Boatman
Well-Known Member
I need to cleanout my fresh water tanks, what should I use to sterilize and clean them?
Many thanks in advance
Many thanks in advance
Cleaning water tanks?
- Thread starter Boatman
- Start date
Shiver Metimbers
Well-Known Member
I used Milton baby bottle cleaner on the tanks in my caravan, with good results in that no one was ever poisoned. The stuff is available from all the super markets.
fireball
Well-Known Member
We use milton tablets ... but also needed to replace the filler and overflow pipes as they were green!!
ShipsWoofy
Well-Known Member
I brought my tanks back from properly horrible, the heads tank was out of service for over 9 years and was ugh, the galley tank also laid up but brought back as it tasted icky.
I used puriclean from a caravan shop, I did not have much luck with their recommended doses to try to save the galley tank and as a last resort decided to 'shock' it. I poured half a tub in and left it fizzing for a few hours. This has worked a treat, I have now had clean tasting water for 5 years (was it that long ago?) and in the heads 3 years.
I used puriclean from a caravan shop, I did not have much luck with their recommended doses to try to save the galley tank and as a last resort decided to 'shock' it. I poured half a tub in and left it fizzing for a few hours. This has worked a treat, I have now had clean tasting water for 5 years (was it that long ago?) and in the heads 3 years.
JKay
Well-Known Member
"I have now had clean tasting water for 5 years (was it that long ago?) and in the heads 3 years."
Why do you drink water from the heads /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Why do you drink water from the heads /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
ShipsWoofy
Well-Known Member
I am a dog, silly?
temptress
Well-Known Member
We use Milton baby bottle cleaner bought in our local supermarket. I have just cleaned ours and flushed through to remove the taste of the Milton. (Sold under different brand names around Europe but basically any baby bottle steriliser fluid will do.)
We have 3 tanks that hold 270, 160, and 160 ltrs of water. What we do is:
Empty the tanks.
Pour a bottle of Milton into the filler
Fill the tanks 1/3 up
Pour in a second bottle fill up another 1/3.
Use a third bottle fill completely up.
Whilst filling up the last 3rd I pull some water through the HOT water system, cold water system and manual pump.
Then I leave it all sit for an hour or so then drain all the tanks. This gets them clean but still leaves some Milton in the subsystem so I re-fill with just water and drain again to remove any Milton taste form the water. You do not need to do this last step as the Milton is perfectly OK to drink but makes tea taste a bit horrible so i choose to flush it out of the system.
Alternatively their are all sorts of proprietary cleaners available most of which seem to have the same ingredients as Milton but are much more expensive because they are bought form chanlders and not the baby section of your local supermarket.
/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
We have 3 tanks that hold 270, 160, and 160 ltrs of water. What we do is:
Empty the tanks.
Pour a bottle of Milton into the filler
Fill the tanks 1/3 up
Pour in a second bottle fill up another 1/3.
Use a third bottle fill completely up.
Whilst filling up the last 3rd I pull some water through the HOT water system, cold water system and manual pump.
Then I leave it all sit for an hour or so then drain all the tanks. This gets them clean but still leaves some Milton in the subsystem so I re-fill with just water and drain again to remove any Milton taste form the water. You do not need to do this last step as the Milton is perfectly OK to drink but makes tea taste a bit horrible so i choose to flush it out of the system.
Alternatively their are all sorts of proprietary cleaners available most of which seem to have the same ingredients as Milton but are much more expensive because they are bought form chanlders and not the baby section of your local supermarket.
/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
JKay
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I am a silly dog
[/ QUOTE ] /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I am a silly dog
[/ QUOTE ] /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Refueler
Well-Known Member
In fact it's not actually necessary to fill a tank to sterilise it unless you have 'scum' clinging to upper surfaces. The sterilising agents fumes are themselves good enough to sterilise. I only know this from Beer Making - as sterilising agents supplied for fermenting bins explain it all.
Biggest problem for me out here is no Baby Bottle fluids available. So have to use plain supermarket bleach. But this does have one advantage - it's strong !! and also fumes really do a job !
Biggest problem for me out here is no Baby Bottle fluids available. So have to use plain supermarket bleach. But this does have one advantage - it's strong !! and also fumes really do a job !
EdWingfield
Well-Known Member
Some bugs are protected by a slimy coating that is resistant to sterilizers.
So to begin, if poss, open the inspection hatch and scrub the surfaces with a brush and Milton/ cheap supermarket own brand bleach.
Then flush, sterilize as previously suggested and dose on each fill thereafter.
Detailed advice can be found if you search back on this forum.
So to begin, if poss, open the inspection hatch and scrub the surfaces with a brush and Milton/ cheap supermarket own brand bleach.
Then flush, sterilize as previously suggested and dose on each fill thereafter.
Detailed advice can be found if you search back on this forum.
Tengy
Active Member
May sound like a silly question, but how do you empty your tanks?
Don't really want to overuse the electric water pump by emptying the tanks twice in a day and it takes forever to empty ours using the foot pump...
Don't really want to overuse the electric water pump by emptying the tanks twice in a day and it takes forever to empty ours using the foot pump...
Refueler
Well-Known Member
Takes ages with my hand manual pump ... but at least I know the solution has cleaned that / pipes as well by time I'm finished.
temptress
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
May sound like a silly question, but how do you empty your tanks?
Don't really want to overuse the electric water pump by emptying the tanks twice in a day and it takes forever to empty ours using the foot pump...
[/ QUOTE ]
I do this once every two years or so and I'm not worried about the water pump. It is designed to pump after all...........
May sound like a silly question, but how do you empty your tanks?
Don't really want to overuse the electric water pump by emptying the tanks twice in a day and it takes forever to empty ours using the foot pump...
[/ QUOTE ]
I do this once every two years or so and I'm not worried about the water pump. It is designed to pump after all...........
S
Skyva_2
Guest
Milton worked well for me, and after a few refills the taste is very good; I have no hesitation in using the electric pump to empty 600 litres. Do clean the filters too.