Date:         Thu, 3 Jul 2008 15:57:08 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Subject:      Re: Care and feeding of the tank..
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"

  Keith, thanks, very comprehensive.  I think I'll be using the bleach
method you mention.  For now, summer camping season and bike racing season,
I guess doing the major clean with the strong solution of 1/4 cup bleach to
a couple gallons of water for initial cleaning.  Then I think, since I may
be filling for use again fairly soon and often, I will probably just put in
a few gallons of water with maybe a tablespoon of bleach to keep the inside
clean..Drain that out and re-fill for a camping trip..then drain again and
put the weak bleach solution back in for preventative measure.
  Thanks again..  16 gallons weighs about 250lbs, it's worth it (ten minutes
of work)  for fuel economy to remove that weight..at $5 a gallon for the
gas..
  Don Hanson

Date:    Thu, 3 Jul 2008 14:20:24 -0700
From:    Keith Ovregaard <kovregaard@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Care and feeding of a Westie water tank?

I've found that the best way to deal with the water tank when not in
use is to drain it after your camping trip and leave the top cover,
drain cap and filler cap open for a few days to let it dry out. I also
use a clean towel to soak up water on the bottom of the tank. Run the
pump until it goes dry. You can also use a hair drier with heat off.
If the van is parked outside, you may want to leave the filler cap
closed to keep out crud (bugs, dust, etc.). Makes sure to put the
drain cap back on if you plan on driving the van. This method
guarantees that no mold or algae will grow in there and has worked
well for me in the last 15 years or so.

Bleach treatment. Not everyone will want to use bleach due to it's
toxic and caustic nature, but if used with caution it works very well.
Now, if the tank needs cleaning, I will carefully pour some bleach
into the tank using the outside filler. It is not a good idea to bring
bleach into the van because it can easily ruin fabrics, etc. I use
about 1/4 cup mixed with a few gallons of water. Carefully pump some
of the mixture into the sink using an old towel to keep any splashes
contained. Let the mixture sit in the tank for 10 minutes or more.
Drive around to get it sloshing. Drain and rinse. Let it dry as noted
above. Your tank is now clean and bacteria-free.

By the way, 1/2 teaspoon of bleach can be added to a full water tank
to keep it from getting nasty. If you are treating water from a lake,
stream or shallow well, use twice as much household (5%) bleach and
wait twice as long before drinking it because it is more likely to
contain chlorine-resistant parasites from animal droppings. Let the
water stand for at least an hour after adding the bleach before you
start drinking it. If the water is colder than 10=B0C or has a pH higher
than 8, let the water stand for at least two hours before drinking.

YMMV

Cheers

Keith O

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