Fresh Water tank cleaning

sailaboutvic

sailaboutvic

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 Jan 2004
Messages
9,972
Location
Northern Europe
Visit site
Do the panel think it would be better to clean the plastics water tanks with Vinegar rather then bleach ?
And if so at what rate of vinegar per Gallon of water .
Any other suggestion .
Thanks
 
Andibs said:
Milton's fluid
Click to expand...

Milton is basically diluted bleach (and very very expensive). Using basic bleach is perfectly safe - choose the very cheapest, own-brand, thin bleach with no additives (eg Tesco Springforce thin bleach, 2 litres for 45p).

For disinfection of water tanks, use 500ml of thin bleach to 100 litres of water. Allow to stand for an hour or so. Then empty and flush a couple of times with fresh water.
 
Last edited:
bluerm166 said:
If you can't find anything that deals with your plastic tanks specifically then you might use the instructions for Vetus flexible tanks here : https://www.vetus.com/media/magentominds/sasdocument/20181011133320_0.pdf
They say clear vinegar ( I have seen elsewhere WHITE wine type) at 1:20 followed by a rinse and then baking powder 2oz. per 3 US gallon to ensure neutrality.
Click to expand...
Yes I understand Bleach can leave a smell in plastic that why I suggested vinegar .
I was thinking in the lines of fulling both tanks up and leave over night then pump and refill a couple of time .
Not heard about putting baking power . Have to look into it , that for the suggestion .
 
I have boxes of Sterilising tablets used by army ... eBay sells loads ..

I started using them because my house used well water ... till I connected to town supply.

I now drop a load into a 5litre container .. fill with water .... to make a suitable mix .... then pour into the tank. I like the tank 1/2 full - because the 'fumes' are enough to kill anything in the empty top half ...

Leave overnight .......... then pump all out which then cleans the rest of the system. Leave for another night for pipes . pump to be cleared ... then flush out with fresh water ....
 
ithet said:
Can you provide a link to your ebay seller?
Click to expand...

Last box I bought was 1000 tabs !!! so it was a while ago ...

1 tab is for 20 - 25ltrs of water .... leave for 30 mins and then its good for a Soldiers Tea !!

The tablets I have are Oasis Army Issue ..... and they come in various sizes ...

This is 1 tab per 1 litre ;

OASIS WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS 8.5mg British Army Issue Survival Tabs Genuine | eBay

But these are what I have ... 1 tab for 20 - 25ltre ..

Oasis 167mg Emergency Water Purification Tablets Water Rower Waterower Aqua Tab | eBay

But I cannot find my seller anymore ...

The plain bleach method is fine ....... I've used that before I had the tablets ... and would happily go back to bleach again.
 
Refueler said:
I have boxes of Sterilising tablets used by army ... eBay sells loads ..

I started using them because my house used well water ... till I connected to town supply.

I now drop a load into a 5litre container .. fill with water .... to make a suitable mix .... then pour into the tank. I like the tank 1/2 full - because the 'fumes' are enough to kill anything in the empty top half ...

Leave overnight .......... then pump all out which then cleans the rest of the system. Leave for another night for pipes . pump to be cleared ... then flush out with fresh water ....
Click to expand...
I have used similar. I just drop a few down the filler pipe and then wash them down with water as I fill up. Been OK so far but I will probably do a proper job with bleach this year.
 
If you have scale you can also use citric acid. It is also sold food grade.

Has anyone devised a method to empty the tanks without waiting hours? I have a total of 400l, if I open the three faucets I have onboard it takes ages to empty the tanks, let alone do all those rinsing cycles; I was thinking letting all water discharge in the bilge and then use the bilge pumps, maybe there are other options?
My tanks are below the waterplane level, so syphoning not an option. Or maybe I could do that while the boat is in the hard.
 
Roberto said:
Has anyone devised a method to empty the tanks without waiting hours? I have a total of 400l, if I open the three faucets I have onboard it takes ages to empty the tanks, let alone do all those rinsing cycles; I was thinking letting all water discharge in the bilge and then use the bilge pumps, maybe there are other options?
My tanks are below the waterplane level, so syphoning not an option. Or maybe I could do that while the boat is in the hard.
Click to expand...

