Cleansing your Motorhome Water Tank (the simple manner)

Involved about cleansing your motorhome water tank? Need to sterilise the freshwater tank in your camper or caravan? Right here’s what you want to do to make sure protected consuming water in your van.

Don’t overlook to seize your FREE motorhome pre-trip departure guidelines under

*We work arduous to make this one of the best motorhome journey weblog and highway journey web site potential, filled with useful content material for you. The web site is supported by our readers, so when you purchase by way of hyperlinks on this website we might earn a commission- at no additional value to you. All opinions stay our personal.

Should you discover this put up helpful, you’ll be able to additionally deal with us to a espresso – we promise to get pleasure from it whereas creating extra helpful content material like this- we would even take pleasure in a biscuit (or two!)

Cleansing your motorhome water tank

One factor my husband and I’ve all the time been aware of is consuming water. Mr WB has spent lots of time within the Center East, the place water shouldn’t be all the time protected to drink and he’s just a little obsessive about ensuring we’ve protected water.

At the very least- I used to assume it was obsessive till he obtained Legionnaire’s Illness!

Now, I ought to make it very clear that he did NOT get Legionnaires from our motorhome water tank, however it was from one other van, which isn’t used very a lot.

So, to keep away from the identical scenario in our van and assist you to keep away from it in yours, you want to clear your motorhome freshwater tanks commonly.

Why cleansing motorhome water tanks is essential

Most water carries micro organism. When that water is stored in a enclosed area (like a recent water tank) micro organism can multiply shortly. This turns into even worse in heat temperatures. Legionella is among the predominant considerations, however so is E-coli and several other different varieties of micro organism.

Sadly, you don’t have to drink the water to turn into contaminated. Should you bathe from a contaminated tank, or use the water for cooking or rinsing meals, you’ll be able to turn into sick. Many of those result in lung situations, like pneumonia and COPD.

Additionally, over time, the freshwater tank in your motorhome, campervan or caravan turns into contaminated by filth, particles and even bits from the hose you utilize to replenish the tank. All of this promotes micro organism and makes the water much less protected to eat.

You can even by no means assure that the water you’re filling your tanks up with is protected to drink both. Once we had been motorhoming in Scotland, we spent a while on the Isle of Skye and it seems a sheep had died within the campsite water provide and had contaminated all of it! Thank goodness we didn’t replenish!

Nonetheless, many individuals don’t wish to carry further water for consuming, because it eats into area and payload, (1litre weighs 1kg) so maintaining the water tank clear turns into a better precedence.

Is it protected to drink water out of your motorhome water tank?

This can be a matter which divides opinions massively. Many individuals solely use the water straight from their tanks for showers/ cooking and many others, preferring to both filter the water earlier than consuming or boiling it for warm drinks. Listed here are some choices for filtered water:

Others are fairly completely happy that it’s alright to drink and don’t pay it two minds.

Personally, we use our motorhome water tank for showers, enamel cleansing and washing up, however use further water filtered from our Lifesaver Jerrycan to drink from, even after we’re going to boil it within the kettle.

We’re additionally debating placing an inline filter within the system, so the water out of the kitchen faucet comes out filtered. That is what we’ve on our boat and we drink the water straight from the boat water tank with no downside.

How usually must you clear a motorhome water tank?

The query of how usually you need to clear your motorhome freshwater tank relies upon rather a lot on how usually you utilize it and the place you’re. Personally, we clear ours twice a yr, however that’s as a result of we spend lots of time touring Europe in our motorhome.

On the naked minimal you need to clear it totally every year and ALWAYS when it’s been stood for a number of weeks or extra. That is when micro organism and biofilm can actually begin to develop and make the water harmful to drink.

How do you clear a freshwater tank on a motorhome?

The very first thing to recollect is that no matter you utilize to scrub your water tank will go away a residue, which you’ll then be consuming for some time each time you utilize the water.

Then you want to decide a product. There are a number of in the marketplace, and every have their professionals and cons (see under).

