Adding a little bleach with each fill
is FAR more damaging to your pump than an annual or semi-annual recommissioning--and it does no good whatever, because a) it's not enough to kill any critters, and b) the purifying properties in chlorine evaporate within 24 hours, leaving only its caustic properties behind--which is why we stress that the recommissioning solution be left in the system no longer than that. An annual or semi-annual recommissioning does less damage to the rubber and neoprene parts in your water pump than continually carrying chlorinated water, even if you didn't add more chorine...because the duration of exposure is more important than the concentration. The worst thing recommissioning with bleach can do is send a diaphragm or valve that was already on its last legs over the edge...which is a much better time for it to happen than a month later in the middle of a cruise when it would have failed anyway. If you'll recommission your fresh water system annually, you'll find that the water in it tastes and smells no worse than water from any faucet on land. You'd carry bottled water only if you also drink it at home.
