Clean water tank

[Steve Manc]

14 hours ago, Bobbybass said:

My pot of Vactan specifically says...not for potable water tanks.

 

Beware of making sure it is for potable tanks. Some of the bitumen compound is very dangerous.

I ordered a tin for drinking tanks and the supplier substituted a different one,,.which was dangerous.

 

Last year I crawled into my little tank. Very nasty. I spent several days curled up in there taking it back to bare metal.

My idea of just reaching in....didn't work by a long chalk.

I made sure my wife was there making sure I was conscious.

 

When it was ultra dry...I applied two coats of a Thomson product that said it was for drinking water tanks.

I allowed it uber-time to dry...over a week.

 

This year...my tank is just as bad or worse than it was before !

Bobbybase

Can you expand 're worse as last year?

 

Was it full of rust?

Had the paint broken down?

Was the tank lining scrummy?

 

Thanks

Ps

I spoke with boat builder. They advised I inspect the water tank every two years. When the boat was built the water tank was painted. It was recommend  I should only use a single pack paint. 

 

Will let you know how I get on.

[blackrose]

On 01/06/2020 at 19:34, Bod said:

Having done this very job on a Colecraft hull, there are a few tips to pass on.

1. Do not use a powered wire brush inside the tank.  Think black and white minstral impression when you come out!

 

 

If you're worried about a bit of dirt then you wouldn't do any boat maintenance. I would recommend using a wire wheel and cup on a mini angle grinder if you want to do the job properly - with suitable eye protection, mask, ear defenders and leather work gloves. You can do it manually with hand-held wire brushes if you want, but you'll either be prepping for many days or it will be a half-arsed job.

[Bod]

8 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

If you're worried about a bit of dirt then you wouldn't do any boat maintenance. I would recommend using a wire wheel and cup on a mini angle grinder if you want to do the job properly - with suitable eye protection, mask, ear defenders and leather work gloves. You can do it manually with hand-held wire brushes if you want, but you'll either be prepping for many days or it will be a half-arsed job.

Add breathing equipment to that list of ppe. If my experience is anything to go by, there will be huge amounts of dust created, in a very enclosed space, which at very least you will have your head in!

Take care.

 

Bod.

[dmr]

5 hours ago, Bobbybass said:

 

What ?!...

 

 

Is that your gas bottle locker? and is that one of those boats where access to the water tank is via the gas bottle locker? Makes the job even more difficult/unpleasant. I would be tempted to get that welded up and a new access made in the well deck.

 

..............Dave

[Bobbybass]

No...it's a total water tank in the bow of the boat. The bow is just partitioned from the boat....a bit like Titanic and it's watertight compartments ?  If I want to check how much water I have, I just open it and look in. My gas bottles are on the stern.

[Bobbybass]

8 hours ago, Steve Manc said:

Bobbybase

Can you expand 're worse as last year?

 

Was it full of rust?

Had the paint broken down?

Was the tank lining scrummy?

 

Thanks

Ps

I spoke with boat builder. They advised I inspect the water tank every two years. When the boat was built the water tank was painted. It was recommend  I should only use a single pack paint. 

 

Will let you know how I get on.

The tank had lots of patches of rust especially at the top where the fresh water top line was.

It was also rusty at the bottom in the corners of the base plate. These patches were about the size of 50p piece. This year...after last year's efforts...there were more !

I have emailed a company to ask about their range of epoxy products.

 

Yes..you need some mask as the dust in the confined space is terrible... however there are worse things....like wasps that fly in and join you in the gloom !

 

 

[Machpoint005]

8 minutes ago, Bobbybass said:

This year...after last year's efforts...there were more !

 

Is it the supplier of the paint you used that you are emailing? If so, I would fully expect their answer to be along the lines of "Well, you can't have prepared the surfaces properly".

[Bobbybass]

No.... The bituminous paint was Thomsons.

 

I've emailed a specialist supplier of epoxy paints.

[dmr]

57 minutes ago, Bobbybass said:

No.... The bituminous paint was Thomsons.

 

I've emailed a specialist supplier of epoxy paints.

I suspect that any epoxy will be ok and because its so difficult to do good prep in a water tank then a surface tolerant epoxy primer might be best (Jotamastic 90?) Once its fully set its not going to contaminate the water even though it might contain some nasty stuff before it sets. However to be safe and proper I would put a final coat of a potable epoxy on top of the primer. I think Jotun do one.

 

Ours was done in stuff from Reactive Resins but sadly they went bankrupt. They did good stuff and I stocked up just as they went under, but am starting to use Jotun stuff now..

 

................Dave

 

[WotEver]

On 06/06/2020 at 19:14, Bobbybass said:

My pot of Vactan specifically says...not for potable water tanks.

That’s very odd, because Performance Chemicals who manufacture Vactan state on their website:

 

”Vactan has been tested and certified as fit for use for the carriage of grain and use in potable water systems.  It may also be used in sensitive foodstuff areas.”

 

http://performance-chemicals.net/vactan/

[Bobbybass]

4 minutes ago, WotEver said:

That’s very odd, because Performance Chemicals who manufacture Vactan state on their website:

 

”Vactan has been tested and certified as fit for use for the carriage of grain and use in potable water systems.  It may also be used in sensitive foodstuff areas.”

 

http://performance-chemicals.net/vactan/

Strange ?

 

I see what you mean....

 

My bottle is a few years old and has a red warning on it...?

 

Maybe they changed the formula...

[dmr]

56 minutes ago, Bobbybass said:

Strange ?

 

I see what you mean....

 

My bottle is a few years old and has a red warning on it...?

 

Maybe they changed the formula...

More likely they just did the paperwork to get the approval.

 

...............Dave

[Opener]

On 01/06/2020 at 19:02, Opener said:

Been there, seen it, done it.

 

Update based on two days last week working inside my tank. Coated entire inside in appropriate Rylard product in a few hours. Took with me a square of foam rubber which used to be inside a dinette cushion. Vast improvement on sitting on bare metal!! Lie on it, sit on it, lean on it - v comfy (?). Still need a good lamp, though.

[Keeping Up]

On 08/06/2020 at 08:53, Bobbybass said:

Strange ?

 

I see what you mean....

 

My bottle is a few years old and has a red warning on it...?

 

Maybe they changed the formula...

I don't think they changed the formula, just became more risk-averse.

[Opener]

16 hours ago, Opener said:

Update based on two days last week working inside my tank. Coated entire inside in appropriate Rylard product in a few hours. Took with me a square of foam rubber which used to be inside a dinette cushion. Vast improvement on sitting on bare metal!! Lie on it, sit on it, lean on it - v comfy (?). Still need a good lamp, though.

Oh, and wear a hat (wooly rather than 'top') ?.