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Old 06-07-2018, 09:58 AM   #1
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Elgin , Texas
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Can’t remove taste/smell

Hello all! I’m in a 2001 Bambi 19 full time for the last 6 weeks. I have flushed and sterilized my fresh water tank with bleach solution several times and run all faucets hot and cold for extended periods. I have filled and flushed at least 6 times. It still smells and tastes like RV anti freeze (I assume being a newbie). It is kind of a sour smell that I seem to be highly sensitive to (see gag reflex). I am not sure what to try at this point. I want to hit the road but with the ability to use my fresh water. Any help would be much appreciated!
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Old 06-07-2018, 11:47 AM   #2
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baking soda. Suggest Google appropriate ratio for the volume of the tank. There are a couple of water treatment solutions in the RV department at Wally World.
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Old 06-07-2018, 11:52 AM   #3
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2013 25' International
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Feel for you..

When I purchased my AS used, it had been winterized with antifreeze. It took me a good half-season for the taste to go away. Annoying for sure.

When I went to winterize for myself, I searched long and hard here to learn everything about air-only winterization strategies. I am happy to say that when I de-winterized this year I had no problems due to frozen pipes/fittings and NO TASTE!

-Adm
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Old 06-07-2018, 12:12 PM   #4
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It takes a lot to flush out the hot water tank. Let it fill, drain it through the bottom drain valve, refill and repeat 3 or more times. That may fix most of your problem.

If it has the slightest hint of sulfur, it may also be something other than antifreeze, maybe mold, algae or gunk, you will need to sterilize the tanks and lines.
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Old 06-07-2018, 01:54 PM   #5
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Bottled water until the taste wears off. Some campground water is high iron or high sulpher.... safe, but tastes like crap.

Check your exterior hose filter(s) and the one under the kitchen sink/in the faucet. You might want to upgrade from camping filters to in-house types too. If the one in the kitchen wasn't removed when the camper was winterized, replace it... you'll never get the antifreeze taste out.

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Old 06-07-2018, 01:57 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WayneG View Post
It takes a lot to flush out the hot water tank. Let it fill, drain it through the bottom drain valve, refill and repeat 3 or more times. That may fix most of your problem.

If it has the slightest hint of sulfur, it may also be something other than antifreeze, maybe mold, algae or gunk, you will need to sterilize the tanks and lines.
Rotten egg odor is caused by hydrogen sulfide, which is common in well water systems. Sometimes the water won't smell at the source, but the anode in the water heater will react with sulfate in the water supply, reducing it to hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells strongly of rotten eggs or sewage. The best treatment for H2S is to keep a little bit of chlorine in your water at all times. Chlorine oxidizes H2S to elemental sulfur, which has no odor. It doesn't take much. And keeping your tanks chlorinated will prevent bacteria growth and keep your tanks clean, too.

For the OP (and everyone, really), I'd suggest using a drinking water filter like the Zerowater pitcher or the Berkey. There's a lot of things that could be in your water aside from off-tastes or odors. Thoroughly treated drinking water will help with all of it, even the things you didn't know about.
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