Motor oil and water tank prep (not related!)

[Emcemv]

I bought a 5 gallon bucket of 40w oil yesterday from the local NAPA store for $80 inc tax. I didn't shop around much.

I was wondering what is the process for getting the bus potable water tank ready to fill in the spring, do I need to sanitize it? I put some RV antifreeze in it for the winter so I at least need to flush it out. What do you guys do???

[goutoe]

I usually fill my water tank about 1/2 then add about a cup of household bleach then finish filling the tank,( mine holds about 100 gallons) I run the pump until I smell chlorine at all faucets. I let it set overnight then flush the system good. This works good for me, but I still carry bottled water because I am not sure about water quality at camp sites, usually the fill station is located close to the dump station that bothers me.>>> John.

[expressbus]

Bruce,

Go to a pool or spa store. They have a product named Di-Clor. It is granular. Take note of the water level in the fresh water tank, then empty the tank. Take about two table spoons of Di-Clor and put them in the tank. Fill tank to a level higher than before you emptied it. Run water through every potable water source (kitchen sink, shower, bathroom lavatory, even the faucet in the black water underbay - if you have one) until you can smell the chlorine released by the Di-Clor at each of those points. Then empty the tank again before refilling with fresh water.

Will

[RJ]

Go to a pool or spa store. They have a product named Di-Clor. It is granular. Take note of the water level in the fresh water tank, then empty the tank. Take about two table spoons of Di-Clor and put them in the tank. Fill tank to a level higher than before you emptied it. Run water through every potable water source (kitchen sink, shower, bathroom lavatory, even the faucet in the black water underbay - if you have one) until you can smell the chlorine released by the Di-Clor at each of those points. Then empty the tank again before refilling with fresh water.

Just some supplemental info to Will's above comment:

Plain old household bleach is about 6% chlorine, less if you leave it in the sun.   (Sunlight degrades the chlorine very quickly.)

If you pick up liquid pool chlorine in the grocery store, Home Depot, or a pool/spa store, it's about 10 - 12% chlorine.

Di-Chlor in granular form is 55% - 62% chlorine, depending on the manufacturer.

The REALLY strong stuff is Tri-Chlor.  It runs about 99% chlorine in granular form.  It's what we in the industry use to turn a "swamp" back into a crystal blue pool again.  Very slow dissolving, which is why it's used in floater tablets.  Way, way too potent to use in this application!!

If you decide you want to use the Di-Chlor method, I would suggest you dissolve a couple tablespoons in a bucket of water first, then pour it into the fresh water fill.  It dissolves quite rapidly, especially in warm water.

Be careful about spills - you'll "bleach" your clothes!!

You can buy Di-Chlor in 2 lb bottles for spas, or in various-sized buckets for pools.  Chlor-Brite is Leslie's house brand, they also carry 1 lb bags for "shock treatment."  (Advertising hype, really. . .)  Other pool stores should have the 1 lb bags, it's a common industry staple.  Even tho it's more expensive per lb, I'd recommend buying just the 2 lb bottle for spas, small enough to leave down in the bay out of the way.  Just make sure the cap's on tightly, or the fumes will corrode everything around it!  Better yet, seal it up in a gallon-sized freezer zip lock bag. 

FWIW & HTH. . .