Adding Bleach to a Water Holding Tank to Kill Bacteria

Algae and bacteria build up inside of water holding tanks over time, giving water a bad taste or a foul odor. Sometimes, bacteria can enter a water holding tank when the tank has become corroded from rust or if the vent screen has holes and debris. This can negatively affect your health, with the potential to cause diseases such as dysentery, giardiasis, hepatitis and typhoid. Chlorine bleach, used in the U.S. since 1908 to kill bacteria in water, continues to be an effective way to protect your health.

Things You'll Need

• 5.25 percent unscented household bleach
• Drinking water
• Stiff brush
• Garden hose

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Instructions

• 1

  Turn off the water supply to your water holding tank and allow the water to empty.

• 2

  Mix a solution of 1 tablespoon of 5.25 percent unscented household chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Clean the water tank walls with this mixture to remove all dirt. Scrub well, using a stiff brush. Let the bleach and water solution sit for about two hours in the tank.

• 3

  Rinse the water holding tank thoroughly with clean water, using a garden hose, then refill the tank with clean, drinking water.

• 4

  Add 4 cups of 5.25 percent unscented household bleach per 100 gallons of water in the holding tank. Run water through your faucets until you detect a strong odor of chlorine bleach.

• 5

  Let the bleach and water solution sit in the tank for 24 hours.

• 6

  Drain the water holding tank, then fill the tank up again with drinking water. Flush out all of your plumbing with the drinking water until you no longer smell chlorine.