owen
Well-Known Member
despite a number of attempts at clearing the tainted taste from the drinking water it remains. any ideas.
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tainted water
- Thread starter owen
- Start date
AndrewB
Well-Known Member
More details needed.
What material is the tank made of, what access do you have, what are the pipes, is the foul taste chemical or biological, what have you tried so far?
There are any number of past threads on this topic, have you done a search?
What material is the tank made of, what access do you have, what are the pipes, is the foul taste chemical or biological, what have you tried so far?
There are any number of past threads on this topic, have you done a search?
owen
Well-Known Member
the tank is fibreglass and glassed in at manufacture so v poor access. the taste has a definite fibreglass flavour but overlain with a bacterial smell / flavour.
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oldsaltyfish
New Member
I have a similar situation with an inbuilt glass tank. Cutting an access hole revealed some osmosis mostly in the upper part of the tank. Also flaking gelcoat / flowcoat. Cleaning the tank improves the taste for a short time but restricted access limits an easy permenant solution.
Good luck.
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Good luck.
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ccscott49
Well-Known Member
If the tanks have osmosis, which it sounds by the fibreglass taste they have, the best and probably cheapest way of solving it would be to line the tanks with flexible tanks. There are a few old threads about this kind of thing.
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G
Guest
Guest
GRP tank ..... cut off the whole top and use the cleaned and smoothed 'bin' as the holder for a new flexi-tank. Or cut all of it out and fit a new TEK-TANK .....
Metal tank ... Stainless - fill with water and Miltons fluid or similar sterilising fluid. Pump it round the system and leave it in the tank for a few hours. Pump out and rinse with good clean fresh water. If the tank is galvanised or other - I would dump it and replace with a flexi-tank or TEK-TANK job.
But make sure what ever you do - Milton Fluid round the system after you do your mods etc. to clean out the pipes etc.
<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
Bilge Keelers get up further ! I only came - cos they said there was FREE Guinness !
Metal tank ... Stainless - fill with water and Miltons fluid or similar sterilising fluid. Pump it round the system and leave it in the tank for a few hours. Pump out and rinse with good clean fresh water. If the tank is galvanised or other - I would dump it and replace with a flexi-tank or TEK-TANK job.
But make sure what ever you do - Milton Fluid round the system after you do your mods etc. to clean out the pipes etc.
<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
Bilge Keelers get up further ! I only came - cos they said there was FREE Guinness !
owen
Well-Known Member
thanks for all the replies.
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HeadMistress
Well-Known Member
Although most people think only in terms of the tank, the plumbing is actually the source of most foul water, because the molds, mildew, fungi and bacteria which cause it thrive in damp dark places, not under water. Many people—and even some boat manufacturers—believe that keeping the tanks empty reduce the problem, but an empty water tank only provides another damp dark home for those “critters.”
There are all kinds of products sold that claim to keep onboard water fresh, but all that’s really necessary is an annual or in especially warm climates, semi-annual recommissioning of the entire system—tank and plumbing. The following recommendations conform to section 10.8 in the A-1 192 code covering electrical, plumbing, and heating of recreational vehicles. The solution is approved and recommended by competent health officials. It may be used in a new system a used one that has not been used for a period of time, or one that may have been contaminated.
Before beginning, turn off hot water heater at the breaker; do not turn it on again until the entire recommissioning is complete.
Icemakers should be left running to allow cleaning out of the water feed line; however the first two buckets of ice—the bucket generated during recommissioning and the first bucketful afterward--should be discarded.
1. Prepare a chlorine solution using one gallon of water and 1/2 cup (4 oz or 125 ml) Clorox or Purex household bleach (5-7% sodium Hypochlorine solution ). With tank empty, pour chlorine solution into tank. Use one gallon of solution for each 5 gallons of tank capacity.
2. Complete filling of tank with fresh water. Open each faucet and drain cock until air has been released and the entire system is filled. Do not turn off the pump; it must remain on to keep the system pressurized and the solution in the lines
3. Allow to stand for at least three hours, but no longer than 24 hours.
4 Drain through every faucet on the boat (and if you haven't done this in a while, it's a good idea to remove any diffusion screens from the faucets, because what's likely to come out will clog them). Fill the tank again with fresh water only, drain again through every faucet on the boat.
