After rinsing the residual antifreeze out of my sailboat fresh water system
extensively, I filled the (~100 gallon stainless) tanks through a simple
carbon filter. Only a few weeks later, the water coming out the galley and
head sinks, cold or hot, has a definite sulfur odor. What are the best
treatments for fresh water system "purification"? Are they all
one-time-through-and rise-out approaches, or are there safe, non-toxic
things that can be left in the water as well?

Newsgroups wrote:
After rinsing the residual antifreeze out of my sailboat fresh water system
extensively, I filled the (~100 gallon stainless) tanks through a simple
carbon filter. Only a few weeks later, the water coming out the galley and
head sinks, cold or hot, has a definite sulfur odor. What are the best
treatments for fresh water system "purification"? Are they all
one-time-through-and rise-out approaches, or are there safe, non-toxic
things that can be left in the water as well?

This should do the trick:

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.
Many people—and even some boat manufacturers—believe that keeping the
tanks empty reduce the problem, but an empty water tank only provides
another damp dark home for those “critters.”

There are all kinds of products sold that claim to keep onboard water
fresh, but all that’s really necessary is an annual or in especially
warm climates, semi-annual recommissioning of the entire system—tank 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—the 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 Hypochlorine solution ).
With tank empty, pour chlorine solution into tank. Use one gallon of
solution for each 5 gallons of 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 and/or antifreeze 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’s 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.

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://69.20.93.241/store/customer/p...40&cat=&page=1

There's several problems with this method -

1 - you should have a bypass on the hot water heater (connect cold in
to hot out) or you fill up the heater tank with bleach and it takes
forever to dilute it out.

2 - you should put an intake valve/hose barb on line between the FW
tank manifold and the fine strainer you should have in the line before
the system pressure pump - this way you suck the bleach from a 5 gal
bucket into the system and don't fill the tanks with it.

3 - usually the FW tank vent hoses are the most dirty parts of a FW
system because they never get cleaned - clean these with bleach but
don't let the mess drain into your tanks



On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 20:39:01 GMT, Peggie Hall
wrote:

Newsgroups wrote:
After rinsing the residual antifreeze out of my sailboat fresh water system
extensively, I filled the (~100 gallon stainless) tanks through a simple
carbon filter. Only a few weeks later, the water coming out the galley and
head sinks, cold or hot, has a definite sulfur odor. What are the best
treatments for fresh water system "purification"? Are they all
one-time-through-and rise-out approaches, or are there safe, non-toxic
things that can be left in the water as well?

This should do the trick:

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.
Many people—and even some boat manufacturers—believe that keeping the
tanks empty reduce the problem, but an empty water tank only provides
another damp dark home for those “critters.”

There are all kinds of products sold that claim to keep onboard water
fresh, but all that’s really necessary is an annual or in especially
warm climates, semi-annual recommissioning of the entire system—tank 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—the 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 Hypochlorine solution ).
With tank empty, pour chlorine solution into tank. Use one gallon of
solution for each 5 gallons of 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 and/or antifreeze 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’s 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.

Carl wrote:
There's several problems with this method -

1 - you should have a bypass on the hot water heater (connect cold in
to hot out) or you fill up the heater tank with bleach and it takes
forever to dilute it out.

It takes no longer to flush the solution out of the water heater tank
than to flush antifreeze out of it. However, if the water heater was
drained, bypassed and left dry instead, there's no reason to reconnect
it before recommissioning the fresh water system.

2 - you should put an intake valve/hose barb on line between the FW
tank manifold and the fine strainer you should have in the line before
the system pressure pump - this way you suck the bleach from a 5 gal
bucket into the system and don't fill the tanks with it.

So you wouldn't clean the tank? Why? That MOST foul water originates in
the plumbing doesn't mean that the tank doesn't need cleaning too.


3 - usually the FW tank vent hoses are the most dirty parts of a FW
system because they never get cleaned

On most boats, the vent is flushed out every time the tank is filled
because few people stand there and watch it fill...they just let the
water run till it pours out the vent. However, overfilling the tank with
the solution till IT runs out the vent solves the problem of cleaning
out the vent line for those who don't ever let their water tank overflow.

It's ok with me if you don't want to follow this method on your own
boat...but fwiw, it's the method that both the RV and marine industry
has recommended for at least 20 years. It was that long ago that I first
saw it in an owners manual.





On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 20:39:01 GMT, Peggie Hall
wrote:


Newsgroups wrote:

After rinsing the residual antifreeze out of my sailboat fresh water system
extensively, I filled the (~100 gallon stainless) tanks through a simple
carbon filter. Only a few weeks later, the water coming out the galley and
head sinks, cold or hot, has a definite sulfur odor. What are the best
treatments for fresh water system "purification"? Are they all
one-time-through-and rise-out approaches, or are there safe, non-toxic
things that can be left in the water as well?

This should do the trick:

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.
Many people—and even some boat manufacturers—believe that keeping the
tanks empty reduce the problem, but an empty water tank only provides
another damp dark home for those “critters.”

There are all kinds of products sold that claim to keep onboard water
fresh, but all that’s really necessary is an annual or in especially
warm climates, semi-annual recommissioning of the entire system—tank 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—the 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 Hypochlorine solution ).
With tank empty, pour chlorine solution into tank. Use one gallon of
solution for each 5 gallons of 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 and/or antifreeze 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’s 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.





