Water tanks

[byewash]

Probably opening a can of worms but here goes A friend is planning a new build but is unsure as to the plastic or stainless steel water tank issue.I assured him we would get a wealth of ideas on the forum .So go for it folks.

[Gary Peacock]

Probably opening a can of worms but here goes A friend is planning a new build but is unsure as to the plastic or stainless steel water tank issue.I assured him we would get a wealth of ideas on the forum .So go for it folks.

 

Plastic should be OK, it is used in many other applications. Unfortunately the long term longevity of them is still a bit of an unknown where as a good S/S tank should last many years without concerns.

 

For many years integral steel tanks were the norm but these days the use of them is not generally popular other than the budget end of the market.

[dor]

Plastic is cheaper, but there have been cases of them splitting. Stainless steel is probably the best, but check the size; sometimes they are considerably smaller than an integral tank.

 

Another alternative, if you don't want 'bare' steel, is to have an integral tank with a flexible rubber liner.

 

I fitted a SS tank in my present boat, but in hindsight I think I would go for an integral tank, which I had on my previous boat, along with a good quality ceramic filter. My integral tank wasn't treated in the 7 years I had the boat, and I don't think it was recoated for some time before that, with no ill-effects. I don't think a SS tank is any less susceptible to problems, it just looks a bit cleaner.

[blackrose]

SS tanks are maintenence free (or at least they're supposed to be), whereas integral tanks need to be cleaned and painted every few years and it's a horrible job. That accounts for the increase in popularity of stainless. If you go for plastic make sure it's a good quality tank designed for fresh water. I'm not sure if that would be any cheaper than SS?

[byewash]

SS tanks are maintenence free (or at least they're supposed to be), whereas integral tanks need to be cleaned and painted every few years and it's a horrible job. That accounts for the increase in popularity of stainless. If you go for plastic make sure it's a good quality tank designed for fresh water. I'm not sure if that would be any cheaper than SS?

 

Thanks for that, I don't think that cost is the criteria more the water quality and maintenance aspect. How often would you need to clean a plastic tank? We have SS so a bit clueless on plastic

[sueb]

Thanks for that, I don't think that cost is the criteria more the water quality and maintenance aspect. How often would you need to clean a plastic tank? We have SS so a bit clueless on plastic

Are you supposed to clean them? We have had plastic tanks for 20 years. The tank in our first boat split and gaffer tape sorted that.

Sue

[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?

[blackrose]

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?

 

I wasn't aware that you had to clean out plastic tanks but I think it's a good idea to sterilise any water tank periodically and then flush it out afterwards before refilling it. If you can do this without the use of your waterpump so much the better - my tank is approx 1275 litres and takes about 2 and a half hours to empty with my waterpump, so this will shorten its lifespan.

 

I use the new milton fluid to sterilize my tank and flushing it out through all the outlets for half an hour sterilises the entire system. Some people put a bit of chlorine in their tanks at every fill but I'd rather not be ingesting more of this stuff than I already do. Others don't bother sterilising their tanks at all. Anyway, there are some old threads on the subject on the forum if you do a search.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about a bit of grit or sediment in your tank. Once your tank is sterilised this will be bacteria-free too! A wet vac would get it out though. Just as long as the out take from your tank is a couple of inches above the bottom of the tank and you have a water strainer before the pump you should be fine. You should have an isolating valve after the tank. Close this, switch off the pump, open a tap to release the pressure and check that your strainer is clean.

Edited August 5, 2008 by blackrose

[byewash]

I wasn't aware that you had to clean out plastic tanks but I think it's a good idea to sterilise any water tank periodically and then flush it out afterwards before refilling it. If you can do this without the use of your waterpump so much the better - my tank is approx 1275 litres and takes about 2 and a half hours to empty with my waterpump, so this will shorten its lifespan.

 

I use the new milton fluid to sterilize my tank and flushing it out through all the outlets for half an hour sterilises the entire system. Some people put a bit of chlorine in their tanks at every fill but I'd rather not be ingesting more of this stuff than I already do. Others don't bother sterilising their tanks at all. Anyway, there are some old threads on the subject on the forum if you do a search.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about a bit of grit or sediment in your tank. Once your tank is sterilised this will be bacteria-free too! Just as long as the out take from your tank is a couple of inches above the bottom of the tank and you have a water strainer before the pump you should be fine. You should have an isolating valve after the tank. Close this, switch off the pump, open a tap to release the pressure and check that your strainer is clean.

 

As always lots of good suggestions,I will pass them on