Cleaning the Fresh Water Tank in a Camper & Motorhome

To use the water you carry in your camper without worry, regular cleaning of the fresh water tank (and of the whole fresh water system) is essential. With the right aids, it’s fortunately very easy.

In this article you’ll learn how to keep your fresh water tank hygienic without much effort.

Why It’s So Important to Clean the Fresh Water Tank Regularly

Regular cleaning of the fresh water tank matters a great deal, because deposits, bacteria and germs can build up over time. People often assume this wouldn’t happen if the water were filtered right when filling up – but a water installation in a motorhome is not a hermetically sealed system. Filtering when filling slows down the contamination of the fresh water system enormously, but it was not sterile at installation and never will be.

So in both cases it’s extremely important to keep bacteria and algae in check regularly, before the contamination gets out of hand.

Maybe you’ve run your fingers along the walls of a tank where water has been standing for a while? You’ll probably have noticed that it feels somewhat slimy or greasy – that’s the so-called biofilm, which you need to avoid if you want to use the water without worry.

Besides putting your health at risk, deposits and contamination can also shorten the lifespan of all components in the water system.

Signs That the Fresh Water Tank Needs Cleaning

An unpleasant smell of the water when you draw it from the faucets in your camper is an unmistakable sign that cleaning the fresh water tank is overdue. Please don’t wait until it gets that far. Once the contamination is that advanced, you’ve long been using polluted water.

Think of it like washing your hands as a matter of course – you can’t see the bacteria there either, but you know they’re there after you’ve touched many unfamiliar things.

So don’t wait for signs. Instead, set up a recurring entry in your calendar that reminds you to clean the fresh water tank in your camper.

How Often Should the Fresh Water Tank Be Cleaned at Minimum

As a rule, we recommend cleaning the fresh water tank at least once per season (even with filtering when filling).

Without filtering when filling, it depends mainly on the quality of the water you fill in. You can assume that water quality isn’t monitored as strictly in many places as it is here, and that the hygienic condition of the water system can deteriorate dramatically faster, depending on where your travels take you.

Cleaning the Fresh Water Tank with Alb Clean Active Oxygen Cleaner: Instructions

Cleaning the tank doesn’t have to be a long-dreaded chore you keep putting off. It’s done with very little effort if you use a suitable product:

Choosing the Cleaner

For effective cleaning of the fresh water tank, we recommend using a dedicated cleaner. We recommend a cleaner with active oxygen.

The way active oxygen works is mainly based on its ability to oxidize organic compounds. It therefore has disinfecting properties and can kill bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms, which contributes to hygienic cleaning.

Active oxygen is also generally more environmentally friendly than some other bleaching agents, especially chlorine-based ones. In the environment it breaks down into water and oxygen, leaving no harmful residues.

By oxidizing organic substances, active oxygen can also help eliminate unpleasant odors.

That makes active oxygen perfectly suited for cleaning the fresh water tank hygienically and in an environmentally friendly way.

Our Recommendation

We’ve added Alb Clean fresh water tank cleaner with active oxygen to our range. It is made in Germany under the highest production standards and can be used safely without effort and without rinsing the fresh water system afterwards.

Cleaning the Fresh Water Tank, Step by Step

Using Alb Clean fresh water tank cleaner is child’s play.

But before we start:

If you don’t use at least a coarse particle filter as a pre-filter when filling your fresh water tank, and you may also have taken water from not-so-safe sources, these additional steps beforehand are important for you.

1. Drain all the water from your fresh water tank.
   
   
2. Shine a light into the tank and check whether there are visible sediment particles in it. Through some water hoses on the road, sand, rust particles and the like end up in your tank.
   
   
3. If you find such coarse dirt deposits in your tank, first pick them up with a clean, lint-free cloth or a sponge. While you’re at it, also wipe over the tank walls to remove or loosen coarse buildup, and so prepare the tank for the upcoming cleaning with the active oxygen cleaner.

1. Fill the tank completely with water.
   
   
2. Add the cleaner in the amount specified for your tank size. The included measuring spoon makes it easy to dose the cleaner.
   (By the way, one can of Alb Clean is enough for 5 cleanings with a water tank volume of 100 l).
   
   
3. Briefly open all faucets so that the cleaning solution also fills the lines and treats them as well.
   
   
4. Let everything work for 2 hours.
   
   
5. Let the water run completely into / through the grey water tank. That way it benefits from the cleaning too.
   
   
6. Drain the water at a suitable place, done. Because the cleaner is non-toxic, rinsing afterwards isn’t necessary. Simply fill your tank with water again and enjoy it as usual.

Additional Maintenance Tips for the Fresh Water System

Regular tank cleaning is a perfect opportunity to give the water system a small check-up. That includes, for example, checking seals and connections, cleaning the pump pre-filter, cleaning faucets, and checking the drinking water filters.

If you check the components regularly, sudden problems during your well-earned vacation trip become considerably less likely.

Takeaways: Clean Water in Your Motorhome Through Tank Cleaning

• Biofilm, i.e. the buildup of bacteria and algae on the inner walls of the tank and in the hoses and pipes, must be avoided at all costs if the water carried in the travel vehicle is to be safe to use.
  
  
• Cleaners with active oxygen, such as Alb Clean fresh water tank cleaner, are ideally suited for this purpose – cleaning with them is hygienic, easy and environmentally friendly.
  
  
• Cleaning should be done at least once per season.
  
  
• For optimal safety of the water you drink and cook with, the water should additionally be filtered. Read more in our article “Which Water Filter Do You Need” and find out by answering 6 questions which filter suits you best.