5. To remove excess chlorine taste or odor which might remain, prepare a solution of one quart white vinegar to five gallons water and allow this solution to agitate in tank for several days by vehicle motion.
6. Drain tank again through every faucet, and flush the lines again by fill the tank 1/4-1/2 full and again flushing with potable water.
People have expressed concern about using this method to recommission aluminum tanks. While bleach (chlorine) IS corrosive, it’s effects are are cumulative. So the effect of an annual or semi-annual "shock treatment" is negligible compared to the cumulative effect of holding chlorinated city water in the tank for years. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to mix the total amount of bleach in a few gallons of water before putting it into either a stainless or aluminum tank.
People have also expressed concern about the potential damage to rubber and neoprene water pump parts. Again—the cumulative effect of carrying chlorinated water is far more damaging over time than the occasional “shock treatment.” And it’s that cumulative effect that makes it a VERY bad idea to add a little bleach to each fill. Not only does it damage the system, but unless you add enough to make your water taste and smell like a laundry, it’s not enough to do any good. Even if it were, any “purifying” properties in chlorine evaporate within 24 hours, leaving behind only the corrosive properties.
An annual or semi-annual recommissioning according to the above directions is all that should be necessary to keep your water tasting and smelling as good as anything that comes out of any faucet on land. If you need to improve on that, install a water filter. Just remember that a filter is not a substitute for cleaning out the system, and that filters require regular inspection and cleaning or replacement.
<hr width=100% size=1>Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
There are all kinds of products sold that claim to keep onboard water fresh, but all that’s really necessary is an annual or in especially warm climates, semi-annual recommissioning of the entire system—tank and plumbing. The following recommendations conform to section 10.8 in the A-1 192 code covering electrical, plumbing, and heating of recreational vehicles. The solution is approved and recommended by competent health officials. It may be used in a new system a used one that has not been used for a period of time, or one that may have been contaminated.
Before beginning, turn off hot water heater at the breaker; do not turn it on again until the entire recommissioning is complete.
Icemakers should be left running to allow cleaning out of the water feed line; however the first two buckets of ice—the bucket generated during recommissioning and the first bucketful afterward--should be discarded.
1. Prepare a chlorine solution using one gallon of water and 1/2 cup (4 oz or 125 ml) Clorox or Purex household bleach (5-7% sodium Hypochlorine solution ). With tank empty, pour chlorine solution into tank. Use one gallon of solution for each 5 gallons of tank capacity.
2. Complete filling of tank with fresh water. Open each faucet and drain cock until air has been released and the entire system is filled. Do not turn off the pump; it must remain on to keep the system pressurized and the solution in the lines
3. Allow to stand for at least three hours, but no longer than 24 hours.
4 Drain through every faucet on the boat (and if you haven't done this in a while, it's a good idea to remove any diffusion screens from the faucets, because what's likely to come out will clog them). Fill the tank again with fresh water only, drain again through every faucet on the boat.
5. To remove excess chlorine taste or odor which might remain, prepare a solution of one quart white vinegar to five gallons water and allow this solution to agitate in tank for several days by vehicle motion.
6. Drain tank again through every faucet, and flush the lines again by fill the tank 1/4-1/2 full and again flushing with potable water.
People have expressed concern about using this method to recommission aluminum tanks. While bleach (chlorine) IS corrosive, it’s effects are are cumulative. So the effect of an annual or semi-annual "shock treatment" is negligible compared to the cumulative effect of holding chlorinated city water in the tank for years. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to mix the total amount of bleach in a few gallons of water before putting it into either a stainless or aluminum tank.
People have also expressed concern about the potential damage to rubber and neoprene water pump parts. Again—the cumulative effect of carrying chlorinated water is far more damaging over time than the occasional “shock treatment.” And it’s that cumulative effect that makes it a VERY bad idea to add a little bleach to each fill. Not only does it damage the system, but unless you add enough to make your water taste and smell like a laundry, it’s not enough to do any good. Even if it were, any “purifying” properties in chlorine evaporate within 24 hours, leaving behind only the corrosive properties.
An annual or semi-annual recommissioning according to the above directions is all that should be necessary to keep your water tasting and smelling as good as anything that comes out of any faucet on land. If you need to improve on that, install a water filter. Just remember that a filter is not a substitute for cleaning out the system, and that filters require regular inspection and cleaning or replacement.
<hr width=100% size=1>Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987