woody with a view
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Travel Trailer water tank sanitizing
we have our trailer at a spot in LA Bay and i wonder about trying to keep the holding tank for the fresh water clean. we don't drink the water from
the trailer, but only use it to wash dishes, flush the toilet, etc... we left it with water in the tank and won't be back for 5 months. i didn't have
a barrel to hook up the black water then, but will take it next trip and dig it in.
i've read about bleach and driving around to splash it all over the inside of the tank but this trailer is docked, permanently!
any advice, or should i not worry about it since it isn't used for consumption?
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bent-rim
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Any reason that the system can't be drained?
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woody with a view
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didn't want to drain it onto the sand. will put in a leech barrel next time down and then can drain it each time.
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UnoMas
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I have for years put a little bleach in my pila and leave it for several months at a time. I also run it through the supply lines to keep them fresh
and clean. The Clorox you buy in MX in the green bottle tells you how much per liter to add to your tank and keeps the water crystal clear. 
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by woody with a view
didn't want to drain it onto the sand. will put in a leech barrel next time down and then can drain it each time. |
Why not drain on sand? Is only water.
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Russ
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You can still put a little bleach in the holding tank. If it doesn't smell use it. Or use it to clean out your black water tank. If the tank isn't
getting light it should be okay for a long time. You'll probably want to drain your hot water tank though because it's the one that gets the stink in
it. Rotten egg smell.
[Edited on 1-10-2014 by Russ]
Bahia Concepcion where life starts...given a chance!
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El Jefe
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Yes, those rotten egg bacteria like the water heater. I just dealt with this on the RV I keep up north. I poured some liquid bleach into the dry fill
hose before I connected it to the spigot. Then connected and ran it into the RV with the water. Problem solved.
You could do the same to make your fresh water tank stay nice for several months.
No b-tchin\' in the Baja.
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Bwana_John
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I would not leave water in the system for 5 months.
I would try to empty the tank as much as possible with compressed air when I left, and sanitize and flush the tank and system before using again.
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cliffh
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For the last 20 years at my home and 5th wheels I put enough clorox in my Pela and 5th wheel so I can smell coming through the faucets. Then fill 5th
wheel to the top. After 5 months smell and taste of clorox is gone. We drink the water at home in BV use bottled water on the road.
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Islandbuilder
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Just remember that bleach is a powerful oxidant, and will cause even stainless steel to rust.
I dose our 800 gallon water tank on the boat with two cups of full strength bleach when it is down to about 100 gallons and before filling it in the
spring, then run every fixture to distribute the bleach/water mix through the whole system. I just let it run until the pump looses suction. Then fill
the tank and repeat running every fixture to flush out the high concentrations of bleach, then turn everything off and top off the tank.
I too don't understand not wanting to run the water out onto the sand? Just don't want to make it sticky, or are you concerned about introducing the
bleach to the environment?
If it's the second, if you retain the water in something like a kiddy pool the chlorine will evaporate out pretty quickly, and then you could siphon
the pool dry and put the water where ever your hose reached.
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woody with a view
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thanks for the tips. sounds like it won't be an issue. i'm still a rookie at this new fangled, high-fallutin' style of "camping."
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Martyman
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Don't do anything. It'll be fine. We never add anything...keeps working.
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woody with a view
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i'm not too worried about the stank as we'll only empty the gray/black tanks when we leave. i was just worried that the water in the fresh tank gets
funky after awhile. still not gonna consume it.... maybe a shower.
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El Jefe
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After you drain your black water tank put about a gallon of fresh water in and add the usual amount of the blue stuff. This will keep the good
microbes happy while you are gone and your tank will be ready for your next.....visit.
No b-tchin\' in the Baja.
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oladulce
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And I'd put a liter or more in the TOP part of your toilet (depending how long you'll be gone). When you haven't used it for a while the gasket
seal/rubber that you open to flush will get dry and it can be really hard to open if you haven't used it for a while. Maybe there are other
suggestions for this issue.
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acadist
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Consider filling it with Tecate  Isn't every young mans dream to bathe in
beer? 
Dave
I moved to CO and they made me buy a little rod to make it feel like a real fish
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Santiago
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| Quote: | Originally posted by soulpatch
And, you may want to extend the vent pipe a bit now that you are stationary so the smell blows away instead of down when the breeze is shifty.
[Edited on 1-10-2014 by soulpatch] |
Oh great....well, at least north winds are more common that south ones.
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Paulina
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Woody,
Something else that we do for our trailer when we leave is to set out a couple 5 gal buckets of water inside before locking up. This keeps moisture
inside, keeping the wood cabinets and walls from peeling when it gets blazing hot down there. Sometimes the buckets are half full when we get back. In
the summer we will leave out more water and the buckets will be empty come Dec. when we return. If there is any water left, we pour it down the toilet
for start up water.
We also leave water in the grey holding tank, with chem. as posted above.
Hope to see you down there sometime.
P>*)))>{
p.s. note to Santiago, since you're in this thread, Dern checked and we only have scraps of shade cloth, nothing big. You're still welcome to it if
you want it. We also have A LOT of fake grass, you guys are both welcome to that too.
[Edited on 12-1-2014 by Paulina]
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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woody with a view
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good advice Paulina. Thanks.
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