How do I clean algae out of a bladder?

Hi Dingo, I asked the same question at a camping store, got a knowledgable lady that advised a product called Tank Kleen, (not sure of the spelling). I had bought a second hand campervan, and was unsure of the cleanliness of the water tank. Unfortunately she didnt have any, so can't comment on how good it is, but I have seen it recommended since. Try google on the words Tank Kleen, Tank Clean etc, I remember I did, and it showed up, should do the job.
Cheers, Dave

A good dose of chlorine should fix it followed by a good flush.

What about those shower cleaning sprays?

Malcolm

Tank Kleen is available from caravan accessory outlets and many camping stores, but it is quite expensive at around $18.

Somewhat cheaper, but still very good, is Miltons Baby bottle wash.
The reason why I am recommending this product is that it displays on the bottle, the quantity you need to mix per litre of water. Knowing, or obtaining the bladder's capacity, it is a simple matter of adding the required amount of solution., fill with water and leave for a period of time, then flush the bladder and refill.


Bill.

Thanks everyone, I will try those - maybe one after the other to be sure, thanks again, dingo

You can also use White King or similar bleaches. Look for any product that has sodium hypochlorite as the main constituent, and avoid products with detergents etc.

A solution strength of at least 50 parts per million (ppm) should kill off any algae so you don't need to be too fussy about solution strength, but if you can calculate the required dose for the volume of your bladder then all the better - at least you can determine that you have enough concentrate.

Wear rubber gloves and goggles when handling the concentrate.

Partially fill the bladder with water, add a slug of concentrate and move it around / 'slosh it' so the solution mixes well. Add more water and slosh it around again. Then completely fill the bladder removing all air - or as much as you can. The more you get an even mix of solution the better, as you want all surfaces of the tank to be treated.

Leave the solution in the tank at least overnight. Empty the bladder and flush several times with clean water.

I use this method on our caravan water tank, and recirculate the solution using the on-board pump, then pump out onto the lawn.

cheers,
glids

drink lots of 'bundy'

I bought some of that Tank Kleen - it works well but it is a bit expensive. It is basically bicarb soda and you can buy an entire kilo at the supermarket for a fraction of the cost. After using the Tank Kleen and deciding I needed to do it again as I could still see black floaties in my water I used biCarb soda from the supermarket.

Worked a treat as would the tank kleen if I used it 3 times. I have heard most household cleaners can be substituted with bicarb soda or vinegar.

David

ordinary White King bleach will do the job tops. Make sure the White King Bleach is not scented. You want the plain White King. Follow directions on bottle and let soak for 24h and then repeat and rinse. Does not matter if you don't rinse it well a bit of bleach in the gut does no issue.
I only put treated water into my bladder. If no treated water I add White King plain bleach so I don't get algae. To 100L bladder we put in 2 desert spoons if water is reasonable and 3 desert spoons if water is not the best looking.

I used Home brewing bottle wash powder in the tank of a Jayco Eagle C/T a few years ago. Clean as a whistle and no 'taste' after a good rinse.

I figured it works for plastic homebrew bottles, why not watertanks/bladders?

as one of the other posters have said -- chlorine is the go - if you have a pool just use the liquid chlorine you may purchase - this is called Sodium hypochlorite - maybe 1 cup worth with about 20 litres of water ( and one of the main ingerdiants of bleach)

let sit overnight - drain and rinse a few times - if possible also let it dry - this will evaporate any chlorine left over

its beter to not use plain bleech as it has a bunch of other chemicals added to it that are hard to wash away ( i used to work where they make the domestic bleech you buy from coles woolies and so forth and assisted in making batches when all machinery was running and i had nothing to fix )

Boc