NB Water tank Maintenace ?

[FraserP]

My question relates to the water tank on a narrowboat and any treatment\maintenance that is required?

The NB's I'm looking at all have a 400+ ltr Stainless steel tank in the bow.  All have a drain but none have direct access.

Over a period of time, even with regular refills, I expect the bottom of the tank will build up residue.  Even the water may get a little 'funky' .

Is there a maintenance schedule that could implement that would help?

Any advice appreciated.

[hider]

Bleach it every few years, Milton will do and its non toxic. Rinse out well!

[Tony Brooks]

and make sure your water pump has an inlet strainer fitted so if any residue does get picked up it will be trapped, rather than hold the pump valves open.

[ditchcrawler]

24 years so far, never done anything, but then we ie. me and the missis are the only people who have put anything in it.

 

If it was  a second hand boat I think I would empty it, put a cup of thin bleach in it, fill. Run the hot tap until I could smell the bleach then run all the other taps, top the cold water tank up with water again and leave for 24 hours. Drain everything including the calorifier. fill the system with fresh water, run all taps and empty system, refill and if the water still tasted of chlorine repeat the flushing another time. 

[blackrose]

58 minutes ago, hider said:

Bleach it every few years, Milton will do and its non toxic. Rinse out well!

 

I thought Milton wasn't suitable for sterilising stainless steel? Doesn't chlorine react with chromium oxide?

 

 

Edited August 4, 2024 by blackrose

[Sea Dog]

Elsan do "fresh water tank cleaner". With such a name, it's almost like its made for the job! About tenner for a bottle, which nominally does a 250 litre tank iirc.

[David Mack]

4 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Elsan do "fresh water tank cleaner". With such a name, it's almost like its made for the job! About tenner for a bottle, which nominally does a 250 litre tank iirc.

You wouldn't want to mix up your Elsan fluids though!

[FraserP]

25 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

I thought Milton wasn't suitable for sterilising stainless steel? Doesn't chlorine react with chromium oxide?

 

 

Good point

[blackrose]

Just now, FraserP said:

Good point

 

I'm sure you can get away with using bleach based disinfectants in stainless tanks but I think the potential disadvantages outweigh any benefits - let's face it, the vast majority of people with stainless or plastic tanks never bother sterilising them without any adverse effects.

[Sea Dog]

12 minutes ago, David Mack said:

You wouldn't want to mix up your Elsan fluids though!

Always read the label. 

[LadyG]

I worked in Dairy hygiene for years, the main chemucal sterilant used is bleach in some guise, the time taken to sterilise a clean surface is about two mins at the recommended dilution rate 

Rinse away the chemicals and there will be no corrosion.

Edited August 4, 2024 by LadyG

[blackrose]

According to Milton 2 mins isn't long enough. 

 

Unless you're also a metallurgist I don't think you can say they'll be no risk of corrosion. I also work in the dairy industry and the stainless steel used in food factories may be a more corrosion resistant grade than some canal boat water tanks from unknown suppliers.

 

Anyway, if Milton advise not to use it on stainless steel then personally I'd follow their advice, but of course everyone is free to do what they want on their own boat.

 

Edited August 4, 2024 by blackrose

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

 

I thought Milton wasn't suitable for sterilising stainless steel? Doesn't chlorine react with chromium oxide?

 

 

Best we stop using chlorinated mains water in our boat tanks them 

[Bargebuilder]

3 hours ago, blackrose said:

According to Milton 2 mins isn't long enough. 

 

Unless you're also a metallurgist I don't think you can say they'll be no risk of corrosion.

However, their instructions do say that 15 mins is long enough. I'm not a metallurgist either, but 30 years of using the stuff tells me that 15 mins contact of dilute Milton won't cause perceptible or measurable corrosion to stainless steel. A couple of weeks of contact with the undiluted product will, however, perforate thin SS.

 

Hydrogen peroxide is a much better tank cleaner and sterilant: after 24 hours, when you flush the treated water into the cut it won't damage the wildlife.

[system 4-50]

1 hour ago, Bargebuilder said:

Hydrogen peroxide is a much better tank cleaner and sterilant: after 24 hours, when you flush the treated water into the cut it won't damage the wildlife.

but not recommended for submarines...

[Bargebuilder]

13 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

but not recommended for submarines...

Maybe the Kursk had spotlessly clean water tanks.

[Mickba]

Does anyone know whether the s/s tanks are likely to have a drain plug (which would work while the boat was out of the water) or is syphoning/pumping likely to be the only way to empty one? 

In normal use do they pump out to completely empty?

[Tony Brooks]

7 minutes ago, Mickba said:

Does anyone know whether the s/s tanks are likely to have a drain plug (which would work while the boat was out of the water) or is syphoning/pumping likely to be the only way to empty one? 

In normal use do they pump out to completely empty?

 

Drain plug - no

 

I bet no one completely empties their tank beyond what the domestic water pump will do. How much water is left in the tank depends upon exactly where the outlet is located.

[Bargebuilder]

A drain plug would be unusual in my experience, just a filler, a breather and an extraction point to the pump.

 

Most people would let the tank run low then use the water pump to flush the last of the water down the sink.

 

SS tanks are often flat bottomed, so leave 2 inches of water in the bottom and rock the boat violently, or take your boat across The Wash, and when all the sediment is in suspension, finish pumping out.

[ditchcrawler]

10 minutes ago, Mickba said:

In normal use do they pump out to completely empty?

Only when the level gauge goes faulty 

[Momac]

I did use sterilising solution in the past but stopped using it several years ago  following advice that tap water should be sufficiently chlorinated n the UK.

Regular turnover of tap water seems to be all that is necessary in practice. Plus a good flush with tap water in the spring (if the boat is little used over the winter).

 

However  I don't drink tank water except in small quantities . I have  a couple of 5 litre bottles which I  refill with mains water. This may not suit everyone but it works for me.

 

 

[David Mack]

13 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

Most people would let the tank run low then use the water pump to flush the last of the water down the sink.

You could maybe get more water out if you disconnected the pipework from the tank outlet, and perhaps even inserted a small plastic tube in through the outlet fitting and then either pump the remaining water out or syphon it into the bilges. But its probably not worth it.

[johnmck]

16 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Only when the level gauge goes faulty 

Ours certainly threw a wobbler on the Thames a few years ago, when the water hoses were like fire hydrants. Job to fill your tank now without a soaking at some of the remaining water points.😫😋