water woes (1 Viewer)

fof

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Jan 21, 2010
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Hi after a few trips out in our motorhome last year we were wondering how you get that awful bleachy taste out of the water tank. we flushed out the system with sterilising fluid but it still tasted funny , had to drink the beer instead! any suggestions that dont involve spending vast amounts of cash would be welcomehttp://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/images/smilies/rollEyes.gif
 

dellwood33

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Apr 25, 2009
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Is the "Bleach" taste there even after you have boiled it for tea, coffee etc ?
Personally I don't drink the water from the tank without boiling it first.
I fill a 4 litre water container from home for drinking purposes- & when that runs out there is always cider & beer ::bigsmile:
 
Oct 15, 2007
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We clean ours once in a while ,very once in a while, lucky if once a year but we use the van as much/ofter as possible, but using propietry tank cleaners I find three or four flushes with fresh water and the tastes gone.

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Douglas

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Aug 22, 2008
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Hi after a few trips out in our motorhome last year we were wondering how you get that awful bleachy taste out of the water tank. we flushed out the system with sterilising fluid but it still tasted funny , had to drink the beer instead! any suggestions that dont involve spending vast amounts of cash would be welcomehttp://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/images/smilies/rollEyes.gif

It could well be the additions that you have made that is giving the off taste, more flushing with tap water could reduce the taste but if the taste is present in the tap water you are going to need a good filter, which is what I use myself.

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You may think its expensive but I promise you will not regret it.

Doug...
 

Terry

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Dec 27, 2007
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Hi firstly milton is a mild foam of bleach :thumb::Doh: - fill your tank with water 3 or four times to flush the bleach away then just use normal tap water which is treated by the water co . :thumb:
terry
BTW we are on the bottled water -refilling the 5 ltr containers for drinking :ROFLMAO: but thatb is only because SWMBO says so or I would drink straight from the tank :Doh::ROFLMAO:
 
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fof

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Jan 21, 2010
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thanks all, I'll try flushing it out a few times and see how it goes

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Lenny HB

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Oct 18, 2007
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Don't use Milton it attacks stainless steel and your water heater has a stainless steel tank.

A lot of the taste comes from a reaction of minerals in the water & the plastic pipes & can vary depending on the water supply.

We always use water from the tank for drinking always drain the tank after every trip & when filling up before a trip flush a couple of gallons through. Still occasionally got the taste so now for the last 6 months have been using a cheap jug water filter for drinking water & not bothered to flush the tank so far perfect cup of tea every time.
 

geoff1947

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May 20, 2008
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Taste

After many years of off shore sailing where you have to draw water from an on board tank and it usually tasted horrible even after boiling, I never drink from the fresh water tank. Find it OK for washing & cleaning teeth etc but I always fill and re-fill a seperate container (usually an empty water bottle) for tea etc.
I always empty my tank when I park up at home and flush it out with freh water etc.
Never leave it standing for too long with water in the tank as it will taste horrible after a :thumb:while
 

vwalan

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Sep 23, 2008
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there is something about the tank should be of the right plastic and black. then water can be kept for several years and not go off . i use a cak black tyank .never empty it from one year to the next .do run out sometimes .also carry water in an ex army black water jerry can. have used that after a couple of years with no ill effect. i was told once there is something about black plastic and its keeping water fresh capabilities .cheers alan.

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geoff1947

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May 20, 2008
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Army Water cans

Have to agree with you there ref the Army black Jerry water cans.
Great in the desert also, if left out for a few hours in the blazing sun, lovely hot water for an evening shower!!
 

Glynn

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May 2, 2010
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Get yourself some Hydrogen Peroxide and dilute it in water in your tank, drive around to ensure it gets on all surfaces, leave for a few hours and then empty and rinse out.
This will disinfect the tank. It is also used as a mouth wash.

Anyone that needs to know anything about cleaning i.e. Carpets/upholstery ask away, I specialise in it.
 

vwalan

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Sep 23, 2008
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i can never understand fiammi with their blue water tanks.
yes geoff had a few of those but now we have cheap solar bags .or use a tango bottle they were black .cut a larger clear bottle and use it as a greenhouse put them on the dash board go for a swim when you come back you have to be carefull as its hot enough to scald. 5ltr wine barrells from france work good too .but drink the wine first.

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wooly

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May 17, 2009
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Hi Just a quick thought, What hose are you using to fill the tank, We always used an ordinary garden hose on a reel, but last year in France late one night in a rush I forgot to flush the hose before filling the tank, the water tasted horendous even after going through a Natiure Pure filter. We managed to drain the tank including running one corner of the MH on all our blocks to get every bit of water out, then we refilled and we got away with it no damage done. Lesson learned - either flush your hose or use food grade hose only. Just a thought
 

Lenny HB

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Get yourself some Hydrogen Peroxide and dilute it in water in your tank, drive around to ensure it gets on all surfaces, leave for a few hours and then empty and rinse out.
This will disinfect the tank. It is also used as a mouth wash.

Anyone that needs to know anything about cleaning i.e. Carpets/upholstery ask away, I specialise in it.

