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Fresh water tank fill, hot water tank fill, and sanitizing the system, 1989 GV

April 30, 2021, 09:36:42 am

OK, my laptop lost it's mind, didn't backup like it was supposed to, and all my notes on filling, draining, and sanitizing my fresh water system including the hot water heater have flown the coop. I think I remember, but a little refresher wouldn't hurt. Help if you can?

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Re: Fresh water tank fill, hot water tank fill, and sanitizing the system, 1989 GV

Reply #1 – April 30, 2021, 09:59:00 am

Is your water tank between the front seats?

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Re: Fresh water tank fill, hot water tank fill, and sanitizing the system, 1989 GV

Reply #2 – May 01, 2021, 10:47:51 am

Sorry about the time lapse here. Life! I am busier now than before I retired, and I was traveling internationally weekly then. Anyway, yes it is. There are 2 valves under the cover. If my feeble memory serves me at all, the right one is to drain the tank, and the left one it to fill it. There is also a valve under the jack knife couch, but I think it is to turn on/off the Motor Aide hot water heating system. Our coach has a sanitizing filter(?) under the kitchen sink. Should one add a liquid sanitizer to the tank  and drain it before filling it to use? Or, allow the sanitizer to do it's thing? So many questions.....

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Re: Fresh water tank fill, hot water tank fill, and sanitizing the system, 1989 GV

Reply #3 – May 01, 2021, 12:18:25 pm

Under the couch there should be 2 valves, one drains the cold water system and the other one for hot. We don't have any shut off valve  on our motor aid for the hot water tank.

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Re: Fresh water tank fill, hot water tank fill, and sanitizing the system, 1989 GV

Reply #4 – May 01, 2021, 02:33:47 pm

I thought the same thing--that there is no shutoff for the motor aid, until A tech at FOT showed me where it was.
He opened the cupboard under the kitchen sink and then pointed down to the forward side of the cabinet. And guess what? There was a fairly large rat hole in the cabinet wall and I could see the shutoff valve!
Open the engine heats the water. Closed and the engine heat goes to the heater up front only. Neat.

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Re: Fresh water tank fill, hot water tank fill, and sanitizing the system, 1989 GV

Reply #5 – May 03, 2021, 10:12:27 pm

I will check again under the couch, but I spent quite a little time in there earlier replacing the flexible heater ducts (they were full of pin holes) and doing general clean up. The only valve I saw was about a foot or so behind the front wheel well and right up next to the outside wall. Does the hot water system have to be drained with the valve AND the hot water tank plug? And what about the cold water system? I just opened the valve in the compartment between the seats. And what about sanitizing the system when you fill the tank?

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Re: Fresh water tank fill, hot water tank fill, and sanitizing the system, 1989 GV

Reply #6 – May 03, 2021, 11:25:51 pm

The hot and cold water drain valves in our coach were way towards the driver's side, under the couch, and one kind of on each side or the water pump. I couldn't find them initially because they were hidden under the crappy blue shag carpet.

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Re: Fresh water tank fill, hot water tank fill, and sanitizing the system, 1989 GV

Reply #7 – May 03, 2021, 11:36:50 pm

My first time sanitizing our water system I went for overkill rather than underkill.
I hooked up all my drinking water hoses together, put a shutoff valve on the end that screws into the coach. Then I opened the shutoff valve just enough to let air out, filled the water hose with bleach until bleach ran out the shutoff valve end. Then I turned the shutoff valve off, elevated the other end of the hose. screwed the valve end into the coach connection and the other end onto our hose faucet on the house. Then open the shutoff valve, turn on the house faucet and fill your fresh water tank.
After the water heater is full, go to the farthest faucet in the coach and open it enough until you have water (smelling of bleach) coming out of the cold and hot sides. Shut off the faucet. Repeat with each and every other faucet in the coach. Let sit overnight or 24 hours. Then drain everything and fill with fresh water. Run all the faucets again. You might have to do this a few times.
If bleach smell is still prevalent, put a couple bottles of white vinegar in the supply hose and run it into the fresh water tank. Refill tank and repeat draining faucets routine.

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Re: Fresh water tank fill, hot water tank fill, and sanitizing the system, 1989 GV

Reply #8 – May 04, 2021, 08:16:35 am

This sounds like what certainly should be done. Our coach has a sanitize filter built into the system. any ideas on that?

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Re: Fresh water tank fill, hot water tank fill, and sanitizing the system, 1989 GV

Reply #9 – May 04, 2021, 08:25:04 am

I have no idea, but you might research the brand on the internet and get some ideas there.

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