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Old 08-05-2022, 01:54 AM   #1
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Sanitizing Fresh Water tank

Does anyone know the ration of water to vinegar when sanitizing the fresh water tank? I have a 2018 Citation with a 36 gallon Fr. water tank.

Thanks.

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Old 08-05-2022, 02:13 AM   #2
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I have never used vinegar. I sanitize with Chlorine (bleach)

1/4 cup of household chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite solution) for each 15 gallons of tank capacity.

So that is 5 oz for you and should be about 50ppm. Dump it after 4 hours.

If you in a hurry add 10 oz and dump in 1 hour.
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Old 08-05-2022, 02:19 AM   #3
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would prefer to use vinegar over bleach. Less toxic,
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Old 08-05-2022, 02:23 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandersonh View Post
Does anyone know the ration of water to vinegar when sanitizing the fresh water tank? I have a 2018 Citation with a 36 gallon Fr. water tank.

Thanks.
https://rvblogger.com/blog/safe-sani...-tank-vinegar/

So, How The Heck Do I Get Hot Vinegar?
If you are asking this question you really want to save the planet! And I commend you for it. There is a great answer to this question, however, and that is to use your RV’s hot water heater to heat the vinegar solution to over 130 degrees. And the beauty of doing this is that it actually kills two birds with one stone.

It turns out that hot white vinegar, in addition to sanitizing your freshwater system, is also perfect for removing the mineral deposits that build up in your hot water tank and on its anode rod. As an example of this, let’s take a look at your coffee pot. Sometimes you will notice white mineral deposits in your coffee maker. When this happens it is recommended by the manufacturer that you run white vinegar through the coffee maker to clean it. It’s the same exact principal here. The coffee maker heats the vinegar solution and then it cleans the mineral deposits from your coffee maker.

What is The Process to Sanitize The Tank and Water System?
I’m sure you are thinking – how do I get the hot water and vinegar solution from the hot water heater into the cold water lines in my RV? In order to heat the vinegar solution to run through your hot and cold lines just follow these steps:

Before you begin you will need a thread adapter to attach a garden hose to your RV kitchen faucet. You can order one from Amazon or pick one up at Home Depot or Lowes.
Make sure your water heater is off.
Set your water heater temperature to over 130 degrees while it is off.
Drain all the water you can from your water system and hot water tank.
Fill your fresh water tank with at least 15 gallons of a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar.
Open your kitchen faucet and run your water pump until water comes out and you smell vinegar.
Turn the water off and turn on the water heater. It will take at least 20 minutes for the water to reach at least 130 degrees.
While the water is heating attach a thread adapter to the kitchen faucet in your RV.
Attach a garden hose to the thread adapter and run the hose to the fresh water fill up outside of your RV.
When the water is heated up, turn on your water pump and run water through the hot side of the kitchen faucet so it will fill the fresh water holding tank with the hot white vinegar solution.
Once your fresh water tank has hot water in it you will run each fixture, one at a time, until you smell vinegar then turn the fixture off and move to another. You should be getting hot water out of the hot and cold sides of each fixture. NOTE: you will run the cold side of the kitchen faucet last in this process.
Don’t forget to run the solution through your ice maker, instant hot, or the drinking water dispenser in the fridge door.
Once you have run the hot solution through every hot and cold line to every fixture you can disconnect the garden hose and let the solution sit overnight.
The next day be sure your hot water heater is off. Remove the anode rod and drain and rinse out the water heater completely. You will probably see quite a bit of sediment when you rinse out the water heater. Re-insert the anode rod and then dial the hot water heating temperature setting back to 120 degrees. Please note that temperatures over 120 degrees can cause scalding.
Hook up to a fresh water supply and run fresh water through both the hot and cold sides of all of your fixtures until the vinegar smell is gone.
Now your entire fresh water system is sanitized and ready for use!
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Old 08-05-2022, 02:26 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Sandersonh View Post
would prefer to use vinegar over bleach. Less toxic,
Since when is Chlorine toxic?

It is in our city water, and it is what is prescribed in our owners manual for sanitizing the tanks. I even dump in the pool and 20 min later we have sanitized water for the kiddos.

But I get your choice or right to use Vinegar. I don't know the answer to your question. I actually never heard of anyone sanitizing with Vinegar?
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Old 08-05-2022, 05:24 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by dkoldman View Post
Since when is Chlorine toxic?

It is in our city water, and it is what is prescribed in our owners manual for sanitizing the tanks. I even dump in the pool and 20 min later we have sanitized water for the kiddos.

