Drink Water Safety

[wheelhouse]

I have just drained the fresh water tank on my fifth wheel. A lot of times it months before I use up the water in the tank, is there any thing I shoud and to the water to keep it safe to drink?
Thanks Wheelhouse

[1stsgt]

wheelhouse:

Clean your fresh water holding tank and lines with a bleach water solution. I add 1/4 cup of bleach to a full tank of fresh water. Let set for 30 min. (it's better to drive with the solution so it will splash around and clean the tank) then run the solution through all of your water lines and outlets.

I'm not a full timer so I do this before each outing to ensure I have potable fresh water. If I'm going to keep water in the tank I add 1/2 Teaspoon of bleach to a tank full of water to kill any bacteria and keep the water fresh and potable.

This works for me and we have never gotten sick from comtaminated water. I do the same when I take on water from a campground or anywhere while out traveling, add 1/2 teaspoon of bleach. You never know what bug might be in the water This amount of bleach will ensure you have clean water without harming you. It's also a lot less expensive than buying water treatment.

[bridgestohealth]

Here is a good site to help you determine how much bleach to use for your fresh water tank. It is important to use the correct amount of bleach, too little will not sterilize the water and too much might make you sick.

http://www.csgnetwork.com/h2oemergencypurifycalc.html

In health and wellness,

Dr. Mundorff

[whodo]

A important fact that everyone using Clorox bleach for a disinfectant should know and remember, BLEACH has a limited shelf life. To know when a bottle of bleach was produced, you have to read the production date coded onto the bottle. I have found bottles of bleach on store shelves that are well over 9 mos old.

Here is a link to a report from ( Cornell University office of environmental health and safety ) on reading the code date and how long diluted bleach will last. http://www.med.cornell.edu/ehs/faq/biological_safety.htm

[clayl]

A important fact that everyone using Clorox bleach for a disinfectant should know and remember, BLEACH has a limited shelf life. To know when a bottle of bleach was produced, you have to read the production date coded onto the bottle. I have found bottles of bleach on store shelves that are well over 9 mos old.

Here is a link to a report from ( Cornell University office of environmental health and safety ) on reading the code date and how long diluted bleach will last. http://www.med.cornell.edu/ehs/faq/biological_safety.htm

That's good info. Thanks for posting it.