Water-does it have a use by date?

[ffiill]

I know water is water is water and the water that is pumped out of the ground can have been there for 20,000 years.
But what about the water in your water tanks.
My boat has two forty gallon tanks glassfibre tanks lying along the keel. Because the boat has gone no where for past two years the water in the tanks is two years old and probably half of that has been in the tanks since about 2007.
All of the water is chemically treated domestic water so does it have a use by/best before date?
Also wonder about the water in emergency packs which has a use by date on it?

 

[Rigger Mortice]

I don't know the answer to your question but I would pump it out, refill and bung some sterilizing tablets in.

 

[prv]

Pure distilled water in a sealed impermeable container ought to last forever, but I wouldn't say the same thing about the average boat tanks! Pump it out, clean the tanks, and get new, unless you're stranded in the desert or something.

Pete

 

[aquaplane]

I prefer fresh water so I would ditch water from the previous season in a stainless tank. GRP tanks tend to make water taste in my experience so unless I have a fairly quick turnover I use bottled water for drinking, tapwater in washed out 4pt milk bottles, not purchased water. The tank water is OK for washing and washing up.

An elbow to Rigger.

 

[Searush]

Taste it, then ask yourself, would you use it to make a cup of tea or to add to a decent malt?

Chucking it away & refilling it won't cost more than a few minutes work, will it?

 

[stevensuf]

It's always wise to add a little hydrogen peroxide or bleach to water tanks every now n then to sterilize them!

 

[barnaclephill]

Water in emergency liferaft packs are in inert metal cans or (probably inert) plastic.
The water in your tanks might absorb some fibreglass resin (osmosis) and other such. My flexible tanks came with instructions to rinse it with water first time, or rinse with vinegar, so I did both. Instead of pumping the water overboard, I used it for washing hands & dishes, or to wash the decks.
The crew have complained about the previous flexible tank's taste, so I bought another in the past few months, above. If it's still no good I have a 10 litre thing from the supermarket of good water or spring water, and have a jug with filter, good for 160 litres. Maybe I could install an in-line carbon, etc filter. Otherwise I heat it up and just mix it with coffee and sugar.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

All the disinfectant (chlorine or peroxide) would have gone and you may have bacterial growth in the tanks; you never know.

You can drink it for as long as you boil it first; the taste is only cosmetic. The water can be re-chlorinated to oxidise any bacteria, but, it does not worth it. Replace the water if you can.

 

[VicS]

It's always wise to add a little hydrogen peroxide or bleach to water tanks every now n then to sterilize them!

Milton solution, used at the rate on the bottle ( 5cm³ per 10litres IIRC) for treating drinking water, now and then when refilling the tanks will keep the water sweet and, if you don't overdo it, not ruin the taste of a cuppa.

 

[fluffc]

Water does one of two things if left to stand for a while:

1) Go off - and it will fairly obviously taste and possibly smell that it is off
2) Be fine

It tends to go very bad, or be okay. Kind of binary.


Can't rememeber where I got this from, but it's in my head somewhere.

 

[VicS]

It may be advisable not to store bottled water for long periods in PET bottles (those are the "water clear" plastic bottles normally used for bottled water).

It has been found that antimony is leached from the plastic

From the Royal Society of Chemistry LINK

 

[prv]

It may be advisable not to store bottled water for long periods in PET bottles (those are the "water clear" plastic bottles normally used for bottled water).

I generally use the boat tank, but I have a few 2-litre bottles of Tesco Value bottled water stowed under the quarter berth as emergency supply. I bought bottled water (though the cheapest available, obviously) on the grounds that it would be cleaner and hence last longer than filling up bottles or a small jerrycan from the tap.

These are the same kind of bottles used for fizzy drinks - are they the ones you mean?

Pete

 

[VicS]

I generally use the boat tank, but I have a few 2-litre bottles of Tesco Value bottled water stowed under the quarter berth as emergency supply. I bought bottled water (though the cheapest available, obviously) on the grounds that it would be cleaner and hence last longer than filling up bottles or a small jerrycan from the tap.

These are the same kind of bottles used for fizzy drinks - are they the ones you mean?

Pete

Almost ceratinly
They are marked PET or PETE and carry the

symbol

 

[Stu Jackson]

Try recommissioning your system

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5836.0.html

 

[OldBawley]

Water-does it have a use by date?

Nope, it is always good to sail in.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Treating Fresh Water System (Thanks to Stu Jackson's Link)

Try recommissioning your system

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5836.0.html

The link above has lot of other detail but I copied and pasted the main article for convenience. I will be doing my water tanks this week, so a topical subject for me.

Title: Recommission the system at least annually

"This is all it takes to keep onboard water safe, and tasting/smelling as good as any that comes out of faucets on land: Fresh water system problems--foul odor or taste--are typically caused by allowing water to stagnate in the system. 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) Clorox or Purex household bleach (5% sodium Hypochlorite 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 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. To keep the water system cleaner longer, use your fresh water...keep water flowing through system. The molds, fungi, and bacteria only start to grow in hoses that aren't being used.

Before filling the tank each time, always let the dock water run for at least 15 minutes first...the same critters that like the lines on your boat LOVE the dock supply line and your hose that sit in the warm sun, and you certainly don't want to transfer water that's been sitting in the dock supply line to your boat's system. So let the water run long enough to flush out all the water that's been standing in them so that what goes into your boat is coming straight from the water main.

Finally, while the molds, fungi and bacteria in onboard water systems here in the US may not be pleasant, we're dealing only with aesthetics...water purity isn't an issue here--or in most developed nations...the water supply has already been purified (unless you're using well-water). However, when cruising out of the country, it's a good idea to know what you're putting in your tanks...and if you're in any doubt, boil all water that's to be drunk or used to wash dishes, and/or treat each tankful to purify. It's even more important in these areas to let the water run before putting it in the tank, because any harmful bacteria will REALLY proliferate in water hoses left sitting on the dock. "

 

[Stu Jackson]

Glad to be able to help. This topic comes up regularly, so I've "saved it" in an easy to find place on our C34 Message Board, since I'm sure it will come up again. A search on "recommissioning" will bring it up on this and lots of other message boards where I've linked it.

Good luck.

 

[Boathook]

I have s/s tanks and at the beginning of the season they are flushed through, tablets, etc. if the water has been standing for a while, especially in the summer I empty the tanks and refill.