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pastelblack
#1 Posted : Tuesday, June 03, 2008 7:14:15 AM(UTC)
pastelblack

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Hello All - I was wondering what everyone does to keep their freshwater tanks and lines somewhat clean and reduce/eliminate mold, fungus, etc. I have read about some products from West Marine and have also heard about just adding a small amount of chlorine to the tank. We do not drink this water, but use it for dishes, etc. Any suggestions or hints?? I do appreciate the help.....I thought this would be a straightforward topic but not so!!
Many thanks,
Pastelblack
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fastjeff
#2 Posted : Tuesday, June 03, 2008 8:37:02 AM(UTC)
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Our fresh water tank stunk, big time! I put in a cup of chlorine bleach then pumped it out with a 120 volt pump. I then refilled the tank and pumped it out several more times (until the chlorine smell was gone). We now add about a cap full of chlorine each time we fill the tnak and, so far, the stink has not returned.

Jeff

PS: Never let Pink Stuff get into your water heater or it will drive you out! I disconnect, drain and bypass my heater in the Fall. Learned that little goodie from RVing.
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DiverDennis
#3 Posted : Sunday, July 13, 2008 10:03:06 AM(UTC)
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Hi, I know it's a little late but...found this at RV Towing Tips...

If you have any in-line water filters built-in to the water lines inside the RV, you will either want to remove them or, hopefully, they have a shut-off valve in the water line before entering the filter.

Turn off the water heater and let it cool.

Add up the capacity of your entire fresh water system…that includes the holding tank and the water heater. Multiply the result by 0.13 to determine the number of ounces of unscented bleach you will need. For example, say you have a 40 gallon holding tank and a 6 gallon hot water tank for a total of 46 gallons. Multiplied by 0.13 equals 5.98 ounces of bleach needed. (It’s okay to round up a bit, but not too much.)

Fill the fresh water holding tank to about 1/3 full.

Mix the bleach with water in a one gallon container and pour it into the fresh water holding tank. (This prevents straight bleach from contacting anything.)

Fill the fresh water holding tank completely.

Turn on the on-board water pump. You do not want to be connected to the city water supply.

Turn on one faucet at a time and let the water run until you can smell the bleach solution, then turn it off. Do this for each hot and cold water faucet. Don’t forget the outside shower and the toilet.

Turn off the water pump.

Top off the fresh water holding tank and let everything sit for at least 4 hours.

Drain the hot water tank and put the plug back in.

Drain the fresh water holding tank.

Fill and drain the fresh water holding tank at least twice to rinse out the bleach solution.

Fill the fresh water holding tank again, but don’t drain it this time.

Turn the water pump back on. This will cause the hot water tank to fill.

Turn on each faucet and let the water run for several minutes to completely flush out the bleach solution.

Obviously this is going to use up quite a bit of water!

The water that will run through the water lines inside the RV will end up in your gray water holding tank. If you are worried about the amount of water that may end up in your gray water tank, you may want to do this procedure at an RV park or somewhere with sewer hook-ups.

Also, since you will be filling and draining your fresh water tank at least 3 times, this would mean a lot of water will be going onto the ground, some of which will smell like bleach. You may want to rig up some sort of hose from the fresh water tank drain to the sewer hook-up.

If you're going to head for an RV park so you can use their hook-ups (like on your first trip out each spring), call ahead and ask where the campground's waste water goes, explaining why you are asking. If it goes into a city sewer system, you'll be okay. But if it goes into the campgrounds own septic system, this may not be a good thing for the campground. Too much bleach in a septic system can cause problems and may cause the system to shut down, leaving many of your fellow campers upset. If the waste water goes into a sewer system, do steps 1-10 at home before you leave. That way, as you travel, the water will be sloshing around just a bit in the holding tank, and you will probably be ready for step #11 (draining) when you arrive.

There are other ways you could do this at home, if you are connected to a city sewer system. There are special end caps for the sewer drain on the RV that are designed to hook up to a regular water hose. Pick up an inexpensive water pump of some sort (Camping World has one for $35) so you can pump the water into the sewer system at your house. You'll have to get a little creative here with the hoses, pump and fittings, but it should not be too much of a problem.

