Hawcara Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I read somewhere that using Milton would not be a good idea to clean out the water tank. Therefore what should we use to flush down the hosepipe and then around the tank to stop any nasties and possible smells. We had a caravan before and used Milton then to flush out the system with no problems. Thank you :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superlou Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Hi there, we are new mh owners and our dealer recommended Milton to clean and sterilise the water system on our Chausson Flash 03. Hope that helps. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Milton is OK in most plastics but will corrode a hole into stainless steel very quickly if left in contact with it. We just use mark one tapolene and let the chlorine in the water do the job - if it's good enough for the UK water network it's good enough for me and after 30 or so years I'm never had a bad dose of the screaming abb dabs from my own water tank! Others will disagree and some spend out on filters and special chemicals? That's their choice and who is to say whether it is right or wrong - each to his/her own as we all do what we think is best for us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Milton contains chlorine. As Rich (tracker) says, chlorine corrodes stainless steel, although it is OK with plastics. If your motorhome has a Truma water heater, or a combined space/water heater (combi), look at the Truma recommendations for sterilising and de-scaling. I suspect you will find it says do not use a chlorine base product. The reason is that the jacket of your Truma heater is stainless steel, and should that be corroded you'll need a new heater at £1,000 plus. However, Truma do say that Milton can be used to sterilise, providing it is new, and is only allowed contact with their water heater for the minimum prescribed time. It must then immediately be drained off and thoroughly flushed out of the heater to ensure no residue remains. The system should then be filled and all air bled off. That Chausson dealer possibly needs to do a bit more reading! :-D The most readily available non-chlorine based sterilising product, so far as I know, is by Elsan, called Fresh Water Tank Clean. A water purifying and preserving additive called Elsil is available form the same company. See here: http://tinyurl.com/5rk8z3o From memory, it is claimed to keep water drinkable for up to three months. Should be available from caravan or motorhome accessories shops. The problem with relying on the chlorine in mains water, is that as chlorine is a gas, it is gradually lost from the water in the tank, which is not hermetically sealed. After about three days the chlorine will have been lost, and the water then becomes prone to contamination. So, if you do as Rich does, and use your van off site, so that with washing, cooking, showering, and washing-up, you need to re-fill every three days or so, you will replace the chlorine each time you re-fill. However, if you do as we do, and use campsites and their facilities, 100 litres of water can last us well over two weeks. We don't drink it raw in any case, only boiled, but you can see the need to keep the water, and the tank and pipes, free of algae etc. Used in this way, I can confirm that the Elsil works as claimed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawcara Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 Thank you all for your help. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 You are very welcome - glad to have been of help - and may I thank you for the courtesy of thanking us - so many people lack that refinement these days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I agree with Brian and Tracker, but just to add Milton does not help aluminium either. When Carver were around they actually said do not use Milton or any Chlorine based cleanser in their Cascade heaters. They recommended a neutral cleaner and steriliser used for home brewing sterilisation that unfortunately is no longer available. However that product is replaced by one called VWP and is still available at home brew stores and on line. I have noticed several posts on various forums regarding failure of the Cascade 'tie bar' of late which interestingly is made from stainless steel and ties the stainless and aluminium heater storage tank together. It makes me wonder whether later users of these older systems are unaware of the origional instructions and have not adhered to the origional instruction, though of course it may just be age related, hope not as ours is getting on now! Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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