Holding Tank Water Tastes Bad

[MONTIE]

The water from my holding tank tastes bad and we cannot drink it. I just read an article about the bleach method, but it also said one teaspoon of high-concenterated pool chlorine would do a better job. What do you think? My water really tastes bad. I do have a pool and use the concerate all the time.

Montie

[Guest Wayne77590]

You may wish to read this article on How To Sanitize Your RV Fresh Water Tank

Also, if you use bleach, and since chlorine "can" be detrimental to health, I have read that if you use just as much concentrate of vinegar after using the bleach that the vinegar will negate the "bad" effects of the bleach. So if you use 1/4 cup bleach, then also use 1/4 cup vinegar as a final rinse. The key is to let each set in the tank for 3 hours or more.

Happy trails.

Edited: p.s., Since chlorinating concentrate is so concentrated it is highly corrosive. I think I'll stick to the bleach.

[MONTIE]

You may wish to read this article on How To Sanitize Your RV Fresh Water Tank

Also, if you use bleach, and since chlorine "can" be detrimental to health, I have read that if you use just as much concentrate of vinegar after using the bleach that the vinegar will negate the "bad" effects of the bleach. So if you use 1/4 cup bleach, then also use 1/4 cup vinegar as a final rinse. The key is to let each set in the tank for 3 hours or more.

Happy trails.

Edited: p.s., Since chlorinating concentrate is so concentrated it is highly corrosive. I think I'll stick to the bleach.

Any type vinegar or simple table vinegar

[Guest Wayne77590]

The article just said vinegar. I personally will use distilled vinegar - no fancy stuff in it.

[MONTIE]

The article just said vinegar. I personally will use distilled vinegar - no fancy stuff in it.

Thanks, I will try that, I have bought some commerical stuff but it did not work.

[Guest Wayne77590]

Vinegar also has some other cleaning qualities to it. If there is calcium in the system it will break it down. Same method for running the vinegar through as to run the bleach through. 1/4 cup bleach for each 15 gallons of water. (That seems to be a lot for me, but I can live with it.) So the same would be for the vinegar. Each would be run through the lines (don't forget that the hot water heater needs to be drained to let the solution clean it also) and then sit for 3 hours or more. I'd do a couple of good flushes after the bleach and then do the vinegar trick.

[jcurtis@kc.rr.com]

The water from my holding tank tastes bad and we cannot drink it. I just read an article about the bleach method, but it also said one teaspoon of high-concenterated pool chlorine would do a better job. What do you think? My water really tastes bad. I do have a pool and use the concerate all the time.

Montie

We have used this sequence for years and do it in the spring and sometimes again in the fall.

1. 1/4 cup generic bleach per 15 gal water. Run mixture through all lines including WH until bleach smell is evident. Let sit at least 4 hrs, then drain fresh water tank.

2. I then fill tank about 1/4-1/3 with fresh water and run through all lines then drain.

3. Take generic white vinegar and use this formula next.

"Plain white vinegar is the best calcium descaler you can get... you can even run it thru your lines... takes a gallon of vinegar per 15 gals of waterand can make your fresh water tank sensors come back alive if they have gone dim or died. Let sit for 4-8 hrs hours then drain.

Your toilet flapper... just pour into water bowl and it will eat the deposits off the rubber gasket for a better seal... repeat if necessary.

If you sanitize your water system with bleach... to get rid of any bleach taste/smell., run some vinegar thru your lines per above formula.

Same with soaking your facet aerators., will unplug the screen.

4. If bleach or vinegar smell is still evident put 1/2-1 cup of baking soda in a gal of warm water and mix before pouring in the freash water tank.

[MONTIE]

Just wanted to report that with your help we have conquered the bad water, I used concentrated chlorine and vinegar. I used about 3 teaspoons to 80 gallons water two times flushing between each treatment and then one gallon of vinegar to the 80 gallons then flushed until vinegar smell was gone. After all that I added an external filter in addition to the filter in the coach.

Thanks, now I can have some of that famous Tennessee sweet tea

[wolfe10]

Montie,

Glad you are back in business.

Be sure to use a "sediment only" filter for an external filter IF you are going to be storing the water in your potable water tank.

You do NOT want to remove the chlorine from the water and THEN store it, particularly in the summer.

A 5 micron sediment only pre filter with a charcoal filter under the sink to remove odors and chlorine right before use is a great combination.

Brett Wolfe

[MONTIE]

Montie,

Glad you are back in business.

Be sure to use a "sediment only" filter for an external filter IF you are going to be storing the water in your potable water tank.

You do NOT want to remove the chlorine from the water and THEN store it, particularly in the summer.

A 5 micron sediment only pre filter with a charcoal filter under the sink to remove odors and chlorine right before use is a great combination.

Brett Wolfe

I bought a filter at Walmart that was designed that screws on the end of the water hose, I will look and see if it meets the standards you describe. I have a filter under the sink also. Thanks for all the information

[karenanddan]

The percentage of water from my tank that I ingest is so small that I choose to buy drinking water in stead and save the tank water for showering, washing dishes, and flushing. Why go through all the hassle, when you don't have to?

[charlesshedd]

Pool chlorine contains a stabilizer that may not be good to injest. Vinegar my solve the bad taste problem but may not kill bacteria or mold that is causing the odor. If you follow the directions, there will be little residual chlorine. What little chlorine that may remain will disapate quickly, 5 to 10 minutes.

If you have an taste/odor problerm, be sure to check the filter. If it is the GAC type, it imparts a nasy taste to the water when it is over-age.

[wintex55]

I had this same problem but the only water that tasted bad was at the cold water tap of my kitchen sink. I had installed a filter on this water line only two months prior. I checked the filter and it had filtered out some kind of contanimant which began to grow in my filter unit. When I removed the filter insert it was slimy and grey colored and the inside of the filter unit was coated with a grey slime.

After cleaning the unit with soap and hot water and flushing it with bleach and rinsing again, there was no more bad taste and I have had no problem

since.

Be sure and check your filter unit. You might want to clean it, flush it with bleach and install a new filter unit just in case.

Floyd Winfield

wintex55@aol.com

[wintex55]

I forgot to mention in my other reply that you should not let the water remain in your tank for extended periods. When I am ready to refill my water tank, I drain all the water out, run water into the tank for about two minutes, drain the water again and then I fill my tank with 100% "new" water.

This prevents the water from becoming what I call "stale water." I have been a full-timer for almost 14 years and boondock a lot and have never had a problem, until the slimy filter problem I mentioned in my other reply. I drain and refill my tank at least once a month, or more often if it is convenient and the tank is nearly empty.

Floyd Winfield

wintex55@aol.com