Speaking of sinks and faucets

P

potter water

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C Dory Year
1997
C Dory Model
R-21 Tug
Vessel Name
Poopsy
What is the general wisdom on keeping fresh water in the CD tanks. How do you make the determination that they should be flushed and the tank sterilized.

My rule of thumb for the past year was just to throw in a cap full of clorox bleach until the next time I use the boat. Then I put in some fresh water along with the old water. I only use the tank water for washing dishes and hands with a good biodegradable soap. Haven't been sick yet.

In the winter I put the outlet of my shop vac into the water fill hose, and pressurize the tank a bit and let the water drain. My tank has a water level tube that is clear plastic hose. I lay that over the door sill and the water flows out quite nicely with the pressure of the shop vac pushing. Then I throw in a cap full of bleach just for good measure and put the boat away for the winter.

Any others have experience good or bad with dealing with standing water in the tank for weeks at a time?

Even on a one week outing I only put in about 10 gallons of water and that seems to be sufficient for the on-board supply.
 
I use rv antifreeze. I pump out all the water and then add rv antifreeze and make sure I get into the pump coming out the sink. Then when we are ready to use the boat again I put the rv anti freeze back into the containers to use over again for the next time and flush any remaining anti freeze out. Then add water. Since we usually boat in salt water we usually empty the tank at the boat ramp (we have an electric on demand pump with a faucet in the cockpit) rinsing off the boat and flushing the motor, brakes etc. Plus we try to lighten up the boat for the ride home. Some do the same thing but use Vodka, instead of rv antifreeze. no kidding. :)
D.D.
 
I use a half a teaspoon of sodium diclor in 20 gallons of water let it sit for 2 days then drain and refill the tank. Found it up on an rv site works good I bought a quart from a spa store it should outlast the boat. At the end of the season I syphon the water through the faucet till the tank is empty step on the pump few times and let it sit. I haven't broke any fittings I don't think there is enough water left to do it.
 
A couple of examples: We left the boat at Powell about 6 weeks ago, and will pick it up next week. We drained the tank as completely as possible. I would be reluctant to pressurize the plastic tanks--more likely to suck out what I can.

We will then put in about 5 gallons of chlorinated city water which we know is good, and rinse out the lines, then fill the tank for the Catalina trip. We do drink the water, using a Brita filter. (This is just taste removal) if we use a filter for filling the tank it is only a particulate filter, not a carbon filter which will remove the chlorine.

We have never had to use NaDichlor. We use household bleach, and leave it only about 2 hours. it can be hard on seals and valves in the pumps. We then rinse the tank several times. 4 oz of bleach for 5 gallons of water is plenty to sanitize the system. Some folks put sodium bicarbonate in the tank after the sanitizing process. Keep the tanks empty when you are not using the boat.(or RV). We had not used the RV since march, and I checked both the cold and water lines for taste and odoSr --they ere fine.So I put in 10 gallons of water, and ran it thru the lines. Then another 10 gallons, and it was fine. We put in about 50 gallons for traveling (we hold 100). Again we drink the water--Brita filter.
 
We do not leave water in the boat or RV tanks, even for a short time, if we aren't using it. Too much potential for slimey water. We do use bleach to sanitize the tanks (1/4 cup for every 20 gallons), let it set for a couple hours (even better - move the boat or RV to shake things up); drain that water, then put in fresh. We do drink from our fresh water tank, but filter the water going in and then filter our drinking water.

If the tank has sat for any length of time (even empty), we do the sanitizing routine. It has served us well for several decades of boating/RVing.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
I drain the tank after every use, I bought an adapter for the sink faucet to attach my on-board garden hose to rinse down the boat, brakes, etc if I have water left over (usually). I then use a couple of tablespoons of bicarbonate soda (Arm and Hammer), add a cup or so of fresh water to wash it down the inlet tube, slosh it around by rocking the boat (on the trailer), and leave it alone till the next trip. When refilling, I add a couple of gallons and drain it, then fill for the trip.

You can either raise the pH to a base (bicarb) or lower to an acid (bleach), both will inhibit growth/slime. We drink our water through a Brita-like filter, no problems in 8 yrs.
 
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