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Fresh Water Gunk

BooRadley
BooRadley Member Posts: 39
in Heating/Plumbing & Winterizing
Ok, wondering if anyone has encountered this issue and maybe has a cure.

I posted last week about our ongoing fresh water issues, and thought I'd solved the problem with a new pump and a clean filter. It worked fine, but in the middle of our most recent trip the water started spurting again. When we got home, I took the little filter that attaches to the pump apart, and it was again clogged with black gunk - slimy, kind of like thick motor oil. I cleaned it all, and the water started working fine, but little bits of black slime keep coming out. I've now flushed the tank four times. We're going to blow out the system with the compressor and start from scratch, again, including adding a little bleach, and hopefully that will do it.

Any ideas what this is? Anyone else encounter this? My guess is that it's from winterizing with anti freeze (last time we do that), but it would be nice to be sure. Certainly we won't be drinking from the T@B anytime soon!


2016 Outback
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Comments

  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,061
    It does not sound like antifreeze.  Sounds like you have algae in your fresh water tank and throughout your plumbing.  Use diluted bleach in your fresh tank, fill it with water, run your pump until the bleach water comes through all outlets, flush the toilet, too.  Let it dwell, then empty your tank and fill the tank multiple times with fresh water and flush out the bleach water.  Check your water pump frequently for debris.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • BooRadley
    BooRadley Member Posts: 39
    Algae, huh? Maybe we can do a biology experiment on our next trip. But yes, we'll be running more bleach solution through the system.
    2016 Outback
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  • Ratkity
    Ratkity Member Posts: 3,770
    I doubt black algae. Perhaps a black mold. Don't automatically think Staceobacter - could be any of hundreds of black molds out there, the majority not causing health issues. 10% bleach will get get rid of that, but you need to flush 10x-20x the size of your fresh water tank to get one bucket of 10% bleach mixture out. One bucket = 1 cup bleach + 9 cups water. That's a 10% mixture.

    Antifreeze is a very inefficient biocide. If there was any mold there to begin with, glycol alone would be a nice substrate (noms for eating) for mold to grow. 

    Don't think that you did anything wrong. Sometimes an unused water filter will grow mold. Mold might have been from a hose or from the actual faucet you filled up your tank with, e.g. from State or Federal park because you didn't want to drive with full tanks.
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
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  • 4ncar
    4ncar Member Posts: 1,072
    I have enough issues with bio growths with my swimming pool & well systems...now my place of refuge too?  :s
    TV- '16 Chevy Colorado LT Crew Cab-DuraMax
    2018 320S Outback
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  • Ratkity
    Ratkity Member Posts: 3,770
    Alas @4ncar! Your issue is fairly rare. It happens when water sits in a tank for a while. Then before cold weather, it was drained, glycol added, and there was most likely a low spot in the tank that allowed mold to grow. There was probably no time for the tank to dry out.

    BTW, you don't need to put glycol in the fresh water tank. Just draining it is enough. I put RV antifreeze in p-traps and through the pump (rem, I don't have the Alde anymore).

    Just a trick I use when coming home from a weekender, I open up the drain for the water tank to empty (parks I go to don't have water hookups). I let the tank drain. I have a cap on mine, but I believe you have a valve. 
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
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  • 4ncar
    4ncar Member Posts: 1,072
    Booradly has the issue, I’m just hoping not! :|
    TV- '16 Chevy Colorado LT Crew Cab-DuraMax
    2018 320S Outback
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  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,061
    @BooRadley, search this thread for another algae story.

    freshwater-system-upkeep-keeping-a-clean-tank-avoiding-algae
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • Ratkity
    Ratkity Member Posts: 3,770
    Ooopsie @4ncar, didn't mean to add to any worry for you!! :lucky: <--- a shamrock for ya for luck. They didn't have an upside down horseshoe for you (although I was always worried it would fall on my head once I realized it was nailed over a door).'
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
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  • 4ncar
    4ncar Member Posts: 1,072
    @Ratkity no worries mate! ;)
    TV- '16 Chevy Colorado LT Crew Cab-DuraMax
    2018 320S Outback
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