Water Tank Woes

Mr Mac

Mr Mac

Member
Feb 27, 2019
49
Apollo Beach, FL
Boat Info
1997 330 Sundancer
Name Slàinte Mhath!
Engines
Twin 454 Mercruiser with V-drive
I have done a few searches without much luck, so I'll go ahead and ask knowing it is likely covered somewhere and I just wasn't patient enough to soearch longer! :)

Our fresh water tank (97 330 Sundancer) has an odor to it. While not a disgusting smell like something died, it is off enough to certainly want to rid ourselves of it! What is the best way to sanitize the tank?
 
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A weak solution of bleach and water will sanitize it. Add a small amount of bleach to the fresh water tank and then fill it up. Open all of your taps to allow the treated water to fill each line. Then let it sit for 24-48 hours. It doesn't take much bleach but there should be enough that you smell it when the water runs. After it sits in the lines and tank, run the tank dry. Then fill your tank up with fresh water that hopefully is chlorinated. Flush out all your water lines by running water through them. Run the tank dry and refill it. You should have drinkable water at this point. Most people don't properly care for their water tanks. They should be drained and refilled once a week with water from a good city water utility or from a well that is absolutely safe. We refreshed our tank during weekly boat washing. When we cruised, taking daily showers and cooking and drinking ice water was enough that we would just fill it up every day. Once we returned home we would run it dry and start over with chlorinated water from our local utility.
 
I don’t drink the water from my tank but I do the above each spring. I drive it a bit with the bleach water so it sloshes around a lot. Then flush it all with clean water running all the taps as I fill the water for a bit letting the pump empty the tank and doing it again a few times. Then clean the filter on the pump. We have potable water at our slips.

Then one cap full of beach each water fill keeps it fresh. Not more or it can degrade the pex seals.
 
I've never had an odor from the tank...Before I tried to find a solution, I'd want to know what caused it...Like the others, I usually add a little bleach to the second tank of the season.

My procedure is something like this:

1. Winterize fresh water system for the winter by draining all water out and draining the water heater. I drain the water heater from the spigot and remove the pipes from the water heater and connect them together. I add a 20" (est.) pipe to the cold water side of the water heater and pour in a bit of anti-freeze. Then I push the other side into the hot water side, so it's self contained.

2. Then I add 7-8 gallons of anti-freeze to the fresh water tank and pressurize the system. I then go to the further faucets / fixtures, one-by-one, and open them until anti-freeze is coming out. Once all have been checked and anti-freeze down the drains and down the black-water hoses into the black-water tank (already pumped out) , I shut-off the fresh water pump and depressurize the system.

3. When I start to de-winterize, I add water to the fresh-water tank about half a tank, then re-pressurize the system, then open up the faucets one-by-one, until I empty the tank hopefully of most of the now diluted anti-freeze...I repeat once more.

4. Then, I fully fill the fresh water tank adding 2-3 cap-fulls of Clorox Bleach...(seems like others add a lot more)...Perhaps my solution need to be stronger. My tank is 100 gal. and this method seems to work well.

5. Then after I run through this tank, and one more, I'm ready to trust using the water for washing dishes / showering / etc...We don't ever drink the water out of the system.

BTW- I have inspected the tank via the sensor opening and I've never seen any growth.
 
For what it's worth I chlorinated my system this year with one cup of bleach and could not smell it at the faucets when I ran it through the lines. I've also got a 100 gallon tank.

Next year I will use 2 cups...maybe 3.

We do drink the water....but I also drank from a hose quite regularly growing up :)
 
Stee6043 said:
For what it's worth I chlorinated my system this year with one cup of bleach and could not smell it at the faucets when I ran it through the lines. I've also got a 100 gallon tank.

Next year I will use 2 cups...maybe 3.

We do drink the water....but I also drank from a hose quite regularly growing up :)
Click to expand...

Is that what is wrong with you. LOL

MM

P.S. A new study has found that 100% of people living will die of something...
 
Stee6043 said:
We do drink the water....but I also drank from a hose quite regularly growing up :)
Click to expand...
You probably never wore a helmet while riding your bicycle unless you wanted to get beat up on a regular basis! ;)

Thanks all! While there is a bit of an odor, it isn't overwhelming, it's just more of an annoyance, like the water was in there for a long time without being cycled through. Since we live in SW FL, anti-freeze isn't a need like it was when we were in the midwest or even NE GA, but I will fill the tank, add some bleach (saving the vodka for something different) and go from there!

Mac
 
Try camco water tank freshener. It’s 3 bucks on amazon. You
 
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Boat Guy said:
I've never had an odor from the tank...Before I tried to find a solution, I'd want to know what caused it...Like the others, I usually add a little bleach to the second tank of the season.

