the two water tanks Onboard my cd30 have little floatys and such suspended in solution, they appear not to be self-propelled.
No, seriously my water does taste nasty and there are somekind of things floating around. I have flushed both tanks several times, refills taste Okay for a few days then back to the stank. tried the clorox/purex thing but that tasted worse added maybe teaspoon per tank.
There are lots of products on the market... What have you folks found to help keep those tanks tasting good? Ben
btlandscapers@imagina.com
stinky foulwater/& not the holding tank
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Bob Loewenstein
Re: stinky foulwater/& not the holding tank
Ben,
I think you have to use more than a teaspoon of bleach. I think about 1 cup of bleach per 20 gallons of water, but perhaps someone else knows the proper amount. I put in the bleach, filled the tanks and then went out for a sail to let the solution slosh around; also pumped some of the solution through the plumbing to get the bleach into the hoses, etc. I waited a day and then flushed the tanks with fresh water a few times. Then I examined the inside of the tanks through the access port of each to see if any green stuff was still around. There was some debris at the bottom which I cleaned out. That worked pretty good for me. No filter in the system though and perhaps a carbon filter would help the taste and would filter out debris and other floating stuff.
I think you have to use more than a teaspoon of bleach. I think about 1 cup of bleach per 20 gallons of water, but perhaps someone else knows the proper amount. I put in the bleach, filled the tanks and then went out for a sail to let the solution slosh around; also pumped some of the solution through the plumbing to get the bleach into the hoses, etc. I waited a day and then flushed the tanks with fresh water a few times. Then I examined the inside of the tanks through the access port of each to see if any green stuff was still around. There was some debris at the bottom which I cleaned out. That worked pretty good for me. No filter in the system though and perhaps a carbon filter would help the taste and would filter out debris and other floating stuff.
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Larry DeMers
Re: stinky foulwater/& not the holding tank
Ben and Bob,
We solved this one a while back due to exactly the same situations with the taste and frustration of pumping many gallons thru while cleaning, and still no joy...
So, what we did was: Pump those puppies dry. Use a spray cleaner that contains clorox and soap combined. Clorox makes an excellent product of this type. Mix a cup of this cleaner with water in a bucket, and pour a gallons worth in each tank..1/2 of the gallon in each section of the tanks. Use a toilet brush on a wood handle, and scrub the dickens out of the bottoms of the tank sections..stir it up good with the help of a hose and water pressure. Pump this out thoroughly, then refill and rinse again to dry.
Now here is where I eliminatd a big source of the ickies..that darn deck fill hose was full of mildew, crud and corruption, so we simply disconnected it, and plugged the hole. We fill the tanks from inside the cabin now,leading the hose down thru the overhead hatch..then we go through the cleanout ports on the tanks. True enough it is a tad more inconvenient, but the choices are simple..dirt and crud due to the tube being dry except for when it is used, washing the mildew and it's detritus down into the tanks...Or clean good tastin gwater that makes the best darn coffee in the world!
So start there.
Next, some of the floaters that inhabited the tank come from the antifreeze (the RV type antifreeze) sitting in the tank all winter (kind of a scum that adheres to the surfaces), so we pump all of the antifreeze thru the tank, lines and pump in the fall, leaving none in the tank itself, but some should remain in the pump body for protection against condensation accumulations.
Ok, now that eliminates two sources of junk in the water.
The last step is the absolute core of good tasting and safe water..filtration. We installed an Omni household type filter body ($32 at Home Centers) with an activated charcoal (use the paper filter element -about $6. You don't want the activated carbon block filter element -$25..the foot pump does not develope enough pressure/volume for the system to work well enough, causing the hoses to build up pressure in them, and when you think the water is all done coming out from the spiggot, it will keep on dribbling out for 30 sec due to the built up pressure in the hoses. The carbon paper filter needs replacing yearly without fail (for seasonal sailors), or every 3-6 months for year around sailors. The water will flow freely thru this filter). With this filter in place, your water will be the best tasting water you have ever tasted! The carbon removes all smells and odiferous emanations from the tank, and it's plastic, and any residual chlorine from the water.
We also put a product in the tanks that is a superchlorination powder that you just empty into the tank. This keeps the bacteria count down and the water healthy for a long time. It's available from your marina store probably. The filter removes the chlorine taste entirely.
This single addition was what made cruising for 3-4 weeks at a time possible for us..on one fill of water.
Give it a try..it has a high payoff for the little work involved.
