Sanitizing 2552 Water System

Okay, next question.... I've read what I could find regarding sanitizing the fresh water system and am getting ready to do it.  I could only find hints as to how you all actually get the bleach into the system.  I'm assuming that one method is through the winterizing valve by the pump.  I'd like to try what I think is one of the more obvious methods which is through the 'Anderson Kantleak' four function fill station.

I now understand that the four selections on the station and their meanings are:

City – Use city water to feed fixtures from 3/4" hose connection.
Normal – Pump from the on-board tank to the fixtures using on-board pump.
Tank – Pressure fill the tank from 3/4" hose connection at backflow preventer.
Sanitize/Winterize – Draw in sanitizers and winterizing fluids from a bucket utilizing the on-board pump.

So, obviously I can sanitize by placing the switch in Sanitize/Winterize position, attach one end of a hose to the hose connection on the fill station, the other into a bucket of sanitizer, and turn on the water pump.

That much seems obvious.  What isn't quite obvious are a couple of things. 

1) Do you first fill the tank with water to some level? Then draw in the bleach, then fill the tank?
2) Do you mix the bleach with water in a bucket when you draw it in?
3) Will any of the liquid/bleach drawn in with the Sanitize/Winterize switch go into the fresh water tank, or just to the pump and then fixtures?

The attached diagram is the reason I asked number 3. It doesn't appear that the water tank is in the loop using Sanitize/Winterize.

Is this the preferred method of getting the bleach in there or is there a better one?

 - Mike

Mike, I simply put a couple of cap fulls in the water tank and then fill and go camping. We don't drink that water anyway. Do this several times a year. 

For you application, you could go much stronger and add directly to the tank.   Fill and the drain through all faucets.

Denny. 

In the spring, I put about two cups of bleach into the fresh water tank through the fill hole, then I fill the tank. Then I drive around to make sure the inside top of the fresh water tank gets coated and the bleach is well mixed. Next after parking, I turn the pump on, and turn each faucet on until the water changes from pink to clear. Let it sit for a day, then drain the lines and the fresh water tank. I fill and drain the tank two more times to clear the bleach out. Lastly I pump some fresh water Through all the lines and open the water heater bypass to fill it. Now I am all set to go camping.

Remember that most city water has some type of cleaner in it to kill all the nasties in the water. So if your house uses city water or the campground does, it is cleaning your lines.

Mike

I follow the same procedure that Tom does with the exception that twice a year I also sanitize all the fresh water hoses, hose storage bin, filter housing and all connectors.

Barry

Hi Mike,
You are making this thing way more complicated than necessary. We do the bit of bleach (no more than an 1/8 cup depending on how low the tank is) with each fill and carry a couple jugs of good tasting drinking water, purchasing at a store if necessary. We usually use the tank water for all cooking, coffee etc. and the jug water for straight drinking, teeth brushing, ice cubes, etc. We do this because we don't want to waste all the water necessary to go through the sanitation process, the tank can be contaminate during travels through tainted well water or a a dirty hose and sometimes the available water, while safe, is bad-tasting.

Nicki Loth
Dillon, CO

 Nicki, you come from Colorado, the home of Coors and the great mountain water they use.  What gives? 

Mike
 some good tips,,,,,, I have a separate cut hose about 3ft long I use to fill the tank,,, also use a funnel with a flexible tube to pour bleach into tank from water sprout,  I turn on all the water to get some in each line  sinks, shower, outside shower, want to keep those hoses/pipes clean, sanitized also,,, leave it overnight, ready to go,,,, I do this twice,,  we are spring/ fall travelers and usually have up to 4 months between trips.
I use our water for cooking, cleaning, showers, ice, coffee etc,,,,, how ever we do carry bottled drinking water
sparky

We do the same tank sanitizing but managed to refill with bad, smelly water at one campground so we had to flush her again. We also clean the spigots before we hook up each time by squirting bleach UP into the spigot and around the threads. Then we squirt a little in the hose, hook her up to the spigot, flush the hose out, then hook her to the rig. The small bleach bottle at the store had four little squirt holes in a pop up cap. It lives in the back with the hoses.

We just hooked up at a new site and are amazed that the water spigot and the sewer drain share a little 1'x2' cement pad. Not much separation. Get the bleach!

Now there's a potpourri of responses!  All sorts of people and all sorts of lifestyles and ideas.  Gotta love this country!  Thanks to all of you for your input and assistance.

Nicki:

I can appreciate coming from the place with the best water in the country and the probable aversion to anything other.  It's a bit like me living in the Napa area and being spoiled by great wine.  Can't really get my taste buds to appreciate Boone's Farm, Cupcake, Barefoot, etc. anymore.  I guess we are both pretty lucky to live where we do.

We will be using the PC for a significant period of time throughout the year, from boondocking and dry camping to high-end RV resorts.  This is a big reason we chose a Phoenix.  Big enough to spend significant amounts of time comfortably, multiple options for power in and power out, multiple options for water, etc.  Our theory is if we can live like we could (for the most part) in our own home in many places, had the option of living comfortably at levels less than that, and were able to drive it without too much worry, we found the perfect rig.  We think we did.  We also believe that if the rig has a toilet, shower, kitchen, power systems and water systems designed for 'normal use' we will expect them function correctly with normal maintenance and we would use them like as would in our own home to the greatest extent possible.  So, we expect to go #1 and #2 in the toilet and use TP.  We expect that when hooked up to generator or shore power we can run most everything in the rig.  We also expect that we can use either city water or use the potable water tank without much of an issue as we would at home, given proper care and maintenance.  If we couldn't do all that, we wouldn't have spent over $100k for the PC and instead just opted for the best damn tent we could find.  But that's just us...everyone's mileage may (and truly does) vary.  Long-winded way to say we are eager to know how all systems are supposed to work and we will expect them to work if we do our part in maintaining, treating, exercising things.  Sanitizing the tanks and system, and regulating/filtering city water with a good regulator and filter seems standard for ensuring decent water quality and correct pressures.  I don't feel guilty about the water waste in sanitizing the tanks since we plan to use the PC shower almost exclusively, getting in the habit of Navy showers.  We figure we'll save much more water in the long run if we don't use the RV park showers which would make it tempting to take much longer showers.

Since I don't yet know for certain if the tank is included in the sanitizing process using the four way valve, I'm going to use the method everyone mentioned ,with a slight variation on Sparky's apparatus.   I'll use the gravity feed fill connection on the passengers side of the PC, and bring both water and chlorine in at the same time using a siphon (which will bring in the chlorine) attached to the hose, which is attached to city water.  Adjusted correctly for the right ratio, the siphon seems the easiest and least messy way to go.  I'll fill the tank until it flows out the overflow, spray off the side of the PC, turn the pump on, run the faucets and showers, let it sit, drain the tank, refill with fresh water, drain, refill.

And, Holly, again great advice!

Thanks again to you all......even if I don't understand or agree, it keeps the brain cells active!  I'd write more, but I have to go study the PC manual some more....might be something there I missed.   

- Mike

Well said Mike.

Mike,

They way you plan to use and maintain the power and water systems on you PC are exactly what we have been doing for the past 3 1/2 years and 25,000 miles; it has worked great for us.

Now go do it and have fun.

Bob