Hey hun.
Yeah, what's up?
We need to like, sanitize our whole water system.
Like our fresh water tank and our water lines.
No.
That's not a thing.
Yes, yes. It's a thing. I saw it on the YouTube. You have to like...
put water and bleach in your lines, and clean it out. It's something we have to do.
Oh you're being serious.
And the problem is.. I don't know the process of how it works or how often you do it so then...
Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Guys, it's super easy.
We're here to show you that process. It's all good.
So glad you clicked on this video because today we are talking about
sanitizing your fresh water system, when it comes to your Grand Design RV.
So come on guys. Let's do this.
Whoa.
Much better so if this is your first time here, welcome to our channel, I'm Renee.
What's up guys, I am Kyle.
And we are HappilyEverHanks. And our channel is dedicated to RV inspiration, how to's...
everything you need to get out here. Live small but experience big.
Whoop.
A big thing a lot of people ask is when or how often should I be sanitizing our water system?
It's a huge question and it's really simple when you think about it.
Part-timers are recommended to do it at least, every six months.
Because you're sitting in a stationary place.
And you have more potential for that bacteria buildup.
But if you're full-timer, and you're on the road...
you're going to be using that water system continuously and often.
And that bacteria build up is gonna be less.
So if you're a full-timer, you don't have to do it as often.
Our recommendation is every 6 to 12 months.
So another question people ask is, why do I even need to sanitize my fresh water system?
And it's simple.
Bacteria like to live in dark moist environments which is what your holding tank is for your fresh water.
Big consideration that you guys want to think about, when actually doing this process...
is letting the bleach water sit for an extended period of time, within your water lines.
The reason being, the more time you give it, the more time it has to break down that bacteria...
and get the job done correctly, the first time.
Our recommendation is allowing that bleach water to sit in your water lines for 12 hours.
Now if you can't do that, a good takeaway is you can actually do it for around five to eight hours...
depending on how much time you have to work with.
Our Grand Design RV has the P1 Nautilus System...
which I'm going to talk a lot about during the actual sanitizing procedure.
You're gonna hear me talk about the red knob being turned certain ways.
And what we're doing with that, is bypassing the water heater.
If you ever wonder how to just directly bypass your water heater, in future scenarios...
all you have to do is turn that red knob to the left.
So now knowing that this process is gonna take multiple hours, just take some extra steps.
Grab some extra water for actually washing dishes, flushing the toilets...
brushing your teeth, or maybe having something to drink during, the whole process.
Because now you know, that this is gonna have to sit in your fixtures for an extended period of time.
and unfortunately you're just not gonna have access to water.
Okay, so let's go into the actual steps of sanitizing your water system.
But stick around to the end guys, cause we still have to do our RV tip of the week.
Also, we have some extra bonus tips, when it comes to...
how to get that bleach taste, smell out of your water lines.
Stick around guys, let's do it.
First, if you have any water in your fresh water tank, you should drain it out.
Water that has been sitting in your holding tank, for a while, could have a buildup of bacteria.
Next, determine your bleach to water ratio.
We use one cup of bleach for every 60 gallons of water, which is pretty typical.
For example, our fresh water holding tank is 90 gallons. So we use one and a half cups of bleach.
Go ahead and add your bleach to the bucket and fill it the rest of the way with water.
We need to now get the bleach mixture into your water holding tank.
On your Nautilus System, use the sanitize feature...
which will siphon from the bucket, directly to the fresh water holding tank.
Fill the fresh water holding tank the rest of the way.
Once your tank is full, it is time to get your solution from the tank into the fixtures.
Set your Nautilus System to dry camping mode but keep the red knob turned to the left.
This will allow water to be pumped from the holding tank into the fixtures, while bypassing the water heater.
Open each faucet in the RV, one at a time, until you smell bleach, then turn it off.
This takes about five to ten seconds for each one, just in case it is hard to smell the bleach, after a while.
Don't forget about the outside shower and or washer dryer lines.
Let the bleach solution sit in the lines and fresh tank, for about 8 to 12 hours.
The next day, or 8 to 12 hours later, it is time to drain your fresh water holding tank.
Keep the Nautilus System in dry camping mode, with the red knob turned to the left.
Now you can open up your faucets to allow water to drain into the sinks, until the holding tank is empty.
Fill the fresh water holding tank back up, and then drain again...
to rinse the tank and water lines, to get all the bleach out.
So you made it through the process. Not so bad, right?
So guys, if you are having a hard time rinsing all that bleach out.
You know, like I said, it might take two or three times to refill your tank and get that bleach taste out.
What you can do, is actually put some vinegar in your fresh water tank.
And let that sit for a little bit and run that through your lines.
And as promised, we are bringing you your RV tip of the week.
(music)
Shout out to Brad and Diana, from It's About Time Now, for their RV tip.
And Brad and Diana said, "be able to accept plans changing, be gumby we say...
plans changing often give you surprise opportunities".
Well said guys. You just never know what else can happen...
when plans don't go the way you think they should. -That's so true.
But it's always new opportunities out there, waiting for you.
So guys, just stay safe out there. And we hope that this brought you some good information.
So if you guys like this video, give it a thumbs up. -Yeah.
And also, hit the subscribe button because...
in a little bit we're going to be coming out with another video on how to...
sanitize and clean your water heater.
Coming straight to you guys. We'll see you next week.
HappilyEverHanks, checking out.