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Topic: On Board Water Quality (Read 802 times) previous topic - next topic

On Board Water Quality

I was reading the posts about coach water pressure and started thinking about the water quality of the on board storage tank.
I only put water in my storage tank that has been filtered (for sediment only) and softened. Never water that has been through a carbon filter. I have a phobia about buggie water. I worry that water in a large storage tank, in this hot weather, has the possibility to grow bugs if the chlorine is removed. That is why I use camp ground water that I filter (sediment and carbon) and soften for every day use. I also use a pressure regulator to have 45 psi max pressure in the coach.
Gotta love the soft water......
Rick & Deborah Webster
2002 3610 U320 #5964
2014 Jeep Wrangler Sahara JKU- 'Copperhead'
Richland Chambers Lake, East Texas

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #1 –
You might want to sanitize your tank using using bit of bleach. There are a bunch of threads here about that.
1993 U300 40ft GV SE
Build # 4344

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #2 –
In my opinion the best sanitization is to use your tank. I never run off city water. Always fill my tank, use that up and re-fill it. It keeps the tank clean and prevents a nightmare of a flood if the plumbing breaks while connected to a faucet. At home, if my rig sits for a while I drain the tank and fill it before I leave. And oh yeah, I never go anywhere without a full tank of water.

About once a year I'll add some bleach but I have never had a problem in 17 years and 2 Foretravels. But.....like me and Kenhat say......That's just me.
1994 U280, Build 4490
Deming, NM.

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #3 –
In Los Angeles the Chlorine in the water use to test higher than what was required in a swimming pool. Now they are using Chloramine ammonia mix. When I fill my rv tanks they are getting disinfected.
1999 40 ft. U-320 wtfe build 5563 Chuck & Lynda's "Rollin' Inn"  2030 watts solar
prev. mh's 71 GMC 5 yrs. 73 Pace Setter 1 yr. 78 Vogue 5 yrs 81 FTX 40ft all electric 18 yrs. 1996 Monaco Signature 3 yrs.
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland
Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today.  James Dean

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #4 –
If you fill your tank with water that has gone through a carbon filter first, most of the residual chlorine has been removed from the water. Assuming the tank and system has been properly sanitized (every nook and cranny in the system) filling with un-chlorinated water would probably be ok for a while.
Personally, I want my stored potable water to have a level of residual chlorine in it.
Does that make sense?
Rick & Deborah Webster
2002 3610 U320 #5964
2014 Jeep Wrangler Sahara JKU- 'Copperhead'
Richland Chambers Lake, East Texas

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Old Hippie –
If you fill your tank with water that has gone through a carbon filter first, most of the residual chlorine has been removed from the water. Assuming the tank and system has been properly sanitized (every nook and cranny in the system) filling with un-chlorinated water would probably be ok for a while.
Personally, I want my stored potable water to have a level of residual chlorine in it.
Does that make sense?
Invite for the growth of legionella spores. JMO
Old Phart Phred, EIEIO
89 GV ored 36' #3405 300 hp cat 3208 ATAAC side radiator, mountain tamer exhaust brake

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Old Hippie –
If you fill your tank with water that has gone through a carbon filter first, most of the residual chlorine has been removed from the water. Assuming the tank and system has been properly sanitized (every nook and cranny in the system) filling with un-chlorinated water would probably be ok for a while.
Personally, I want my stored potable water to have a level of residual chlorine in it.
Does that make sense?

 I only filter the water at the drinking water dispenser and the refrigerator, like you having the chloramine in the tank is fine for showers and dishes.
1999 40 ft. U-320 wtfe build 5563 Chuck & Lynda's "Rollin' Inn"  2030 watts solar
prev. mh's 71 GMC 5 yrs. 73 Pace Setter 1 yr. 78 Vogue 5 yrs 81 FTX 40ft all electric 18 yrs. 1996 Monaco Signature 3 yrs.
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland
Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today.  James Dean

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #7 –
We have well water at home. When we get home any left over water is drained out and the tank refilled with softened well water and 1 Tablespoon of bleach per 50 gallons.  If that water sits for more than two weeks it gets drained when we are getting ready to leave and refilled.  We rarely travel with more than a half tank of water. If we are filling on the road I use a large particulate filter, a bio filter for germy things, a very fine particulate filter and a water softener. If it is not city water I add 1 T bleach per 50 gallons.  Works for us.