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
demers@sgi.com
We solved this one a while back due to exactly the same situations with the taste and frustration of pumping many gallons thru while cleaning, and still no joy...
So, what we did was: Pump those puppies dry. Use a spray cleaner that contains clorox and soap combined. Clorox makes an excellent product of this type. Mix a cup of this cleaner with water in a bucket, and pour a gallons worth in each tank..1/2 of the gallon in each section of the tanks. Use a toilet brush on a wood handle, and scrub the dickens out of the bottoms of the tank sections..stir it up good with the help of a hose and water pressure. Pump this out thoroughly, then refill and rinse again to dry.
Now here is where I eliminatd a big source of the ickies..that darn deck fill hose was full of mildew, crud and corruption, so we simply disconnected it, and plugged the hole. We fill the tanks from inside the cabin now,leading the hose down thru the overhead hatch..then we go through the cleanout ports on the tanks. True enough it is a tad more inconvenient, but the choices are simple..dirt and crud due to the tube being dry except for when it is used, washing the mildew and it's detritus down into the tanks...Or clean good tastin gwater that makes the best darn coffee in the world!
So start there.
Next, some of the floaters that inhabited the tank come from the antifreeze (the RV type antifreeze) sitting in the tank all winter (kind of a scum that adheres to the surfaces), so we pump all of the antifreeze thru the tank, lines and pump in the fall, leaving none in the tank itself, but some should remain in the pump body for protection against condensation accumulations.
Ok, now that eliminates two sources of junk in the water.
The last step is the absolute core of good tasting and safe water..filtration. We installed an Omni household type filter body ($32 at Home Centers) with an activated charcoal (use the paper filter element -about $6. You don't want the activated carbon block filter element -$25..the foot pump does not develope enough pressure/volume for the system to work well enough, causing the hoses to build up pressure in them, and when you think the water is all done coming out from the spiggot, it will keep on dribbling out for 30 sec due to the built up pressure in the hoses. The carbon paper filter needs replacing yearly without fail (for seasonal sailors), or every 3-6 months for year around sailors. The water will flow freely thru this filter). With this filter in place, your water will be the best tasting water you have ever tasted! The carbon removes all smells and odiferous emanations from the tank, and it's plastic, and any residual chlorine from the water.
We also put a product in the tanks that is a superchlorination powder that you just empty into the tank. This keeps the bacteria count down and the water healthy for a long time. It's available from your marina store probably. The filter removes the chlorine taste entirely.
This single addition was what made cruising for 3-4 weeks at a time possible for us..on one fill of water.
Give it a try..it has a high payoff for the little work involved.
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Ben Thomas wrote: the two water tanks Onboard my cd30 have little floatys and such suspended in solution, they appear not to be self-propelled.
No, seriously my water does taste nasty and there are somekind of things floating around. I have flushed both tanks several times, refills taste Okay for a few days then back to the stank. tried the clorox/purex thing but that tasted worse added maybe teaspoon per tank.
There are lots of products on the market... What have you folks found to help keep those tanks tasting good? Ben
demers@sgi.com
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M. R. Bober
Re: stinky foulwater/& not the holding tank
Be careful with the bleach. It does terrible things to stainless steel (pumps. fittings, etc). If you go with a concentrated solution, flush it sooner rather than later.
Perrier, anyone?
Good luck,
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
Perrier, anyone?
Good luck,
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
-
Hobby Marine, Inc.
Re: stinky foulwater/& not the holding tank
Ben:
To supper chlorinate a water tank you need 25 PPM (this is according to the American Water Works Association or AWWA)of chlorine in the water. This works out to be 1 qt of chlorox (+/-) per 25 gallons of water. This should be left in the tank for 24 hours. The chlorine should be poured in by way of the fill pipe, then the tank filled all the way full. Pump water through all water hoses, both hot and cold until chlorine can be smelled in the water at the faucets. Let sit for 24 hours. Pump the tank dry through the system (hot and cold). Fill the tank and again pump dry through the system (hot and cold). This should correct the problem.
This is how we disinfect water systems on boats that we have worked on (our main bussiness is water and wastewater treatment for cities) and have gotten very good results. For maintenance, put 1 - 2 oz of chlorox per 25 gallons of water. Adjust as needed. Different waters need more or less.
As far as a cartridge type filter is concerned, a carbon filter works great for taste, odor and sediment. These filters also remove a small amount of some of the bacteria that we do not want in the water. As this bacteria is traped in the filter, it grows on both sides of the filter. As the bacteria builds up, some of it is released into the system down stream of the filter and into your glass etc.
