Contaminated water tank

B

bridma

New member
Picked up some contamination in my water tank, either bad water or a dock hose. I have flushed through 7 or 8 times with good water, it is better but not perfect. I do not want to do a dis-connect job (I have a habit of breaking things!). Any thoughts on additives I can use to finish the job? Drop of bleach, or is there a chemical at an RV outlet for example?

Martin.
 
It will take more than a drop of bleach. To sanitize the tank, add 1/4 cup of bleach for every 15 gallons of tank capacity. Don't pour the bleach directly into the tank, add the bleach to a gallon or so of water, then pour that in. Fill the tank with fresh water. Let the bleach/water in the tank sit for several hours. If you can run the boat and "shake things up," even better.

Drain the tank. Put in fresh water. Drain that again. Put in more fresh water. If you still have a bleach smell, add a bit of baking soda. The tank should be sanitized and safe to drink from.

Jim
 
One thing I forgot to add: use a white (or blue) hose designed for potable water use (available in the RV section at Walmart). As you need to top off the tank, add a few drops of bleach, as necessary.

We would sanitize the fresh water tank on Wild Blue before every major trip or if the water system hadn't been used in a while. We're in the RV right now... it was new when we bought it in February; I sanitized the tank using the above procedure right away, then did it again before we left Texas.

We have good well water where we are, and the RV water system is attached to the city water connection. The water we arrived with in the fresh water tank gets drained and refreshed every couple weeks.

We use a filter system on the hose (also used that with the boat).

Sounds like more work than it actually is - you want to be safe with your drinking/cooking/cleaning water.

Jim
 
Excellent advice, as usual from Jim. One thing I would add to the comment about a filter for filling the water tank. The filters which contain charcoal, will remove chlorine, so add the drops of chlorox to the water tank if you use a charcoal filter. We usually use a particulate filter for filling the tanks, and then the Charcoal filter when we are hooked up to city water (in the RV). Still use the "Brita" for drinking water in any case.
 
Martin, after you decontaminate the tank, plan on draining and filling it three or four times. It takes some doing to get the chlorine taste out. The Britta that Dr Bob mention is a GREAT idea. We always travel with one, dirt boat or dory.
 
Do it exactly as Jim recommends. I do it every spring, even though we generally don't drink the tank water. We have never had a problem with stank water.
 
two gallons of cheap vodka from winco added to the water. kills everything and you dont have to flush the tank to much. :cocktail

I add the vodka firat ans run the pump so it gets into the pump and filter first. then I add water. let it run for a 10 count before you drink out of it .
 
I don't drink the water from the boat tank, but prefer to carry drinking water separately. I agree, it is a good idea to add a few drops of bleach to each tank fill. I keeps the water good for cleaning dishes hands etc. It might be to bleachy for cooking with. Don't know, don't cook.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Don't take my word on this because it has been some years since I researched it and used it on a regular basis, but I remember that another thing about bleach -- when using it as a "maintenance" amount in tank water -- is that the effect wears off. So it may not be effective for longer term water storage. (But fine if tank is in use.)
 
We carry bottle water on board for drinking and use the tank water for other purposes. We were having some issues with the tank water turning nasty until we started adding 10-15 drops of grapefruit seed extract into the tank instead of bleach when filling up. I can't explain the science behind antimicrobial properties but for the last 2 years, adding GSE seems to work better for us than adding bleach.
 
This is somewhat different from the original issue of taking on contaminated water, but one way for "biothings" to get into the water tank is through the vent. Essentially, every time you draw out water (i.e. at the sink), you are sucking in air (plus what comes with it) through the vent. Some people recommend a filter on the vent (even something as simple as gauze), and/or moving the vent to a better location (recognizing that some boats have it in the anchor locker (eww) or outside, or in other locations).

There may not be a pressing need for everyone to change the vent, but if you are commonly finding your tank water to "grow things" over time, it might be worth considering (I'm sure this is location dependent, etc.).

I just looked over a friend's RV water tank setup the other day and although most of it looked pretty good, the vent hose (which leads outside) was absolutely BLACK with mold. Clear hose that you could no longer even have a hope of seeing through.

Another thing is that clear hoses that are exposed to light can accelerate the growth of "stuff" as I understand it.

Maybe things to consider if a particular tank or hoses seem to foul on a regular basis.
 
Sunbeam has a good point. I'd guess an easily changed out HEPA filter in the vent might help, with that access point a logical point for clean out of the line as well.

Something to consider for those who plan to drink from this supply is the use of iodine tablets, followed by the neutralizer tablets to remove the iodine aftertaste. Caveat: not for those sensitive to iodine.

This kit only treats 50 quarts, about 12 gallons, but likely there is a more cost effective source than that pitched for backpackers. http://www.rei.com/product/406032/potab ... er-tablets
 
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