How to keep fresh water tank fresh and tasting good

[Driftin Di]

Any advice on how to keep our tank as clean as possible and the water tasting good? Any items or chemicals we need for this?
All advice welcome and appreciated!
Thank you
Dianne

[prairieschooner]

We decided years ago to carry Bottled Spring Water. This followed our dogs getting ill while we were traveling in our Motorhome and will continue in the '58 Traveler. I do have a point of use RO System in the coach but the water where we typically travel is generally poor. I found that about a gallon/day is good for our drinking needs.
I am still using the original black iron tank in the Traveler so no plans to use it for drinking water.
If you have good city water it should have enough chlorine in it to keep the water for normal trips. If you choose to go that way then drain the tank & refill prior to camping. Otherwise you will need to use chlorine tablets & that doesn't appeal to me.

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by Driftin Di

Any advice on how to keep our tank as clean as possible and the water tasting good? Any items or chemicals we need for this?
All advice welcome and appreciated!
Thank you
Dianne

You will need much less bleach to make water safe to drink than you might think.

Clorox company recommends: "If you have a tank with clear water that you simply want to make sure is safe to drink or use for human contact (hand washing, laundry, etc.), then you can follow the protocol for emergency disinfection of drinking water. In that case, the correct ratio of bleach is ½ teaspoon Clorox® Regular-Bleach per 10 gallons of water (or for a smaller size container, 2 drops per quart). Stir the bleach into the water and let stand 30 minutes. Properly treated water should have a slight chlorine odor—if not, repeat the dosage and let stand an additional 15 minutes.
Read more at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production...a816f15003.pdf

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Driftin Di

Any advice on how to keep our tank as clean as possible and the water tasting good? Any items or chemicals we need for this?
All advice welcome and appreciated!
Thank you
Dianne

It depends on how old your tank is, and how it has been treated through the years, especially recently. The advice just posted is good for systems that are in perfect condition. If you want to "shock" the tank and system to ensure that old mold is dealt with, you might want to read the following recent thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f443...er-166378.html

Adding a cup of bleach to the tank and other steps discussed in the thread above, will bring a less-than-perfect tank and system back up to speed. After a couple of hours you will need to flush the system and tank out well.

If you could post additional details, there are likely to be a variety of opinions and advice. Is your tank original from 1958?

Cheers,

Peter

PS -- Here are the search results, using the blue Google search box in blue above, for "water tank bleach," with other threads available --

https://www.google.com/search?q=wate...=airforums.com

[polarlyse]

We drink the water from our Airstream tank so, as you might expect, we must make sure it is clean, safe and good tasting. I put a small amount ( 1/4 c or so) of clorox in our tank while on the way home on the last expected day on the road and let it slosh around for awhile. After getting home I flush it through the sink faucets and then open the drain to let it drain from the tank. Next time out I re-fill the tank with fresh water. I sometimes need to add water to the tank while on the road but always taste it first. If it doesn't pass my taste / smell test then no water until it does. We always keep a few bottles of water around just in case. So far this has worked for us.

[HiJoeSilver]

It really depends on the water you're filing it with.
If the water going in is CG water that tastes bad to begin with there isn't much you can do but filter it either before or after the tank. CAMCO sells a inline filter that you can put on your hose to help filter the water before it goes into the tank and trailer. They also sell bottles of Drinking water freshener, it's a sodium hypochlorite bleach so it doesn't taste as bad as Clorox, it helps keep things from growing in the tank. I add it whenever I fill my tank. Both above are available at most wally worlds.
Another option is to set up a whole house water filter with activated carbon on the water hose feeding the trailer, then when you fill the tank use the hose going through the filter.
At the end of the year fill it with a bunch of water and bleach to shock clean the whole system before draining for winter.

[sgschwend]

It also depends on the fill hose. It is best to have a hose used only to put water in, and then you drain it and store it in a safe place.

If you are getting that garden hose taste you will work very hard to remove it from your tank.

[AWCHIEF]

I keep my water tank full year around. Drain and refill every 30 days. I add a 1/4 of bleach. My trailer stays mostly prepped and ready to go quickly if necessary. All I need are consumables and clothes and I can be on the road in an hour. I keep enough gas on hand to go about 200 miles over what is in the tank. Living in a hurricane prone area my trailer is my escape pod.

[OTRA15]

Do you mean 1/4 cup of bleach?

[FCStreamer]

I would never drink the water from my tank. I don't drink tap water either. YMMV.

[TheGreatleys]

If you regularly add bleach and drink out of your tanks, you should consider at least a good carbon filter at the sink. Adding bleach will kill bacteria, but it can also produce some really nasty disinfection byproducts if there are organics in the water, like trihalomethane (THM) which is a carcinogen.

[NWGetaways]

Originally Posted by FCStreamer

I would never drink the water from my tank. I don't drink tap water either. YMMV.

Same here. We have a Brita for drinking/coffee. I don't mind washing dishes or bodies, or boiling pasta or veggies with it, but I don't drink it.

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Do you mean 1/4 cup of bleach?

Good heads up. Thank you. Yes, 1/4 cup of bleach.

[TG Twinkie]

Question is. Do you want to drink live bugs or dead bugs?

[Picinisco]

I never drink tap water at campsites or from the water tank. So chlorine or bleach is no problem. Bottled water is for my consumption

[Jacob D]

Originally Posted by Driftin Di

Any advice on how to keep our tank as clean as possible and the water tasting good? Any items or chemicals we need for this?
All advice welcome and appreciated!
Thank you
Dianne

I drink water from my 30 gal tank so I keep it clean. When preparing the trailer for the season each spring, I fill the tank half full and pour in a cup of Clorox, then fill all the way up. I use the pump to deliver water in turn to each tap until I smell clorox at each tap then refill the tank and let stand overnight. The next day I drain the entire system and flush with fresh water until the Clorox smell is gone. I then refill the tank with city water and we are ready to go. If we are ever forced to use well water we drink only bottled water and the above procedure is repeated as soon as we get home. Been doing it that way for many years.

[GEEEER]

Childhood memories aside, "Garden Hoses" do not provide a safe delivery for potable (drinking) water according to The Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, MI. unless specifically labeled otherwise, "for potable water use."

I would suggest Do Not Drink water transferred by garden hoses, as they are not manufactured to deliver safe drinking water. In addition to bacteria, mold, and possibly the odd frog, the water from a garden hose typically contains the following toxic chemicals:

• lead -- 100% of samples had lead levels exceeding the safety limits set by the Safe Water Drinking Act
• antimony -- 50% contained antimony, linked to liver, kidney, and other organ damage
• bromine -- component of flame retardant products
• organotin -- More than 30% transferred organotin, (biocidal agents used in wood preservatives and anti fouling paints)
• phthalates -- (plastic stabilizer) 100% had extremely high levels of phthalates, which can lower intelligence, damage the endocrine system, and cause behavior changes
• BPA (bisphenol A) -- (stabilizes plastics) causes structural damage to the brain, causes changes in gender-specific behavior and abnormal sexual behavior

Despite a fill-hose permanently labeled "Food Grade for potable water," we also have an R.O. (reverse osmosis) water filter with 3 in-line carbon cartridges, an initial "roughage" filter cartridge, and finally the RO membrane, for all our drinking/tooth-brushing/cooking uses.

[Skycar]

I am ordering a Berkey water filter system. It's pricey, but effective.

[AWCHIEF]

Live bugs tickle going down.

[Asherstanton]

Dead bugs. I like my food deceased at the time of ingestion. 😮