These filters should be replaced every thirty days for best performance. This is probably more than you wanted to know but I hope that I have shed some light on the subject. Glen Snader
info@hobbymarine.com
To supper chlorinate a water tank you need 25 PPM (this is according to the American Water Works Association or AWWA)of chlorine in the water. This works out to be 1 qt of chlorox (+/-) per 25 gallons of water. This should be left in the tank for 24 hours. The chlorine should be poured in by way of the fill pipe, then the tank filled all the way full. Pump water through all water hoses, both hot and cold until chlorine can be smelled in the water at the faucets. Let sit for 24 hours. Pump the tank dry through the system (hot and cold). Fill the tank and again pump dry through the system (hot and cold). This should correct the problem.
This is how we disinfect water systems on boats that we have worked on (our main bussiness is water and wastewater treatment for cities) and have gotten very good results. For maintenance, put 1 - 2 oz of chlorox per 25 gallons of water. Adjust as needed. Different waters need more or less.
As far as a cartridge type filter is concerned, a carbon filter works great for taste, odor and sediment. These filters also remove a small amount of some of the bacteria that we do not want in the water. As this bacteria is traped in the filter, it grows on both sides of the filter. As the bacteria builds up, some of it is released into the system down stream of the filter and into your glass etc.
These filters should be replaced every thirty days for best performance. This is probably more than you wanted to know but I hope that I have shed some light on the subject. Glen Snader
info@hobbymarine.com
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brian
Re: stinky foulwater/& not the holding tank
We also fill directly and this has made the biggest difference with our water situation. We cruised for a year and the first few months(using the fill pipe)the water was bad-despite hours of scrubbing/clorinating. Carried lots-o-bottled water aboard.
Thanks for the advice on the paper filter. I learned the hard way that the foot pump can't generate enough pressure to overcome the charcoal filter. I believe they specify a min. psi rating on the body of those filters.
BTW on the CD28 you can remove the water tanks from the boat for easier cleaning. Not sure about other models.
-Brian
S/V Mahalo
pedbed@AOL.COM
Thanks for the advice on the paper filter. I learned the hard way that the foot pump can't generate enough pressure to overcome the charcoal filter. I believe they specify a min. psi rating on the body of those filters.
BTW on the CD28 you can remove the water tanks from the boat for easier cleaning. Not sure about other models.
-Brian
S/V Mahalo
pedbed@AOL.COM
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Ken Coit
Re: stinky foulwater/& not the holding tank
Glen,
Thanks for the expert recommendations. What would you do if you wanted to leave a tank empty and unused? For the winter months we have been pumping them all dry, adding non-toxic anti-freeze, and then pumping until the anti-freeze appears at the faucet. Since we have only been using one of the four tanks, we leave three of them in this condition year-round. The fourth tank is flushed in the Spring until it no longer emits pink water and then we fill from the mains. We use bottled water for coffee and cooking since the mains are fairly brakish in Beaufort, but maybe some chlorination and filtering would get us by that and save some wear, tear and space.
Is there a better approach for the empty tanks? Does the anti-freeze age and need replacing?
Thanks,
Ken Coit
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC
parfait@nc.rr.com
Thanks for the expert recommendations. What would you do if you wanted to leave a tank empty and unused? For the winter months we have been pumping them all dry, adding non-toxic anti-freeze, and then pumping until the anti-freeze appears at the faucet. Since we have only been using one of the four tanks, we leave three of them in this condition year-round. The fourth tank is flushed in the Spring until it no longer emits pink water and then we fill from the mains. We use bottled water for coffee and cooking since the mains are fairly brakish in Beaufort, but maybe some chlorination and filtering would get us by that and save some wear, tear and space.
Is there a better approach for the empty tanks? Does the anti-freeze age and need replacing?
Thanks,
Ken Coit
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC
Hobby Marine, Inc. wrote: Ben:
To supper chlorinate a water tank you need 25 PPM (this is according to the American Water Works Association or AWWA)of chlorine in the water. This works out to be 1 qt of chlorox (+/-) per 25 gallons of water. This should be left in the tank for 24 hours. The chlorine should be poured in by way of the fill pipe, then the tank filled all the way full. Pump water through all water hoses, both hot and cold until chlorine can be smelled in the water at the faucets. Let sit for 24 hours. Pump the tank dry through the system (hot and cold). Fill the tank and again pump dry through the system (hot and cold). This should correct the problem.
