Cleansing your Motorhome Water Tank (the straightforward manner)

Involved about cleansing your motorhome water tank? Need to sterilise the freshwater tank in your camper or caravan? Right here’s what it’s good to do to make sure secure consuming water in your van.

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Cleansing your motorhome water tank

One factor I’ve all the time been aware of is consuming water and ensuring it’s secure water.

So, to keep away from any state of affairs of nasties in our van, it’s good to clear your motorhome freshwater tanks often.

Why cleansing motorhome water tanks is vital

Most water carries micro organism. When that water is saved in a enclosed house (like a motorhome contemporary water tank) micro organism can multiply shortly. This turns into even worse in heat temperatures. Legionella is among the principal considerations, however so is E-coli and several other different varieties of micro organism.

Sadly, you don’t must drink the water to turn out to be contaminated. Should you bathe from a contaminated tank, or use the water for cooking or rinsing meals, you possibly can turn out to be sick. Many of those result in lung situations, like pneumonia and COPD.

Additionally, over time, the contemporary water system in your motorhome, campervan or caravan turns into contaminated by dust, particles and even bits from the hose you utilize to refill the tank. All of this promotes micro organism and makes the water much less secure to eat.

You may as well by no means assure that the water you’re filling your tanks up with is secure to drink both. After we have been motorhoming in Scotland, we spent a while on the Isle of Skye and it seems a sheep had died within the campsite water provide and had contaminated all of it! Thank goodness we didn’t refill!

Nonetheless, many individuals don’t wish to carry extra water for consuming, because it eats into house and payload, (1litre weighs 1kg) so retaining the water tank clear turns into a better precedence.

Is it secure to drink water out of your motorhome water tank?

This can be a matter which divides opinions massively. Many individuals solely use the water straight from their tanks for showers/ cooking and so forth, preferring to both filter the water earlier than consuming or boiling it for decent drinks. Listed below are some choices for filtered water:

Others are fairly comfortable that it’s okay to drink and don’t fear about it in any respect.

Personally, I do drink from the water tank as I now have an inline filter within the chilly line fitted (so I don’t drink something from the water heater!), however for a few years we solely used our motorhome water tank for showers, enamel cleansing and washing up and used a Lifesaver Jerrycan to drink from, even after we’re going to boil it within the kettle.

Many individuals ask me if the water tastes bizarre with the filter, however no- I can’t style any distinction tbh.

Lately you possibly can add inline water filters to your water system, though I don’t use one in my van, they’re changing into fashionable. You’ll be able to take a look at the Alde system right here however different programs can be found.

How usually must you clear a motorhome water tank?

The query of how usually you need to clear your motorhome freshwater tank relies upon so much on how usually you utilize it and the place you might be. Personally, we clear ours twice a yr, however that’s as a result of we spend quite a lot of time touring Europe in our motorhome.

On the naked minimal you need to clear it totally annually and ALWAYS when it’s been stood for a number of weeks or extra. That is when micro organism and biofilm can actually begin to develop contained in the tank and make the water harmful to drink.

How do you clear a freshwater tank on a motorhome?

The very first thing to recollect is that no matter you utilize to wash your water tank will depart a residue, which you’ll then be consuming for some time each time you utilize the water. That is why I don’t suggest a cup of bleach or bleach combination, until it’s both secure for human consumption otherwise you don’t plan to ever drink from the tank once more.

Then it’s good to decide a product. There are a number of in the marketplace, and every have their execs and cons (see beneath).

As soon as chosen, right here’s what you do:

• Shut all faucets and valves (together with the new water tank drain and reduction valve)
• Add your chosen cleansing product (ie- Puriclean). Pour it into the contemporary water tank directly- you would possibly want a funnel.
• Fill system utterly with contemporary water from a hose or utilizing a bucket.
• Activate faucet FURTHEST away out of your contemporary water tank to get the answer all by way of your system. Let the water run from the faucets for 10-15 seconds after you hear the water pump (or till you possibly can scent the cleaner), then shut
• Go away in a single day. Alternatively, you possibly can drive round for a short while, to get the combination into all corners. Simply remember you’re driving with a full tank and the car could also be heavier than you’re used to.
• Subsequent day, totally open all faucets, which permits the cleansing product to then run into your gray waste tank and clear that too. I additionally pour some cleansing product/ resolution down the drains within the kitchen and toilet.
• Fully empty the freshwater tank, then refill with clear water and EMPTY totally once more by way of the faucets to wash out all of the pipes.
• By the top, you shouldn’t be in a position to scent the cleansing product any extra. Should you can, refill and empty time and again till the faucet water not smells.
• It’s a good suggestion to alter your water filters now too, so the entire system is clear and able to go, though if you happen to’re going into winter storage you would possibly wish to wait till the brand new season.
• Moreover, you possibly can clear your gray waste tank and bathroom cassette/ black water tank with the beneath product (BUT don’t put this in your contemporary water tank!):

Motorhome tank cleansing merchandise

Like most issues in the case of cleansing your motorhome, there are a number of merchandise you possibly can select from.

