Flushing & Sanitizing new fresh Water system?

[bboat101]

Sent: 1/19/2006 7:46 PM

I finally have my water system working, but the water has a plastic taste to it. Anyone know how to get rid of it? Will it just go away?

thanks
brian

[OldEdBrady]

Sent: 12/19/2004 9:18 PM

I'm not sure what the experts would say is the solution, but, once you're parked for the night, a few gallons of vodka in the water tank might help alleviate the problem for you.  If not, you wouldn't much care!

[Cooneytoones]

Sent: 12/19/2004 10:13 PM


To Sanitize your new fresh water tank and at the start of the season, drain it if it will be unused for more than 2 weeks. To sanitize the tank and the fresh water system, follow your RV manufacturers instructions on filling, or do the following:
Prepare a chlorine solution using one gallon of water and 1/4 cup of Clorox or Purex household bleach (5% sodium hypochlorite solution).  Pour one gallon of solution into tank for each 15 gallons of tank capacity.
Complete filling of tank with fresh water.  Turn on the pump. Open each faucet and let it run until all air has been released from the pipes and entire fresh water system is filled. You should be able to smell chlorine strongly at each faucet.
Allow to stand for three hours.
Drain and flush the tank and system with potable fresh water.
To remove any excessive chlorine taste or odor which might remain, prepare a solution of one quart vinegar to five gallons water and allow this solution to remain in tank overnight or longer.
Drain tank and again flush with potable water.
If in doubt about the quality of the water going into your fresh water tank, add a small amount of common household bleach to the water in the tank. A teaspoonful of bleach per 20 gallons of water is plenty!
If you are really worried, buy bottled water and use it for drinking and cooking! Also you can add baking soda, to remove smells,  1 cup baking soda mixed with 5 galllons water (add about 10 gals)  put mixture in tank, drive around a little, then drain, refill with fresh water.
Timmy

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 12/20/2004 1:59 AM


We use bottled water,too much trouble and expense to safely filter for me.Winnie water for showers,dishes,terlot,drinking water is in the jug.
BooBoo

[bboat101]

Sent: 12/20/2004 10:50 AM

The water system has been santized and flushed. This is my first tank of regular water. Not much of a drinker anymore, so I am just drinking "0 proof" tap. :-)

brian

[Sea Hag]

Sent: 12/20/2004 11:33 AM

You may have to flush it a couple of times . I sanitize mine like Timmy stated . I do this mainly to get the RV antifreeze smell out of the water . I fill up jugs of water from home for drinking , so I can't verify the taste . I do add a little bleach in the tanks every time I fill them to keep it smelling fresh and kill any bacteria . But like I said I don't drink the winne water and stay away from Yellow Snow . Sea Hag

[bboat101]

Sent: 12/20/2004 12:23 PM

What about some of those tank additives I see in the camping catalog that's supposed to remove bad taste and smells?(I don't think its vodka, either!)
brian

[70winnie]

Sent: 12/20/2004 3:09 PM

The problem with adding vodka to the tank is then you have to fill it with Red Bull.  And for some strange reason, some people don't like the taste of Red Bull.

[Oz]

Sent: 12/20/2004 3:29 PM

I think the solution and process that Timmy gave is really all you need.  Do that once and all should taste fine.  New plumbing is like a water hose.  When it's new, you can sure taste it but, after using it a few times, you forget it had a weird taste at all. - Sob

[Cooneytoones]

Sent: 12/20/2004 8:10 PM

Yes be very very careful of yellow snow....I had to sanitize my tanks 2 x 's with baking soda to get foul smell out. Did the order of Chlorine, vinegar, baking soda, with a flush in between all, then added a little chlorine on fill up .......And I still don't like to drink anything fish mate in.....
Timmy

[OldEdBrady]

Sent: 12/20/2004 9:14 PM

SOME PEOPLE DON"T LIKE RED BULL?!?  Oh, well.  Takes all kinds to make a world, I guess

[HeavyHaulTrucker]

Sent: 12/20/2004 9:26 PM

I "shock treated" my water system when I bought the Winnie (I used double your recommended chlorine levels, Timmy!), and I keep a jug of Chlorox plain bleach in my ditty box.  Every time I fill the water tank, I pour in 1 ounce of bleach (I have a 30 gallon tank).  I wait to fill it up until my pump sucks air, so I don't get a concentration of bleach.

