Sanitizing the water tank

[Blue~Go]

Hi Skillet,

I think I may be able to save you the trouble: If you look inside the little door that you unlock on the driver's side of the rig to add water to your tank, you will likely see three things:

1) A 1-1/4" hole where you gravity fill with water.

2) Something that looks like a garden hose attachment, which is the city water hookup (for when you use water pressurized by the campground, etc.).

3) A small hole or flange (like 1/2" diameter). That will be the place where the vent hose is attached, and hence where the air is sucked in when you use water in the rig (and also possibly where water overflows when you are filling and the tank is full).

On the inside, this will all be on the outside wall, under the sink. The big water fill hose will likely be white and turquoise ribbed. The city water will be 1/2" hard PEX pipe. The vent will be clear (if it still is vinyl hose that is 3/8" or 1/2" ID.

Unless Chinook changed tanks, the gravity fill and vent both enter the water tank in a notch that's in the aft/driver's corner of the tank (under the couch).

[Skillet]

Ok, I'm with ya now. I'll have to check it out this week. I know there's a board on the back wall, under the sink. You would have to remove it to get at the plumbing. I think it's just wedged in there and meant to be easily removed.

[Concourse]

You can see the gravity fill pipe/hose and vent line from under the couch as they route up to the back of the "service center" (the name for the locked exterior door). Here's the fresh water tank plumbing part of the diagram.

[Blue~Go]

Although just as a note, in real life that vertical "city fill" PEX pipe and the vent/gravity fill are right next to each other on the outside wall. They just drew it "way over to the left" for clarity.

Speaking of which, boy have all the Trail Wagons drawings and documentation come in handy while I've owned the Chinook. As I've been doing projects on my rig, I've also been working with a friend who has an "other brand" rig, and he doesn't have the same type of documentation. We've still accomplished pretty much everything we wanted to, but it involved a lot more guesswork, and in a couple of cases, "re-do's," after we found out that no, they hadn't taken the logical path for "X."

[Concourse]

Chinooks may be smaller than the many other brands but they are high end with many things differentiating them. Construction, appointments, equipment, details, and documentation with diagrams too I guess. They cost ~25+% more than the average Class C when they were made so it makes sense.

Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?

[Skillet]

Ahhh, the vent must be the small opening right next to the gravity fill with the screen. You can move that? What do you cover the hole with after it's moved?

[Blue~Go]

Yes, that's it. Well sure you can (heh, but then I just cut my refrigerator in half, so there is that).

But no, seriously, there are a number of potential ways (if you decide to do it, I can bore you with some of them).

OTOH, of course innumerable people live with the vents just as they are (but I bet a lot of their vent hoses and/or tanks are black/moldy).

Another option is to at least try to put some sort of filter medium over it. Basically you'd just rather not be randomly sucking in whatever "biology" is just outside the water fill. Too, I'm sure certain areas of the country have more "biologically busy" air to suck in.

[Skillet]

How much of a pain in the butt would it be to change the tube(s) back there? I know there's not much room to get yourself in, but after that is it easy?
Yeah, you are the King Solomon of refrigerators...

[Blue~Go]

I changed the vent tube on mine not too long after I got it (at that time just kept the same set up as original). It wasn't hard at all, however....

-- I think that maybe some sort of cover board is installed over the inside of the "water door" on later model Chinooks? Mine doesn't have that, so I can see the inside of the water door (and hence the back of the vent tube) just by hunkering down under the sink cabinet.

-- I believe I did it after I modified the couch (now the couch seat portion can be completely removed without much trouble).

I can't remember which it is, but it is either 3/8" or 1/2" flexible tubing on mine. Hose clamps hold it to the two end fittings.