On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 03:59:41 +0200, Sjouke Burry
wrote:

Bruce wrote:
On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:32:57 -0700 (PDT), silverdragon
wrote:

Hey my wife and I purchased a Columbia 29 Mk II and there is some
green slime on the walls of the aluminum water tank under the V-Berth
I was wondering what the best way to disinfect and clean it out.

Is there some sort of cleaner or bleach water mixture that we can put
in the tank to kill what ever is growing down there?

Peggy once posted a complete set of instructions about just this. And,
Ta! Da! here is:

Jim, wrote:
I just traded boats, and the new (to me) one has what appears to be a
stainless water tank (my old boat had plastic). In the past I'd fill
the tank and add a glug of Clorox to it to kill any bugs that might have
joined me during the interim.

Something in the dark recesses of my brain says Stainless and Clorox
don't mix.

Comments; Suggestions please!
I saved this from Peggy last year.

Although most people think only in terms of the tank, the plumbing is
actually the source of most foul water, because the molds, mildew,
fungi
and bacteria which cause it thrive in damp dark places, not under
water.

There are all kinds of products sold that claim to keep onboard water
fresh, but all that\u2019s really necessary is an annual or in
especially
warm climates, semi-annual recommissioning of the entire
system\u2014tank and
plumbing. The following recommendations conform to section 10.8 in the
A-1 192 code covering electrical, plumbing, and heating of
recreational
vehicles. The solution is approved and recommended by competent health
officials. It may be used in a new system a used one that has not
been
used for a period of time, or one that may have been contaminated.

Before beginning, turn off hot water heater at the breaker; do not
turn
it on again until the entire recommissioning is complete.

Icemakers should be left running to allow cleaning out of the water
feed
line; however the first two buckets of ice\u2014the bucket generated
during
recommissioning and the first bucketful afterward--should be
discarded.

1. Prepare a chlorine solution using one gallon of water and 1/2 cup
(4
oz) Clorox or Purex household bleach (5% sodium Hypochlorite solution
).
With tank empty, pour chlorine solution into tank. Use one gallon of
solution for each 5 gallons of tank capacity. (There's an easier way:
one pint of bleach to each 25 gal water tank capacity.)

2. Complete filling of tank with fresh water. Open each faucet and
drain
cock until air has been released and the entire system is filled. Do
not turn off the pump; it must remain on to keep the system
pressurized
and the solution in the lines

3. Allow to stand for at least three hours, but no longer than 24
hours.

4 Drain through every faucet on the boat (and if you haven't done this
in a while, it's a good idea to remove any diffusion screens from the
faucets, because what's likely to come out will clog them). Fill the
tank again with fresh water only, drain again through every faucet on
the boat.

5. To remove excess chlorine taste or odor which might remain, prepare
a
solution of one quart white vinegar to five gallons water and allow
this
solution to agitate in tank for several days by vehicle motion.

6. Drain tank again through every faucet, and flush the lines again by
fill the tank 1/4-1/2 full and again flushing with potable water.

People have expressed concern about using this method to recommission
aluminum tanks. While bleach (chlorine) IS corrosive, it\u2019s
effects are
are cumulative. So the effect of an annual or semi-annual "shock
treatment" is negligible compared to the cumulative effect of holding
chlorinated city water in the tank for years. Nevertheless, it's a
good
idea to mix the total amount of bleach in a few gallons of water
before
putting it into either a stainless or aluminum tank.

People have also expressed concern about the potential damage to
rubber
and neoprene water pump parts. Again\u2014the cumulative effect of
carrying
chlorinated water is far more damaging over time than the occasional
\u201cshock treatment.\u201d And it\u2019s that cumulative effect that
makes it a VERY
bad idea to add a little bleach to each fill. Not only does it damage
the system, but unless you add enough to make your water taste and
smell
like a laundry, it\u2019s not enough to do any good. Even if it were,
any
\u201cpurifying\u201d properties in chlorine evaporate within 24
hours, leaving
behind only the corrosive properties.

An annual or semi-annual recommissioning according to the above
directions is all that should be necessary to keep your water tasting
and smelling as good as anything that comes out of any faucet on land.
If you need to improve on that, install a water filter. Just remember
that a filter is not a substitute for cleaning out the system, and
that
filters require regular inspection and cleaning or replacement.

To keep the water system cleaner longer, use your fresh water...keep
water flowing through system. The molds, fungi, and bacteria only
start
to grow in hoses that aren't being used. Before filling the tank each
time, always let the dock water run for at least 15 minutes
first...the
same critters that like the lines on your boat LOVE the dock supply
line
and your hose that sit in the warm sun, and you certainly don't want
to
transfer water that's been sitting in the dock supply line to your
boat's system. So let the water run long enough to flush out all the
water that's been standing in them so that what goes into your boat is
coming straight from the water main.
Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)
Am I glad to live in a country with NO bleach in tap water......
Even the icecubes in restaurants in the US smell like diluted bleach.


Oh? How do they sanitize the water in your country?

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)