.)
Fill the tank again. The water should now be safe to drink but if the chlorine odor is too strong you can repeat the fresh water flush.
Your fresh water system should now be safe for use.
 
Tales...

Just remembered this tale that happened to us... When doing our first ever conversion we decided upon a brand new tank and purchased one from a company on the south coast which was reasonably priced (£160) and came with all fittings and pipework needed..... trouble was that it came with an unwanted extra! My son (7 at the time) was helping me open the considerably sized packing carton and extract all the fittings when he decided to read some of the, poorly, shredded paper that was used as packaging and with no further ado proceeded to read to himself! it was only 2-3 mins later when he asked what a cu** was! I thought I had misheard him and begged his pardon and he repeated his question. It was at this time that I took a peek at what he was reading and discovered it was pornographic stories that one of the workers, of the south coast company,was printing from the internet, reading and then shredding and using as packaging! I was furious and rang the company immediatley (4.45 on a Friday) and was told not to be so stupid, but come Monday morning there was a cheque for £480 with profuse apologies from the MD of the company as he had checked the packaging on the Friday evening and found other choice pieces of poorly shredded stories! I don't know if the worker still "works" there?
 
Original question...

Has it really took all of us over two years to answer this question
 
water tanks

HI I use milton sterailising solution every month in our second hand lunar champs tanks , work it out off the instructions on the back ofthe bottle as to how much per litre etc we(me & the wife) drink it and havent suffered any ills (yet) lesngaynor..
 
tank draining

Hi, We also sterilize occasionally with milton, have heard it rots your pump but have never had a problem (yet), if its good enough for babies bottles I recon it's good enough for me. Regards draining, I never do, unless I've picked up hard water at a refill, then I drain, flush and refill. I have never had a smelly or bad tasting water. If you get a smelly waste water tank go down the home brwe shop and get some sodium metabisulphite, half a teaspune down the drain followed by half a cup of vinegar, THEN PUT IN THE PLUG, it produces sulphur dioxide gas, kills bugs grand but you don't want a whiff yourself.
 
I Recently Lent My Van To My Brother For A Few Days. Having Never Tried It Before I Showed Him How Things Worked And Were Everything Was. When He Came To Fill The Water Tank(by Water Containers, No Tap) He Needed Something To Use As A Funnel. Unfortunaly It Was My Deisel Funnel!.
I Flushed Out The Tank,taps And Boiler Twice Then Got A Half Ltr Bottle Of Milton Baby Bottle Fluid, Poured The Whole Thing In The Tank And Cleaned It Out By Hand Then Filled Again, Left Overnight And Flushed Twice Again. Voila. No Smell Or Taste Of Diesel.
 
Just a thought - if you drink water from a spring, it may well have been "stored" underground for thousands of years, and it will still be OK to drink. The key is keeping it away from light. AIUI, the danger in drinking any water is from the microbes that breed in it. These creatures need light to live and breed, and if water is kept in a lightproof container, it should theoretically be safe to drink at any time. That's why all the drinking water tanks I have seen have been solid black.

I used to do a lot of caving, and you can demonstrate this easily by looking at the state of rocks within a cave entrance. The limestone (it's always limestone) around the entrance will be greasy and very slippery with all the moss and algae that grow on it in the light. Once you get into the cave to a point where daylight never reaches, the rock is firm and grippy, as there is no growth on it at all.

With our caravan (and now the camper too), we flush twice a year - once at the end of the season before storage, and once at the start of the new season. That's probably overkill, but I'm picky. Empty the water container and throw in some Milton fluid to give the correct dilution, then fill to the brim. Draw the Milton/water mix through all the taps (and shower head, if you have one), refill the main tank, and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Then drain, flush once and you're ready. You may taste the Milton a little, but it's harmless - it is used to sterilise babies' bottles. Flush through again if that bothers you. I do leave everything drained down over winter, although that's more about the frost than it is about drinking quality. Theoretically, drinking water kept in a lightproof container will remain drinkable indefinitely.

This is all about microbial growth - chemical contamination, odours and tastes from plastics etc are a different matter.
 
Drinking Water

As Virg and a few others stated that the tank is mostly used for washing, showering etc. I have an 18 litre plastic container with a tape fixed at the bottom which I use for making tea and drinking water. It is a large fill up instead of having several 5L bottles. Bought it at a Camping shop in Hamburg.
Re: water tanks, I removed the normal size 100L tank and replaced it with a 200L tank, so it last longer and can go a couple of days longer without refilling. Note: you have to watch the weight specifications are not exceeded.
 
We use our tank for everything, including drinking.

Never sterilise it (yuk), or seen the need.

If it has been standing for a few weeks, will flush out the tank (fill then drain).

Never had a problem.

Used to live on a boat, lived off tank water for years. Never heard of anyone flushing out a tank until I bought a motorhome.
 
I tend to agree with you Sea Lion. I never use any thing to clean out as I am always using my MH. I admit I do occasionally empty out my tank as normal, in other words flush it with clean water but refill it immediately for my next trip. Perhaps each MH'er feels safer in their own particular way.
 
If you only fill with tap water there is enough chlorine added by the water companies to sterilise the tank and taps. No further action should be required. If unsure, Milton is the answer.
 
Water Tank

I agree with you Rogerangie. I also usually run my tap in the sink if had not used the MH for a short while, sometimes it helps to clean out any build up in the pipes.
 
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