Also good for a blonde rinse before you go out bopping.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

Terry

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Get yourself some Hydrogen Peroxide and dilute it in water in your tank, drive around to ensure it gets on all surfaces, leave for a few hours and then empty and rinse out.
This will disinfect the tank. It is also used as a mouth wash.

Anyone that needs to know anything about cleaning i.e. Carpets/upholstery ask away, I specialise in it.

Hydrogen Peroxide is a bleach :ROFLMAO::thumb: Don't forget that if you flush the tank with bleach you are supposed to rinse it out within the hour 3 or 4 times so that all the bleach has gone and therefore no damage to SS boilers etc
terry

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Terry

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Dec 27, 2007
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there is something about the tank should be of the right plastic and black. then water can be kept for several years and not go off . i use a cak black tyank .never empty it from one year to the next .do run out sometimes .also carry water in an ex army black water jerry can. have used that after a couple of years with no ill effect. i was told once there is something about black plastic and its keeping water fresh capabilities .cheers alan.
Hi Alan the idea of the black plastic tanks is that without light the little bugs cannot live :ROFLMAO:
terry
 

vwalan

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i seem to remember there is also some chemical reaction with black plastic.
must say i have never put anything other than tap ,spring .or rain water in my tank.
last winter never touched a tap for seven weeks in portugal .blumming rain and fonts were all we used . never put cleaner stuff in it. uk tap water will clean it anyway .
do have a berkenfield filter by doulton with silver inlay but only use if in really wild places and suspect dirty water.
then i drain and fill later with clean. too expensive to waste the filter.
dont like to buy water either i,m too mean. ha ha
cheers alan.
 

Big Momma

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Oct 3, 2009
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I have never had a problem with drinking the water from my Fresh water tank. After each trip, even a short weekender, I drain the tank completely and fill with fresh only when I am about to leave on next trip, I never leave water to stand in the tank. I flush out the tank once a year, and yes I use MILTON !!, however, and I am not saying that all the experts out there are wrong, but I have never been left with an after taste. Once I have flushed through with Milton I flush trough again a couple of 'full' tanks of fresh water, I don't waste the water as it goes on the garden and the plants are thriving. Stagnant water doesn't just sit in the tank, it will sit in pipe bends as well and all sorts of bacteria can form, so get into the habit of emptying the tank and during the winter leave the taps in kitchen, bathroom, shower in the 'open' position :thumb:

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Douglas

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Aug 22, 2008
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I don't understand you lot!!! a guy complains of a bad taste in his water and what do you tell him to do!!! add more chemicals to make the taste even worse.

I have lived for the last 10 years ether on a boat or in a motor home for more or less full time and never bought drinking water and never added ANYTHING to my tanks and never suffered for it.

There is more than enough chemicals in the UK tap water to kill any bugs so why add more???

Doug...
 

Big Momma

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Oct 3, 2009
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I don't understand you lot!!! a guy complains of a bad taste in his water and what do you tell him to do!!! add more chemicals to make the taste even worse.

I have lived for the last 10 years ether on a boat or in a motor home for more or less full time and never bought drinking water and never added ANYTHING to my tanks and never suffered for it.

There is more than enough chemicals in the UK tap water to kill any bugs so why add more???

Doug...

If you have lived for 10 years on aboat or in a Motor Home then I interpret this as you being a full timer ? If this is the case, then much like my fresh water tank in my house, because the water tank is emptied and re-filled constanly there is no need to clean the tank. However, a Motorhome that is only used for certain periods of the year means that any water that is left in there will become static and tainted. Additionally, moving around from country to country you may end up having to fill the tank with 'non-potable' water and therefore before re-filling with 'potable' water the tank will need to be cleaned.

I don't think that anyone was saying 'add chemicals' as he had already told us that he had done so. It was more advice about what chemicals can do to either damage the tank or indeed what may have created the tainted taste of the water.

Not wishing to be confrontational but I think that in the main the majority of people that posted responses were attempting to be helpful and provide possible explanations as to the cause of the problem.
 

Douglas

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Aug 22, 2008
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If you have lived for 10 years on aboat or in a Motor Home then I interpret this as you being a full timer ? If this is the case, then much like my fresh water tank in my house, because the water tank is emptied and re-filled constanly there is no need to clean the tank. However, a Motorhome that is only used for certain periods of the year means that any water that is left in there will become static and tainted. Additionally, moving around from country to country you may end up having to fill the tank with 'non-potable' water and therefore before re-filling with 'potable' water the tank will need to be cleaned.

I don't think that anyone was saying 'add chemicals' as he had already told us that he had done so. It was more advice about what chemicals can do to either damage the tank or indeed what may have created the tainted taste of the water.

Not wishing to be confrontational but I think that in the main the majority of people that posted responses were attempting to be helpful and provide possible explanations as to the cause of the problem.

I have only one thing to say about the above, RUBBISH!!!

Doug...

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chatter

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Aug 3, 2009
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buy some cheap orange juice and use it to flush through the system, apparently the juice gets rid of all nasty tastes then fill and rinse a couple of times water should not taste then.
its something to do with the plastic pipes absorbing the bleach/stealizing agent which the orange then draws out according to folk who swear by that method on other forums
 

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