Re: [A/S] Dewinterizing/Shocking fresh water tank

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wayne,
 It's a good idea to sanitize the water system in the Spring.

Fill the water tank half-way, then add a premix of 1/4-cup of household
bleach & 1 gallon of water. Drive around the block to slosh the chlorine
solution all around the inside of the tank. Run water at all faucets
until you can smell the chlorine, don't forget to allow the water heater
to fill completely. Let it sit for a few hours or overnight, then drain
everything. You can help eliminate the chlorine smell/taste by mixing
1/2-cup of baking soda with a gallon of water, dumping it into the tank,
then filling the tank completely. Again, run water at all the faucets
until you're sure that the new solution has circulated through the
system. Drain again and fill with fresh water.

FWIW: many folks never use their city water connection, using only the
demand pump system. This assures that you always have fresh water in the
tank. IMO: if you're not using the tank regularly, you really shouldn't
drink from the on-board system, as it can grow "stuff" during the times
you're not using it. This is especially true if you're mainly a
weekend-only user, where the trailer sits for a couple of weeks or more
during the Summer, between trips. Personally, I'll drink the water from
the onboard system after it's been "turned" a couple of times.

During the first pressurization of the system, you'll want to check for
leaks. This is very easy: let the pump run until it has the system
pressurized and shuts itself off. It should STAY off, if it cycles
periodically or refuses to shut off at all, you probably have a leak.
Some A/Ss have a bypass valve that's mainly used for filling the
on-board tank from the city water connection. If this is left open, the
pump will never build up any pressure, nor will you have any pressure to
amount to anything when the hose is connected to the city water hookup,
everything's going back to the tank. Look for this and close it if your
trailer has it. I felt pretty stupid when I forgot this step, and I KNEW
the valve was there and what it did.

                                     <<Jim>>