MadHatter

I am interested in the cleaning aspect. We put some dirty water (the supply had been unpgraded and soil etc had got into the pipe) into our stainless tank and ever since loads of grains can be seen in the bottom of the tank. These never quite empty as the outlet to the tank is very slightly off the bottom. Someone has suggested a "water vacuum" e.g.aqua vac, to suck all the water out. this sounds reasonable if i can find one to borrow. Still concerned about the sterility of the water for drinking though...any ideas?

is there a way of getting good cover for personal effects. I know some people have cover from their house insurance but we don't have that option. Our insurer at the moment is St Margarets which I think offers £2000 personal effects cover. However as a liveaboard £2000 wouldn't go far if e.g. we had a fire and lost everything (laptop, camera, clothes etc). Other options I have looked into always require house insurance also.

cassette for me! Possibly worth having a spare (although we don't bother due to storage space). The only consideration other than those mentioned by everyone else, is your fitness. A full cassette is quite heavy and can be a struggle to get out of the boat so is not for everyone. many people have a small fold away trolley for those long distance emptying points. It's all part of the fun...get home from work, dark, raining and realise the cassette is full.

thank you i think the water we filled with is the problem as it is a stainless tank. I was advised not to use anything like bleach or even baby equipment sterilising solution e.g. Milton in the tank. Anyone any experience or suggestion?

Does anyone know of a safe way to clean out the fresh water tank and pipes. We returned to our boat after a few weeks away and brown water came out of taps. this has never happened before even when we have left it longer. We think it may be from the new water supply to our mooring. The tank needs a thorough clean and complete empty but we can't get the last bit out of the tank as the outlet is slightly raised off the bottom. Any ideas welcome.