Sanitizing Fresh Water BUT NOT BYPASSING Water Heater

[rspecialk]

I just learned that I was to bypass the water heater when I cleaned my fresh water tank. This isn't an issue in the spring when I dewinterize as the hot water heater is bypassed already....but in the middle of the season I will sanitize once. I didn't even think to bypass the hot water heater when I ran diluted bleach through the entire system. What have I done? What will the diluted bleach do to the interior of the water tank or the anode? Water heater seems to be working fine. Thank you.

[Lily&Me]

I have done this accidentally, and noticed no ill effects, and actually think it is not a bad thing to sanitize the hot water tank periodically.

Maggie

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, a little bit of bleach in the fresh water tank won't hurt anything. Some water will sit at the bottom of your water heater tank and it can and will stink very bad. I use air pressure to winterize and blow out as much as possible to help eliminate this problem of water sitting at the bottom of the water heater tank. I only use RV antifreeze in the traps.

After winter I fill my fresh water tank while adding about one cup of bleach. I let it sit for at least one or more days. Turn the water pump on and let everything fill and flush with this bleach water mixture. Then I drain my fresh water tank and refill with water from my house.

No Airstream that I know of has an Anode.

[n2916s]

I live in South Florida and have never winterized. I do the standard fresh water sanitation protocol several times a year without bypassing anything. No problems, ever…

[field & stream]

I don’t know much. But when we bought our current trailer a few years ago the water had gone bad (rotten egg smell) in the water heater — so I think sanitizing it would be a good idea. Can’t imagine how it could do any harm.

The tank water heaters are propane fired, not electric, so there is no anode.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by field & stream

I don’t know much. But when we bought our current trailer a few years ago the water had gone bad (rotten egg smell) in the water heater — so I think sanitizing it would be a good idea. Can’t imagine how it could do any harm.

The tank water heaters are propane fired, not electric, so there is no anode.

Be aware that many of us have duel fueled tanks. My Classic is both electric and propane. Typically with campgrounds with hookups I use electric only. When the campground water supply is very cold or I need fast recovery I will use both gas and electric concurrently. Occasionally I will use gas instead of electric if the power available is affected by issues with voltage due to the age of the electrical infrastructure in the park and the number of trailers running air conditioning on the loop I am hooked up to.

Those duel heat source tanks are really nice appliances that came on the Classics. I have a scouring tool that uses high pressure water to clean any deposits out of the tank via the drain plug. I do this annually and my tank is going on 20 years old. You keep them clean, they will have a long, long life. I kept my old Hi-Lo for 14 years. It had an Suburban (steel) gas only tank which was still going strong at year 14 of its life. Used that cleaning tool on it too.

Jack

[field & stream]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

Be aware that many of us have duel fueled tanks. My Classic is both electric and propane. Typically with campgrounds with hookups I use electric only. When the campground water supply is very cold or I need fast recovery I will use both gas and electric concurrently. Occasionally I will use gas instead of electric if the power available is affected by issues with voltage due to the age of the electrical infrastructure in the park and the number of trailers running air conditioning on the loop I am hooked up to.

Those duel heat source tanks are really nice appliances that came on the Classics.

Thank you for correcting my error, that is important information. Especially since the OP has a 30’ Classic!

Question: do you think a mild bleach solution for a short period of time would adversely affect the anode?

I don’t understand the concept of bypassing any kind of water heater while sanitizing. Virtually all public water supplies add chlorine to the water, and standing water in the heater would seem to be just as exposed to contamination as any other part of the trailers water system.

[Kittycatcat]

Just to clarify,

If you have the Atwood aluminum hot water heater, it doesn't have an anode rod, regardless of electric or propane. (Check your owner's manual.)

Other brands/materials probably do have one.

We've never bypassed the water heater when sanitizing - since we run a tank of clean water through the system with the pump after letting the bleach solution do its thing, not much left in the system. Never had a problem in 18 years of various trailers.

[GOUSC]

Originally Posted by field & stream

I don’t know much. But when we bought our current trailer a few years ago the water had gone bad (rotten egg smell) in the water heater — so I think sanitizing it would be a good idea. Can’t imagine how it could do any harm.

The tank water heaters are propane fired, not electric, so there is no anode.

I don’t think the anode has anything to do with whether the heater is gas or electric. I think it has to do with the material the tank is made of. Without looking it up, I’m pretty sure the material the Airstream water heater tanks are made of do not require an anode.

[dznf0g]

Historically, suburban water heaters have an anode rod. Atwood heaters have a layered alloy inner skin which does not require an anode.

[jcanavera]

This is what I use to scour my hot water tank at the end of the season. It's a great tool and cleans the tank well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRG264QH...dDbGljaz10cnVl

Jack

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by field & stream

Thank you for correcting my error, that is important information. Especially since the OP has a 30’ Classic!

Question: do you think a mild bleach solution for a short period of time would adversely affect the anode?

I don’t understand the concept of bypassing any kind of water heater while sanitizing. Virtually all public water supplies add chlorine to the water, and standing water in the heater would seem to be just as exposed to contamination as any other part of the trailers water system.

Not really. While most public water supplies add chlorine, many campgrounds are use well water which is not from a public water supply.

