Why Sanitize the Fresh Water System
You should sanitize the fresh water system in your camper at least once a year. It is important for several reasons.
- Firstly, it helps keep the lines and tank fresh.
- Secondly, it discourages the growth of bacteria that can contaminate the water supply and create illness.
- Lastly, it is important to protect the water pump. NüCamp recommends annual sanitation of the water system as well in the T@B 400 Manual.
When to Sanitize the Fresh Water System
This is a task that can be performed anytime, however, developing a routine is good so that it doesn’t get forgotten. I think a good time is when getting the camper ready for a new season. We plan to do this annually as we dewinterize our camper.
The Sanitation Process
All you need is a large flexible funnel, a one-gallon container, and some household bleach. Oh, and lots of water!
- Begin with an empty water tank and ensure that the hot water heater is not on.
- Pour 1/2 cup of bleach into a gallon container and then fill the container with water. (One quarter cup of bleach is needed for every 15 gallons of water and the T@B 400 water tank holds 30 gallons.). Pour the diluted bleach mixture into the fresh water tank using a funnel.
- Fill the fresh water tank with water. Next, turn on the water pump and turn on each of the faucets to allow the bleach mixture to distribute to all areas. Then, turn off the pump and faucets.
- Allow the bleach mixture to sit in the fresh water system for a minimum of three hours or as long as overnight. You need this because it takes time to sanitize the system.
- After allowing the mixture to sit in the system, fully drain the fresh water tank.
- Next, refill the water tank with fresh water and turn on the water pump. This will refill the hot water tank.
- Now you are ready to turn on all the faucets to bring the fresh water through.
- Continue to flush water through the faucets even after the bleach smell has subsided. More is actually good in this case.
- Finally, you have sanitized your fresh water system!
While camping, we always take a Brita water filter. It removes several undesirable elements from the water, including the odor and taste of chlorine. I highly recommend using something like the Brita to eliminate any residual bleach effects.
The Hot Water Bypass Valve
While you should bypass the hot water tank when pumping antifreeze into the fresh water system, it is not needed for the sanitation process. In fact, you want to include the hot water tank in the sanitation process. Therefore, the valve should not be set to bypass.
Conclusion
We hope this post has been helpful to you! Check out our page, Camping Resources for New Teardrop Campers for more tips on teardrop camping.
Happy Camping!
