Disinfect fresh water bag/tank?

[chrisbitz]

My new boat has a big blue PVC bag sorta thing with water in it.

I'm assuming its not safe drinking water, just because I know nothing about it... Is there a pill or something I can drop into it to make it safe to drink, or are they all just a bit risky, and I should buy bottled water for drinking?

 

[Noahsdad]

I use Milton to clean my boats flexible tanks.
Pre mixed stuff from just about any supermarket.

 

[chrisbitz]

Brilliant! What's the procedure? Do you take the bag out and rinse it with the solution, or can it be done inside?
Does it need to be flushed or something afterwards?

Thanks..

 

[Tranona]

No, just put Milton in it. might get a bit of a taste, but if you pump it all out after resting for a day or so and refill with plain water it will be sterilised. Dose with Milton once a year is usually enough.

 

[alahol2]

As above, Milton or your local chandler will have various tablets/powders/liquids for sterilisation. You may find it's a Plastimo flexible tank, if so you can (or used to be able to) buy a replacement inner bag for it. It's also worth putting a charcoal filter in the line to the tap, keeps the water tasting sweet if replaced each season.

 

[onesea]

My other tip if you do refill your tank regularly is to drink bottled water and keep the tank for cooking boiling and washing.

Then you do not need to worry about how safe the water it...

 

[VicS]

Instructions and dosing rates for using Milton solution for cleaning tanks and sterilising drinking water on this page http://www.milton-tm.com/caravanning_and_camping.html

If you are careful not to exceed the recommended dose for treating drinking water you will have no problems with chlorine tainted water. Exceed the dose by just sloshing some in and you will have foul tasting tea all season!

 

[nigelmercier]

My other tip if you do refill your tank regularly is to drink bottled water and keep the tank for cooking boiling and washing. Then you do not need to worry about how safe the water it...

This is what I do, but I do make hot drinks from the tank water. Cheaper than a water filter as well.

I had a boat partner who works in the chemical industry, water quality in particular. He suggested we use NaDCC (sodium dichloroisocyanurate) occasionally. Personally, I didn't like the idea of a product that appeared to have cyanide and urine in it

Or you could get one of these: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23360907

 

[BAtoo]

My new boat has a big blue PVC bag sorta thing with water in it.

I'm assuming its not safe drinking water, just because I know nothing about it... Is there a pill or something I can drop into it to make it safe to drink, or are they all just a bit risky, and I should buy bottled water for drinking?

I had one of these in a previous boat. Milton sterilser as advised is fine albeit occasionally giving a slightly swimming pool taste if you're a bit heavy handed.
The biggest problem I found with these bags was during the winter if left empty mine developed a horrible black slime that was very difficult to remove. My solution was to leave the bags about a quarter full with a good dose of Milton added on lay-up.

 

[oldvarnish]

I never found a water purifying tablet that didn't make tea taste foul, even after rinsing the tank. Good filtration makes a world of difference.


This is worth a read http://theboatgalley.com/water-filters/

 

[Momac]

We don't drink tank water.
A 4 litre bottle of water from the supermarket is a useful means of obtaining container for carrying fresh water - it gets refilled from a mains tap. The bottle usually survives the season. I suits us as we are rarely moored far from a water supply ashore.

 

[Zagato]

Warning - water ran through mine clear and looked to be OK but having removed the bag and flushed it through in the bath a whole load of brown throthy stuff came out. I used Miltons and even bleach but nothing could clear it or the boats pipes so I only use it for washing etc and fill a big water bottle up from home for drinking water - re-fillable at marinas etc.

As an aside the Plastimo ones can split regularly if they have folds in them from being too big for the locker space, especially in repeated rough conditions apparently - can make a real mess of your boat! Was also told Plastimo won't be making them soon apparently so not sure what the alternative is. Mine is a Nautica one, seems OK so far.

 

[prv]

I always like to be able to drink the tank water (though I've been on some charter boats where I decided it wouldn't be a good idea). When we took over Kindred Spirit, her blue Plastimo bag was a bit of an unknown quantity, so I bought a new liner for it and also replaced the hose and dismantled and cleaned the tap/pump. I left it each winter with a weakish solution of tank-cleaning stuff (chloriney powder from a caravan shop) to stop it growing slime, and was always quite happy to drink from it with no ill effects.

Pete

 

[DanTribe]

Brilliant! What's the procedure? Do you take the bag out and rinse it with the solution, or can it be done inside?
Does it need to be flushed or something afterwards?

Thanks..

If it's easy to remove, it makes it simpler to give it a good slosh out. Take it to a hose and half fill with Milton [or Poundshop sterilizer]then roll the bag about. There is often a very thin coat of slimy stuff on the lining and just letting it stand in normal position doesn't attack that. Flush several times to remove Milton taste. Some people recommend a flush with dilute white vinegar to remove the taste.
An area often forgotten is the pipe between deck filler and tank. Well worth sterilizing that too. On my boat this was coated in brown goo so the water was contaminated before it even got to the nice clean tank.

 

[PCUK]

20 years with Air Cushion flexible tanks and an Aqua-FIlta and the water always tasted like spring water.

 

[dedwards]

We have a plastimo tank and no matter what we do, all it takes is us to spend a few weeks away from the boat and the water starts smelling off again.

 

[Ripster]

Like others, we don't drink the tank water as it always seems to have certain taste to it compared to bottled or straight out of the tap. But, every refill we put aqua-tabs in to ensure nothing nasty is growing or living there or in the pipes. These are readily available from the chandlery and 1 tab does 25ltrs to enable safe drinking, should you want/have to do it.

 

[sighmoon]

We do drink the tank water straight from the tank, and don't use anything to sterilise it. Are we all going to die, or are we probably immune by now? The tank is a hard plastic one, if that makes any difference.

Sailing boats of yore used to use alcohol, which seems more natural than Milton, and might help the children get a better night's sleep.

 

[VicS]

Like others, we don't drink the tank water as it always seems to have certain taste to it compared to bottled or straight out of the tap. But, every refill we put aqua-tabs in to ensure nothing nasty is growing or living there or in the pipes. These are readily available from the chandlery and 1 tab does 25ltrs to enable safe drinking, should you want/have to do it.

The active ingredient in Aquatabs is sodium dichloroisocyanurate. A common and convenient solid source of chlorine for sterilising water supplies and treating swimming pools etc

 

[cliff]

My other tip if you do refill your tank regularly is to drink beer or wine or whiskey or what ever your preferred poison is and keep the tank water for cooking boiling and washing.

Then you do not need to worry about how safe the water it...

There, fixed that for you