Dear RV Doc,
Our day/night blinds have broken threads. Is there a way to fix or re-thread them or should we purchase new ones? Both living area blinds broke only days apart. We also have a musty smell and taste in our water. What could we do to correct this problem? Should we drain our fresh water? My husband has purchased a new filter. I just want to make sure there isn’t something we can do to sanitize the tank.
–Pat Johnson, (Shingle Springs, CA)
Answer:
You know Pat, I tried, once, to repair a broken string on those blinds; I simply did not have enough fingers or patience to finish the task. Perhaps one of the many RV outfitter companies can help you with those shades. They regularly handle such soft goods. I have to admit that if it does not have LP, water or current flowing through it, I’m out of my environment. But I did locate an online data sheet that may be helpful if you wish to attempt this yourself.
As for the water system, you’ll indeed need to drain and flush that fresh water tank. You’ll also need to drain and flush the water heater. It’s not uncommon for odors to develop in the water heater when the anode rod deteriorates beyond 75% or so. Suburban and older American appliance water heaters are equipped with an anode rod to combat electrolysis. Atwood uses a different type of inner tank material and therefore, does not require an anode. You can sanitize the fresh water tank and fresh water system by adding regular household bleach to the contents of a full water tank. Simply add 1/4-cup of household bleach, (sodium hypochlorite solution), for every 15 gallons of capacity in the tank. The resultant chlorine concentration will be 50 parts per million (ppm). Pump this through the entire fresh water system; all hot and cold lines. Let the solution stand for a minimum of four hours. Then simply drain and refill the tank with fresh water.
(Please feel free to comment, however, please also note that due to the volume of communications I receive from multiple channels I cannot guarantee a personal response in every instance. However, questions of an overall general interest may be considered and published in an upcoming RV Doctor column.)