Involved about cleansing your motorhome water tank? Wish to sterilise the freshwater tank in your camper or caravan? Right here’s what you must do to make sure secure ingesting water in your van.
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Cleansing your motorhome water tank
One factor I’ve at all times been aware of is ingesting water and ensuring it’s secure water.
So, to keep away from any state of affairs of nasties in our van, you must clear your motorhome freshwater tanks often.
Why cleansing motorhome water tanks is necessary
Most water carries micro organism. When that water is stored in a enclosed area (like a motorhome contemporary water tank) micro organism can multiply shortly. This turns into even worse in heat temperatures. Legionella is without doubt one of the foremost issues, however so is E-coli and several other different sorts of micro organism.
Sadly, you don’t must drink the water to change into contaminated. Should you bathe from a contaminated tank, or use the water for cooking or rinsing meals, you may change into sick. Many of those result in lung circumstances, like pneumonia and COPD.
Additionally, over time, the contemporary water system in your motorhome, campervan or caravan turns into contaminated by filth, particles and even bits from the hose you employ to replenish the tank. All of this promotes micro organism and makes the water much less secure to devour.
You can too by no means assure that the water you’re filling your tanks up with is secure to drink both. Once 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 replenish!
Nonetheless, many individuals don’t wish to carry further water for ingesting, because it eats into area and payload, (1litre weighs 1kg) so protecting 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 subject which divides opinions massively. Many individuals solely use the water straight from their tanks for showers/ cooking and many others, preferring to both filter the water earlier than ingesting or boiling it for warm drinks. Listed here are some choices for filtered water:
Others are fairly completely happy that it’s alright 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 once 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.
Today you may 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 techniques can be found.
How typically do you have to clear a motorhome water tank?
The query of how typically you must clear your motorhome freshwater tank relies upon loads on how typically you employ it and the place you might be. Personally, we clear ours twice a 12 months, however that’s as a result of we spend a whole lot of time touring Europe in our motorhome.
On the naked minimal you must clear it totally every year 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 employ to scrub your water tank will go away a residue, which you’ll then be consuming for some time each time you employ the water. For this reason 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 you must 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 recent water tank drain and aid 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 may odor the cleaner), then shut
- Go away in a single day. Alternatively, you may drive round for a short while, to get the combination into all corners. Simply remember you’re driving with a full tank and the automobile could also be heavier than you’re used to.
- Subsequent day, absolutely 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 loo.
- Fully empty the freshwater tank, then refill with clear water and EMPTY absolutely once more by way of the faucets to scrub out all of the pipes.
- By the tip, you shouldn’t be capable of odor the cleansing product any extra. Should you can, refill and empty many times till the faucet water now not smells.
- It’s a good suggestion to vary 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 may 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 terms of cleansing your motorhome, there are a number of merchandise you may select from.
Most of them work in very comparable methods, so it’s principally a matter of selecting the product which sounds greatest to you.
What’s Puriclean?
Puriclean is without doubt one of 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 formulation which each cleans and sterilises in a single go, so no must do two remedies. It cleans your complete motorhome water system: tanks, pipes, pumps, hoses and faucets and might apparently even be used to “take away stains from many home objects similar to glassware, plastic tableware, tea and occasional pots and chrome steel objects similar to vacuum flasks”.
One 400g tub cleans a tank of as much as 270 litres and the combination doesn’t odor, 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 at the very least twice to take away the entire formulation earlier than you employ 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 replenish. It’s secure to drink or use in bathe.
Can you employ vinegar, bleach or acid to scrub your water tank?
I’ve seen some posts and movies on Youtube discuss utilizing citric or acetic acid to scrub a motorhome water tank because it restricts the expansion of micro organism and prevents algae rising.
We’ve by no means completed 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 may get a milder dose (vinegar is simply 4% acetic acid) however I query how efficient this might be!
So no, I don’t suggest utilizing vinegar or citric acid to scrub your motorhome water tank. Should you do select to, you’ll want one litre of cleansing vinegar for each 100 litres of water.
Some folks additionally point out utilizing bleach. Once more, family bleach/ chlorine bleach could be hazardous if consumed and I don’t really feel the danger is price utilizing it, particularly when there are different merchandise in the marketplace which do an important job. I strongly suggest you employ a kind of.
Should you do select to make use of bleach, remember it could actually harm chrome steel, which many motorhome scorching water boilers are constructed from.
Do you must sterilise a motorhome water tank?
Sterilising and cleansing a tank are comparable, however not fairly the identical factor. Cleansing is extra ‘washing out’, whereas sterilising is actively making an attempt to kill all of the micro organism.
One of many causes we like Puriclean is it cleans AND sterilises on the similar time, making the entire course of a lot simpler.
Easy methods to take care of your motorhome water system whereas travelling
Listed here are some tricks to preserve your water tank clear whereas on the street:
- Change the water often (at the very least 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 may fill the tank full however make sure you 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 preserve it devoted JUST for this activity. Maintain the hose in a protecting bag to cease the ends coming in touch with different issues. See our different motorhoming necessities right here.
Can you permit your motorhome with water in it?
Water doesn’t retailer effectively, though many plastic bottles say it can final for a number of years. However stagnant water will begin to get micro organism and slime very quickly- scarily shortly. I at all times suggest you drain your water system down until you might be utilizing it once more inside every week.
I hope you discovered these ideas helpful. I do know the considered catching one thing nasty out of your motorhome water system could be worrying, however utilizing a correct food-grade hose and cleansing out your system and tank often ought to preserve all the pieces secure.
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