Water System - Cleaning with Citric Acid

[StuartO]

I cleaned my tank twice so far but there is a persisting smell from water which has been in the tank for a while so I'm going to have another go.  I've bought plenty of citric acid powder and I'm planning to fill the system completely with a suitable concentration of citric acid solution and then let it stand for a while before rinsing out.  I think the problem with my previous attempts is that I didn't fill to the brim with citric acid solution.

So the question is what concentration should I use?  (Apparently lemon juice contains about 8% of citric acid.) And how long should I let the solution stay in the tank?

[Steve H]

Stuart

Firstly I fitted a Floe water drainage system, money well spent in my view as it enables me to blow the last drops of water out of the system.

 

As for the citric acid, I have a 100ltr fresh water tank and a 10ltr tank in the boiler.

 

My personal method is as follows:

 

Dilute 1kg citric acid in warm water, pour in to fresh water tank, fill tank halfway with cold water.

 

Allow to stand for 24 hours. Top tank up completely, stand for a further 24 hours.

 

Heat water in boiler then allow to cool.

 

Pump solution through all fresh water pipes to taps and shower head and down in to the waste tank

 

Allow to stand for 48 hours then drain waste tank.

 

Blow through any remaining water in the system before flushing through with fresh water.

 

If you get it wrong you won't do yourself any harm you'll just be drinking lots of lemonade.

 

For I regular cleaning of the tank I'll use no more than 250g.

 

 

[Tall_Mike]

I use white vinegar - As stated in the worse case it will not harm anyone, beyond a bad taste.

 

Bought the Vinegar in a big container on Amazon for virtually nothing .... or very little.

 

Once, possibly twice a year, I drain everything down, - shut the valves and fill with 20ltrs of water, usually use a bucket into the top of the fresh tank, - Always more than 10 parts of water to one of vinegar, probably more like 15 to 1 - ie not a very strong solution.

 

I then run the taps and shower and ensure the boiler fills although no heat applied.

 

Go for a drive to swish it around a bit, drain it all out via the waste tank, - then repeat with the exercise, with fresh including running the taps and drain it out, - Haven't noticed a problem anywhere down the line and hopefully it isn't doing the boiler surfaces any harm

 

 

[chas]

Never had that problem with smells from the fresh water tank. What I do is on returning from a camping trip is to empty the tank from its bottom drain outlet, but because that's about 1 inch from the tank bottom, I then refill with a fast force of water from my mains tap, and let it run for 5 mins discharging out onto the drive.

To sterilise the tank at the beginning of the season I pour in about a gallon of diluted baby sterilising fluid and take the van a drive giving it a good sloshing around in the tank, before discharging that out.

[witzend]

This thread reminded me I ordered some last week that was recommended to me . I've never used it but Halfords do a cleaner designed for caravan/motorhome tanks called Puri Clean not very expensive

https://www.halfords.com/camping-leisure/caravan-motorhomes/water-waste/puriclean-100g

[StuartO]

Interesting that Halfords labelling claims that 100g of Puriclean will treat a 100 litre tank.  Next time I'm near a Halfords I'll try to discover what's in Puriclean - although I suspect they will not reveal that.  If it is simply citric acid, 100g in 100 litres isn't a very high concentration.

[Keithl]

StuartO - 2018-08-22 5:57 PM

 

Interesting that Halfords labelling claims that 100g of Puriclean will treat a 100 litre tank.  Next time I'm near a Halfords I'll try to discover what's in Puriclean -

 

From an Amazon Q&A...

 

"It only says that the Active ingredient is Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate"

 

Keith.

 

And a link to the Product Data Sheet...

 

http://www.partinfo.co.uk/files/006A%20400g%20Puriclean%20MSDS.pdf

[Derek Uzzell]

“Puriclean” has been around for quite a while. It’s referred to in this 2006 forum discussion

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Used-MH-what-do-I-need-to-clean-/5202/

[Paul-]

Puriclean is one of the best, baby bottle cleaner that contains chlorine isn't good for stainless steel and should be avoided if possible.

 

[StuartO]

Paul- - 2018-08-22 9:08 PMPuriclean is one of the best, baby bottle cleaner that contains chlorine isn't good for stainless steel and should be avoided if possible.

The manufacturer's website says it's safe with stainless steel and I don't think it does have free chlorine in it.

[StuartO]

Keithl - 2018-08-22 6:35 PMFrom an Amazon Q&A..."It only says that the Active ingredient is Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate"Keith.And a link to the Product Data Sheet...http://www.partinfo.co.uk/files/006A%20400g%20Puriclean%20MSDS.pdf

The Data Sheet says that Puriclean does contain some active chlorine!

[Paul-]

StuartO - 2018-08-23 8:53 AM

Paul- - 2018-08-22 9:08 PMPuriclean is one of the best, baby bottle cleaner that contains chlorine isn't good for stainless steel and should be avoided if possible.

The manufacturer's website says it's safe with stainless steel and I don't think it does have free chlorine in it.

I'll rephrase, Puriclean is one of the best and safest for caravans and its what I use, after I've used citric acid or white vinegar to remove limescale deposits.Some baby bottle cleaners and water purifiers contain chlorine and should be avoided as it can effect the stainless water tanks https://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=38

[Guest pelmetman]

Our van is 28 years old, we've owned it since it was 18 months old ;-) ...........

 

I've prolly emptied cleaned the tank with a cloth and detergent 5 or 6 times, never used anything else :-S ........

 

We've been full time in it for over 2 years now............dunno how I've survived :D ........

