water tanks

[uforea]

Some two or three weeks ago someone mentioned that they had added a bag of, "chrystals", I think they said to their water tank to help keep the water clean. I have searched for this post and cannnot find it so am appealing for help.
Thanks in advance.

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[thewetone]

I have not seen iy either, but it is possible that they used water purification tablets sold at most (good) outdoor and campig centres

<hr width=100% size=1>Randy

Once the avalanche has started, it's too late for the pebbles to vote

 

[Strathglass]

It was not on the forums but was in an article in either YM or YW.

The article was about boatbuilding and the subject was about those things which just work and never get reported because they never give any trouble.

I will still have the mag and could look it out if you wish.

Iain.

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[Boathook]

It was in PBO dated January 2004. An article by Andrew Simpson on page 128

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[uforea]

Thanks Peter, it never occurred to me to look elsewhere. The Forum triumphs again. Thanks to all for your replies and a happy New Year to all who enjoy these sites. I hope every one has a good sailing season in 2004.

Ted


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[Norrsken]

I use Aquafresh tablets which I get from the local chandlers. It makes the water taste a bit chlorinated but is okay for making the tea. We tend to drink bottled water on board.

In the winter I drain my tanks and when I refill them I use another proprietary product, whose name I do not remember, to flush through cleanse the tanks before refilling. I am told you can use Milton (baby bottle cleaner from the chemists) for this purpose but I have never tried it.

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[thewetone]

FYI I have an Adobe Acrobat document published by UNIVERSAL Sodexho that originally came from the HSE, Queensland Dept of Natural Resources and Mining, Australia.

In it, it states that the plastic bottles that bottled water (Evian, Aqua, Vita etc) are intended as single use only and warns of the release of carcinogens and should be kept away from heat. Repeated washing and rinsing can cause the deterioation of the plastic and the leaching of carcinogens into the water.

I can find no way to put the document up here as an attachment. Perhaps if Can can get it to Kim he will make it available.

Apart from that A Very Happy New Year to All and I have learnt much (even a bit about boating/sailing).

<hr width=100% size=1>Randy

Once the avalanche has started, it's too late for the pebbles to vote

 

[HeadMistress]

Recomission the system annually

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 anything added to the tank with each fill isn't likely to be potent enough to actually cure the problem it's sold to cure...if it were, the water would be unuseable. And some are actually damaging to metal tanks and rubber parts in the water pump. 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 in the US code covering electrical, plumbing, and heating of recreational vehicles (the fresh water system on a boat is no different from that in an RV (what you call a "caravan"). 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) household bleach (5-7% sodium Hypochloride 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 or products containing chlorine 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 system maintenance, 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.

<hr width=100% size=1>Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987