As soon as chosen, right here’s what you do:

• Shut all faucets and valves
• Add your chosen cleansing product (ie- Puriclean)
• Fill system fully with water
• Activate faucet FURTHEST away out of your tank to get the answer all by way of your system, let it run for 10-15 seconds (or till you’ll be able to odor the cleaner), then shut
• Depart in a single day. Alternatively, you’ll be able to drive round for a short time, to get the combination into all corners. Simply bear in mind you’re driving with a full tank and the car can be heavier than maybe you’re used to.
• Subsequent day, open all faucets, which permits the cleansing product to then run into your gray waste tank and clear that too.
• Fully empty the freshwater tank, then refill with clear water and EMPTY absolutely once more by way of the faucets to scrub out all of the pipes.
• By the tip, you shouldn’t be capable of odor the cleansing product any extra. Should you can, refill and empty time and again till the water now not smells.
• It’s a good suggestion to alter your water filters now too, so the entire system is clear and able to go.
• Moreover, you may also clear your different tanks, just like the gray waste tank and bathroom cassette with the under product (BUT don’t put this in your recent water tank!):

Motorhome tank cleansing merchandise

Like most issues relating to cleansing your motorhome, there are a number of merchandise you’ll be able to select from.

Most of them work in very related methods, so it’s largely a matter of selecting the product which sounds finest to you. That is the one we use.

What’s Puriclean?

Puriclean is among the most well-known motorhome tank cleaners. It’s very easy to make use of and works very successfully to eradicate micro organism, viruses, bio-film, algae, and fungi.

It has a dual-purpose system which each cleans and sterilises in a single go, so no have to do two therapies. It cleans the complete motorhome water system: tanks, pipes, pumps, hoses and faucets and might apparently even be used to “take away stains from many home objects corresponding to glassware, plastic tableware, tea and low pots and stainless-steel objects corresponding to vacuum flasks”.

One 400g tub cleans a tank of as much as 270 litres and the combination doesn’t odor, foam or hurt any parts within the water system. It may be tough to know when the tank is flushed, so I might do it at the least twice to take away all the system earlier than you utilize the tank usually.

Are Aquasol and Puriclean the identical factor?

NO. Aquasol and Puriclean are NOT the identical issues. Puriclean cleans and sterilises the tank, whereas Aquasol disinfects water while it’s within the tank ready for use.

We add Aquasol to our water EVERY time we replenish. It’s protected to drink or use in bathe.

Can you utilize vinegar, bleach or acid to scrub your water tank?

I’ve seen some posts and movies on Youtube discuss utilizing citric or acetic acid to scrub a motorhome water tank because it restricts the expansion of micro organism and prevents algae rising.

We’ve by no means accomplished this, purely as a result of the acetic acid we all know of is hazardous to eyes and pores and skin. Many individuals use it as a weed killer. You may get a milder dose (vinegar is barely 4% acetic acid) however I query how efficient this is able to be!

So no, I don’t suggest utilizing vinegar or citric acid to scrub your motorhome water tank. Should you do select to, you’ll want one litre of cleansing vinegar for each 100 litres of water.

Some individuals additionally point out utilizing bleach. Once more, bleach might be hazardous if consumed and I don’t really feel the danger is price utilizing it, particularly when there are different merchandise in the marketplace which do an ideal job. I strongly suggest you utilize a type of.

Should you do select to make use of bleach, bear in mind it could possibly injury stainless-steel, which many motorhome scorching water boilers are comprised of.

Do you want to sterilise a motorhome water tank?

Sterilising and cleansing a tank are related, however not fairly the identical factor. Cleansing is extra ‘washing out’, whereas sterilising is actively attempting to kill all of the micro organism.

One of many causes we like Puriclean is it cleans AND sterilises on the identical time, making the entire course of a lot simpler.

Tips on how to take care of your motorhome water system whereas travelling

Listed here are some tricks to preserve your water tank clear whereas on the highway:

• Change the water commonly (at the least each three/4 days).
• Should you don’t naturally use this a lot water (when you’re travelling solo or naturally frugal), then simply fill the tank midway every time so it’s not standing within the tank too lengthy.
• Should you’re motorhome wild tenting and wish to keep off-grid , you’ll be able to fill the tank full however make sure to add chemical substances (we do that each time anyway, irrespective of whether or not we’re wild tenting or on campsites).
• Use a correct meals grade hose to fill the water tank, and preserve it devoted JUST for this job. Preserve the hose in a protecting bag to cease the ends coming involved with different issues. See our different motorhoming necessities right here.

Can you allow your motorhome with water in it?

Water doesn’t retailer effectively, regardless that many plastic bottles say it is going to final for a number of years. However stagnant water will begin to get micro organism and slime very quickly- scarily shortly. I all the time suggest you drain your water system down until you’re utilizing it once more inside every week.

I hope you discovered these ideas helpful. I do know the considered catching one thing nasty out of your motorhome water system might be worrying, however utilizing a correct food-grade hose and cleansing out your system and tank commonly ought to preserve every part protected.

Final replace on 2023-09-06 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Photos from Amazon Product Promoting API

Sharing is caring!