Motorhome Water Tank Cleaning Tips

Going away in a motorhome can be a stressful ordeal, you have to remember to pack everything that you will need, ensure that it is in safe working order and can be used without issues, ensure that it has been serviced including the gas and electric systems, planning your journey and much more. One thing people often overlook however is the water tank and if it should be cleaned or not.

Keeping the water tank in your motorhome clean is incredibly important to ensure that things such as bacteria, bad smells and more don’t develop and grow within the same water you may intend to drink.

In the UK our drinking water is incredibly safe but that doesn’t mean that it cannot become contaminated if let to sit in warm conditions for extended periods of time. You want to know that you can drink and use the water in the tank to wash your hands or clean some dishes without worry of getting sick.

Warm summer temperatures can cause things such as Legionnaires disease to spring up, if left to sit in a warm tank for too long it can develop and become incredibly nasty for anyone who decides to drink the water. To avoid this, the water tank must be cleaned frequently, you may even want to install a water filter or boil the water every time before drinking to ensure that all the bacteria is taken away or simply not to drink the water in the tank and opt for safe drinking water on site.

Keeping the system in good order

Before any time away in your motorhome, you need to make sure that the tank is clean.

What can I use to clean my water tank?

You’d be surprised at how easy it is to clean the tank, you don’t need any specialist products or pricey items, you can buy all you need for less than £5 from your local store.

Puriclean

This is the most common motorhome tank cleaning product, it’s quick, easy and effective and will remove viruses, algae, bacteria, bio-film and more, basically all the things you do NOT want in your water.

It’s a flexible product that serves to clean and sterilise at the same time meaning you can do it all in one go without using multiple products or doing the same job twice. It will clean the entire system leaving you without any worries about items being left behind, the best part is that it doesn’t smell or harm anything in the water system meaning you do not have to sit in the smell that it leaves behind.

Bleach

Non-odoured bleach works a treat for cleaning up the water tank as it will remove and reduce all the dirt and grime whilst killing every piece of bacteria it touches in the process. Simply drain all the water from the system and mix 1 cap of bleach with 50 litres of water and put it into the tank and leave for 24 hours.

Once 24 hours have passed simply empty the water out and flush them to remove any bleach that may be left behind.

It’s worth noting that using bleach could be risky if it is not completely cleaned away as it is dangerous to consume, if you want to drink this water you need to be careful.

Cleaning vinegar

Cleaning vinegar helps to stop the growth of bacteria and other nasties, the process is very similar to using bleach to clean, just use 1 litre of cleaning vinegar for every 100 litres of water that your tank will hold, fill up the system and let it sit before rinsing afterwards.

How do I clean the tank?

We’ve already explained how to clean the tank but felt it would be better to take you through the process step by step to ensure there are no steps that are being missed, so without further ado, here is a step-by-step plan for cleaning your water tank.

• Firstly completely drain the system removing all the water from the water pipes and the boiler, there will be a drain value on the water system and you can also use the taps to rid some of the water from the system and get every last drop out.

• Once the water tank is empty you must fill it with water and a cleaning agent like the before mentioned items of bleach or cleaning vinegar and scrub it completely clean using a sponge or relevant brush.

• After cleaning the tank, empty it once again and rinse it out with the cleaning agent you have used to get rid of any final pieces of dirt or grime that are still lurking. Leave this in the system for a little while to allow the pipes to soak.

• Drain the pipes and water tank until there is nothing left and dry them out using something that blows air such as a leaf blower or pump for an air mattress to rid any sitting water. Then finally, rinse them out a final time.

How often should I clean my water tank?

How often your water tank should be cleaned depends completely on how often it is used and where you are in the country, if you are often on the road you naturally should clean it more often we recommend you clean this at least once a year but if the water has been sat for longer than four weeks then it should be completely cleaned. During this time thanks to changing temperatures and a lack of movement bacteria can start to form and make the water hazardous to drink.

Should I leave water in the tank whilst I am not using the motorhome?

Simply put, no. You will find that it will become infested with bacteria very fast alongside slime and other nasties, when you finish using your motorhome after a holiday make sure to drain the water out of it completely to ensure that it stays relatively clean in the meantime.

How can I take care of the tank whilst on the road?

Whilst on the road it’s important to ensure everything is kept clean and fresh so you don’t find yourself getting ill or simply using old water.

• Changing the water every few days will help to keep the water fresh

• Use as much water as you need, if there aren’t too many people going away then there isn’t a need to fill the water tank completely every time, be sparse with your usage.