As far as sanitizing, mold and bacteria could grow within the water system and sanitizing is a method of adding bleach (chlorine) in a higher concentration that will kill mold or bacteria that will potentially grow in a wet damp environment. You usually add about a cup of bleach into your fresh water tank at the beginning of each season, and let it sit in the tank for a few hours (time dependent upon the size of the tank and the amount of bleach you add). Typically you turn on the pump and allow that mixture to force out any RV antifreeze and get into all the pipes. You bypass the water heater since the water heater typically has been drained and no antifreeze is present in the tank. After draining and cleaning my hot water tank at the end of the season, I leave the drain plug out of the hot water heater. This allows air to enter the tank and after it is open for 6 months, and small amount of water usually has evaporated. The fresh water and piping have no such access to outside air. Additionally the tank is used for hot water and is not used for drinking.

Airstream provides instructions on the process of sanitizing in the owners manual for each trailer. Personally I've never heard of anyone getting sick from an unsanitized water line or tank, but I do it once a year and prior to any trip where I'm going to rely on using water from the fresh water tank.

Jack

[ETroup]

Not sure why you would not sanitize the hot water heater too just like the rest of the fresh-water system. I have had trouble with a water heater being a cause of bad smelling water. The diluted bleach will not harm anything. Make sure you flush the system well. The anode will erode away normally and needs to be replaced periodically anyway.

Instead of bleach you could use vinegar. Vinegar has the added benefit of decalcifying the water heater. Tankless water heaters, in particular, should be decalcified periodically anyway.

Another alternative is something like Camco Spring Fresh.
https://www.camco.net/spring-fresh-1...ilingual-40207

Make sure you flush out any of these products before using the water tanks again.

[airmaine]

Water at trailer sites can vary a lot in mineral content and purity. I certainly agree with others that sanitizing the hot water heater is a good idea and does no damage. I wouldn't leave a strong bleach solution in for more that a couple hours, as that is all it takes using the recommended ratio for your fresh water tank volume. Thoroughly rinse with a heavy water flush, using a hose wand attachment, not only to flush the bleach but to also remove any scale that might have formed inside the heater.

[dznf0g]

This brings up a question for me, although a bit off topic. My son just bought a new camper with stainless steel tanks. The manual says not to use bleach for sanitizing as it may corrode them. I've read on boating sites that bleach is fine in dilution and not for extended periods of time. It may stain/discolor stainless, but who cares.
What say you all?

[Silvr_Bullet]

One could make the case that unless your drinking hot water from the tap ( I don’t think that’s a good idea ), it’s unnecessary to sanitize the hot water. Maybe a plumber can weigh in here.

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by Silvr_Bullet

One could make the case that unless your drinking hot water from the tap ( I don’t think that’s a good idea ), it’s unnecessary to sanitize the hot water. Maybe a plumber can weigh in here.

Actually with the newer water heaters (with the mixing valve) you could easily argue that with the water getting up over 160f it is sanitized.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by field & stream

I don’t know much. But when we bought our current trailer a few years ago the water had gone bad (rotten egg smell) in the water heater — so I think sanitizing it would be a good idea. Can’t imagine how it could do any harm.

The tank water heaters are propane fired, not electric, so there is no anode.

Aluminum tanks use no annoide propane or electric and use a plastic plug only

[foobar]

From some stainless steel metal suppliers:

Cl2 (chlorine) is a very potent oxidizer (reason it kills bacteria) and therefore*high levels of Chlorine may accelerate chloride corrosion of stainless steels. 304 and 304L, 321 SS may be used for “water applications” with up to 2 ppm chlorine, while 316 and 316L alloys may “take” up to 4 ppm.

Another site:

Chlorine is very aggressive to stainless steels. The Nickel Institute guidelines for continuous exposure at ambient temperatures (~20˚C) and neutral pH (~ pH7), are that 304 can cope with 2ppm chlorine and 316 ~5ppm chlorine.

My thoughts:

From my sailboat ownership days: exposing stainless steel to chlorine was an absolute no-no as it can create crevice corrosion and compromise the strength. Crevice corrosion is usually not visible on the surface of the metal.

I recommend bypassing the hot water heater if it has stainless steel components that will be exposed to the bleach.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by foobar

From some stainless steel metal suppliers:

Cl2 (chlorine) is a very potent oxidizer (reason it kills bacteria) and therefore*high levels of Chlorine may accelerate chloride corrosion of stainless steels. 304 and 304L, 321 SS may be used for “water applications” with up to 2 ppm chlorine, while 316 and 316L alloys may “take” up to 4 ppm.

Another site:

Chlorine is very aggressive to stainless steels. The Nickel Institute guidelines for continuous exposure at ambient temperatures (~20˚C) and neutral pH (~ pH7), are that 304 can cope with 2ppm chlorine and 316 ~5ppm chlorine.

My thoughts:

From my sailboat ownership days: exposing stainless steel to chlorine was an absolute no-no as it can create crevice corrosion and compromise the strength. Crevice corrosion is usually not visible on the surface of the metal.

I recommend bypassing the hot water heater if it has stainless steel components that will be exposed to the bleach.

Right, the second one talks about continously exposure. That's the question. Many boaters say they have done it for decades. A few hours with higher concentration, flush twice. No issues...they say.
To be clear, this is a stainless fresh water tank, no heater. So what did you use on your boat for sanitizer?