This is how we disinfect water systems on boats that we have worked on (our main bussiness is water and wastewater treatment for cities) and have gotten very good results. For maintenance, put 1 - 2 oz of chlorox per 25 gallons of water. Adjust as needed. Different waters need more or less.
As far as a cartridge type filter is concerned, a carbon filter works great for taste, odor and sediment. These filters also remove a small amount of some of the bacteria that we do not want in the water. As this bacteria is traped in the filter, it grows on both sides of the filter. As the bacteria builds up, some of it is released into the system down stream of the filter and into your glass etc.
These filters should be replaced every thirty days for best performance. This is probably more than you wanted to know but I hope that I have shed some light on the subject. Glen Snader
parfait@nc.rr.com
-
Matt Cawthorne
Re: stinky foulwater/& not the holding tank
Ken,
I do not put antifreeze in the tanks in the winter. Marie or I close the manifold and disconnect the hoses leading to it. Use a wet vac to empty the tanks via the inspection port. Clean out the hoses using a vacuum. Finally connect the manifold to a hose that you can put in a bottle of antifreeze. The pump can then draw the anti-freeze from the bottle without going through the tanks. If a tank remains unused the following season it stays dry and clean. Vacuuming the tanks also gets any chunks out. There is less work in the spring getting the antifreeze out.
Matt
mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
I do not put antifreeze in the tanks in the winter. Marie or I close the manifold and disconnect the hoses leading to it. Use a wet vac to empty the tanks via the inspection port. Clean out the hoses using a vacuum. Finally connect the manifold to a hose that you can put in a bottle of antifreeze. The pump can then draw the anti-freeze from the bottle without going through the tanks. If a tank remains unused the following season it stays dry and clean. Vacuuming the tanks also gets any chunks out. There is less work in the spring getting the antifreeze out.
Matt
mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
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Geezer
bleach strength
I note recent TV advertising for Clorox brand bleach ("More Bleach, Less Water") suggesting they are marketing a more concentrated solution than previously.
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Hobby Marine
Re: stinky foulwater/& not the holding tank
Ken:
It sounds like you handle the anti-freeze just as I do. As far as the life of the anti-freeze, I am at a loss. You would need to call the mfg of the anti-freeze to find out.
I think that I would flush the other tanks every six mo. or so just to put some fresh water in them. If the tanks are S.S., I would worry about corrosion due to lack of ox. in the water. This is called crevious corrosion. In our boats, we always used the water from the tanks and kept the water turned over.
When filling the tanks, always put some chlorine in the hose and flush the hose. We always use a short hose to fill the tanks and then connect it end to end for storage.
Good luck.
Glen
glen@srssystems.com
It sounds like you handle the anti-freeze just as I do. As far as the life of the anti-freeze, I am at a loss. You would need to call the mfg of the anti-freeze to find out.
I think that I would flush the other tanks every six mo. or so just to put some fresh water in them. If the tanks are S.S., I would worry about corrosion due to lack of ox. in the water. This is called crevious corrosion. In our boats, we always used the water from the tanks and kept the water turned over.
When filling the tanks, always put some chlorine in the hose and flush the hose. We always use a short hose to fill the tanks and then connect it end to end for storage.
Good luck.
Glen
glen@srssystems.com
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Jack and Jo Chamberlain
Re: stinky foulwater/& not the holding tank
Ben, we have three water tanks on our CD33 and don't drink or cook from any of them. We use that water, with some bleach to kill bad things, for dish washing, hand washing and showering. We carry bottled water (actually, we bottle our own at home) for coffee, cooking, etc. I don't think there's anyway to really clean 20-year-old tanks, although a filter takes the big stuff out.Pills are available to purify, etc., but they are expensive.
jchamber@crosslink.net
jchamber@crosslink.net
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Ken Cave
Re: Check your hoses!!
It may not be the tank that is giving you fits, but the hoses that send and deliver the water to the tank itself! When I purchased my Cape Dory 28, the tanks were clean, but the hoses leading to and from the tanks were NASTY!!!
I changed everyone out, and actually discontinued the hoses that fill the tanks, and now fill the tanks directly!
If you think you are getting water that is not the best, put a filter on the hose.
If you can't see the water in the hoses, change them pronto!!
Ken Cave
bcave@whidbey.net
I changed everyone out, and actually discontinued the hoses that fill the tanks, and now fill the tanks directly!
If you think you are getting water that is not the best, put a filter on the hose.
If you can't see the water in the hoses, change them pronto!!
Ken Cave
bcave@whidbey.net