Drinking Water Poll

[RunAgroundHard]

Hoe, hoe, hoe, laugh at the short sited dislexlicked.

 

[McFrancis]

Tap water in the UK - certainly in Scotland - is generally pretty good (it's the sea and lake water that is polluted).
But regular use of bought bottled water is not environmentally sustainable.

I hate to be a water bore, but I work in the UK water industry. The water in the water companies' mains pipes is of extremely high quality and heavily regulated; the problem comes as you move away from the mains pipes.
The question is how long has the water been sitting the marina's pipes? What are they made of? When were they last cleaned? The marina tap how clean is it? when did a seagull last crap on it? The hose you use to fill the pipes, OMG if it looks like mine! Then the boat tanks, all of the above plus how long will the water sit in it? and it is not just bacteria that is the worry, it is the chemicals that could be in the water such as heavy metals. Ask yourself, at home generally people don't drink water from the header tank, but from the mains feed, why do it different at sea?
I know my company's policy is to put in enough chlorine to disinfect the water for just over 24hours, any more and the taste is too strong. On very long pipe runs in rural locations, we will add more chlorine if it takes more than 24 hours to reach the customer.
Based on the above, bottled water is for drinking every time, tank water for washing.

 

[Chi34]

Stainless steel tank. Treated periodically with Miltons. This has worked well for 15 years and I am happy to drink the water.
Once in a while we take on water with an odd taste and we just flush the tanks through when we get a chance.

 

[GEM43]

I have an early edition of the Clyde CC pilot for West Scotland. When describing the facilities of an anchorage in invariably states:

"Water - at the burn"

Helpfully, it also occasionally advises water extraction from "the burn, above the nearby cottage" That's good advice

 

[Mistroma]

I have IBS and only drink bottled water in Greece. I think changes in mineral content (hard/soft) can trigger an upset and usually stick to one brand (cheapest).

I use boiled tank water for coffee but that's pretty low daily volume. We carry 600l for cooking and washing plus 120l bottled.

I usually use an inline filter when filling and clean the tanks when wintering. Left empty after purging lines with vinegar.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

The last owner fitted UV disinfection systems to both tanks, they glow nicely when switched on.

I still drink bottled water on board but we cook, clean, wash up, shower, and brush teeth with tank water.

 

[PhillM]

WaterToGo bottle that can be filled almost anywhere (except sea water) and filters it to pure and sweet.

 

[oilybilge]

I buy water in 5 litre bottles, and refill them as necessary from the filter tap at home. When I'm off on a cruise I bite the bullet and refill them from marina taps. (Is it my imagination or do marinas add extra chlorine?)

The old plastic 40l tank in my boat is pretty manky and is only used for washing up etc, though I do dose it with chlorine

I always feel I need a 'better' system but I guess this one works, so...

 

[samfieldhouse]

I’m genuinely astounded at the number of people using bottled water, I honestly didn’t know that was a thing, it had never occurred to me that people do that.
I’ve lived on board for 10 years and cruised on small cruisers for 20 years before that and always used the boat’s tank.
The caveat; I have a newish (well 10 year old now) 60L plastic tank, new plumbing, use an aqua tab and have a filter system.
Living without caution, 70L lasts me 10-14 days so it’s not really in the tank long enough to ‘go funny’.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

We found that boiling the ship's water did not taste the same as at home when brewing tea. When we changed to boiling bottled water everything and the tea was fine.

I quite like the carbonated bottled water on it's own to rehydrate when on the go. Has a bit of a bite to it.

 

[Trident]

I have large GRP keel tanks that are impossible to get in and clean unless I cut multiple new openings in the top . On my last boat I did this and then recoated them in potable epoxy and they were lovely. Occasionally used aquatabs etc but added a Seagull filter with faucet for drinking.
On the new boat I concluded that given that the Seagull filter is a 99.99% filter and you can literally pour ebola virus in the tanks and drink from the Seagull , that I need not bother with cutting access, cleaning tanks etc so I don't. Just a particle filter then the Seagull and water is (tested) as clean and pure tasting as it gets. Much of the time the tank filled from the water maker so very clean pure water anyway but its had marina water from all over the world and still perfect once filtered.

 

[seeSimon]

I hate to be a water bore, but I work in the UK water industry. The water in the water companies' mains pipes is of extremely high quality and heavily regulated; the problem comes as you move away from the mains pipes.
The question is how long has the water been sitting the marina's pipes? What are they made of? When were they last cleaned? The marina tap how clean is it? when did a seagull last crap on it? .....
Based on the above, bottled water is for drinking every time, tank water for washing.

Clearly you don't drink mains water near Brixham?

https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/ho...in-your-area/service-updates/brixham-incident

Exceptions to every rule?

However, despite following a strict tank management regime (hyperchlorinate and flush over winter, etc), as per McF, I drink bottled unless "well boiled".