No bad odors or tastes -- and I keep the Vodka in the bottle! 

John

[bboat101]

Sent: 1/18/2005 9:02 PM

The water in my winnie was tasting plastic like and had a bit a chlorine taste remaining from when I santized it. I really got tired of jugs of water for drinking, so I got one of those pur screw on the faucet things from Walmart. $19.95 and the water tastes like water should.
Brian

[Oz]

Sent: 1/18/2005 10:50 PM

Hey!  I got one just like it from my father-in-law for Christmas.  Can't wait to try it out.  Supposed to be good for a whole season. - Sob

[bboat101]

Sent: 1/19/2005 9:25 AM

Mark
The difference is incredible, especially for $20. Do you have plastic tanks too?

[Oz]

Sent: 1/19/2005 10:09 AM

Yes, plastic tanks and plumbing, installed 2 years ago.  I've only used the holding tank once but, there was still a little plastic taste to the water. - Sob 

[bboat101]

Sent: 1/19/2005 11:46 AM

Mark
I don't think you're supposed to be drinking from your holding tank.

Brian

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 1/19/2005 12:49 PM


Been there,done that.They work good at first,but there is a problem.  Bacteria build-up.  Then the water gets rank again.  They arent recommended for intermittant use for that reason.  I  still use mine for dog water, but its bottled water for me.  I was disappointed with it.  Maybe a Brita like the one you pour the water thru the top of the 1 qt. container might work better,sis uses one for her iced tea and swears by it.
"Speaking of drinking Winnie water,heres an airline story about water,FWIW
BooBoo"


Drinking Water Aboard Airliners Worsens
11 minutes ago   Health - AP


By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Drinking water aboard the nation's airliners is getting worse, not better, the Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) said Wednesday, even as officials await the implementation of government sanitation orders.

Yahoo! Health
Have questions about your health?
Find answers here. 

About one in six airliners in the latest round of tests conducted in November and December had drinking water that failed to meet federal safety standards, EPA said. Similar tests in August and September showed the water in one in eight aircraft testing positive for coliform bacteria.

The latest round of testing produced positive results for presence of the bacteria in 29 of 169 randomly selected passenger aircraft carrying domestic and international passengers. The tests were done on water from galley water taps and lavatory faucets on planes at 14 airports throughout the United States.

The coliform bacteria â€" usually harmless itself but an indicator of the possible presence of other harmful organisms â€" was found in the planes ranging from small commuter aircraft to jumbo jets. None had E. coli bacteria (news - web sites), which can cause gastrointestinal illness.

"It's an issue that's of concern," said Thomas V. Skinner, acting assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "It's not an indication that anyone needs to panic."

Despite the increased rate of aircraft testing positive over a previous round of testing, Skinner said he "would still maintain that the vast majority of planes do not come up positive."

He said the government does not plan a third round of tests.

The Air Transport Association, representing the major airlines, said in a statement that "airline drinking water is as safe as the municipal water sources that supply it" and that the group was reassured by the fact there were no positive results for E. coli or other harmful pathogens.

"We believe the most significant finding by the EPA is that there were no positive tests for any harmful bacteria," said Nancy Young, a lawyer who is ATA's managing director of environmental programs, whose group also criticized the EPA's methods of testing.

"Once again, the EPA chose to include samples from aircraft lavatories, which are essentially public restrooms, where there's a high potential for cross-contamination of samples," she said. "We're also concerned that many of the samples came from international carriers that the agency does not regulate."

EPA's tests last August and September found coliform bacteria on 20 of the 158 randomly selected aircraft. Two planes then also tested positive for E. coli bacteria, which can produce diarrhea and nausea. About 73,000 cases of E. coli infection are reported in the United States each year.

EPA advised passengers with compromised immune systems or others concerned to ask for canned or bottled beverages and refrain from drinking tea or coffee unless made with bottled water.

Combining the two rounds of testing on 327 aircraft last year, EPA officials noted that about 15 percent of the planes had been found with coliform bacteria.

EPA and 12 major airlines agreed in November on a program aimed at improving sanitation. It included more testing of aircraft. Airliners would be disinfected within 24 hours if coliform bacteria were discovered, unless the agency granted an extension because the plane was outside the United States. Passengers would find signs posted in lavatories and galleys.