After a winterized storage the fresh tank and all the hoses and lines are flushed with 1/4 cup bleach per 50 gallons. All of the lines get water pumped through them, every faucet gets used, a normal warmup drive and then all of that is drained within a few hours.  Fresh water is added, pumped through everything and drained out.  Then I can fill the tank as needed.
Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Old Hippie –
If you fill your tank with water that has gone through a carbon filter first, most of the residual chlorine has been removed from the water. Assuming the tank and system has been properly sanitized (every nook and cranny in the system) filling with un-chlorinated water would probably be ok for a while.
Personally, I want my stored potable water to have a level of residual chlorine in it.
Does that make sense?

I agree.  I filled my tank without a charcoal filter then put the filter on the hose in and ran off the hose for the same reason
"Riding and rejoicing"
Bob
1997 U320 40' Mid entry, build 5132,  wtbi ce27, 4th owner
2007 Solara convertible
2 prodeco tech outlaw ss electric bikes

1095 watts solar
08 Ls 460 and a sc430
2000 Ford F-250 superduty 4x4

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #9 –
We fill tank once a week, disconnect hose and run only off water pump.  During every weekly fill we pour in 2 ounces of unscented laundry bleach diluted in a quart container into our fresh water tank's gravity feed.  We do filter out city chlorine with carbon filter and our add-back of 2 ounces for 100 gallons give us a consistent amount of chlorine.  There are many more reasons for water pump only, too, but this one is the main reason for our PVC gravity feed that fits into a hole drilled into the 4" vertical top part of the water tank.

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #10 –
Barry this is new to me so let me make sure I understand.  With you on the use of pump but do you fill the tank using the gravity feed or fill with pressure line and use the top PVC feed for your bleach or other additive?  I am going to make that mod.
George and Steph
1997 U270 36 Build 5081 "Honu"
1180w Solar 400A lithium all Victron house system
Motorcade 17670, SKP 128300, FMCA F459019
73 VW Camper, 79 VW Camper, 2363 Sunline, and an Arctic Fox 25P

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #11 –
George,

For our gravity water fill, we have a large diameter PVC pipe friction-inserted into a rubber grommet that is in a hole we drilled in the short vertical top of the fresh water tank.  This is the same common grommet that is used for holding tank vent pipes.  Others have made this mod, too.

Just outside the holding tank we have a PVC Tee on the inserted pipe.  To the side of the Tee, we have a ball valve. The other side of the ball valve is stepped down to accept a short 1/2" water hose.  The straight-in side of the Tee is closed with a removable screw-on cap.

To fill fresh water tank, we open ball valve, connect above short 1/2" hose to a water filter (placed on the ground) with quick connect.  We use a 25' white water hose, quick-connected to water filter input.  We prefer 1/2" water hoses because they store easier, and we carry 3 lengths.

To add diluted bleach, we remove above screw-on cap and attach a large diameter clear vinyl hose.  While city water is flowing into tank we slowly pour in all of our diluted bleach.  Before water fills to top of tank, we turn off city water, remove large diameter clear vinyl hose, replace screw-on cap, and turn city water back on.

We use a 12-volt florescent lamp permanently placed on top of the fresh water tank to see the water flowing in.  This tells us instantly how full tank is before filling, and tells us when tank is full.  We do not rely on dash tank gauges.

We do have a relocated fresh water overflow hose that drains through the bay floor, far away from bulkhead.

Our factory city water female connection has been plugged for 15 years and is never used.  City water pressure never powers our system and faucets.  Water pump does the job for us.  When pump runs, a small piezo buzzer sounds inside kitchen area, which can alert us that we have a faucet accidently open or we have a leaking pipe.  We added a water pump relay switch near our door so we can double-check that we have turned off water pump when we leave.  Relay is always powered-on when we are home and off when we leave.

The above is the only way we have filled our fresh water tank, and in most years that is 52 times a year.
 

Re: On Board Water Quality

Reply #12 –
Barry thank you for the thoughtful reply.  Hope to get this done before the snow flys and we head for Quartzite.  The list keeps growing.  Makes such good sense to use the pump but it never dawned on me.
George and Steph
1997 U270 36 Build 5081 "Honu"
1180w Solar 400A lithium all Victron house system
Motorcade 17670, SKP 128300, FMCA F459019
73 VW Camper, 79 VW Camper, 2363 Sunline, and an Arctic Fox 25P