What do you use in you'r water tank

rblatter said:
Moutwash ingredients: water, alcohol, sodium, chloride (I have shortened some names here). The chloride and alcohol seem to prevent bacteria from forming. It works in fine in small quantities, half a cap for a full tank. And good breath...
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Sorry...

Active Ingredients: Contains: Thymol (0.064%), Eucalyptol (0.092%), Methyl Salicylate (0.060%), Menthol (0.042%)

Inactive Ingredients: Water, Alcohol (21.6%), Sorbitol Solution, Flavoring, Poloxamer 407, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Saccharin, Sodium Benzoate, FD&C Green 3

I am not putting that in my water tank. It forms crystals... I'll post pictures of my Listerine bottle by my sink in my bathroom if you like... Sodium Saccharin is a sweetner...
and who the hell knows what Sodium Benzoate is.
 
I was going to send the complete formula for Scope, but.. the point is that "some moutwashes" are higher in content in alcohol and chloride, and it is a mild way of keeping the bacteria of forming in the tank. I have been doing this for over ten years, and have never had water go bad on us. Of course, it is important to note that we have cooler weather up here, thus less chances of bacteria growth in the tank. Bleach is great for cleaning, but would not add it to the water. I never let the water sit in there more then five days. Tried some other products, but the rule seems to be the longer it stays in there the worse it gets....

R.Blatter
 
So... with all those chemicals... you are not worried about digesting this stuff?

Warnings
Do not administer to children under twelve years of age. Keep this and all drugs out of the reach of children. Do not swallow. In case of accidental overdose, seek professional assistance or contact a poison control center immediately.

Here's a warning from one of those ingredients:;
Reports of adverse effects

It was reported in The Australian newspaper 18 November 2006 that this common ingredient in toothpaste and mouthwash can cause high cholesterol. A team from the Centre for Ageing and the ANZAC Research Institute in Sydney found that when P407 was given to mice, it coated cells in the liver that control cholesterol levels, leading to a 10-fold increase in levels. The amounts given were not reported in the article.
 
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Well, Gary, you did it. No more mouthwash for the boat, I was wondering why the mice on our boat were sluggish.... from now on I will stick to wine, in the tank. Never learned so much about mouthwash...
R.Blatter
310 Sundancer 2001
Bravo III
p.s. great looking boat you have.
 
In the Pacific NW we have crystal clear water and it's illegal for bacteria to grow in it. The bacteria corporations have lobbied hard against it but is hasn't work. So far no issues other than the one tank of saltwater we filled with when we were on our trip this summer. That took 2 weeks and several tankfuls to flush out. Somehow one of the fuel stops had a hose that pumped straight out of the drink and we didn't see a sign. The fuel dock had it there as a hose down for fuel spills..or whatever, not filling your water tank. Smelled like clams for a few trips. I think I've run through a 1000 gallons since then
 
I actually find "Old Spice" to be better in the water tank...

It has this in it: PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil
 
Four Suns said:
I think the key is to make sure you use the water a lot and don't let it sit in there. When we are on the boat, we go through a tank of water (at least) every day. That's 120 g I believe. We probably pumped over 4000 gallons of water through the system in July alone.

One year, I dumped a little bleach in the system and filled it up but it took a week to get the bleach smell out... wasn't worth it IMO. I probably put too much bleach in though as my wife took a shower and her hair turned blond and she turned stupid.
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OMG! LOL! To funny!
 
You could also try a little Kettle One Vodka. A half cup for 40 gallons or so is good. Don't taste it, but keeps it clean and acts as anti-freeze in winter..... Been doing it for years. If it gets to cold, then add half a 1/5. Still will not taste it....

But then I am a drunk.... ;)
 
Ah yes... add liquor to the water tank... that's even better.

How about beer?
 
I turned my water tank into a fermenting tank and brew my own beer onboard. That way, I have more $$$ for gas and can save the room in my cooler for my wife's wine! Besides, nothing beats an upside-down pullout shower beer bong after a long day of rafting! Chicks dig it too!
 
surfinjoe said:
I turned my water tank into a fermenting tank and brew my own beer onboard. That way, I have more $$$ for gas and can save the room in my cooler for my wife's wine! Besides, nothing beats an upside-down pullout shower beer bong after a long day of rafting! Chicks dig it too!
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Gosh.... and Gary made fun of me for storing liquor in my barrel chairs. :huh:
 
Our marina is well water. I have a culligan whole house filter installed on the faucet on my dock. It works well, filters all of the water. Then we always put water in the tank daily. We usually go through a tank a day and when we leave Sunday we leave it at whatever level it is at. Usually 1/4 full. Then top off the next weekend. Water never smells. If it needs bleaching in the spring. I will bleach it. Before the filter I would get some sulfur smells.
 
I use AquaFresh powder on a regular basis and over the winter months too and never ever had any problems.
I also have dual filters, a 5 micron carbon wound cartridge on teh water hose and a CAMCO CX90 ceramic/carbon filter on the fresh water filler neck. This dual filter approach takes not just sediments but everything including chemicals, pesticides and bactieria out of the water, only potential viral organizms are not filtered out.
 
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Second the Aquabon.

I'm on a mooring and I don't find it practical to fill the water tank at each outing. It would probably add 30 minutes to any departure time. The Aquabon seems to keep the water sweet for an extended time and kills bad taste / odor.
 
I replaced my water tank with a keg. There's room to the side of the keg, so I added a CO2 tank to keep the keg pressurized. Works like a charm, and now I have 3 taps on board. Sure, the head wastes some precious beer, but it's the price you have to pay for beer on tap.
 
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An ounce of bleach every other fill in my 21 gallon tank as well. I tend not to use a tank every week so need something to keep from forming hydrogen sulfide. Once, my tank went sour and I sprayed one of my best friends w/ the transom shower. Good thing I had some good shampoo on board!

I tried some Starbrite additive and wasn't happy with it. Tank went sour anyway.

Dennis
 
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