How to Clean an Arctic Fox Trailer's Water Tank

Chlorine used in moderation will sanitize your water system.

You love to get off the beaten track into the back woods with your Arctic Fox, carrying your water with you in case there is no hookup available. However, you want to make sure your water has not become stale while it was stored and that it will be safe to drink and cook with. Sanitize, flush and drain your water system before your next trip. Taking a few minutes for this task will assure you clean, fresh water wherever you set up.

Things You'll Need

• 1 gallon jug
• 1/4 cup measure
• Household liquid chlorine bleach
• Calculator
• Power source with 12-volt DC Power turned on (DC power is from your deep cell marine battery)

Instructions

1. Find the capacity of your water tank. For a 15 gallon tank, add 1/4 cup of liquid chlorine bleach to 1 gallon of water. If your tank is 20 gallons, you would need 1/3 cup of liquid chlorine bleach to 1 gallon of water.

2. Close all faucets and drain valves.

3. Add the chlorine water solution into the fresh water filler tank spout.

4. Using a hose that only is used for fresh water, fill the rest of the tank.

5. Turn the water pump switch to "On."

6. Go to each faucet in your trailer and turn it on and let it run until you smell a slight odor of chlorine, then turn it off. Do this for each faucet, including the cold and hot water spigots for each faucet. Also do this on drain plugs on the outside of your rig.

7. Fill the water tank back up to capacity and let the water sit in the tank for three to four hours.

8. Open all the fresh water faucets, drain valves and water tank valves and drain your entire fresh water system.

9. Close all the water faucets, drains and valves and repeat Steps 4 to 7 with fresh water. Do not use any chlorine solution for this step. This will flush out the chlorine.

10. Drain out all the water again from all faucets, spigots, drains and plugs..

11. Close the faucets, drains and plugs and refill the water tank from the fresh water hose.

12. If the water still has a chlorine taste, prepare a solution of 1 quart vinegar to 5 gallons water and put it in your water tank. Drive your rig around a while to agitate the water and drain and refill your tank.

Tips & Warnings

• The water pump adds pressure to your water. If the faucets sputter when they are first turned on, this is not something to worry about.

• You'll find it helpful to use hoses with visual differences for drinking water and waste water. Some people use colored duct tape or a hose with a specific color band to distinguish which hose is which.

• Don't run your water pump without water in the system.

• Chlorine bleach is caustic and when undiluted, can remove the color from fabrics or even degrade the fabric to the point that it gets a hole. Use extreme caution when pouring. It may be easier to use a quart size bottle than the larger gallon size. Some modern hoses are manufactured with materials that will taint the water and come with a label warning against drinking from the hose. Do not use one of these hoses to fill your water tank.

References

• 2004 Arctic Fox Owner's manual
• Northwood Manufacturing Company: Arctic Fox