Water quality is important and should be considered every time you use your RV. Take care of your RV water system and it will provide you with years of dependable service. The potable water system in your RV requires some maintenance to keep it trouble free. If you get that notorious stale odor all is not lost you can sanitize your water system and clean it out.

When you return from a trip you need to drain the entire water system to prevent it from getting stale and musty.

    Drain the water heater. Go to the outside compartment where the water heater is located. Remove the drain plug and open the pressure relief valve on top of the water heater to assist in draining. NEVER drain the water heater when it is hot or under pressure.
    Locate the low point water line drains. There will be one for the hot and one for the cold water lines. Open these and let the water drain out.
    Drain all of the water from the fresh water holding tank. At this point you can turn the water pump on for a moment to force any remaining water out. Do not let the pump continue to run once the water stops draining.
    Close and cap all the drains.

This just drains most of the water from the system to keep it from getting stale, your camper is not winterized.

Your fresh water system needs to be sanitized annually to prohibit the growth of harmful bacteria. At a minimum you should sanitize the system every spring when you take the RV out of storage and any time you notice stale water or an odor. For proper procedures contact our service department or your local health department. Following is a general procedure, but check with your local health department or allow our RVIA Master Certified Technicians to do it for you.

    (1) Take regular household bleach, 1/4 cup to each 15 gallons of tank capacity.
    (2) Be sure to dilute the bleach before filling the tank.
    (3) Run all the faucets (except the toilet) to get the solution in all the lines.
    (4) Drive around the block to slosh it; then empty the tank.
    (5) Next use a 1/2 cup of regular baking soda dissolved in a bucket of water and fill the tank.
    (6) Run all the faucets (except the toilet) to get the solution in all the lines and then drain the tank.
    (7) Fill the tank with clean water, run the faucets, and drain the tank one more time.