So, what do you do if you found this information too late and have used too much bleach? The information I have found suggests using either 1 quart of white vinegar or 1/2 cup of baking soad for every 15 gallons of water capacity. Use the same process as above for mixing the solution, getting into your fresh water tank and pumping it through the system.
Surface Interval
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SORRYDOG2
#4 Posted : Monday, July 14, 2008 1:20:17 PM(UTC)
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Not going to believe this but had a gas fuel tank years ago and converted it to a fresh WATER TANK!! It was a steel tank and flushed with everything I could use, nothing worked including letting water run thu it for two weeks. A engineer buddy said try BAKING SODA, I did a couple of days laer all my buddies on the dock sampled the fresh water from the tank!! Works Great! Will also remove fuel smells from cabin inside boat. Sorrydog
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sfordsr
#5 Posted : Monday, July 14, 2008 11:01:03 PM(UTC)
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I put a cup of bleach in the tank at the beginning of the year and fill the tank and run it thru. Then I refill an put in a couple of cups of white vinegar to kill any odors. I have not had any problems with odor or taste.

Steve
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fastjeff
#6 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 12:40:02 AM(UTC)
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Our fresh water tank stunk like something died in there, so we kept adding chlorine and pumping it out (with a 120 volt pump). Filled and refilled several times, adding a bit less chlorine each time, before the stink finally went away. The "Admiral" adds about a cap full of bleach each refill--her job.

Jeff

PS: Being long time RVers, we bring containers of water from home for all cooking and drinking applications. The water tank is for flushing the head, cleaning dishes and people.
"...reality is not nearly as lovely as the world of Liberal Land. No wonder so many people want to go there." - Tom Sowell
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Roger2
#7 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 12:54:55 AM(UTC)
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What material is everyones water tank? Mine is aluminum & so far I have not had a problem with odor of the water.
We did get some bad tasting water at one marina & started using bottled water for drinking, tea & coffee. Haven't had anymore problems. Isn't the chlorine in municipal water supplies enough? what effects will chlorine have on the alu?

Roger
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1983 37 double cabin, twin 230hp Volvo diesels, twin disk 1.5-1 20X 23 4 blade props
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fastjeff
#8 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 2:23:27 AM(UTC)
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"Everything in moderation" works for Marinettes as well. We are very careful using chlorine. Not much is needed for cleaning, and it gets heavily rinsed when we're done.

Jeff
"...reality is not nearly as lovely as the world of Liberal Land. No wonder so many people want to go there." - Tom Sowell
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pfhlaw
#9 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 2:52:31 AM(UTC)
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When we arrive at the boat we put the water hose in the water fill, turn on the pump and open all the faucets. After 5 minutes the water from the taps is cold and you can detect a slight smell of chlorine.

Of course, for drinking, I stock plenty of 12 ounce bottles of water that's been flavored with hops and malted barley.
Peter
1981 32' sedan bridge
twin Chrysler 360 cu. in. 250 hp engines
Raw water cooled
Nimbus II
Home port: New Buffalo, MI
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GB49
#10 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 3:19:19 AM(UTC)
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My original water tank was AL but it looked like swiss cheese on the bottom. Not sure what happened but I replaced it with a plastic tank.

My holding tank is the original AL tank and so far so good.

Go figure the water tank gives out before the holding tank.

-Karl
1986, 32' Sedan, twin 360ci, 275hp Chrysler's w/ K&N flame arrestors
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jralbert
#11 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 4:05:49 AM(UTC)
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From my county health department:
-to "shock treat" a stinky tank: Add one tablespoon bleach per gal of water. You'll have to make sure it gets to the hot water tank, too. I would start with an emptied HW tank, then fill it from the main tank with treated water. Let the system sit for at least a few hours. Overnight would be fine. Flush really thoroughly.
-to maintain fresh water: One half TEASPOON bleach per 10 gals of water. That's it. Repeating: one-half TEASPOON.
Raritan tech support told me that a principal suspect in stink water is a worn out anode in the hot water tank. Can't recall why it may produce smelly water. I did buy a new one but can't get the old one off, it's on really tight. The anode in my 12 gal tank and many other models is part of the HW outlet.
Joel Albert, Potomac MD
"Charlie B" - 1988 32' FBS
Twin 318's/FWC/16x15 nibral props
docked Deale, MD
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DiverDennis
#12 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 8:39:50 AM(UTC)
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jralbert wrote:
...Raritan tech support told me that a principal suspect in stink water is a worn out anode. Can't recall why it may produce smelly water. (I did buy a new one but can't get the old one off, it's on really tight.


