How to Clean the Water Tank of Your RV

There’s a lot of upkeep that goes into your RV in order to ensure that it will continue to run smoothly for years to come. One of the most important components that you’ll want to maintain regularly is the gray water tank of your RV, which plays a major role in keeping your camping experience comfortable. Your camper’s plumbing system is very complex, so letting it get too dirty can lead to costly repairs. We have put together this brief guide to help you out with the task of cleaning your RV’s water tank.

Gather Your Cleaning Supplies

First, you’ll want a hose that’s compatible with your gray water tank. You’ll also need a cleaning agent that’s designed for the job. Some RV owners opt for dishwasher detergent, but we’d recommend specialized cleaning products for achieving the best results. Finally, you may want a heavy object, like a rock or brick, to weigh down your draining hose and keep it from wriggling around while you’re cleaning the tank.

Draining the Grey Water Tank

The gray water tank has a lot of chemicals and by-products in it, so it’s not something that you can just dump on the side of the road. You actually need to be careful with how you empty and clean this vital component. On the outside of your gray water tank, there’s a monitor that displays how much liquid is inside the tank. Once it’s about 75% full, you’ll need to add a cleaning agent and then dump it. We recommend putting the cleaning product down one of the drains, then running hot water for a minute or so.

After this, wait a few hours, and maybe drive your camper around so that the liquid moves around to break up any gunk. Next, you can stop at either a dump station or a campground with hook-ups and connect your gray water tank to the dump hole with a sewer hose. You may need to put a weighted object on top of the hose to prevent it from moving around too much. Open the relief valve and let the tank drain out completely. Remember that each time you drain the tank, you’ll want to add a chemical treatment product. This prevents grime build-up in the tank and helps block bad odors from contaminating your RV.

Cleaning the Tank

With the tank relatively empty, this is the best time to clean it. Attach the hose to the dump hole, turn on your faucet, and run fresh water through your tank to flush it out. Then add more chemical treatment to really make sure that it’s completely clean. If you’re simultaneously cleaning all your tanks, consider starting with the black water tank, rather than the gray water tank.

Draining and cleaning a gray water tank is a simple but important task, and we hope that our guide has helped to demystify the process for you! If you need help caring for your RV’s many other important parts and components, we recommend visiting us here at RVs and Boats For Less. Our expert service staff here in Chubbuck, ID will be happy to assist with any repair or maintenance service your model may need, and we’re always happy to assist those nearby in the regions of Idaho Falls or Pocatello, ID.