painting water tanks

[Nene Queen]

We have just bought a second hand narrowboat. The water from the tank (150 gallons) comes out brown with bits so we understand it needs painting. Can anyone advise the best way to go about this please?

Edited May 20, 2009 by Nene Queen

[churchward]

We have just bought a second hand narrowboat. The water from the tank (150 gallons) comes out brown with bits so we understand it needs painting. Can anyone advise the best way to go about this please?

 

You can get specialist paint for the job but many people use hull blacking. Either way a good clean and rubbing down to get rid of rust and other scale is a must first. An alternative to consider is give it a clean up and de-rust then paint with anything to hand followed by fitting a flexible liner from one of the companies that can make you a tailored one. More expensive but it will save you having to do (what I think) is an unpleasant job every few years.

Edited May 20, 2009 by churchward

[David Schweizer]

We have just bought a second hand narrowboat. The water from the tank (150 gallons) comes out brown with bits so we understand it needs painting. Can anyone advise the best way to go about this please?

I would flush out the pipes with a Milton solution first, it may just be contamination in them. This can happen if no water is run through the pipes for a long time. How long was it since the boat was last used by the previous owners?

[MikeV]

I would flush out the pipes with a Milton solution first, it may just be contamination in them. This can happen if no water is run through the pipes for a long time. How long was it since the boat was last used by the previous owners?

After the winter when I first filled the tank the water came out brown, but I flushed it through with Milton's, as David suggests, and part filled and emptied it a couple of times and the water is now perfectly clear. I'm sure my tank does need repainting but it can wait until the end of the summer, if we ever get one!

 

Edited to add: Vactan rust converter is OK for use with potable water systems before the blacking and might give the recoat longer life. Clicky You can buy small tins of tank blacking at most chandlers specifically for this job.

Edited May 21, 2009 by MikeV

[Pot Noodle Adventurer]

After the winter when I first filled the tank the water came out brown, but I flushed it through with Milton's, as David suggests, and part filled and emptied it a couple of times and the water is now perfectly clear. I'm sure my tank does need repainting but it can wait until the end of the summer, if we ever get one!

 

Edited to add: Vactan rust converter is OK for use with potable water systems before the blacking and might give the recoat longer life. Clicky You can buy small tins of tank blacking at most chandlers specifically for this job.

 

If you are going to paint it use the proper stuff, nothing less. You can also fit an inline filter too.

 

I have heard good and bad experiences with liners. Any experiences?

[Albion]

If you are going to paint it use the proper stuff, nothing less. You can also fit an inline filter too.

 

I have heard good and bad experiences with liners. Any experiences?

 

Yes, I can give you direct good experience. Our first boat, owned from new in the early 90s, had an integral water tank in the nose (where most people's gas locker would be and accessible under the front deck hatch). At first we had to black about once a year as small pits of rust developed and started to stain the water slightly (with hatch access we could see the problems easily, of course). Increasingly though, despite my best efforts and care, the required frequency fell and, by the time I decided to do something about it was down to about every 9 months. It was a miserable job to do, crouched in the tank, bent double, trying not to touch the areas that you had already applied the bitumastic.

I decided to replace with a flexible tank made to my drawings by a firm on the Isle of Wight who were something to do with hovercraft skirts and used to regularly advertise in Waterways World (haven't seen their ad for some years now so I suspect they're not in business now). The tank was perfectly made and fitted like a dream. I followed their recommendations about separating the blacked surface from the tank material with plastic chain link type fencing (to stop it sticking and to allow it to breathe). The tank was a huge success. No taint or flavour from the plasticised material at all; no more blacking; could leave the water in the tank for months and it was as fresh as when we'd first put it into the tank. Thoroughly recommended.

Roger

[Matthew Knowles]

I'll certainly second the Vactan approach. My boat had been left for a while and so the water tank was rather rusty. I wire brushed the interior and gave it a couple of coats of Vactan. Job done!

 

There was no taste/odour in the water, drying time was very fast and to top it all it was cheap. I bought £35 worth of Vactan and probably used less than 20% of it. This year I'll simply drain and recoat.

[MikeV]

I decided to replace with a flexible tank made to my drawings by a firm on the Isle of Wight who were something to do with hovercraft skirts and used to regularly advertise in Waterways World (haven't seen their ad for some years now so I suspect they're not in business now).

Roger

There's a company called Duratank based in Southampton that advertise regularly. Clicky They make rigid and flexible tanks. No knowledge of them apart from their ads.

[Albion]

There's a company called Duratank based in Southampton that advertise regularly. Clicky They make rigid and flexible tanks. No knowledge of them apart from their ads.

 

From memory, although it's a long time ago now and I am getting on a bit it was a company called Seaflex.

 

Hhmm, just decided to Google them before posting this reply and I've found: http://www.seaflex.co.uk/ who certainly seem to make that type of product but it would appear that they are more up-market/international now. They've probabaly moved on now that there isn't a huge market in hovercraft skirts etc.

Roger

[RLWP]

From memory, although it's a long time ago now and I am getting on a bit it was a company called Seaflex.

 

Hhmm, just decided to Google them before posting this reply and I've found: http://www.seaflex.co.uk/ who certainly seem to make that type of product but it would appear that they are more up-market/international now. They've probabaly moved on now that there isn't a huge market in hovercraft skirts etc.

Roger

 

Duratank are still trading. They made ours and it's great.

 

Richard

[Nene Queen]

Duratank are still trading. They made ours and it's great.

 

Richard

Thanks everyone, useful information. Is Vactan the specialist paint for water tanks? Better than bitumastic?

Chris

[ChrisPy]

Thanks everyone, useful information. Is Vactan the specialist paint for water tanks? Better than bitumastic?

Chris

vactan is a rust converter that leaves a clear primer type surface finish that according to the data sheets is aproved for potable water.

it doesn't need overcoating.

it is very tolerant to application conditions - just pour some into the damp tank, scrub it in everywhere, and rinse off the surplus a couple of days later.

[Nene Queen]

vactan is a rust converter that leaves a clear primer type surface finish that according to the data sheets is aproved for potable water.

it doesn't need overcoating.

it is very tolerant to application conditions - just pour some into the damp tank, scrub it in everywhere, and rinse off the surplus a couple of days later.

That is very helpful, thank you. I think that is what we'll go for.

[ChrisPy]

vactan is a rust converter that leaves a clear primer type surface finish that according to the data sheets is aproved for potable water.

it doesn't need overcoating.

it is very tolerant to application conditions - just pour some into the damp tank, scrub it in everywhere, and rinse off the surplus a couple of days later.

I s'pose I should have added that if there is any loose paint or crud, you should try to remove it first. Vactan works best on rusty bare metal.

[Nene Queen]

I s'pose I should have added that if there is any loose paint or crud, you should try to remove it first. Vactan works best on rusty bare metal.

I assumed that would have to be done first, thanks again. Something to tackle before the cold weather sets in and after a good season of boating I think.

[nb Innisfree]

I assumed that would have to be done first, thanks again. Something to tackle before the cold weather sets in and after a good season of boating I think.

If you do use hull blacking do NOT use coal tar based blacking, only use bitumen blacking, we have used International Intertuf with no problems.

[Nene Queen]

If you do use hull blacking do NOT use coal tar based blacking, only use bitumen blacking, we have used International Intertuf with no problems.

Thanks for the advice

 

 

I would flush out the pipes with a Milton solution first, it may just be contamination in them. This can happen if no water is run through the pipes for a long time. How long was it since the boat was last used by the previous owners?

Really don't know, bought from a brokers. Quite a while I should think, with no previous maintenance I imagine since 2001!