Fresh water system, maintenance advice

[Sandy]

Hi, I'm hoping to get some advice/tips about using and maintaining the fresh water system in our van. I've searched this forum and used Google, but I could not find any related information for our setup.
We have an onboard 10L removable plastic tank which is fed to the sink via an electric pump. We use this water for boiling the kettle, brushing teeth etc, we do not drink this water directly. The waste water drains straight out the bottom of the van and is not stored on board.
Should I be draining the system after every trip (not 100% sure how best to achieve this), I'm aware that I can damage the pump if I run it without water in the system.
How often should the system be cleaned/sterilised/flushed and can anyone recommend any suitable products to ensure we keep the water system in tip top condition?

 

[Nigel W]

My tank is fixed but I drop these in before use, they do make the water taste a bit tho’
We empty the tank after every trip a) to keep the water fresh and b) to prevent freezing in winter and bursting the pipe/pump

Aquatabs Nadcc 167mg x 50 World's #1 Water Purification Tablets 1 tablet treats 20-25 litres Purify tank camping prepping : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

Aquatabs Nadcc 167mg x 50 World's #1 Water Purification Tablets 1 tablet treats 20-25 litres Purify tank camping prepping : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Pete C]

I use Milton sterilising tablets.
Put one of these in the tank with water, let it dissolve, then run the tap to get the mixture through to the tap. Leave it for 10 mins then repeat until all the mixture has been used up.
Run through with just water, and it’s done.

I do this any time I know we aren’t going to use the van for more than a few weeks.

Pete

 

[CAB]

We have a 20l removable container, we empty it and leave it out and open to dry after a weekend. I take out the feed pipe and Run the pump for a few 10s of seconds and leave the end trailing in the sink.

Like you, have done a lot of reading but not got a definitive answer as to how long you can safely use a tank.

Not been at this long, only 3 weekends so far, and day trips during lockdown.

 

[Teesix]

A plastic bottle of water should be consumed within 3 days of opening. (Apparently.) I don't know if that's an indication of how long you should keep the water in your tank for but, it's a sort of benchmark.

 

[Sandy]

@Teesix I think this is sound advice. I'm pretty sure I've read that the chlorine in the water will dissolve around 24 hours from the mains supply, so another couple of days before nasty stuff starts growing in it.

 

[JasonW]

If your water is stored in a uv resistant container, usually blue or black then this will limit light exposure which slows bacteria and algae growth making the water safer for longer...