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!

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’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 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’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.

People have also expressed concern about the potential damage to rubber
and neoprene water pump parts. Again—the cumulative effect of carrying
chlorinated water is far more damaging over time than the occasional
“shock treatment.” And it’s 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’s not enough to do any good. Even if it were, any
“purifying” 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.

--


Bill
"Jim," wrote in message
...
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!

Buy Peggy's book. Everything is in there.

The proper shock sanitization with Clorox vs. Stainless Steel for
potable water systems is:
1/4 - 1/2 oz. clorox per 10 gallons of tank water capacity @ a soak
time of ****NOT TO EXCEED 1 HOUR*****, then flush. This is standard
'water industry' shock sanitization procedure. The industry standard
versus stainless steel is 10-20 parts per million (ppm) of chlorine
for one hour. Clorox is a 5% solution (50,000 parts per million - ppm).


Caution: this is a shock sanitization schedule for CLEAN
tankage/system - one that does NOT contain a biofilm. Biofilms (active
bacteria colonies) are denoted by simply wiping one's finger on the
tank walls and if 'slippery' equates to the presence of a biofilm. If
a biofilm is present and mechanical methods (scrubbing, etc.) is not
possible, then many repeated shock sanitizations are needed as shock
sanitization will only kill/stun the surface layer of a biofilm
(bacteria colony) leaving viable cells underneath to reinfect. So, if
you have a biofilm and cant scrub it away you must use ***repeated
shock sanitizations*** - interspaced with high velocity flushes of
plain water - at the above 'mix' to prevent chloride attack of the
stainless AND to kill all the viable cells adhering to the walls.

Active mechanical scrubbing (soap and water) to release the biofilm
followed by shock sanitization is the BEST method of cleaning.

If you live in an area that the water is infected with Giardia or
Cryptosporidium you MUST use at least an NSF rated 1,0uM (absolute)
rated filter when charging the tank. Giardia and Crypto are immune to
chlorine sanitization methods.

hope this helps.


In article RxXsg.98975$IZ2.81346@dukeread07, Bill
wrote:

--


Bill
"Jim," wrote in message
...
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!

Buy Peggy's book. Everything is in there.