Pump out water tank, how?

Doryman · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:43 am Post subject: Pump out water tank, how?

Dumb question #289. How do I pump out the water tank on my Tom Cat? I want to sterilize the tank, and of course I will also need to do it at the end of the season.

Thanks,
Warren

terraplane · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:28 am Post subject: 22 water tank

Warren, I have the same question about my 22....last year, even with my homemade treatments, it got funky..and i need to clean it out...seems a tough job just looking at it.

Sea Wolf · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:57 am Post subject:

Hmmmm..

If you don't have an electric pump on your sink, which, of course, is the easiest solution, I'd suggest you try dropping a small flexible plastic tube down the intake tube and siphoning it back out.

Start by beginning to siphon the present water out, then kink the tube to stop the flow for awhile, and add some bleach to the tank by washing it down along the siphon tube without removing the tube.

Let the bleach do it's work, then add more water and unkink the siphon tube to resume the draining. Add more water a few times before the water level bottoms out to rinse the bleach out, then let the siphon empty the tank out as much as possible.

If there's too much water that you can't get out with the siphon, you might try using the siphon tube coupled with a shop vacuum or the supply/output tube to the foot pump.

Hope this will work! I don't have a Tom Cat, so there may be some pecularities to your system I'm unaware of.

On Edit: If you refill the whole system with water for further use this season and find a slight lingering chlorine smell or taste, you can add some baking soda to the fresh water to sweeten it. Jim (Wild Blue) described this a month or so ago:

"Now, to get back on the subject again... after you've put a small amount of bleach in the water tank, run the boat around so that it mixes well. Pump it through and out of the system. If you still have that "bleachy" smell, put a bit of baking soda in the water. In warmer climates, we sanitize the tank once every couple months or so if it isn't being used regularly." - Jim / Wild Blue

Joe.

emergentsea · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 8:40 am Post subject:

to empty tank, I attach tubing ( found in surgical supply store)that fits snugly over faucet- tip, other end goes over gunwales to point lower than water tank, pump a few times on foot pump, and the tank empties almost completely.

JamesTXSD · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:04 am Post subject:

The water tank on our 25 has a cap towards the bottom of the tank that can be unscrewed. This dumps the tank into the bilge in the cockpit, and the bilge pump dumps it overboard. It's easier to just turn on the sink faucet (or fresh water washdown, and I realize that most boats don't have this) and dump. A siphon will work on boats without a water pump. Just a reminder that it doesn't take more than a capful or two of bleach to sanitize the smallish tanks on our boats. Letting water sit in a tank for long periods is the biggest contributor to "funky tank syndrome." Cycle it through regularly. When cruising, we carry extra water and try to make sure the water stock gets "rotated." And a tip from our cruising buddies on Discovery: don't forget about your solar shower - a couple drops of bleach in there will help keep it from becoming a science project.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

El and Bill · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:28 pm Post subject:

A little tongue in cheek -- aside --

We have put the contents of a bottle of cheap vodka into the drained tank instead of bleach -- and boy do we drink a lot of 'water' from the tank after refilling it -- no nasty bleach aftertaste -- just add a little orange juice to the glass of 'water' and it makes a great sundowner. Smile

teflonmom · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:09 pm Post subject: Water Tank Problems

We could never get any siphon action thru the sink fawcet on our 22. Finally gave up and just pumped till empty.

Bill, now we have a possible cause of your health problem! It may have been the cheap Vodka. I suggest that you stick to Red Cat for sun downers. After several years of use the only problem I have had was a very stained white T shirt, after 3 or 4 glasses. Can't remember how it got spilled.

If we use treated city water in our tank it does not get funky. Our other home had untreated well water and we could grow black stuff in less than two weeks.

Fred, Pat. and Mr. Grey(the cat)

Wandering Sagebrush · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:19 pm Post subject: Syphoning the tank...

The tubing over the faucet works quite nicely. Just put a couple of pumps on the floor pump, and it syphons almost all of the contents. I run the tube out the starboard window.

Regards,

Steve

Sea Wolf · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:06 pm Post subject:

thataway · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2007 1:40 am Post subject:

We just use the water pump (all Tom Cats have electric pumps--the second one sent by the factory does not cycle on and off, as the origional did). We pump the water overboard. The boat up on a plane, or bow up on the trailer gets most of the water aft and you will get 99.xx water out.

We peroidically "sanatize" the water system. For a 30 gallon tank, I use 4 oz of bleach (Sodium hyprochlorite), Mix this will a gallon of water before you pour it into the tank, then fill the tank, let water run into all of the hoses (add another ounce for a 6 gallon water tank)--including filling the hot water heater tank and shower, head, etc hoses. Let this bleach sit in the hoses and tank for 4 yours. Then pump the tank empty. Fill and empty again. You may have to repeat the filling with fresh water a couple of more times. However I normally just do one "flush". Be sure that all hoses and the water tank are empty. (The water tank can be drained if you wish into the bilge).

Bob Austin