Silver dollars in fresh water holding tank

Recently a friend told me about an old school sailor he was talking with, he explained that on his boat he puts silver dollars in his fresh water holding tank. The person conveyed to my friend that the water tanks on Navel vessels used to be lined with silver.

Thinking about this conundrum..silver is bacterialstatic - suppose could help balance the Ph and prevent bacterial growth.

Is there anything to this story?

Um, bleach is cheaper.

I've heard that before. 23 years in the Navy and I never saw the inside of a potable water tank. I heard you didn't wanna know.

Both copper and silver have properties that slow algae of microbial growth and act as mild disinfectants but as mentioned above, bleach is much much cheaper.

Silver lined water tanks??? Who knows, I've often thought our local water company had gold plated meters for the prices they charge

<Both copper and silver have properties that slow algae of microbial growth and act as mild disinfectants>.

Copper tubing is cheap a lasts longer than plastic stuff.

Light doesnt get thru copper tubing , another plus if fauna & flora in the drinking water is not desired.

While we're on the subject of water tanks, I was wondering if the water tank should be drained for winter, and is it a good idea to sanitize the system every year?.
Sorry to change the subject but I'm waiting for a survey report to arrive, if all is well, and it should be, I will have my first large boat, well 38' x 12' 6" is big to me!!
Robbie.

FF said:

<Both copper and silver have properties that slow algae of microbial growth and act as mild disinfectants>.

Copper tubing is cheap a lasts longer than plastic stuff.

Light doesnt get thru copper tubing , another plus if fauna & flora in the drinking water is not desired.

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It appears that you have not priced copper lately... also depending on the location "plastic" tubing may last longer ( ie sources of corrosion, alkalinity, galvanic issues). The wirsbo tubing is pretty hard to beat.

HOLLYWOOD

hollywood8118 said:

It appears that you have not priced copper lately... The wirsbo tubing is pretty hard to beat.

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I'll second that and suggest that using the crimp rings instead of the push-on connectors is cheaper, faster, and far less prone to leakage from less than perfect tubing preparation and installation.

You may want to ensure that you don't put too much silver in your tank...

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<I'll second that and suggest that using the crimp rings instead of the push-on connectors is cheaper, faster, and far less prone to leakage from less than perfect tubing preparation and installation.>

Great if you carry enough spare rings and the crimp tool.

A Flair tool will probably be aboard to repair the Air cond and refrigeration , and tubing is aviliable worldwide.

Special brand of Crimps ? maybe not.

The learning curve and failure rate for the once a year user of copper flaring tools is sky high.

Cinchclamps can be installed by practically anyone and are very reasonably priced.


After using PEX and cinchclamps for a recent potable water system rebuild, I will never even consider copper for future work of that sort. And I am practiced enough with copper to do high pressure air conditioning and refrigeration connections without leaks. My take on it is use the best available technology and for potable water systems on small boats, copper tubing has been relegated to the bronze age.

FF said:

A Flair tool will probably be aboard to repair the Air cond and refrigeration , and tubing is aviliable worldwide.

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How many here carry a can of refrigerant, a vacuum pump, guages, scale, oil, and driers as spare parts to service their AC&R installations? You can flare all the tubing in the world but without the rest of the stuff you aren't going to achieve much.

When I was a kid I would go out and pick wild mushrooms with my grandfather. When cooking the mushrooms, they would add a quarter to the pot, the theory being, if the quarter turned black the mushrooms were poisonous. Don't know how I survived to be an old coot.

robbie said:

While we're on the subject of water tanks, I was wondering if the water tank should be drained for winter, and is it a good idea to sanitize the system every year?

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Yes, and yes. You should empty it nearly completely, and some folks (I'm one) put in a couple of gallons of non-toxic anti-freeze and run that through the lines. Or you can blow them out. Water will collect in the lowest spots and freeze. Some plastic pipes can handle "a little" freezing, some will be weakened. Fixtures can and will be damaged.

Sanitize with a little bleach, let it sit for a day or so, then flush with fresh city water. Keep it clean by USING IT. Municipal water supplies contain chlorine or some other chemical to keep the growth down. Keeping fresh water moving through your system will keep it the same quality as your home water.

Back to the subject of silver and copper:

I've heard that putting a penny or two in your air conditioner strainers helps keep growth down. Never had the problem so I've never tried it. Maybe when I migrate to warmer waters I'll have to give it a shot.

Money thrown anywhere in the boat usually has a positive effect, although sometimes it takes a large number of silver dollars.

robbie said:

While we're on the subject of water tanks, I was wondering if the water tank should be drained for winter, and is it a good idea to sanitize the system every year?.
Sorry to change the subject but I'm waiting for a survey report to arrive, if all is well, and it should be, I will have my first large boat, well 38' x 12' 6" is big to me!!
Robbie.

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Do you pull your boat for the winter? If so, you will need to do as the other poster stated. In the NW, we don't need to drain our tanks if the boat is in the water..... the tanks are usually below the water line, so they won't freeze. I also have a space heater inside the boat that turns on when the temp gets below 38F. The best thing to do is talk with other locals in your area....Marina/Yard/Surveyor etc....

Greetings,
Mr. Robbie. I would sugest you use the RV anti freeze (AF) in everything BUT the water tank and the hot water tank. Drain both fully and isolate. That AF is difficult to completely flush from large volumes such as mentioned above and will leave a taste in your water. By all means sanitize in your spring re-commissioning. Some bleach in your flushing water which you can run through the WHOLE system should do the job. Can't quite remember the concentration though.

Thanks for the replies everyone, I'll arrange to get that job done asap as she's on the hard for the winter now.

Robbie