Most of them work in very related methods, so it’s largely a matter of selecting the product which sounds finest to you.

What’s Puriclean?

Puriclean is among the most well-known motorhome tank cleaners. It’s very easy to make use of and works very successfully to eradicate micro organism, viruses, bio-film, algae, and fungi.

It has a dual-purpose components which each cleans and sterilises in a single go, so no must do two therapies. It cleans your complete motorhome water system: tanks, pipes, pumps, hoses and faucets and may apparently even be used to “take away stains from many home objects resembling glassware, plastic tableware, tea and occasional pots and stainless-steel objects resembling vacuum flasks”.

One 400g tub cleans a tank of as much as 270 litres and the combination doesn’t scent, foam or hurt any elements within the water system. It may be difficult to know when the tank is flushed, so I might do it no less than twice to take away the entire components earlier than you utilize the tank usually.

Are Aquasol and Puriclean the identical factor?

NO. Aquasol and Puriclean are NOT the identical issues. Puriclean cleans and sterilises the tank, whereas Aquasol disinfects water while it’s within the tank ready for use.

We add Aquasol to our water EVERY time we refill. It’s secure to drink or use in bathe.

Can you utilize vinegar, bleach or acid to wash your water tank?

I’ve seen some posts and movies on Youtube discuss utilizing citric or acetic acid to wash a motorhome water tank because it restricts the expansion of micro organism and prevents algae rising.

We’ve by no means performed this, purely as a result of the acetic acid we all know of is hazardous to eyes and pores and skin. Many individuals use it as a weed killer. You will get a milder dose (vinegar is simply 4% acetic acid) however I query how efficient this could be!

So no, I don’t suggest utilizing vinegar or citric acid to wash your motorhome water tank. Should you do select to, you’ll want one litre of cleansing vinegar for each 100 litres of water.

Some individuals additionally point out utilizing bleach. Once more, family bleach/ chlorine bleach might be hazardous if consumed and I don’t really feel the chance is value utilizing it, particularly when there are different merchandise in the marketplace which do a terrific job. I strongly suggest you utilize a kind of.

Should you do select to make use of bleach, remember it could actually harm stainless-steel, which many motorhome sizzling water boilers are constructed from.

Do it’s good to sterilise a motorhome water tank?

Sterilising and cleansing a tank are related, however not fairly the identical factor. Cleansing is extra ‘washing out’, whereas sterilising is actively attempting to kill all of the micro organism.

One of many causes we like Puriclean is it cleans AND sterilises on the identical time, making the entire course of a lot simpler.

Learn how to take care of your motorhome water system whereas travelling

Listed below are some tricks to hold your water tank clear whereas on the street:

• Change the water often (no less than each three/4 days).
• Should you don’t naturally use this a lot water (if you happen to’re travelling solo or naturally frugal), then simply fill the tank midway every time so it’s not standing within the tank too lengthy.
• Should you’re motorhome wild tenting and wish to keep off-grid , you possibly can fill the tank full however you should definitely add chemical compounds (we do that each time anyway, irrespective of whether or not we’re wild tenting or on campsites).
• Use a correct meals grade hose to fill the water tank, and hold it devoted JUST for this process. Hold the hose in a protecting bag to cease the ends coming involved with different issues. See our different motorhoming necessities right here.

Can you allow your motorhome with water in it?

Water doesn’t retailer properly, though many plastic bottles say it’s going to final for a number of years. However stagnant water will begin to get micro organism and slime very quickly- scarily shortly. I all the time suggest you drain your water system down until you might be utilizing it once more inside per week.

I hope you discovered these suggestions helpful. I do know the considered catching one thing nasty out of your motorhome water system might be worrying, however utilizing a correct food-grade hose and cleansing out your system and tank often ought to hold all the pieces secure.

Final replace on 2025-03-27 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Photos from Amazon Product Promoting API

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