# Pre First Trip Questions



## akdream (Mar 21, 2006)

We are taking our 28 KRS out for the first time in about a week. It is the first TT we have had, tents only prior to this. There are so many great suggestions and comments but I still have a few. The main questions is about the water. We will be taking water with us as it is still early spring and the campground may not have its hook-ups ready. The tank and water system has not been flushed or used since we bought it. What all do we need to do? Hot water tank, do we fill & heat it before we go? We will take any other hints or ideas anyone has, I not to proud to admit that I feel a little overwelmed.


----------



## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

I think its something like this
Mix a 10% solution of bleach and water fill in your fresh water tank
Leave the heater in the bypass position
turn on your pump open spigots until you smell the solution then close them
And let them sit for about 15-20 mins
Drain the fresh water tank, then filled with water & baking soda
opened the spigots again run them for a bit then let it set for 10-15 mins to neutralize the bleach solution
Then flush the whole system out with clean fresh water.
That's what I did
I'm sure others will chime in

Don


----------



## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

I used about a cup of bleach and all the rest water. Hopefully by 10% bleach solution you didn't mean add 4 gallons of beach to 45 gallons of water....


----------



## campingnut18 (Mar 11, 2004)

make sure you fill your hot water tank before you light it.
it only takes about 30 seconds to burn the elements out.

campingnut action


----------



## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

I used about 3/4 of a gallon of bleach to my 50 gallons of fresh water and filled the complete system including the HW system. lety it stand 15 minutes and then flushed the entire system out twice or until I didn't smell the bleach anymore. For the campground I use a filter after my pressure regulator to remove any sediment from the parks system. We also do not drink or cook with the water, only shower and wash. I have been carrying a case of gallon spring water but I am currently looking for 3 or 5 gallon water containers so I can bring my home RO water to drink.


----------



## Reggie44 (Aug 12, 2005)

You should leave the chlorine in the lines for at least 4 hours. Contact time is an importent part of chlorinating the system. Make sure you open and close all faucets both the hot water and cold water.


----------



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

To summarize, akdream.

Yes, you do want to flush and sanitize the system.

You should do a chlorine bleach treatment first. This kills any bacteria in the system. As noted, run it through all the lines (hot and cold) until you get a strong chlorine odor from each... then let it run some more. You should NOT use a lot of bleach however (bacteria is not the only thing it will kill!). Your manual will tell you how much, but as 7heaven said, it will be in the neighborhood of about a cup or two total. Also, as Reggie mentioned, to be effective you need to let it sit for awhile. Four hours is great, but I believe the manual will tell you two hours. It is important to treat all the system, so make sure the water heater is getting some as well.

After this, the optional baking soda treatment will neutralize the chlorine smell. Dissolve a couple of cups in hot water, add that to the tank, and then fill the rest of the way. Again, run the solution through all the lines for a couple of minutes, and then let it sit for a couple of hours before draining.

Finally, fill the tank with fresh water, flush the lines, and drain the tank to taste. I find it takes two full flushes to satisfy my mind that all the bleach has been evacuated from the system.

As long as you do not leave water standing stagnant in the tank for long periods of time, you are probably good to do this once a year... maybe twice.

I am also of the same school of thought as nynethead, we do not use the tank water for drinking or cooking. For that, we carry bottled water. We also have a high quality filter under the kitchen sink with it's own spigot that we use for those 'in-between' tasks.

Hope this helps. Have a great trip and...

Happy Trails,
Doug


----------



## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

Yep, same as Doug, except I let the bleach water stay in the lines and freshwater tank OVERNIGHT. Then the next day I flush with baking soda.

And yes...ONE CUP of bleach per 40 gallons.

Randy


----------



## GoVols (Oct 7, 2005)

I will add:

Don't travel with a tankful of water unless necessary. Water weighs 8.34 lbs per gallon, so if you travel with 50 gallons of fresh, that's an additional 417 lbs you are towing. Call ahead to see if water is available at the campground. If you don't have water at the campsite, many times the CG will have a spigot to fill up at before you park your trailer on your site.

That being said, I will put about 10 gallons in the tank before leaving the house in case the kidos (or us big people) need to take a potty break before reaching the campground. Rather use my facilities instead of someone else's.


----------