My procedure is something like this:

1. Winterize fresh water system for the winter by draining all water out and draining the water heater. I drain the water heater from the spigot and remove the pipes from the water heater and connect them together. I add a 20" (est.) pipe to the cold water side of the water heater and pour in a bit of anti-freeze. Then I push the other side into the hot water side, so it's self contained.

2. Then I add 7-8 gallons of anti-freeze to the fresh water tank and pressurize the system. I then go to the further faucets / fixtures, one-by-one, and open them until anti-freeze is coming out. Once all have been checked and anti-freeze down the drains and down the black-water hoses into the black-water tank (already pumped out) , I shut-off the fresh water pump and depressurize the system.

3. When I start to de-winterize, I add water to the fresh-water tank about half a tank, then re-pressurize the system, then open up the faucets one-by-one, until I empty the tank hopefully of most of the now diluted anti-freeze...I repeat once more.

4. Then, I fully fill the fresh water tank adding 2-3 cap-fulls of Clorox Bleach...(seems like others add a lot more)...Perhaps my solution need to be stronger. My tank is 100 gal. and this method seems to work well.

5. Then after I run through this tank, and one more, I'm ready to trust using the water for washing dishes / showering / etc...We don't ever drink the water out of the system.

BTW- I have inspected the tank via the sensor opening and I've never seen any growth.
Click to expand...
This approach works well and many do it this way. However, there is a much easier way to accomplish the winterization. After you drain the hot water heater at the drain plug, that is all you need to do. What little water left behind will freeze but nothing will break because there is lots of room in the heater for the ice to expand into. I did always leave the drain plug open just in case there was some water trapped in there. Left the pressure relief valve open also. That also allows whatever is in the drain plug to evaporate. When you remove the cold water line to the water heater, install a funnel on the end. Have a helper turn the water pump on while you pour potable antifreeze into the funnel. Keep adding antifreeze until you have pink coming out of all the faucets, transom shower, and the line that feeds the head. Reinstall the water feed to the heater and you are done. Winterizing this way saves you you the hassle of getting rid of the foamy, bad tasting water that comes out of a water tank that has been ful of antifreeze and makes start up easier in the spring. Also saves lots of antifreeze, not that it's a big deal cost wise. But why waste the money if you don't need to?
 
We clean our tank regularly as described. We also filter what we drink & cook with. We use a Zero water filter. Britta is also pretty good.
 
I bypass hot water heater for winterization to save on the pink stuff.
Less pink to buy and less to get out of system in Spring.
Beginning of season I drain that little bit of pink out of tank, fill with water and a few cups of bleach.
Turn on pump, bring to each faucet and let it sit in there.
Next day or so, drain, refill, drain, refill.
When filling during the season I add a little bit of bleach to the fill before putting water in.
I use the tank for almost all fresh water needs during the season and just keep filling it up as needed to keep it fresh.
No smells at all, but I still don’t drink it or make coffee with it.
Probably could, but no big deal for me to use bottled water.
 
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sbw1 said:
View attachment 70739
This approach works well and many do it this way. However, there is a much easier way to accomplish the winterization. After you drain the hot water heater at the drain plug, that is all you need to do. What little water left behind will freeze but nothing will break because there is lots of room in the heater for the ice to expand into. I did always leave the drain plug open just in case there was some water trapped in there. Left the pressure relief valve open also. That also allows whatever is in the drain plug to evaporate. When you remove the cold water line to the water heater, install a funnel on the end. Have a helper turn the water pump on while you pour potable antifreeze into the funnel. Keep adding antifreeze until you have pink coming out of all the faucets, transom shower, and the line that feeds the head. Reinstall the water feed to the heater and you are done. Winterizing this way saves you you the hassle of getting rid of the foamy, bad tasting water that comes out of a water tank that has been ful of antifreeze and makes start up easier in the spring. Also saves lots of antifreeze, not that it's a big deal cost wise. But why waste the money if you don't need to?
Click to expand...
I screwed this up just a little. The hose that feeds water into the water heater should be connected to the hose that receives hot water from the water heater and supplies hot water throughout the boat. You now have closed have a closed loop. This is accomlished by by inserting a piece of small copper tubing into both lines connecting them so they become one continuous line. Connect the funnel to a line on the side of the water pump that receives water from the water tank and pumps water to the faucets. This way you drain the water tank into the bilge while you are pumping antifreeze through out the water system. Sorry for the confusion.
 
No worries...Since we've moved to central Florida, winterizing is a thing of the past for us! :)
 
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