Something dank and funky is living in your RV water tank. The water looks clean, but it smells strange and tastes even worse. You filled your freshwater tank with potable water, so what’s the problem? It’s probably bacteria lurking in the dark, hot corners of your holding tank.
Stinky water is gross and dangerous. You might be tempted to cram a pallet of bottled water under the bed, but before you do, try these 3 easy steps to make your RV water tasty and clean:
SANITIZE
PURIFY
FILTER
SANTIZE YOUR FRESHWATER TANK
If you RV full-time and boondock, the water in your holding tank has probably been sitting for days or weeks. Stuff is probably growing in there.
Cleaning out the crud might seem like a dirty job – but don’t worry. It’s a quick process that only has to be done periodically to keep the water safe.
All you need is access to a water source, a dump site, and some bleach. Follow these steps:
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FLUSH OUT THE DIRTY WATER. Turn off your water heater and drain the freshwater tank completely (having the water heater on with no water inside can damage your system).
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CONNECT A CLEAN RV WATER HOSE between your RV and a potable water source. Fill the tank with clean water.
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TURN ON ALL YOUR FAUCETS so freshwater runs through the pipes and out into your grey tank. Dump the grey tank; the water coming out should be clear.
QUICK TIP: Want to flush out the odor of antifreeze? After winterizing your system, sometimes the freshwater smells like antifreeze. After de-winterizing, add a box of baking soda to a full tank of water. Let it sit there for few hours then flush again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZZNwpiNZgA
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DISINFECT YOUR FRESHWATER TANK. Now that you’ve rinsed and drained the freshwater tank (Steps 2 and 3) remove any remaining bacteria or mold by disinfecting the system. Fill the tank with water again, but this time add bleach. Use approximately 1/2 cup of liquid bleach for every 16 gallons of water in your tank. Manufacturer recommendations vary; check your manual. If you have a gravity fill port on your RV, you can use liquid bleach.
Don’t have a gravity fill port? Put dried bleach tablets into the cavity of your empty water hose before you turn on the water.
QUICK TIP: Drive around if you can. This will mix the bleach-water and swish it into the corners.
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CHILL. Let that bleach water stay in your tank for 2 to 12 hours. Again, check your manufacturers recommendations. Keeping bleach in your tank for too long can damage your seals.
QUICK TIP: Three tanks one chore. If you can, follow the same process to disinfect your black and grey tanks!
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GET THE PIPES. Your tank is now disinfected, but don’t forget to flush out your pipes! Open up the cold and hot faucets (including the shower) and run the bleach-water from your freshwater tank out into your grey tank.
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DO A FINAL FLUSH. Run clean water through your freshwater tank, the pipes and out the grey again until you no longer smell bleach. Turn your water heater back on.
QUICK TIP: Fully disinfect your tank every six months, after your rig has been in storage, if you’re renting an RV, or if your fresh water has a funky smell or color.
PURIFY YOUR FRESH WATER
Your freshwater tank is now shiny and fresh. Keep it that way by adding a tiny bit of bleach each time you fill your tank to purify the water. Use only bleach with no perfumes or dyes. You don’t need much! Follow this chart, these guidelines, or these instructions from Clorox:
| Amount of Clear Water | Amount of Clorox® Regular-Bleach | Amount of New Concentrated Clorox® Regular-Bleach |
| 1 quart | 2 drops | 2 drops |
| 1 gallon | 8 drops | 6 drops |
| 2 gallons | 16 drops | 12 drops, or 1/8 teaspoon |
| 5 gallons | 40 drops | 30 drops |
FILTER YOUR DRINKING WATER
Your RV probably has a filter which needs to be changed periodically. In addition to that, I recommend super-filtering your drinking water with a Berkey.
I use a travel-size Berkey, which holds 1.5 gallons. I simply fill it from the tap water in my RV. The water slowly drips through two big filters down into a stainless steel canister with a tap.
Why Berkey? Because it gets out anything I’ve missed when disinfecting my tanks. Per Berkey, their filters “can remove hundreds of contaminants such as viruses, bacteria, cysts, parasites, pesticides, chlorine, fluoride, VOC’s and more.
Don’t let funky water derail an epic RV life! Fire up the grill and make ice-tea with the tasty water coming directly from your freshwater tank.
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I know the letters spell “Creativity RV” but when I see your videos and blog posts my brain reads “Practicality RV”. Since that is not a trait I possess in much abundance I deeply appreciate your well developed sense.
Robin, I am still in the planning stages of my RV life, but I swear, I was thinking about funky water just yesterday! Open my email, and bam! My girl has my back once again!
I’m so happy you are out there blazing a trail and sharing your insights! I save all the content, along with all the other gems out there. I feel fortunate to have so many resources. I know that whatever questions come into my squirrel brain, you probably have already shared your experiences.Thank you!
Thank you for this very important post and tips on cleaning your tanks. I lived aboard my sailboat for some 12 years, cruising ports from California to So.America, across the Pacific to Australia, back to the Pac. Nor.West and back down to Mexico. Of course my water supplies varied in cleanliness and safety, and of course I filtered, yet I occasionally got sick with some real nasties, even though I added a little bleach to my tanks. When the light finally came on, I took a clean, white cloth and swiped it in the wall of my tank…horrors! I actually spent several days draining, back flushing, cleaning, disinfecting the 150 gallon tank and all lines, just as you detailed in your post. Yes, do go easy on the bleach and leave the top/caps open for (overnight?) to allow the fumes to escape. You can bet I routinely disinfected the tanks after that.
No more creeping cruds!
Loved the video about the water. I really hope people listen to you. You are doing such a great job of informing others about the maintenance issues that go hand in hand with being a nomad. Hope we get to see more of you on youtube. Missed you and we guess you are ok and understand that youtube isn’t your life. But we have followed you from the beginning and worry about you like you are our own, LOL
I am dreaming of living full time in a pull trailer in the next year. Have been combing YouTube to get educated on all things RV-ing and greatly appreciate your thought-out tips and how-to’s. I’ve been building a journal and your recommendations are top notch. I’m a single female and am especially focused on safety/security. I have a CDL and have transported new RVs from Indiana to California and security was definitely my #1 priority. Look forward to learning more from your valuable experience!