But I get your choice or right to use Vinegar. I don't know the answer to your question. I actually never heard of anyone sanitizing with Vinegar?
I feel while vinegar may do the trick for cleaning but wonder if it would smell.
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Old 08-05-2022, 11:06 AM   #7
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would prefer to use vinegar over bleach. Less toxic,
Sanitizing and disinfecting is the process of destroying or killing bacteria

At a minimum you want to knock their balls off
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Old 08-05-2022, 12:05 PM   #8
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ethanol (ethyl alcohol)

isopropyl alcohol

hydrogen peroxide

quaternary ammonium

phenolic compounds

sodium hypochlorite (bleach)

List of Disinfectants commonly used
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Old 08-05-2022, 12:10 PM   #9
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Halogen donors are typically used for Disinfectants and sterilization of water systems due to:

Efficacy, %kill
Cost
Availability
Easily tested residual
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Old 08-05-2022, 01:21 PM   #10
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Since when is Chlorine toxic?
Since it was invented. Why do you think it kills unwanted organisms? Have you read a bleach label?
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Old 08-05-2022, 01:29 PM   #11
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Since it was invented. Why do you think it kills unwanted organisms? Have you read a bleach label?
If it is NOT in my Owners Manual I have not read it

I assume he meant toxic to occupants. I gave directions of 50 ppm for 4 hours or super chlorination of 100ppm for 1 hour.
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Old 08-05-2022, 01:31 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by lwmcguir View Post
Sanitizing and disinfecting is the process of destroying or killing bacteria

At a minimum you want to knock their balls off
It is like fire ants or spraying weeds, when I treat them, I am not playing around. I want it to all die off in one application.
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Old 08-05-2022, 02:45 PM   #13
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vinegar is typically 5-8% Acetic acid

Kind of like peeing in your fresh water tank

Don't bother with it

If you have hard water scale, then use Citric Acid and getter done
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Old 08-05-2022, 02:51 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by lwmcguir View Post
vinegar is typically 5-8% Acetic acid

Kind of like peeing in your fresh water tank

Don't bother with it

If you have hard water scale, then use Citric Acid and getter done
I use Vinegar to kill weeds.
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Old 08-05-2022, 03:48 PM   #15
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I feel while vinegar may do the trick for cleaning but wonder if it would smell.
I won't even put the pink stuff in my fresh water supply lines. The thought of using vinegar caught me off guard. They say ignorance is bliss. I must be blissful because it is not going in my fresh water system When / if time comes to get a new hot water heater I will buy one. While I do check and replace the hot water heater anode when required; I have no interest in perceived longer life using Vinegar.
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Old 08-05-2022, 03:54 PM   #16
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I use Vinegar to kill weeds.
How many ozs ov Vinegar per gallon of water mix?

Does it kill grass too or just the weeds?

I made home a concoction out of Borax to kill fire ants. It kind of work, but then ants just started to go around it. They just moved to new sites. Killing weeds in my spare time is one of my favorite things to do. I have two 1 gallon sprayers, one with weed/grass killer and the other a Broadleaf killer. I am willing to try Vinegar on my lawn, but not in fresh water supply of RV.
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Old 08-05-2022, 04:05 PM   #17
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I use Vinegar to kill weeds.
Yeah buddy it does! better than round up!

taste good on salad also! ha
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Old 08-05-2022, 04:28 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by dkoldman View Post
How many ozs ov Vinegar per gallon of water mix?

Does it kill grass too or just the weeds?

I made home a concoction out of Borax to kill fire ants. It kind of work, but then ants just started to go around it. They just moved to new sites. Killing weeds in my spare time is one of my favorite things to do. I have two 1 gallon sprayers, one with weed/grass killer and the other a Broadleaf killer. I am willing to try Vinegar on my lawn, but not in fresh water supply of RV.
Gallon of vinegar, 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup dishwashing liquid. No water. Cleaning vinegar does best if you can find it. It kills grass as well so I wouldn’t use it in lawns.

Bleach for sanitizing per manufacturer’s instructions.
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Old 08-05-2022, 10:54 PM   #19
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Gallon of vinegar, 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup dishwashing liquid. No water. Cleaning vinegar does best if you can find it. It kills grass as well so I wouldn’t use it in lawns.

Bleach for sanitizing per manufacturer’s instructions.
If it were not for dishwashing liquid, and if were hot enough outside; I could bake cookies and kill weeds at the same time


I see $3 for a gallon of Vinegar at Wal Mart. I am gonna give this a shot. I normally put 2 ozs of concentrated Spectracide or Roundup in 1 gallon of water. Works well and last a long time.
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Old 08-05-2022, 11:23 PM   #20
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Side note... I have about 3/4 gallon of Kodak glacial acetic acid left from my photography days in the late 1970s. Most kids today would have no idea what a "stop bath" was for.

But if you want STRONG acetic acid, this stuff is the real deal... undiluted it will burn your skin in an instant.
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