Signing agreements with EPA were Alaska Airlines, Aloha Airlines, American Airlines, America West, ATA Airlines, Continental Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines and U.S. Airways.

Two additional airlines, Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines, are currently negotiating separate agreements with EPA.

[Cooneytoones]

Sent: 1/19/2005 8:29 PM

Now, if your tanks are sanitized properly, and you use a filter that says removal of Cyst size particles....you'll have the same thing as bottled water.....now if I was camping near Teaquana, then I'd bring bottled water, but Wal-mart water??? It is tap water from what ever city it's in of near, just treated with reverse osmosis, which is similar to the britta pour through filter, you'll get a lot more bottles and it is a lot cheaper using your own filter....FACT.....The best water in the US, is TAP WATER, from Chicago Metropolitan Area, or New York City Metropolitan Area because of the treatment it receives...If your only going on one nighters every few months, then bottled water is the way to go, but one or two weeks boondocking, or no hook-ups then get a filter......You can't leave water in your portable tank for more than a week of non-use (even using a filter) with out bacteria forming, unless it stays below 40 degrees, ......But if you use a whole house filter, a screw on filter, a pour through filter, change the element when it says too, along with some regularly scheduled tank sanitation, you'll save  a lot of jugs and enough money in a year to put several tanks of fuel into the Winnie, .....and BooBoo, Shame Shame Shame!!!!....you won't drink your water, but you'll give it to your dog? ? You know what they say,
" What goes around, comes around....."
Timmy

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 1/20/2005 6:00 AM


Well  I dont know about that.I dont drink out of the gutter or the toilet either,but Ive caught the dogs doing that.And the filtered water is still better tasting than a lot of the tap water we come across,so they do prefer it.But Ive also pulled a filter that had slime in it,is it bad for you,I dont know,but Im not drinking it!

BooBoo

[Oz]

Sent: 1/20/2005 8:48 AM

OH!  I Get it now!  I was drinking out of the black water holding tank.  Maybe that's why the water tastes so... ummm... chiddy!   

[bboat101]

Sent: 1/20/2005 9:33 AM

I don't think the pur filter will work on that water as the toilet paper tends to clog the filter fairly quickly.

Brian 

[Slantsixness]

Sent: 1/22/2005 7:55 AM

"Well  I dont know about that.I dont drink out of the gutter or the toilet either,but Ive caught the dogs doing that.And the filtered water is still better tasting than a lot of the tap water we come across,so they do prefer it.But Ive also pulled a filter that had slime in it,is it bad for you,I dont know,but Im not drinking it!"

I'm glad BooBoo doesn't have an electroflush or chemical toilet...... I'm having this image where all his pets are a slightly blue tint and smell like bleach...

Almost all dogs drink from the toilet, just not the ones who are too short to reach it and would fall in anyway!

Just What exactly is that clear jelly/slimy crap that comes out of most city water?

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 1/22/2005 9:31 PM


I'd like to know  too.We got a dark slime out of the winnies little faucet filter,and once got the clear slime out of the house filter.I do bleach the home system now when I change the filter,plus the house water is so much chlorine you can smell  it!
Terrible,we used to get local stream water,it was awesome!,than state decided it was in our interest to   hook us up to a big  local outfit.Welcome to trash water.

OK.Just changed the house filter,charcoal cartridge.Had a little smidge of white slime,kind   of like vaseline,on the plastic at the bottom of the filter.It was replaced 8/2004 and is a drinking water filter,undersink kind.Water taste was getting off.I filled the cartridge with bleach,and am  now purging it.Thanks for reminding me to clean  and replace it!

boo boo

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 2/9/2005 3:27 AM

"OK.Just changed the house filter,charcoal cartridge.Had a little smidge of white slime,kind   of like vaseline,on the plastic at the bottom of the filter.It was replaced 8/2004 and is a drinking water filter,undersink kind.Water taste was getting off.I filled the cartridge with bleach,and am  now purging it.Thanks for reminding me to clean  and replace it!"

Ok,that was a mistake to fill filter with bleach,put in charcoal filter and then purge it,IT WONT! Still tasted like bleach,guess the trick is CLEAN housing with bleach,then rinse, add filter and purge.
So I bought the 33 dollar filter instead of the cheapy 12 dollar charcoal only.
Happy to say home water is EXCELLENT once again.

BooBoo