What's in YOUR water tank?

Y

YACD

New member
I just installed an inspection window in my water tank. Here's how it looks:

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?...ame=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

(How do you get the picture to appear here?)

I found out a few things that fellow TC owners (at least) might find useful to know.

First, after making the opening in the tank top I saw what appeared to be about an 8" crack in the bottom of the tank. This turned out to be a strip of brown slime/sludge/paste about 1/16" wide adhering to the bottom of the tank. I scraped it off and fished out the pieces with an aquarium net. I have no idea what this stuff is. It didn't seem to have diffused into the water. It has survived quite a few tank fills. I'm wondering if it could be organic or maybe some manufacturing residue.

Second, when the water pump stops delivering water, there is still about 9 gallons remaining in the tank. This is because the tank slopes downwards towards the back of the boat and the tank outlet is centered at the forward end of the tank, in it's floor. The outlet is just a hole to which the outlet hose is connected with almost no penetration into the tank. The tank's air inlet is at the aft end of the tank in a corner. (The tank measures about 27" x 27" on top and is about a foot deep.) This residual water has implications for "sanitizing" the tank with bleach - you can't sufficiently dilute the strong bleach with a single (non) flush of the tank. Also,if you want to winterize the cold water system by draining everything, you can't do it without getting into the tank to pump it out completely. And although the nominal tank capacity is 30 gallons its practical capacity is more like 20 gallons :(.

The inspection deck plate is 6" diameter. That's enough to get inside the tank for cleaning and pumping out. The fact that the factory hatch can't be opened more than about 45 degrees (in the picture it is almost fully open) because of interference from the floor above it is quite a nuisance and I wonder if there is a simple remedy.
 
Probably a good -idea. I have an extra tank--which I am going to install on the port side (mine has the standard tank on the Stb side, as the early boats did.) Later boats the tank was place on the port side. With the Stb side installation, all of the water drains aft to where the outlet (pump intake) is and there is virtually no residual in these tanks.

The tank is 9.5" deep, 29.5" long and 26" wide. The three fittings are threaded inserts, which are spun into the tank, the heat welds them in place.
 
YACD_

Here's your photo:

TankWindow.sized.jpg

How to post photos in threads?


This is the usual question of the week, repeated weekly, answered weekly, hopefully not to weakly this go around!

Try the following threads: (If one is unable to give you a full understanding, read some of the others, eventually the :idea will brighten!

The Ultimate "How Do I Post Pictures Thread"

Mac Users Forum

how to attach pictures

posting pictures with a reply or post

Picture help

how to attach pictures

Hope this helps!

Joe. :wink :thup :teeth
 
Thanks Joe:

I was fooled by the distinction between page and image addresses (even though the .php file extension gives it away). It is well explained in the Mac Users Forum.

Roy
 
I have recentley bought a new 2007 year Tomcat. I have problems with the water system as well. The tank is full of some sort of white plastic looking particals. The water tank has water, the pump runs, but no water to fixtures. The dealer thinks the pump is undersized, but I say there is something in the tank that is plugging the supply.
 
Alli Cat":fx86erw3 said:
I have recentley bought a new 2007 year Tomcat. I have problems with the water system as well. The tank is full of some sort of white plastic looking particals. The water tank has water, the pump runs, but no water to fixtures. The dealer thinks the pump is undersized, but I say there is something in the tank that is plugging the supply.
Click to expand...

How do you know the particles are there if there is no supply to the fixtures? Do you have access to the inside of the tank?
 
Pump is not undersized. Have you cleaned the filter? Taken the pump apart and examined the check valves? One small particle under one of the check valves will stop the pump from creating suction.

Get a hand pump or diaphragm pump to clean out the tank; You can put an access hole if it is possiable (probably difficult on the boats which have the water tank on the Starboard side. The water heater and floor over the helm are over that tank----it means cutting thru several layers, and putting in at least two inspection ports.

YACD--please varify that your tank is on the Port side.
 
thataway":slgjiq4r said:
YACD--please varify that your tank is on the Port side.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is under a port side locker adjacent to the v-berth. Open the locker and you are confronted with a standard hatch cover (like those in the v-berth but horizontal). Open the hatch cover and you get to the water tank. It is a considerable inconvenience that the hatch can only be opened about 45 degrees due to interference by the locker. The hatch cover is larger than the opening of the locker - a very poor design in my opinion.
 
If it is anything like my boat that v awkward hatch can be popped off at the hinges and then popped on again. The receptacle part of the hinge ie not the hinge pin (there must be a proper name for it) is a C not an O so this does not seem to hurt anything.
 
McDipple":zhjc8a77 said:
If it is anything like my boat that v awkward hatch can be popped off at the hinges and then popped on again. The receptacle part of the hinge ie not the hinge pin (there must be a proper name for it) is a C not an O so this does not seem to hurt anything.
Click to expand...

There was an earlier discussion about removing the hatch cover here

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=9783&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

but it seems that you have to be able to open the hatch nearly 180 degrees for the trick to work. Is there some way to pull the hatch off its hinges even in the confined quarters of the locker?
 
I'm helping Alli Cat out and was wondering what is the best access hatch for getting to clean out the junk in the water tank? One that would not leak while underway.
Any suggestions or web sites?

Thanks
 
mmitchell":3gwhmhzj said:
I'm helping Alli Cat out and was wondering what is the best access hatch for getting to clean out the junk in the water tank? One that would not leak while underway.
Any suggestions or web sites?

Thanks
Click to expand...

You can use a "deck plate" as seen here

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|6880|48504&id=47563

You can get solid or see through. Mine is 6" interior diameter and see through but there is not enough contrast in the tank to see much.

Use a jigsaw to cut the hole. Because they cut upward less plastic will fall into the tank although this might not matter for your case :( . A small aquarium net is useful for fishing plastic from the tank.

Please let us know what you find in the tank.

Roy
 
After you access the tank--and pump out as much water as you can--using a shop vac to remove any of the remainder will be an option.

Have you located the filter before the water pump? Not sure where they were placed on the port tank boats, but in the Stb tank boats, the filter is just before the water pump. Also you might try and blow low pressure air back thru the intake hose from the water tank, to dislodge any debris in the line, if there is any debris.
 
thataway":35gjfi7q said:
After you access the tank--and pump out as much water as you can--using a shop vac to remove any of the remainder will be an option.

Have you located the filter before the water pump? Not sure where they were placed on the port tank boats, but in the Stb tank boats, the filter is just before the water pump. Also you might try and blow low pressure air back thru the intake hose from the water tank, to dislodge any debris in the line, if there is any debris.
Click to expand...

Bob:

Here is a photo of the pump and filter (located under the galley locker).

waterPumpSmall.sized.jpg

Quick question: how do you remove the filter? It looks like the see through part should unscrew to show the filter element but I haven't been able to get it off with a reasonable amount of force. How do you get to the filter to clean it? Thanks, Roy
 
It is hard to remove. If you use channel-lock, you risk cracking the housing. I have used the non-skid mat but arthritic hands or tight location of the pump may be difficult. Try a small band-type wrench, with rubber to wrap around the housing.
 
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