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Advice on integral water tank clean out


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Hello all, I would like some advice on cleaning, preparing and coating my integral water tank. I have a 45ft NB (1979) that I am currently refitting. I have drained the water tank and need to plan what to do next. The attached photos show the inside which needed cleaning.
Q1. After surface cleaning to get the loose material out what should I use to protect and treat the metal?
Q2. What product could I use to coat the space to create a suitable water tank?
Q3. What products could I use to purify the coated tank?
Thanks in advance.
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First, integral water tanks are good, they are out of fashion, but they are good.

 

Your method depends on how much effort you want to put it, how long you plan to keep the boat, and how easy it is to get into the water tank (and so how big and flexible you are 😀 ).

 

Top Job is to go back to "almost bare metal" with a wire cup brush in an angle grinder and then epoxy.

 

Otherwise get all the loose stuff off, Vactan, and potable blacking.

 

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

 

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Cheers Dave.

 

The access is indeed tight for me to get into and work in! It seems that the tank ahs been painted before and the condition is not as bad as I feared but need attention. I have a few weeks under cover to do the work. It is he roof or underside of the tank which is in poor condition and very difficult to get to with tools are even a roller or brush!

 

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1 minute ago, NbJune said:

Cheers Dave.

 

The access is indeed tight for me to get into and work in! It seems that the tank ahs been painted before and the condition is not as bad as I feared but need attention. I have a few weeks under cover to do the work. It is he roof or underside of the tank which is in poor condition and very difficult to get to with tools are even a roller or brush!

 

 

Yeah, the roof can be a bit of a bugger (bet I'm not allowed to say that on this family forum 😀)

 

Lean in and do your best with a wire brush, check with a mirror if you really cant get your head in, then Vactan. This is a second best job but much better than nothing.

Put at least two coats on and then some potable blacking, though some would say the Vactan is enough. Look again in three or four years time.

 

If it all goes wrong in the longer term then getting a new deck welded on is not the end of the world (or boat).

 

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

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Did mine a couple of months ago. Regardless, I agree the 'roof' is a bit of a bugger. Long handled Hamilton scraper, wire brush taped to a bit of 2x1, swearing and cups of tea (forgot the elastoplasts) . Couple of coats of Vactan then bitumen. I used a long 4" fibreglass handled roller. Being fibreglass it had a bit of flex in it. Read the blurb that goes along with Midland Chandlers potable bitumen. 

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15 hours ago, Slim said:

Did mine a couple of months ago. Regardless, I agree the 'roof' is a bit of a bugger. Long handled Hamilton scraper, wire brush taped to a bit of 2x1, swearing and cups of tea (forgot the elastoplasts) . Couple of coats of Vactan then bitumen. I used a long 4" fibreglass handled roller. Being fibreglass it had a bit of flex in it. Read the blurb that goes along with Midland Chandlers potable bitumen. 

Roof is easy, small slave, insert into tank, refuse escape until done properly.

Can you not get in to the tank? Too fat, diet first.

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25 minutes ago, NbJune said:

I used Vactan. I am hoping there wont be a reaction!

 

Ok. Vactan isn't really a primer in a strict technical sense, it's a rust converter. Although with it's polymer matrix I suppose it could be seen as a primer.

 

Anyway as a rust converter you definitely do want a reaction! If you mean a reaction between the vactan and the bitumen that's very unlikely as long as the vactan was dry. You can basically slap bitumen on anything. It's a second rate product these days but it sticks to most things.

Edited by blackrose
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On 04/08/2021 at 21:39, NbJune said:
Hello all, I would like some advice on cleaning, preparing and coating my integral water tank. I have a 45ft NB (1979) that I am currently refitting. I have drained the water tank and need to plan what to do next. The attached photos show the inside which needed cleaning.
Q1. After surface cleaning to get the loose material out what should I use to protect and treat the metal?
Q2. What product could I use to coat the space to create a suitable water tank?
Q3. What products could I use to purify the coated tank?
Thanks in advance.

The first and most important bit of kit to acquire before diving into an integral water tank is a small foam rubber cushion. Invaluable when sitting, kneeling, squatting or lying.

  • Greenie 1
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I re blacked our tank in August 2020.

I followed the scraping route, Vactan then 3 coats of potable bitchumen.

 

The scraping was done by climbing in the tank followed by Vactan on the roof then bitchumen. Being 5' 4" made it easier to get in the tank!

 

To do the sides I poured Vactan into the bottom of the tank then used a roller on a pole to cover the sides. Likewise with the blacking.

The Vactan went a blue colour.

 

Due to covid restrictions at the time I left it a week between coats so each coat had plenty of time to cure / dry.

Couldn't use the boat at the time, also the marina had Covid restrictions in force.

 

In the 10 years we have owned the boat it is the third time I have completed this unpleasant task.

IMGP4936.JPG

Edited by Ray T
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3 hours ago, Ray T said:

The scraping was done by climbing in the tank followed by Vactan on the roof then bitchumen. Being 5' 4" made it easier to get in the tank!

 

Although I was able to get my generous 1.73m (5ft 8in or so) frame into the tank. I'd still recommend obtaining the assistance of a 14-year-old grandson.

 

 

 

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10 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

Although I was able to get my generous 1.73m (5ft 8in or so) frame into the tank. I'd still recommend obtaining the assistance of a 14-year-old grandson.

 

 

 

Child labour does have its place.

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5 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

So was lead.

 

Lead water pipes are no problem, get up in the morning, have a wee, flush the loo, then make your cup of tea. Important to do the wee stuff first 😀

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3 hours ago, Feeby100 said:

And still used in millions of pipes under ground no harm doing

Lead pipe is not used in water mains, but may still be found in the service connection from the water main to the stop cock where the pipe enters a building. The water companies are obliged to replace their part of a lead service connection (I.e. between the main and the property boundary) if the householder also replaces their section (property boundary to stop cock).

Thames Water scheme: https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/water-quality/lead

Other water companies have their own version of the scheme.

Edited by David Mack
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