Where is it located?
Surface Interval
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Roger2
#13 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 8:56:49 AM(UTC)
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I think he is refering to the anode in hot water tank.

Roger
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1983 37 double cabin, twin 230hp Volvo diesels, twin disk 1.5-1 20X 23 4 blade props
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GB49
#15 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 10:35:34 AM(UTC)
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There is also an anode inside the fresh water tank.

Its just a flat little piece like on the bottom of the boat. Mine appeared to be welded to the tank. It gets all crusty like to hull anodes too.

-Karl
1986, 32' Sedan, twin 360ci, 275hp Chrysler's w/ K&N flame arrestors
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jralbert
#14 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 1:15:44 PM(UTC)
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Roger2 wrote:
I think he is refering to the anode in hot water tank.
Pardon my sloppy post. You are right - it is in the HW tank and I amended my post to clarify that.
Karl: is the cold water tank anode accessible?
Joel Albert, Potomac MD
"Charlie B" - 1988 32' FBS
Twin 318's/FWC/16x15 nibral props
docked Deale, MD
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GB49
#16 Posted : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 1:52:01 PM(UTC)
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To be clear there is an anode in the hot water tank which is accessible for replacement. It should be pencil style.

The anode in the fresh water tank is NOT accessible unless you make a hole in the tank.
I only know this because the fresh water tank on our 28 Fisherman was cut opened by a 5 or 6" hole which we used to empty jerrycans full of water. You could see the anode welded to the bottom of the tank. The hole was sealed with one of those clear screw type port holes.

There was really no way to add an anode that I could see. I remember scraping the scale off the old one but that was about all I could do.

I cant recall if there was one on the 1986 water tank that I discarded.

I would assume if you keep fresh water flowing through the tank on a regular basis you should be fine regardless of an anode or not.

-Karl

By the way, there is a baffle in the center of the tank. Found that out after making the hole in the center. This was on the 30 gal?? tank on the 28. I think its the same size on the 32.

1986, 32' Sedan, twin 360ci, 275hp Chrysler's w/ K&N flame arrestors
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fastjeff
#17 Posted : Wednesday, July 16, 2008 1:24:57 AM(UTC)
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How about tossing in a small chunk of magnesium?

Jeff
"...reality is not nearly as lovely as the world of Liberal Land. No wonder so many people want to go there." - Tom Sowell
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pfhlaw
#18 Posted : Wednesday, July 16, 2008 1:38:33 AM(UTC)
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Fastjeff wrote:
How about tossing in a small chunk of magnesium?

Jeff


It would have to maintain an electrical connection to the aluminum. It would probably crust over and isolate itself from the tank.

You could use a pencil anode and slip it in through the fill or through the outlet and clamp it to the tank with a stainless wire.

p.s. My water heater anode has started to go. We had the rotten egg smell last week. It chased my crew off the boat. Another project.
Peter
1981 32' sedan bridge
twin Chrysler 360 cu. in. 250 hp engines
Raw water cooled
Nimbus II
Home port: New Buffalo, MI
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jralbert
#19 Posted : Wednesday, July 16, 2008 5:33:22 AM(UTC)
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Pfhlaw wrote:
My water heater anode has started to go. We had the rotten egg smell last week. It chased my crew off the boat. Another project.
If you do it, would you please post how you got the old one off. And, the type of tank. I exerted max force to the fitting and it wouldn't budge. Understand, please, that in my case, max ain't much. The old one may just be locked in place and applying too much force could damage the tank so it might have to stay.
Joel Albert, Potomac MD
"Charlie B" - 1988 32' FBS
Twin 318's/FWC/16x15 nibral props
docked Deale, MD
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pfhlaw
#20 Posted : Wednesday, July 16, 2008 5:58:46 AM(UTC)
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I will document the replacement. I have to do it this weekend.
Peter
1981 32' sedan bridge
twin Chrysler 360 cu. in. 250 hp engines
Raw water cooled
Nimbus II
Home port: New Buffalo, MI
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