Serious Error in Reflection Owner's Manual Regarding Water Sanitizing?

[TucsonJim]

Excuse me for this long post, but I need to understand. I was preparing to sanitize our water system today and I'm following the manual step by step. I believe there is an error on the manual which could potentially cause damage (or a very heavy bleach concentration) to the rig.


I'm going to summarize the steps below and provide questions/comments in RED text.


Step 1. Prepare a chlorine solution using one gallon of water and 1/4 cup of bleach for every 15 gallons of water capacity. No concern
Step 2. Level the RV. okay
Step 3. Close the fresh water system gate valve. okay
Step 4. Close the drain valves. okay
Step 5. At the docking station, turn the two Anderson KantLeak valves and fresh water tank access valve to match the diagram below: no problem. I did this
Step 6. Connect your garden hose - not your potable water hose - to the water inlet and place the other end in the container of chlorine solution. okay
Step 7. Turn on the water pump to until (sic) the container containing the chlorine solution is empty. okay
Step 8. Complete filling the tank with fresh water. okay
Step 9. Operate all faucets to release trapped air. okay
Step 10. At the docking station, turn the two Anderson KantLeak valves and fresh water tank access valve to match the diagram below: okay, I did this.
Step 11. Fill the container with 3 gallons of household bleach. This makes no sense. Isn't 3 gallons of bleach in the system excessive?
Step 12. Insert your garden hose into the container of bleach and turn on the water pump until the container is empty. Just where would this 100% bleach solution be going? There was not a step included to drain the water tank which was filled up in step 8.
Step 13. At the docking station, turn the two Anderson KantLeak valves and fresh water tank access valve to match the diagram below: I can do this, but I'm not sure of any of the steps after Step 9.
Step 14. Shut off the water pump. okay
Step 15. Connect the other end of the garden hose to a pressured water source and turn it on. The bleach and water will mix together to form a chlorine solution in the water tank. Continue this step until the chlorine solution runs out of the fresh water tank overflow tubes or the fresh water tank is full (whichever comes first). Since there was never a step to drain the water tank after step 8, there appears to be a disconnect in the instructions.
Step 16. Allow solution to stand for three hours. okay
Step 17. Drain the chlorine solution and flush the fresh water system with fresh potable water. okay.

It appears to me that steps 10 through 15 are redundant and incorrect. Unless I hear otherwise, I'll skip these steps and use the 1/4 cup bleach solution for every 15 gallons of water versus the 3 gallons of bleach as listed in step 11.

[CentralMichBo]

Jim - I have religiously sanitized every camping unit I've owned every year and have never used that much bleach. I have only used at the most, a cup of bleach for my entire water tank (usually 50 - 75 gallons). I added it to the fresh water supply and then pumped through out the system untill I smelled bleach out of each tap. I usually let it sit overnight and then flush everything out. I would ignore the 3 gallons!!

Jim

[WhittleBurner]

3 gallons of bleach , not even my germophobe bleach freak friend would use that much bleach in his trailer. I hadn't read that part of the manual yet but will in the next few days when we sanitize. No way would I have added that much bleach, it's just insane! like above I've never used more than a cup in our other trailer.

Marcy

[luckeyd1]

I have only used at the most, a cup of bleach for my entire water tank (usually 50 - 75 gallons). I added it to the fresh water supply and then pumped through out the system untill I smelled bleach out of each tap. I usually let it sit overnight and then flush everything out. I would ignore the 3 gallons!!

Jim

Thanks for the reminder to do this on my new unit. I agree, with this, except I have never filled my tank, just filled to about 1/2 to 3/4 ran pump to distribute till smelling bleach, let sit overnight, drain, refill, run pump to flush, drain, refill, go camping.

[Tumbleweeds]

I agree with everyone else. We lived on boat for nine years and NEVER used that much bleach to sanitize the water system. It's exactly the same type system. I just think some made a mistake in putting the directions together. Good call skipping those steps. Thank you for the heads up too.

[notsosan]

The manual for my present unit calls for 1/4 cup per 15 gal capacity and let sit for at least 4 hrs, or 1/2 cup per 15 gal capacity and sit for 1 hr.

[Renee]

Jim, I checked the Solitude manual...here are the directions as listed in the manual:
1. Prepare a chlorine solution using one (1) gallon of water and one-quarter (1/4) cup of household bleach (5% sodium hypochlorite solution).
Prepare approximately one (1) gallon of solution for each fifteen (15) gallons of holding tank capacity.
Note: as an option, several commercial solutions are available and should be used as directed on the package.
2. Level the RV.
3. Open the fresh water system gate valve.
4. Close the drain valves.
5. At the docking station find the plate stamped “Winterizing Station” and turn the white colored valve handle to “Normal” (horizontal).
6. At the docking station find the plate stamped “Water Heater Bypass” and turn the red colored valve handle to “Bypass” (vertical).
7. At the docking station find the plate stamped “City, Gravity” and turn the black colored valve handle to “City” (vertical).
8. Connect your garden hose – not your potable water hose – to the winterization fill, place the other end in the container of chlorine solution.
9. Turn on the water pump to until the container containing the chlorine solution is empty.
10. Complete filling the tank with fresh water.
11. Operate all faucets to release trapped air and turn off pump.
12. Allow solution to stand for three (3) hours.

[TucsonJim]

Thanks much. That's the same method I followed for my reflection.

[GDRV Service]

Hi Jim & Ginnie (@TucsonJim),

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Step 11 is worded incorrectly, it should read "Fill the container with 3 gallons of solution from step 1..." and will be corrected in our next revision.

Best regards,
~ Janice

[ANGChief]

So glad you guys addressed this - my hubby who has been sanitizing camping water systems for 30+ years was questioning the "3 gallons of bleach"....This forum is the best!