Question for Snowbirds March 02, 2015, 01:54:10 pm Yahoo Message Number: 151429To those LD owners who have to winterize their rigs, how safe is it to drink from the rig's water system after the LD wakes up from the winter storage after using Camco RV antifreeze? I know Camco SAYS that their product is 100% safe to drink after cleaning out the water system. We were full timers for 6 years and never had to winterize so this is going to be a little new for us when we get our new LD sometime in Aug. Any thoughts? Thanks John in Bend, OR.
Re: Question for Snowbirds Reply #1 – March 02, 2015, 03:05:39 pm Yahoo Message Number: 151432I do not have the lab equipment to defiantly state that there is no issue. But I winterize every year with antifreeze and I have noticed no issues. On the fresh water side I only use antifreeze in the pump and and strainer.It should be noted that people from the North East LD community and my wife may not be so quick to claim that I am without issues but I do not believe those have anything to do with the antifreeze. When I restart am very careful flush the system a couple times using the LD manual as a guide. I also remove any water in the fresh water tank and flush the system whenever I have not used the RV for more than a week or 10 days as the chlorine will bubble off and stuff can start to grow in the pipes when water is not running through them as would be the case if the RV was in use.Nothing to do with antifreeze, but worth mentioning is that you want to remove the faucet strainers shower and sink heads before flushing the system. The water heater sends sediment through the pipes that causes problems. Once water is running freely attach those devices and run water through them before using the RV in the field. John DaCrema 07 MB
Re: Question for Snowbirds Reply #2 – March 02, 2015, 05:01:35 pm Yahoo Message Number: 151435You'll find different opinions, John, but I think most folks don't drink from the water tank unless it's really, really thoroughly sanitized and/or used with some sort of a water filter. Personally, I sanitize my water tank after dewinterizing (first fill-up in the spring or whenever) but drinking/cooking water comes from fresh water jugs we travel with.Chris
Re: Question for Snowbirds Reply #3 – March 02, 2015, 08:12:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 151440John, We've had 9 different RV's over the years and I've never used any type of an RV antifreeze in the fresh water tank. I drain everything, then if necessary, blow out the lines. The only place I use RV antifreeze is in all of the traps. When the RV has sat for a long period of time, I add a gallon or 2 of White Vinegar to the fresh water tank and fill it up. I then pump the vinegar water through the whole system and let it sit for a day. Plastic absorbs and I would much rather add a natural product like white vinegar, than a commercial RV antifreeze. I have on occasion added a cup of bleach to some of the older RV's we've had, just to sanitize the tank prior to our using it for the first time. As a side note, after we dump our black water tank, we add a half gallon of white vinegar and a couple (toilet) bowls of water and let it slosh around while we drive. It's the best cleaner/sanitizer I've ever found!Jim in Salem Oregon 27' MB
Re: Question for Snowbirds Reply #4 – March 02, 2015, 09:03:17 pm Yahoo Message Number: 151441John, I failed to say that I flush the fresh water tank and lines with fresh water, once or twice after the vinegar water is drained out.Jim