Fresh Water From Holding Tank To City Water

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kartracer

Guru
Joined
Aug 5, 2014
Messages
529
Location
USA
Vessel Name
M/V LUNASEA
Vessel Make
45ft Bluewater Coastal
My boat was manufactured with out a city water connection, only uses water from holding tank. My question is ???

1. When at dock for long periods of time, months, do you empty the fresh water tank to keep water from getting stagnant ??? :confused:
 
kartracer said:
My boat was manufactured with out a city water connection, only uses water from holding tank. My question is ???

1. When at dock for long periods of time, months, do you empty the fresh water tank to keep water from getting stagnant ??? :confused:
Click to expand...




Whats a long time ?
I would just fill it to the very top and when I return after a long time I would just dump the water and refill
 
It wouldn't be hard to just empty and refill occasionally.
 
Yes, I recycle the water every month or so and have been doing so for 5 years now non stop with fresh smelling and tasting water.

Sometimes it may have gone up to 2 months and maybe even a little longer, but not much.

Our marina has issues with its dock water feeds, so I try and keep the water tanks full (better sounding than holding tank :D), even though I stay connected to city water.

I think that even if the tanks arent fully used, a partial tank filled with fresh city water seems to keep it pretty sanitized.....of course I havent tested the water but it smells fine and doent have any unusual floaties in it.
 
We cruise full time, and have been aboard 8 years. Sometimes we stop for a month or more. We connect to city water whenever we are in a marina. We do not make any special effort to fill up, use up or drain the tanks. We have never had any problems. We do have a standard Culligan whole house carbon filter downstream of the tank and city water line, and the filter has not been changed in 3 years. It looks to be perfectly clean.
 
Just did this yesterday.

Had about 80 gallons in the tank, built hadn't used it for a month. So ran the faucet until empty then filled the tanks for this upcoming weekend. Then changed the secondary water filter.

I paid 40c a gallon for that water I ran out too! :)
 
kartracer said:
My boat was manufactured with out a city water connection, only uses water from holding tank. My question is ???

1. When at dock for long periods of time, months, do you empty the fresh water tank to keep water from getting stagnant ??? :confused:
Click to expand...


We seldom use our dock water connection; almost always use from the freshwater tanks. Which means it's cycled often, 'cause we're on board a lot.

If we weren't on board for a long period, I'd probably empty and refill... Not hard.

OTOH, we filter all water into the tanks, so the water stays fresh for quite a while...

-Chris
 
If you're filling your water tank with municipal water, it's treated to a potable standard that mandates a level of residual anti-bacterial agent, typically chlorine. It's enough to take care of any pathogens that may be in your tank, unless it's really polluted. BTW, speaking of polluted, I certainly hope you're not drinking water from your holding tank, the holding tank is for sewage!

You should be able to keep water in your water tank indefinitely. Water doesn't age or go stagnant without help, and unless there's a source of contamination, there's really no reason to dump the contents of the tank. It may absorb taste/odor from the tank, but most tanks are constructed from material that's inert and shouldn't impart any taste or odor. A carbon filter will keep the water tasting great, a standard 10" cartridge should last about 6 months, depending on how much volume it sees.

I fail to understand why so many folks are creeped out by drinking water from their water tanks. I know it's 99% perception. They'll drink water at home or elsewhere that comes from a tap over which they have no control regarding potability; yet refuse to use water on board over which they have complete control of cleanliness! There's nothing mysterious about water tanks. That bottled water that folks pay for then shlepp to the boat, store, then deal with the trash is typically filtered tap water. You can do the same thing on board and dispense with the expense and hassle of the bottles, and still enjoy good tasting water & ice.
 
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Aquabon...worked fine in our sailboat. Sold at West and elsewhere for boats and RVs.
 
I have never drained mine, when it gets low or before a trip I fill it up adding a bit of bleach. So far we have never had a problem with "Off Tasting" water. Our tank is 100 Gallons and made of SS. When I am on the boat at the slip between cruises I try to run water, hot and cold, through the faucets for a while. Some marinas have bad tasting water to begin with. It is best to taste it before filling the tanks, also let the water run for a while to flush out the dock side pipes before filing.
 