 

 

[StuartO]

pelmetman - 2018-08-23 8:06 PMOur van is 28 years old, we've owned it since it was 18 months old ;-) ...........I've prolly emptied cleaned the tank with a cloth and detergent 5 or 6 times, never used anything else :-S ........We've been full time in it for over 2 years now............dunno how I've survived :D ........

You've been lucky never taking on any contaminated water.  My current trouble (after 12 years trouble free) started when a site owner insisted I fill the tank from his hose pipe, which in retrospect must have had contamination of the internal lining which was disturbed when he go me to drive over it.  The result was a drainy smell to the water and I got a spectacular episode of D&V - and the legacy of thoroughly cleaning out still continues!

[tonyishuk]

Used same methodology as Steve H.

 

Citric acid from Amazon.

 

However after complaints from the management, I would leave drinking from the shower head for a while *-)

 

Rgds

 

[Will86]

So many of you get hooked on this word 'Stainless' !

 

There is NO single mix of elements called Stainless. There are several combinations and grades of elements referred to as Stainless. They all have a purpose for a particular industry. M/H use may be the lowest grade, no one will ever know.

 

So ... never use any detergent ... just open all valves after each journey !

[Will86]

pelmetman - 2018-08-23 8:06 PM

 

We've been full time in it for over 2 years now............dunno how I've survived :D ........

 

 

D,

 

You've survived quite well by mostly ignoring all the commercial hype about survival. I think I'm just ahead by a few brownie points.

 

W

[laimeduck]

Beer line cleaner is excellent stuff and is designed to clean & descale & ususally contains a bactericide. No problem with the metal & plastic fittings.

If you've had a pint in a pub, then you've had a pint pulled through pipes cleaned with the stuff. 

Loads of examples on Amazon

[tonyishuk]

Whilst on the subject of stainless steel;

 

If you have stainless steel sink bowls in the loo and kitchen, check that the hand wash does not react with s/steel. If you are lucky you will find a warning on the bottle, if unlucky, you will have rather nasty patches of corrosion on the sink surface.

 

Rgds

 

 

 

 

[StuartO]

tonyishuk - 2018-08-24 9:38 AM..... I would leave drinking from the shower head for a while *-) Rgds

We didn't drink any of the contaminated water we took on board.  I noticed the drainy smell for a few seconds only as I had a shower.  I probably contracted what is presumed to have been a norovirus infection by inhaling the virus in the shower compartment.  Inhaling contaminents in the shower is also the way Legionaires Disease is contracted.  Both virus and bacterial infections can be contracted in this way.

[Raymond]

Hello All Some time ago I read that somebody was having trouble with his with CBE Control panel as the tank capacity indication kept on flashing. My control panel is CBE and the type is PC 100 TR on a Chausson Welcome. The water tanks are both empty. I do not know if these have sensors and where these are attached to. I checked all the fuses all correct. Who may help me to establish what is wrong? Is there a possibility that the sensors get stuck?

 

Ray

[Charles]

I've used VWP for the last 3 years (I think it's the same stuff as puriclean) it's a bit cheaper on amazon at the minute if anbody is interested £12 for 2 x 400g

 

VWP 400g Steriliser / Cleaner - Twin Pack https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07BRN5NZ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XabHBbN30A2X2

[Derek Uzzell]

Raymond - 2018-08-27 3:36 PM

 

Hello All Some time ago I read that somebody was having trouble with his with CBE Control panel as the tank capacity indication kept on flashing. My control panel is CBE and the type is PC 100 TR on a Chausson Welcome. The water tanks are both empty. I do not know if these have sensors and where these are attached to. I checked all the fuses all correct. Who may help me to establish what is wrong? Is there a possibility that the sensors get stuck?

 

Ray

 

Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums Ray.

 

CBE’s PC-100 is a ‘modular’ system comprising the components listed on the follwing link

 

http://www.cbe.it/en/pc-100/

 

An Instruction Manual for the PC-100 system can be found here

 

http://www.rainbow-conversions.co.uk/user/downloads/CBE/CBE%20PC100%20&%20PC200%20instructions%20manual.pdf

 

and ‘blinking’ is referred to on Page 11. (There is a mistake, as “4” relates to the fresh-water tank contents test, not to an awning-light.)

 

The fresh-water tank will have the sensor-unit shown in the 1st attached photo below. This is fitted into the top of the tank with the unit’s ‘probes’ descending vertically downwards inside the tank.

 

The waste-water tank will have a couple of sensor-screws of the type shown in the 2nd attached photo. These are screwed into the side of the waste-water tank towards the top and indicate when the tank is approaching full. When that happens the Led (“7” on the diagram) should start to blink.

 

(My 2005 Hobby motorhome had a PC-100 system and I have a vague recollection (quite possibly wrong!) that an Led on the control-panel would blink when the fresh-water tank was approaching empty.)

 

The probe sensors in the fresh-water tank and the screw-sensors in the waste-water tank cannot ‘stick’, but false readings can be produced if scale-deposits form on the probes, or the screw-sensors become gunged up.

 

If the Led that’s blinking is the one that indicates an approaching-full waste-water tank, and this is happening despite that tank being empty, check that the electrical cables leadng to the screw-sensors are properly connected to those sensors and that the connectors are not corroded.

 

Try disconnecting the cables from the screw-sensors and see if the Led stops blinking. If it stops blinking, but starts blinking again when the sensors are reconnected, it’s likely that the parts of the sensors that protrude inside the tank are linked together by ‘muck’. You’ve then got two choices - either remove the screws, cleanthem and refit them, or attempt to clean them by pouring a substantial quantity of bleach into the tank, adding water so that the tank is full and then letting it stand for (say) a couple of days.