We were taught to fill the fresh water tank about half full, add a cup or so of bleach...or a bleach tablet or two, which is simplest... take a drive to allow the bleach water to slosh around and sanitize the entire tank, run the water thru all systems to sanitize them before emptying and flushing out thoroughly.
Once again, it is important to drain the water tank, boiler and pipes. Then mix one cap of bleach (without odor) to 50 litres of water. Fill your water tank with this mixture. After 24 hours, flush the tank and pipes with clean water.
I'd mix 10% bleach solution, so four or five gallons of bleach. Pour in the gallons of bleach and then fill the tank all the way up. Come back the next day to confirm it killed it all. If it didn't, do it again.
Use hydrogen peroxide about 1 pt to 10 gal water into an empty fresh water tank. Run the pump until all faucets have the treated water coming out. Very effective on smelly water. Since the hydrogen peroxide dissipates on its own, just go ahead and fill the tank and use it.
A bad smell is usually a sign that excess waste is in the tank, and usually excess food.
Close all of the windows in your RV, open your toilet's gate valve and turn on your bathroom fan. There should be no odor coming from the black water tank. If you smell a lingering odor, pour 2 more ounces of Simple Green and one more gallon of water down your toilet. You can also put ice in your toilet.
If you are not comfortable using bleach, you can use vinegar or hydrogen peroxide when cleaning the water tank in your RV. However, unless each is heated to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, they will not be as effective as bleach at killing bacteria in a contaminated RV fresh water tank.
Black Beard Algae can be a result of poor water quality, poor maintenance, overdosing fertilizers, low levels or fluctuating levels of CO2, too much light, or a combination of all of these. A tank that hasn't been routinely cleaned can have a lot of waste and organics built up.
The general rule of thumb is that water will stay fresh in the tank for about two weeks if you aren't refilling it regularly. If you use it regularly, thereby resupplying it daily, you should be fine. Freshness and safety become an issue when you have stopped using the RV, and it sits for an extended period.
CleanOxide, which is Chlorine Dioxide, is the most effective product on the market to clean water tanks and ensure the water is safe for consumption. Read the Caravan and RV guide here.
The average life of a motorhome or campervan is 20 years or 200,000 miles, whichever is reached first, and this can instantly inform you whether to avoid a used model depending on the proximity to either of these numbers, it can also improve the prospect of a new model if you intend to keep it for its full life span.
Use a Vacuum: Use a specialized water tank vacuum or a wet and dry vacuum cleaner to remove loose particles. Apply a Cleaning Solution: Prepare a water tank cleaning solution with Water and an approved disinfectant. Pour it into the tank through the hatch.
In order to have clean drinking water from your RV fresh water tank, you will want to filter it going in.
For every 15 gallons that your RV freshwater tank holds, you should mix about 1/4 cup of bleach with a few gallons of water in a bucket. If you choose to use an antibacterial product to sanitize your tank, follow the product directions to determine how to mix your solution.
Hydrogen peroxide - Remove the affect plant or hardscape from the tank. Fill a squirt bottle with hydrogen peroxide and spay the affected area and let it sit for a few minutes. We suggest to remove it from the tank so that you can rinse it well with dechlorinated water before putting it back into the aquarium.
Several species of fish are known to be sensitive to hydrogen peroxide, and the use of the chemical may be toxic to those species.
To create your tank sanitizing solution, you will need about ¼ cup of bleach for every 15 gallons of water your fresh water tank holds (so about ½ cup for a 30-gallon tank). Calculate how much bleach you need and add that amount to about a gallon of water. Using your funnel, add the mixture to your freshwater tank.
Disconnect the cold-water inlet, hot water outlet, T & P valve, or element holes and, using a funnel, pour one (1) gallon of regular household cider vinegar into the water heater.
For most of the outside of your RV, and even some of the inside, you can use a general cleaner that will help to remove dirt and debris with ease. While you can experiment with the proportions to get something that works well for you, start by trying a mix of 3 parts water and 1 part white vinegar.
You could also use a power washer from the toilet to break up any solids. Certainly the black tank needs to be draining and opened while doing the power washing. Put a towel around the washer shaft to eliminate back wash. Uglier, but you could also powerwash from the drain side too.
If you take care of your waste tank and drains, you can prevent bad smells. Firstly, avoid putting any food down your drains. Keep food, dirt, and grease out of your system as much as possible, and try to avoid using too much soap when you shower too. These tips should help you to keep your tank as clean as possible.
Quite simply, it's mold. The inside of all of your RV's holding tanks is an environment — especially in the summer or during other hot, humid weather — ripe for the growth of molds and odor-producing bacteria. But it's also a dirty fresh water holding tank that is also likely contributing to the problem.