I always filter the water that goes in the fresh water tank and never, ever hook up to city water. Some of the city water systems have a pressure level that's too high for my liking. I don't want a pipe or fitting connection to burst and flood the boat while I'm away.


Each spring when I fill the tank for the first time I put in about 100 gallons and 1/4 cup of bleach. I run it out through all the faucets then let it sit for at least 24 hours.


Then I run it all out, refill with filtered water and I'm good to go.
 
Last weekend I once again commissioned my water tanks. I did I a year ago. I drained the tanks, added water and bleach (3.75 qts for each 175 gallon tank) and let sit for ~4 hours, then drained, filled, drained, filled, drained, and then filled again.

Likely not necessary but over the winter the water doesn't get used as rapidly as in the summer months.

I have no qualms about drinking the water from my tank. My wife isn't as happy with it. She drinks bottled water. I drink one bottle, then filled it from the tap and put my name on the bottle with a Sharpie and stick it in the fridge. I just keep using the same bottle for cold water.

Our municipal systems have a very small amount of chlorine in the water.
 
dhays said:
Last weekend I once again commissioned my water tanks. I did I a year ago. I drained the tanks, added water and bleach (3.75 qts for each 175 gallon tank) and let sit for ~4 hours, then drained, filled, drained, filled, drained, and then filled again.

Likely not necessary but over the winter the water doesn't get used as rapidly as in the summer months.

I have no qualms about drinking the water from my tank. My wife isn't as happy with it. She drinks bottled water. I drink one bottle, then filled it from the tap and put my name on the bottle with a Sharpie and stick it in the fridge. I just keep using the same bottle for cold water.

Our municipal systems have a very small amount of chlorine in the water.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't drink that water either, with that much chlorine! That's toxic!! Even after rinsing, there's gotta be residual that's going to taste bad!
To shock a tank to AWWA standards for a 6 hr. contact time, 175 gal. calls for 2.8 cups, for 24 hr contact, 3/4 cup. You only need enough to kill pathogens.

Keep in mind, water-borne pathogens need a point of entry to contaminate a tank. That tank is typically filled with water that already has a prophylactic residual of anti-bacterial agent, so the chance of a pathogen gaining a foothold adequate to reproduce is about nil. Unless there's a way that contamination can enter a stored water supply, it simply doesn't spontaneously appear.

It's the same (mis)perception that drives the market for pocket hand sanitizer.
 
kartracer said:
My boat was manufactured with out a city water connection, only uses water from holding tank. My question is ???

1. When at dock for long periods of time, months, do you empty the fresh water tank to keep water from getting stagnant ??? :confused:
Click to expand...

When I hear the term "holding tank", my thought is the tank sewage goes into and is held until it is pumped out. I believe you are talking about your potable or "fresh" water tank.

To answer your question as I understand it, no, I do not empty the potable water tanks to keep the water from getting stagnant. My marina's water comes from the city water system and is treated like any other city water system does. Since we often spend the weekend on our boat when not cruising and in port, we do use the water and eventually have to refill the tanks so there is some turnover.

I have never had a problem with the boat water getting stagnant or anything else. In my experience, water does not "spoil" over time although I was surprised to see an expiration date on a gallon of bottled water once.
 
dhays said:
Last weekend I once again commissioned my water tanks. I did I a year ago. I drained the tanks, added water and bleach (3.75 qts for each 175 gallon tank) and let sit for ~4 hours, then drained, filled, drained, filled, drained, and then filled again. .............
Click to expand...

I agree with Maerin that you are using far too much chlorine if you're using typical household bleach.

Other than that, if you don't run each faucet and other fixture until you smell the chlorine and then let it stand for the specified period, you are not doing this properly. You need to treat the entire system, not just the tank.

I used to live in a home with a residential deep well for water and it was necessary to sanitize the system this way every time the submersible pump was pulled for service.

Once your water system has been disinfected, it shouldn't be necessary to do this treatment again unless it becomes contaminated somehow.

