Plastimo water tank/plasticky taste!

[Clyde_Wanderer]

When fitting the plastimo water tank which is intended for drinking use, ie, tea coffe etc, it adviced flushing out with 5% (I think) white vinigar????.
I forgot to do this and am now getting complaints of a taste from my served up tea, I dont normally taste it as the whiskey in the coffe covers it up. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
How should I go about flushing it out now since it is all connected up, hoses etc.
Can I just put some WV in and leave it in or would I need to remove the tank and start over again?
TIA, C_W.

 

[bazobeleza]

just use harrogate spring water, yorkshire tea, and fresh milk, perfect cuppa even abroad, leave the water in the tank for washing the decks and your smalls.

 

[sarabande]

Pump all the water out.

Refill with clean water, adding white vinegar (if you must) or very dilute bleach.

Agitate. Or go for a sail.

Empty tank again.

Refill with clean water, and a drop of bleach to keep it sterile.

 

[VicS]

Personally I would not use vinegar because I hate the smell and taste of it. Bicarbonate of soda is the housewives favourite for removing faint tastes and smells. That might be worth a try. I feel sure you will have to drain off any water treated with vinegar. (Vinegar flavoured tea ... ugh!)

I do not remember doing anything special with my tank when I installed it but that was over 25 years ago. I now do use a little Milton solution when I fill it at the beginning of the season. Milton recommend IIRC 1/2 teaspoonfull per 5 litres for treating drinking water. Usually I slop some in, overdo it and end up with water tasting of chlorine but since I always take fresh drinking water with me that does not matter.

I do not use household bleach because I do not want to drink any of the other additives that it may contain and certainly not the sodium chlorate (as in weedkiller) that commercial hypochlorite solution can contain as an impurity. If in order to save a few pennies you feel compelled to use bleach remember that it is somewhat more concentrated than Milton so the dose rate will be proportionately less.

However I have an idea that Plastimo say not to use hypochlorite in their tanks. I have no idea why though.

 

[Stoaty]

Put your water through a water filter jug before you make the tea. It takes the plastic taste out.

 

[sarabande]

If the normal supermarket bleach only says "sodium hypochlorite", is is reasonable to assume (/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) that there will be traces of sodium chlorate as well ?

Before posting, I did a websearch and found this. I didn't know previously about the decay in sodium chlorate, so many thanks VicS.

http://www.milton-tm.com/healthpro/pro_faq.htm

PS Spot their interesting chemical spelling mistake....

 

[VicS]

Thanks I had not seen that before. It confirms that heavy metals were involved. I may have know that , I certainly suspected it.

Credit where credit is due though it was Brendan who first drew my attention to possibility of commercial hypochlorite containing chlorate.

I find it convenient to keep a small bottle of Milton on the boat and to lightly dose the first fill of the season. Actually I put the Milton and just a little water in initially and draw some of that through the pipe to the galley pump as it is the pipe that always seems to be the mucky part, before continuing to fill the tank.

If I had to sterilise a large and contaminated tank I would almost certainly use a non-thickened domestic bleach and rinse it thoroughly before use.

 

[PCUK]

Jasbco Aqua-Filta. Perfect!