[VAC] Re: tow with fresh tank full-user guide???

["Terry Tyler" <tylerbears@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Randy,

You asked: "How do you "Clean and sanitize" your fresh water tank?"  

I use the detailed and extremely systematic procedure outlined by Joe & Kay Peterson in their book
"Encyclopedia for RVers" published 1988 by RoVing Press Publication in Livingston, Texas. The first
time I did it - took the better part of a day (including a 6 hour recess while waiting for the
vinegar and water mixture to do its thing). I suggest you go ahead and buy the book. It has a gold
mine of data in it. My copy is dog eared from regular use. 

Joe & Kay started the Escapees RV Club. If you aren't a member, take a look at:
http://www.escapees.com  
They have other books with tried and true techniques.

While your browser is active, another excellent source of common sense information is at:
http://www.phrannie.org/phredex.html 
If you print out his articles, be sure you a good supply of paper in your printer. 

Randy, you'll probably read posts about other methods for sanitizing and cleaning the water tank.
Each has its advantages. As you've heard so often on this list, the hows of doing certain jobs can
have subtle differences based on what occurred in the past. For example, if the water supply had a
high lime content, or a high sulfur content, or a high bacteria content, or was green and slimy, or
- or - or - then those factors need to be considered. 

With the procedure described by Joe & Kay, you'll get a basic starting point of knowing the water
tank is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Six months later, the procedure can be abbreviated based
on your personal knowledge about what's been inside your tank, for how long, at what temperatures,
etc., etc. 

It's obvious everyone is not the same in how they view their water supply or in how they use it. We
have friends who never put water in their tank. They buy water. They also never eat in their
trailer. They eat in restaurants. Other friends hook up to any campground water supply and only use
the water for bathing and personal necessities. They never drink the water. 

The range of differences is wide and varied. I mention this only to suggest that whatever system you
settle on will be what's right for you. And the same goes for everyone else. Just because I don't
use the system someone else uses doesn't mean he's wrong and I'm right. It only means his system is
right for him and my system is right for me. 

Now that you can see I'm not answering your question with an answer, but instead, am providing you
with a couple of leads so you can decide what's best for you, I hope you'll accept them in the
spirit they're given. 

Terry
mailto:tylerbears@airstream.net

PS - Two day's of severe weather alert in the high plains of Kansas kept us safely holed up in a
tiny Mom & Pop campground. Not a scratch or hail stone on our newly polished end caps. But, the wind
was awesome, even with our stabilizer jacks down and the Airstream hitched tight to the truck. 

Tonight, we're in Sylvan Park at the COE dam on Lake Wilson, Kansas. There are 9 large sites; we
have water and electric; the price is $4 a night; the dam is so high and we're so low that our
satellite receiver can't see the satellite; our cell phone is registering "no service" for the first
time ever; and there are two other families here "because the fishing is great this early in the
season and most people don't realize April camping can be so pleasant."