HMs have actually moaned at me for spending too long flushing their pontoon water lines and service hoses...as a small boat, i don't carry my own hose.
If it runs warm, it's not going in my tanks.

Scilly Isles water is all metered, i recall?

 

[justanothersailboat]

The variable for me here is usage pattern: longterm (and hence regular changeover of the water), or intermittent weekending?

A boat that starts the season with a clean tank and is used near continuously, regularly filled with mains tap water (with its modicum of chlorine) and possibly lightly dosed with steriliser will be fine. A boat that's left for protracted times, I think is a dodgy prospect. I mostly day and weekend sail so I don't get through the tank water fast enough to be really confident in it staying good.

Filters also seem like a bad fit for intermittent use. The home ones rely on regular, fairly high throughput of tapwater to keep them from growing algae inside and even then they have a limited life before they become unclean (and taste a bit off). Rare use on a boat seems likely to be worse, not better. Again, continuous use probably fine.

It worries me how many boats don't have good big inspection hatches on water tanks to let you really get them clean. When I fitted a hatch to mine (tank previously unexaminable) it had more than forty years' worth of accumulated horror to clean out. Glad I never drank that unboiled. Better now, but I still prefer to carry down fresh drinking water (reusing the bottles) for the weekend. I mostly drink water, hardly ever tea.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

In my opinion, folks would be better worrying about the plastic waste that has accumulated throughout the food chain, than growth in water tanks. Manage water tank health is an easy and quick project, managing food chain plastic contamination is at best a long term project to address.

 

[rotrax]

The variable for me here is usage pattern: longterm (and hence regular changeover of the water), or intermittent weekending?

A boat that starts the season with a clean tank and is used near continuously, regularly filled with mains tap water (with its modicum of chlorine) and possibly lightly dosed with steriliser will be fine. A boat that's left for protracted times, I think is a dodgy prospect. I mostly day and weekend sail so I don't get through the tank water fast enough to be really confident in it staying good.

Filters also seem like a bad fit for intermittent use. The home ones rely on regular, fairly high throughput of tapwater to keep them from growing algae inside and even then they have a limited life before they become unclean (and taste a bit off). Rare use on a boat seems likely to be worse, not better. Again, continuous use probably fine.

It worries me how many boats don't have good big inspection hatches on water tanks to let you really get them clean. When I fitted a hatch to mine (tank previously unexaminable) it had more than forty years' worth of accumulated horror to clean out. Glad I never drank that unboiled. Better now, but I still prefer to carry down fresh drinking water (reusing the bottles) for the weekend. I mostly drink water, hardly ever tea.

Exactly. Our sailing was for the whole summer, often 5 months on the boat continuously..

Which is why the bleach treatment at the start of each season was carried out.

Once on the boat regular watering and adding Milton kept everything good-and tasting nice too.

Almost 500 litres spread between two GRP tanks.

 

[rotrax]

In my opinion, folks would be better worrying about the plastic waste that has accumulated throughout the food chain, than growth in water tanks. Manage water tank health is an easy and quick project, managing food chain plastic contamination is at best a long term project to address.

And 90% of it comes from India, China and Vietnam.

We cant fix it unilaterally, can we?

 

[newtothis]

I hate to be a water bore, but I work in the UK water industry.

Isn't a water bore a hole in the ground for getting water.
Begs the question: if a water bore provides free water, why don't pub bores provide free beer.

 

[Sea Change]

Currently using dock water in to jerry cans which we then dispense in to 5l bottles which fit in the fridge. We haven't bothered with any treatment or filtration.
This is a temporary situation, as the boat sat in a yard for four years in the Caribbean before we bought her a few months ago, and we don't know how much to trust the tanks.
At some point we will switch to the system we used on the old boat- occasional chloride treatment of the tanks, and a 5 micron carbon filter before the galley tap.

 

[MontyMariner]

I have 2 SS tanks holding 100 gals and an Aqua filter on the galley cold tap.
I've been using it for 25 years, replacing the Aqua filter about every three years. I've never put any steriliser in the tank. I mainly drink coffee so the water gets boiled and have the occasional cold drink from the tap.
No I'll effects.
I do take care when filling the tanks, I use my own hose, let the water run for a fair time and wash the deck around the filler before opening it.

 

[rotrax]

Currently using dock water in to jerry cans which we then dispense in to 5l bottles which fit in the fridge. We haven't bothered with any treatment or filtration.
This is a temporary situation, as the boat sat in a yard for four years in the Caribbean before we bought her a few months ago, and we don't know how much to trust the tanks.
At some point we will switch to the system we used on the old boat- occasional chloride treatment of the tanks, and a 5 micron carbon filter before the galley tap.

See post #8.

If you fill the tanks with a 20% bleach solution, leave 24 hours and pump out via the taps/outlets, you will be missing the bucket of bleach solution by using the tanks instead.

Pretty sure that will bring your water tanks back into safe use.