--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://69.20.93.241/store/customer/p...40&cat=&page=1
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detai...=400&group=327

filters, left inline, trap bio material which then decomposes. filters are
Perti dishes to a water system, or so I was told by a guy who spent his career
designing filtration systems of various kinds.

He said the best system is to filter the water you need for the next short
period of time and then store the filter dry until the next time.

After rinsing the residual antifreeze out of my sailboat fresh water system
extensively, I filled the (~100 gallon stainless) tanks through a simple
carbon filter. Only a few weeks later, the water coming out the galley and
head sinks, cold or hot, has a definite sulfur odor. What are the best
treatments for fresh water system "purification"? Are they all
one-time-through-and rise-out approaches, or are there safe, non-toxic
things that can be left in the water as well?

I've owned my boat for more than 20 years. I didn't have to read the
directions in a manual - and they might have written it from what I
knew then and still know. My point to you is - "their" process that
you are now palming off as your own is quite incomplete - want some
more pointers?

BTW - over filling a tank until it overflows the vent line does not
clean out the vent line - and all that **** in the vent hose drains
back into the tank. This goes to prove how little you really know.




On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 21:50:32 GMT, Peggie Hall
wrote:



Carl wrote:
There's several problems with this method -

1 - you should have a bypass on the hot water heater (connect cold in
to hot out) or you fill up the heater tank with bleach and it takes
forever to dilute it out.

It takes no longer to flush the solution out of the water heater tank
than to flush antifreeze out of it. However, if the water heater was
drained, bypassed and left dry instead, there's no reason to reconnect
it before recommissioning the fresh water system.

2 - you should put an intake valve/hose barb on line between the FW
tank manifold and the fine strainer you should have in the line before
the system pressure pump - this way you suck the bleach from a 5 gal
bucket into the system and don't fill the tanks with it.

So you wouldn't clean the tank? Why? That MOST foul water originates in
the plumbing doesn't mean that the tank doesn't need cleaning too.


3 - usually the FW tank vent hoses are the most dirty parts of a FW
system because they never get cleaned

On most boats, the vent is flushed out every time the tank is filled
because few people stand there and watch it fill...they just let the
water run till it pours out the vent. However, overfilling the tank with
the solution till IT runs out the vent solves the problem of cleaning
out the vent line for those who don't ever let their water tank overflow.

It's ok with me if you don't want to follow this method on your own
boat...but fwiw, it's the method that both the RV and marine industry
has recommended for at least 20 years. It was that long ago that I first
saw it in an owners manual.





On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 20:39:01 GMT, Peggie Hall
wrote:


Newsgroups wrote:

After rinsing the residual antifreeze out of my sailboat fresh water system
extensively, I filled the (~100 gallon stainless) tanks through a simple
carbon filter. Only a few weeks later, the water coming out the galley and
head sinks, cold or hot, has a definite sulfur odor. What are the best
treatments for fresh water system "purification"? Are they all
one-time-through-and rise-out approaches, or are there safe, non-toxic
things that can be left in the water as well?

This should do the trick:

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.
Many people—and even some boat manufacturers—believe that keeping the
tanks empty reduce the problem, but an empty water tank only provides
another damp dark home for those “critters.”

There are all kinds of products sold that claim to keep onboard water
fresh, but all that’s really necessary is an annual or in especially
warm climates, semi-annual recommissioning of the entire system—tank 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—the 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 Hypochlorine solution ).
With tank empty, pour chlorine solution into tank. Use one gallon of
solution for each 5 gallons of 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 and/or antifreeze 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’s 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.

says it all, doesn't it.

From: Carl

I didn't have to read the
directions in a manual

goes to prove how little you really know.


way to go, carl.

Peggie,

Thanks for the information about cleaning water systems on RV's but the
problem with using bleach in the marine environment is that the chlorine is
highly toxic to marine animals. The are peroxide compounds that will do a
fine job cleaning and disinfecting the water systems and are not toxic.

Again, thank you for your continued interest in helping us with our
sanitation needs.

Ansley Sawyer
SV Pacem

Ansley, your municipal water treatment system used chlorine by the railroad
tanker load to treat the water you drink, water which eventually goes back to
where it came from.

Thanks for the information about cleaning water systems on RV's but the
problem with using bleach in the marine environment is that the chlorine is
highly toxic to marine animals. The are peroxide compounds that will do a
fine job cleaning and disinfecting the water systems and are not toxic.

Again, thank you for your continued interest in helping us with our
sanitation needs.

Ansley Sawyer
SV Pacem

Ansley Sawyer wrote:
Peggie,

Thanks for the information about cleaning water systems on RV's but the
problem with using bleach in the marine environment is that the chlorine is
highly toxic to marine animals. The are peroxide compounds that will do a
fine job cleaning and disinfecting the water systems and are not toxic.

Fwiw, boat and RV fresh water systems are identical, so if you're that
concerned, recommissioning can be done out of the water pre-launch...but
where do you think all the water from an RV or any other source that's
drained onto the ground ends up?

The output from most bilge pumps is far more toxic to marine life than
100 gallons of water that has only about 3 oz of sodium hypochloride in
it as it comes out of the drain and is further diluted as it enters the
water. If you did it daily in the same place, it would be one thing...
but over the course of a season, the amount of municipal water alone
that goes through your sink and shower drains, overboard while washing
the boat etc puts more chlorine into the water than just an annual
recommissioning.

Use whatever method you like to maintain your own system, but your
environmental concerns are unfounded.

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://69.20.93.241/store/customer/p...40&cat=&page=1
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detai...=400&group=327