By Cheri Sicard
The freedom of RV travel brings adventure, but hidden dangers can lurk in everyday routines. Few people realize that the water from an RV faucet might carry risks most would never notice—until someone gets seriously ill.
In today’s video, the Grateful Glamper team examines this important topic.
Contaminated water in an RV isn’t just about taste or odor—it’s about hidden dangers that can lead to serious or even fatal illness. One Texas woman, age 71, developed a lethal brain infection after using RV tank water for a sinus rinse. Even cooking, brushing teeth, or showering with unsafe water can risk your health. Water safety impacts everyone on board, no matter how you use your RV.
Common myths and mistakes about RV water safety
Many RVers assume the water at campgrounds or city hookups is safe, but that isn’t always the case. Here are a few common assumptions and the reality behind them:
• Assumption: Campground or city water is always safe.
• Reality: Even municipal supplies sometimes contain contaminants.
• Assumption: Water in the tank stays safe if you don’t drink it.
• Reality: Sitting water breeds bacteria and becomes riskier over time.
RV freshwater tanks create a perfect spot for nasty growths
Here’s why:
• Dark: Tanks are usually tucked away from sunlight.
• Warm: Summer heat or warmth from the vehicle helps bacteria thrive.
• Enclosed: Little air movement means stagnant water.
These conditions let bacteria, mold, slime, biofilm, and algae multiply, often out of sight and without warning signs.
The deadly amoeba: A rare but real threat
In a tragic case, a 71-year-old woman in Texas died after rinsing her nose with tap water from her RV tank. The cause was the microscopic amoeba, Naegleria fowleri (hard to pronounce but devastating in effect). This organism enters through the nose, attacks the brain, and is almost always fatal—yet cases are 100% preventable when water gets proper care. It’s rare, but when it happens, there’s no cure.
Even if you never gulp the water straight, most people:
• Brush their teeth
• Wash produce and dishes
• Bathe or shower
• Mistakenly use water for nasal rinses
Each use can expose you to contaminants if the water isn’t properly treated.
How to safely sanitize your freshwater tank
Regular cleaning is key. Here’s a simple bleach method:
- Gather supplies: unscented bleach, clean hose, funnel, measuring cup.
- Drain the existing water from the tank.
- Add 1/4 cup bleach for every 15 gallons of tank capacity using a funnel.
- Fill the tank with fresh water.
- Run each faucet (hot and cold) until bleach is detected by smell.
- Let the solution sit 8 to 12 hours (overnight is best).
- Drain the tank completely.
- Flush with fresh water, then drain. Repeat until no bleach odor remains.
Vinegar can help with odors, but won’t sanitize. Always try to bypass your water heater to avoid extra cleaning. Don’t forget hoses, pumps, and filters in the process.
Most recommend a thorough cleaning every 3 to 6 months to keep harmful growth at bay.
Filtration: What works best for RVs
Sanitizing is half the battle. Proper filtration is crucial for safe water. Some options:
• Inline water filters (minimum for most setups)
• Multi-stage filters with sediment, carbon, and virus barriers
• Portable gravity systems for drinking water
The right hose makes all the difference
Never use ordinary garden hoses with your drinking water!
Ordinary hoses can leach lead, BPA, and other chemicals. Their rough insides trap bacteria, mold, and algae. Instead, always pick a food-grade drinking water hose designed to resist buildup and stay clean.
Do you have other RV water safety tips? Be sure to share them in the comments below.
RELATED
- RVer dies from brain-eating amoeba in campground water
- YUCK! There was green algae growing in the water hose we drink from!
- Quick tip: A no-mess way of adding bleach to sanitize RV’s fresh water tank
RVDT2683
This is fear mongering. Your claims about campground water being unsafe are unfounded; municipal systems are safe. Two minutes of research would have revealed that their freshwater tank had been filled with water collected from an unknown source before the woman bought the RV 3 months earlier. Properly sanitizing your system and disinfecting supply faucets allows you to use the water safely. I’ve used campground water for years without problems and saved money by not buying bottled water.
Not always true. Campground water is regularly tested (or supposed to be), but problems can appear between tests – most often after heavy rains. A boil water notice can appear days after the problem exists. And you never know if your water tap was used by the previous occupant for tank flushes without a vacuum break or backflow preventer.
Hundreds of millions of people in the United States drink municipal water every day without incident. The argument you make is the very, very small exceptions concerning municipal water. To your second point, I stated that you should properly sanitize the supply faucet before connecting your system to it.
Municipal systems MAY be safe. Flint, Michigan’s water was deadly for months (https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know) until it was finally cleaned. Safe travels!
When sanitizing “Bypass the water heater”? So it’s okay to have contaminated water in the water heater which can then recontaminant the rest of the system? I don’t think so.
Exactly how is the water in the heater going to “contaminate the rest of the system”? It doesn’t flow back into the water tank or into any of the cold water lines. Heating the water kills pathogens that may be in it.
It takes 150-160º to effectively kill the nasty stuff. Water heaters don’t heat water that high.
Our trailer may sit for a month between trips. I always sanitize the system before using it again. It may seem like a waste of time, but why take a chance. Takes less than an hour total.
Some think that by draining the water using the low point drains will stop the growth of bacteria.
Actually the opposite occurs. Most bacteria and algae need oxygen to grow. A system full of water has very little air in it.
Using the low point drains does not remove all the water. What’s left is perfect breeding ground.
Lines and faucets blown clear and dry – but both the fresh water tank and the water heater cannot be completely drained. (that residual water can safely freeze). I always use a little of Camco’s water freshener in the tank after draining the tank to treat that residual water. Yep. the primary ingredient is chlorine bleach, but unlike most household bleach there are no detergents, etc. And the contents of your fresh water tank are safe to drink when used in the recommended concentration.
When we were full timing I built a water filter system using two filter housings I picked up at box mart , then I used a sediment filter in the first one and a carbon filter in the other. Both were connected together which fit inside a plastic milk crate. I changed the filters monthly when using them. this system, along with a camco inline filter worked quite well in the SW where any water is questionable. Later I added a portable water softener to the setup. Never had water problems. One cannot be careful enough with water sources.
I’ve been using a product called Biofilm Defender in my water storage tank for about 5 years. It’s supposed to keep water fresh for up to 5 years. I add 4 drops per gallon (per instructions) whenever I add water to the tank. I sanitize once a year. We have never had bad smells or gotten sick from our tank’s water. We camp only where city water is available and use a ClearSource Ultra (3 cartridges) for all incoming water.
Thank you for sharing the video, Cheri! Have a great day and safe travels!
Not quite fear mongering. Every water system serving more than 25 people is regulated under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and should be safe. However, compliance and enforcement may vary, Flint being one of the very rare cases of a system not in compliance. It is also true that campground systems and our RV systems get sporadic use and may hold stagnant water which may become unsafe. The stagnant water problem will be worse if you use a carbon filter on all the water entering the RV which removes the disinfectant residual. A point of use filter on the faucet used for drinking water is better. If you use a carbon filter on all water entering the RV you need to be even more conscientious about sanitizing the system.