Updated December 11, 2022
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Is Your RV Water Foamy?
Have you recently noticed that the water coming from the faucet in your RV appears to be foaming? Although it happens more frequently than you might imagine, you shouldn’t necessarily be concerned. While there are a number of reasons why this could occur in an RV, camper, fifth wheel, etc., one of the most frequent causes is due to remaining RV antifreeze in your pipes. Antifreeze can appear “soapy” or “foamy” when combined with water, and it may even slightly stain your water. But don’t worry! RV antifreeze is non-toxic if you use the right product, and a small amount in your water won’t hurt you.
This would be the most likely explanation if you detected the issue shortly after winterizing your camper. Some RV owners, though, have reported seeing similar foamy water pouring from their faucets in a variety of situations. This problem, according to one RV owner, only materialized when they activated their “hot” water. Another person only noticed frothy water coming from their kitchen sink, but the bathroom sink and shower were producing regular amounts of water.
You might want to check your faucet if you only see this frothy water coming from one location (like your kitchen sink). Just see if the foaming goes away by running the water for a few minutes or washing out the faucet pipes. After a while, if the foaming stops, it was probably simply antifreeze residue left over. You might encounter this issue often each year, but all it takes to fix it is to keep doing the same thing.
However, if this problem is present at each and every faucet in the house, you must address the water tank directly in order to fix it. Your freshwater tank’s antifreeze will affect the water you put in after it has not been thoroughly cleaned out. You should flush the tank once more, at the very least, in order to get rid of the foamy water problem. Additionally, you ought to examine (and probably replace) your anode rod. By doing this, you can maintain your water pure and free of antifreeze residue.
Most of the issues should be rectified once your tank has been cleaned. But you should also re-flush your lines and pipes with water. To ensure that everything is out, let the water continue to flow through them for a while. Turn on your faucet and let the water flow once you’ve finished flushing everything. At this point, there should be little to no foaming. If you do notice any, just leave the water running until it totally disappears on its own; this shouldn’t take very long.
There is another typical explanation for why this can be happening if you are seeing foamy water flowing from your faucets even though you haven’t recently winterized your RV. Your water will appear soapy or frothy if there is air in your water lines since it will allow oxygen to pass through. This frequently occurs after you haven’t used your RV’s faucets for a while, such as during a protracted period of inactivity during the winter.
Examine your water pump to see if it can help with this problem. Water that has foam in it is likely the result of a loose connection or filter screen. The connection between your lines and the pump should be examined, as should the tightness of your filter screen. Air will also be able to flow through if any of the lines or your screen are broken. However, if anything is damaged, you can also experience leaks.
Your aerators could be faulty, which is another frequent source of foaming. These serve as the screen that filters your water and are found inside sinks and faucets. They frequently result in foaming and need to be changed when they become filled with buildup or break completely. One RV owner made the observation that if your camper is brand-new, your aerators are likely to be full of dust and debris from building. In that scenario, you will have to get brand-new replacements for them.