Pieyed47
Senior Member
I have plastic water tanks and am wondering how folks treat the potable water to keep it fresh. What do you folks use to treat their tanks from a day to day? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks JD
Thanks JD
I typically fill my tanks with treated city water. Once in a while I will add a tablespoon or so of chlorine bleach (unscented) to each tank if the water seems suspect.
I only use my own personal "drinking water approved" hose that's used for nothing else and kept hidden on the boat so others can't borrow it to rinse out their holding tanks. I let the water run for a few minutes before filling the tanks.
I've never had a problem with bad or "stale" water.
Any recommendations other than bleach?
I have stainless tanks and am concerned about bleach removing the coating on the stainless
.............. I use only bottled water for drinking. ..............
Once we empty a bottle of "bottled water", we refill it from our boat's water system, screw the cap on and put it back in the refrigerator.
Once we empty a bottle of "bottled water", we refill it from our boat's water system, screw the cap on and put it back in the refrigerator.
Our Tolly has two, plastic, 40 yr. old water tanks = Total 77 gallons.
They are completely in the dark.
I add 1/2 cup Clorox bleach in each tank every third time I refill. They are about 50% down at each refill.
Have no problem of clean looking, good smelling and good tasting water. Do rinse mouth for brushing, wash dishes and shower. Do not drink it.
Always bring good supply of home tap water in good containers for drinking.
As our current life style mandates long weekends and not long trips aboard boat the drinking water we transport is plenty enough.
When our lives get more time for duration boating I plan to fully flush the tanks and put filters for drinking water out of both tanks.
I typically fill my tanks with treated city water. Once in a while I will add a tablespoon or so of chlorine bleach (unscented) to each tank if the water seems suspect.
I only use my own personal "drinking water approved" hose that's used for nothing else and kept hidden on the boat so others can't borrow it to rinse out their holding tanks. I let the water run for a few minutes before filling the tanks.
I've never had a problem with bad or "stale" water.
1/2 cup in each tank
I have put half of that one day to clean the tanks (total 70 gal) and water was smelling like a pool! I needed 2 or 3 complete flush to get rid of the chlorine taste!
Maybe what you use is not the same concentration though.
L.
1/2 cup = 8 table spoons -: into 38.5 gals per tank = 1 table spoon per approximately 14 gals at the rate of putting in the Clorox every third water fill up.
1 tbs Clorox per 14 gals water keeps tanks clean and teeth white! - LOL
Not sure how it compares, but I use 1 tsp per 50 gallons of municipality water if I don't expect to go through the water quickly. It seems to me you are using about 15 times the amount that I am.
For a yearly commissioning if the water has been sitting for a bit, then I'll use 1 quart/50 gallons to disinfect the system. This gets rinsed out after a few hours soak at least a couple of times.
I do the same. My wife is a bit paranoid and will only drink bottled water on the boat. Doesn't make a bit of sense to me as she has no problem cooking with our boats water, using it for coffee etc but she likes to drink bottles water. I think it is an extravagant waste of money and resources. We have a filter on our galley sink. Our water tastes great. I don't get it. However, I lug cases of bottle water to the boat for all the time.
I do the same. My wife is a bit paranoid and will only drink bottled water on the boat. Doesn't make a bit of sense to me as she has no problem cooking with our boats water, using it for coffee etc but she likes to drink bottles water. I think it is an extravagant waste of money and resources. We have a filter on our galley sink. Our water tastes great. I don't get it. However, I lug cases of bottle water to the boat for all the time.
.........
I use a standard, but very good quality garden hose initially, then the filters, then a short RV, white approved for potable water, hose for the final run to the tanks. Those last hoses and filters periodically get dosed with a shot of hydrogen peroxide between filter changes...........