I have an opening at the top of the tank wide enough for me to put in a mug and I can remove about 1/3 litre with each mug full. Pour it into a bucket, then out through the cockpit drain. Also have the taps open but I remove more with the mug than goes out of the taps.
 
I was going to ask very similar! To flush my tank can I just open the valve and dump it all into the bilges, pumping out as I go?

It was done once inadvertantly, so I know the whole tank fills the bilges and about 6 inches of the cabin floor :)
 
Refueler said:
Last box I bought was 1000 tabs !!! so it was a while ago ...

1 tab is for 20 - 25ltrs of water .... leave for 30 mins and then its good for a Soldiers Tea !!

The tablets I have are Oasis Army Issue ..... and they come in various sizes ...

This is 1 tab per 1 litre ;

OASIS WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS 8.5mg British Army Issue Survival Tabs Genuine | eBay

But these are what I have ... 1 tab for 20 - 25ltre ..

Oasis 167mg Emergency Water Purification Tablets Water Rower Waterower Aqua Tab | eBay

But I cannot find my seller anymore ...

The plain bleach method is fine ....... I've used that before I had the tablets ... and would happily go back to bleach again.
Click to expand...


The quantity discount would have to be very good - the second ones work out at 1.4p per litre. I use Aquatab Mega, each tab does 225l, 18 per pack @ £12 works out at 0.3p/l. I use half tab in each tank when refilling - its convenient. Appreciate that for winter cleaning bleach or vinegar (latter recommended in my Beneteau manual) is more appropriate and cheaper.
 
I drain the tank at the start of winter then in the spring completely fill the tank then drain again , via the taps. Then repeat.
Letting the water flush through the taps is part of the process to flush the entire domestic system.

I used to use some sterilising fluid but after advice the flushing with fresh tap water is sufficient (in the UK) I now use nothing but plain water.

If sterilising fluid is necessary because of a recognised problem or simply out of preference it is hardly expensive . I would prefer to use that rather than some very cheap bleach. It's hardly going to break the bank. When I last used sterilising fluid I used one litre of fluid in 250 litres of water and that seemed to me to be a generous dose.
Mediguard Sterilising Fluid 1L
 
ithet said:
The quantity discount would have to be very good - the second ones work out at 1.4p per litre. I use Aquatab Mega, each tab does 225l, 18 per pack @ £12 works out at 0.3p/l. I use half tab in each tank when refilling - its convenient. Appreciate that for winter cleaning bleach or vinegar (latter recommended in my Beneteau manual) is more appropriate and cheaper.
Click to expand...

You asked for links .... The price has risen dramatically since I bought my big box .... which I was not aware of till looking for you ...

Plus I bought them not for boat use ... but to dose a well at the house .. it's not a deep bore hole - so it often suffered from surface water when strong rain. Use of bleach would not have been possible - so I had to find a solution .... army tabs was it.

Now that I use town water - I have a large number of tabs still left ...

What I like is that unlike bleach ... any slight residual will not harm you.
 
Roberto said:
If you have scale you can also use citric acid. It is also sold food grade.

Has anyone devised a method to empty the tanks without waiting hours? I have a total of 400l, if I open the three faucets I have onboard it takes ages to empty the tanks, let alone do all those rinsing cycles; I was thinking letting all water discharge in the bilge and then use the bilge pumps, maybe there are other options?
My tanks are below the waterplane level, so syphoning not an option. Or maybe I could do that while the boat is in the hard.
Click to expand...
Buy an electric pump, one with a decent flow rate, costs around 100 quid, some wire & crocodile clips, put one hose in your water tank and one over the side or into cockpit. Or uninstall an existing water pump and use that. 400 l mebbe take 20 mins
 
sailaboutvic said:
Thanks for all the suggestion , plan to take the vinegar route and see how it goes .
Click to expand...
It's not going to work... and since dilute vinegar is bacteria and mold food, it will probably be worse. For heaven's sake, there are reasons they treat drinking water with chlorine. You aren't going to out-think them. You just need to learn about de-chlorination....

If the chlorine smell bothers you, add an in-line carbon block filter, such as the FloPlus10 or Daulton Ultracarb. They are VERY effective on chlorine.
 
Clean water is everyone’s need, but storage water may give rise to bacteria, which leads to many bacterial issues. So, get your water tank checked with quality experts. They will inspect your cold water tank and give remedial cleaning as per the tank requirements.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top