'orrible tasting water

[extravert]

\'orrible tasting water

The water from the tank on my boat has tasted yucky since I've had it. No amount of cleaning and flushing seems to solve the problem, next day it's back to normal hardly drinkable disgusting. I don't know what the taste is, but it's not nice.

My installation is a tank that is integral to the hull. This has a top that can be completely removed, so tank cleaning is very easy. From there go normal looking water pipes, i.e. translucent with a white criss-cross pattern, to manual taps.

The previous owner only sailed the boat for 10 weeks each summer, leaving it laid up for the remaining 9.5 months. When I bought the boat the tank and pipes had some chemical water tank cleaning chemicals left in it, chlorine based by the smell of it. The container said that it should only be left in a water system for a maximum of 24 hours, so 9.5 months was overdoing it a bit. Has this chemical attacked the insides of the pipes causing them to taint the water now? Where's our friendly sanitation expert and connoisseur of nasty smells, Pegs?

<hr width=100% size=1>Summer is what you expect - rain is what you get.

 

[Trevor_swfyc]

Re: \'orrible tasting water

The bugs will be in the plastic pipe work, the water that then contacts the pipe will turn sour within days.

I would replace the pipes as the bugs will only come back out of the plastic even after treatment as you have found.

I treat my tank water with swimming pool chlorinator and have a separate supply for drinking, do you want to drink the tank water?.

All the best.
Trevor


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[Spacewaist]

Re: \'orrible tasting water

I solved mine by installing an activated carbon filter which I change once a year unless I am living on board in which case twice.



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[charles_reed]

You don\'t tell us

of what the taste reminds you - swimming baths or "bad-egg" bombs.

If the latter try flushing with silver halide solution - available as a german-made called (I think Puraclean) and then treat your water at the advised dosage for a few months.

If it's the former fit a charcoal filters - these have an undeservedly bad press for poisoning their users, but providing you get one which is silver-nitrate protected and leave the aforementioned silver halide in the filter when you leave the boat for more than 3 weeks.

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[extravert]

Re: You don\'t tell us

I don't know what it tastes of. It's not chlorine and it's not bad eggs. I tried a filter last year and it did not help. I don't know how to describe it. Would you like me to send you a sample for a sniff?

<hr width=100% size=1>Summer is what you expect - rain is what you get.

 

[Vara]

Re: \'orrible tasting water

Had a similar problem,a few years ago and tried all the magic potions and cure alls to no great effect,carbon filter gave some relief for about two weeks but at £18 a throw not a long term solution.
In the end I installed a flexible tank inside fixed tank and replaced supply pipes,end of problem.
Conclusion reached that it was something horrid leaching out of original tank material.

<hr width=100% size=1>If it can't be fixed with a lump hammer dont fit it!

 

[johnneale]

Re: \'orrible tasting water

put some copper in your tank - I used to use old pennies. Also to get rid of smell in plastic pipes either flush well before use or run a length of copper wire inside them. Never had a problem since then & don't add chemicals as they taste worse than mouldy water.

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