We use our boat water like we use our home water. Drinking, cooking, washing and bathing. No problem.
 
WesK said:
I agree with Maerin that you are using far too much chlorine if you're using typical household bleach.

Other than that, if you don't run each faucet and other fixture until you smell the chlorine and then let it stand for the specified period, you are not doing this properly. You need to treat the entire system, not just the tank.

I used to live in a home with a residential deep well for water and it was necessary to sanitize the system this way every time the submersible pump was pulled for service.
Click to expand...


I'll review the amount of chlorine I am using. I do run each fixture until I smell the chlorine and then let it stand. After rinsing, there is NO bleach taste in the water.

I just checked, and Peggy's recommendation amounts to 1 cup bleach per 20 gallons of water. That would be 8.75 cups for 175 gallons or a but under 2.25 qts bleach. I just changed the notes I have to use a 1/2 gallon per tank to make it easy.
 
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GFC said:
Some of the city water systems have a pressure level that's too high for my liking. I don't want a pipe or fitting connection to burst and flood the boat while I'm away.
Click to expand...

All RVs and boat should be using a pressure regulator on their hoses from shore as pressures can vary considerably as you have stated. It should not keep you from hooking up to shore water however as regulators are readily available and inexpensive. They simply bleed any overpressure off to the ground.

https://www.amazon.ca/Camco-40055-X-Brass-Pressure-Regulator/dp/B003BZD08U
 
We have developed a routine of keeping the fresh water tanks low at the end of season. Then starting the season we move into a marina for a few days to get boat ready and receive the freighter shipment from home. While in the marina we fill jugs with dock water and drink that using what is in the tanks for clothes washing, showers and other cleaning. Once we have drained the tanks down to a bare minimum we fill with dock water. After that our water supply comes from the watermaker. We do not use our shore water inlet because of faulty hose bibs on the dock which will either lead or frequently release the hose from the hose bibs sending 11 cents a gallon water into the sea.
 
Brain eating amoeba is bad.
Brain-eating amoeba found in Louisiana drinking water, officials say
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/...n-louisiana-drinking-water-officials-say.html
Copper and brass and bronzes kill and sterilize water.
I have copper water lines, tank is SS. The water is always clean.
I have never treated my water. I drain the tank in the fall when we start getting freezes. Although if such a thing occurred here, I would bleach the water system.

Does having an inline water filter help?
I have an adjustable pressure regulator on an input line, but I don't leave boat connected to the marina water.
 
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LaBomba said:
All RVs and boat should be using a pressure regulator on their hoses from shore as pressures can vary considerably as you have stated. It should not keep you from hooking up to shore water however as regulators are readily available and inexpensive. They simply bleed any overpressure off to the ground.
Click to expand...

And a pressure regulator can fail. Then you have 60 PSI or more (I've seen 100 PSI at my house) on a system designed for 30 PSI.

If you simply fill your tank(s) and use that water, you will be turning over the tank water and it will stay fresh. If you connect your boat to city water, you run the risk of sinking it. On nearly sank at my marina a few years ago because of a city water connection and a failed regulator. It's not a myth, it can and does happen.
 
I know of no boat eater system that is only designed for 30 psi.

Many boat water pumps come from the factory set much higher and I have never had a system fail from dock water psi. Factory pumps are usually 30 to 60 psi with quite a few 55 psi in the Shurflo brand.

Good reinforced pvc water line and hose clamps can easily withstand over 100 psi.

Ans remembering to turn off your city water when you leave is no different than remembering to turn off anthing else like your stove or lights. If necessary, use a tag out system, or one of those meters that shuts off water supply afte so many gallons.

Its not a big deal for non liveaboards, but some of us cant carry enough in our tanks while living aboard where it is not a hassel, but bigger boats can I guess.
 
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When cleaning or sanitizing a water system as described here should I turn on the water heater and run the water with bleach through that portion of the system before letting it sit and a soak for however long? Rinsing that portion as well after the dead is done of course...
 
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Leave the hot water tank off but run both the hot and cold taps.
 
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