Cleaning water tank on trailer

**JAS** · 2008/08/11, 03:46 PM

Hi all

Any ideas on how to clean the water tank fixed to my Echo 4 without removing the thing ? What do you guys do ?

I do empty it out after camping but it allways has bit of water left in .........

Thx

4ePajero · 2008/08/11, 03:56 PM

I would not empty it, but rather fill it with water. (Deprive growth of oxygen)
Add salt and bleach.
Empty and re-fill before you go on the next trip.

Skipfari · 2008/08/11, 04:05 PM

Hi Jas.

Get Cellor liquid from Cosave hardware. Pour 1L of cellor Liquid with 50L of water. Let it stand overnight. Drain and rinse tank/system.
Alternative is Chlorwash F. Use one cup of powder on 50L of water. Pour in tank, drain and rinse.

Chlorwash F is expensive (but very good - dairy farmers use it to clean their equipment from algea and bacteria.

Regards.

**ZR6SGN** · 2008/08/11, 06:29 PM

Mine stands empty with the filler cap off and tap open - cover these with a stocking to keep dirt out. It stands in the sun and the tank eventually dries out. A few days before use, fill it up with water and put two caps of Jik and let it stand until the day before you leave. Then drain for one night and fill with your drinking water the next morning. So far, so good - haven't had the gyppos yet and it tastes fine.

**Gaitshi Gubib** · 2008/08/11, 07:05 PM

A similar thread a while ago :

http://www.4x4community.com/forum/sh...ean+water+tank

**Cats** · 2008/08/11, 08:38 PM

JAS

The solution is to camp more often!!

CATs

**Eben** · 2008/08/11, 11:23 PM

I agree with JohnDough. Miltons is the way to go.

**Bullet** · 2008/08/12, 07:24 AM

I need to clean the whole water system (including geyser) on my Explorer! Would Miltons not harm the system / geyser

?

**Eben** · 2008/08/12, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by Bullet

I need to clean the whole water system (including geyser) on my Explorer! Would Miltons not harm the system / geyser

?

I don't know, but I think if Miltons is effective enough to kill all sorts of goggos, but safe enough to not make babies sick, then it should be ok to put through your geyser.

**Bullet** · 2008/08/12, 08:41 AM

Thanx Eben, makes sense to me but as i am not a very mechanically orientated person, rather check than be sorry!

4ePajero · 2008/08/12, 08:44 AM

Miltons is a mixture of

water,
table salt
household bleach.

(Check the bottle)

**Eben** · 2008/08/12, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by 4ePajero

Miltons is a mixture of

water,
table salt
household bleach.

(Check the bottle)

Is there someone on these forums with enough knowledge of chemicals and chemical processes who can give us a "recipe" for mixing up our own version of Miltons?

Normally, I'd experiment until I got it right, but we're talking about drinking water here and I'm not overly keen on going to hospital with chlorine poisoning each time I get it wrong.

4ePajero · 2008/08/12, 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by Eben

Is there someone on these forums with enough knowledge of chemicals and chemical processes who can give us a "recipe" for mixing up our own version of Miltons?

Normally, I'd experiment until I got it right, but we're talking about drinking water here and I'm not overly keen on going to hospital with chlorine poisoning each time I get it wrong.

From this web site:

If Miltons solution is not available use
commercially available concentrated chlorine
(household bleach) which has 4% available
chlorine for example White King. Add 6.25mls
(1 teaspoon) of household bleach to 2 litres of
cold water.

**Swanny** · 2008/08/12, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Bullet

I need to clean the whole water system (including geyser) on my Explorer! Would Miltons not harm the system / geyser

?

I used 2 caps of Miltons once in my Explorer. I could not get that taste out of the tank. Even after rinsing about 20 times. I eventually put a little bottle of vanilla essence in the tank with a tank of water. I left it for 2 weeks, rinsed. Now I just drain and leave open between camps.

**Bullet** · 2008/08/12, 09:32 AM

Excuse my ignorance again!

Got hold of a bottle of Milton fluid and the reverse states that content not to be used on metallic surfaces or objects. The water tanks in my van are plastic, but the geyser and piping is all metal! Some more advice please?

**karoo landy** · 2008/08/29, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by Bullet

Excuse my ignorance again!

Got hold of a bottle of Milton fluid and the reverse states that content not to be used on metallic surfaces or objects. The water tanks in my van are plastic, but the geyser and piping is all metal! Some more advice please?

I'm also not an expert when it comes to chemicles however I see it as follows.

In the factory where I work we use caustic soda, citric acid and nitric acid to cleen the tanks and pipe work.

The general rule is, the longer the wash chemicle is exposed to the material the more it will do the job of cleaning.
Most cleaning chemicles are corrosive to metalic material.
The trick is to the lenght of time and the temperature of the chemicle beeing used. In other words the longer you leave the chemicle in the pipe the more it will corrode the pipe.

Milton fluid will be corrosive if left for too long in the pipes. The producers will put this warning onto the box to protect themselves against this.

In other words it will be safe to use if you wash and then rince with water. If you wash and leave the product in the pipes then it will corrode the pipes.