water in the tank

[Water Rat.]

At last managed to get out for a couple of days on Jade - picked the right couple of days - nice and sunny!

 

I was wondering about the water in the tank. I have just filled it up and carried on. I don't really drink it straight from the taps, I keep bottles filled up for this. Do any of you clean out the water in your tanks and should I?

[WJM]

I always put a purifier tablet in with each fill. Some people add small quantities of plain bleach (which is probably the same as my tablet). Other people do a periodic flush with Milton. But if you are not drinking it and it does not smell then you can probably leave it.

 

When I was in school we used to drink from the taps - until somebody discovered a pigeon carcass in the water tank!

[jelunga]

When we took over the boat, we used a steralising fluid, like Milton, but Tesco's own, just for safety. We use a water container for drinking water, tea, etc. We use the tank water for washing up, showers, toilet flush and teeth cleaning. We have not suffered any illnesses associated with contaminated water. We are soon to living aboard so the throughput through the tank will increase. This should also reduce conamination risks. However, we are very carefull with the fill hose, not allowing either end to dangle in the canal of on the tow path. We wipe with a steralising wipe the end of the hose everyso often.

With these sorts of precautions, I think you would be safe.

[alan_fincher]

We drink straight from the tap, and have never resorted to bottled water.

 

We have only a basic integral tank.

 

We have not seen the need to flush it, or add anything to it for some years.

 

I'd say it has done us no harm, but clearly there are some other forum members who would not agree with that sentiment!

[Naughty Cal]

We flush ours with a Milton solution at the start of each season and then use water purification tablets every three or so refills of the tank. We dont carry bottled water and drink the water straight the taps.

[saltysplash]

We drink straight from the tap, and have never resorted to bottled water.

 

We have only a basic integral tank.

 

We have not seen the need to flush it, or add anything to it for some years.

 

I'd say it has done us no harm, but clearly there are some other forum members who would not agree with that sentiment!

 

Our usage is exactly the same except we also use a Mr Brittas filter for the kettle for no other reason that it stops the build up of scale

[casper ghost]

I don't drink from my front tank, we have 2 20 gallon drums under the sink which pump up to a separate drinking tap.

Gary

[FadeToScarlet]

Never cleaned the tank, drink from it all the time and it's never done me any harm *twitch*

[Proper Job]

We drink straight from the tap, and have never resorted to bottled water.

 

We have only a basic integral tank.

 

We have not seen the need to flush it, or add anything to it for some years.

 

I'd say it has done us no harm, but clearly there are some other forum members who would not agree with that sentiment!

Exactly the same with me.

 

I've never worried about it over the years, wether a weekend boater or a live a board

[ditchcrawler]

Exactly the same with me.

 

I've never worried about it over the years, wether a weekend boater or a live a board

Well 8 years with Water Witch, a shared boat and 10 years on Harnser, we have never suffered a problem from bad water and never treated the tank.

[J R]

At last managed to get out for a couple of days on Jade - picked the right couple of days - nice and sunny!

 

I was wondering about the water in the tank. I have just filled it up and carried on. I don't really drink it straight from the taps, I keep bottles filled up for this. Do any of you clean out the water in your tanks and should I?

 

Use a Britta filter as a matter of course. Have 150 gallons in the nose of the boat and have a fairly high turn over of potable water. With the treatment that household water goes through am confident that the water is pure as it is in a cool unlit enviroment. Have friends that use Milton etc, but would like to be sure that it was fully flushed from the tank. Good stuff, used it for our babies, now grown up, but always well rinsed the solution away. Think that if the water is replaced regularly this will help ensure that the water is drinkable.

[larrysanders]

when you're using miltons fluid or the tablets... how much do you use? the whole bottle, how many tablets?

 

thanks.

[Keeping Up]

when you're using miltons fluid or the tablets... how much do you use? the whole bottle, how many tablets?

 

thanks.

 

I drain my tank down to about 10 gallons for the winter, then add a litre bottle in the spring to give about the right concentration.

[larrysanders]

I drain my tank down to about 10 gallons for the winter, then add a litre bottle in the spring to give about the right concentration.

 

 

how long do you leave it in there... all winter?

[Keeping Up]

how long do you leave it in there... all winter?

 

The small amount of residual water is left there all winter; that's10 or perhaps sometimes 20 gallons; I don't measure it accurately I just run the taps until it's nearly empty. Then in the spring I add the Miltons and immediately run it through to each of the cold taps before leaving it for a couple of hours while I get on with a few other jobs. Then I add another 10 gallons or so and run that through to the hot taps (the extra water is needed because of the calorifier tank which gets filled when I open a hot tap). After an hour or so I fill the tank to the top before running that complete tank-full away and re-filling. Job done!

[casper ghost]

Then I add another 10 gallons or so and run that through to the hot taps (the extra water is needed because of the calorifier tank which gets filled when I open a hot tap). After an hour or so I fill the tank to the top before running that complete tank-full away and re-filling. Job done!

Rather wasteful on water and what about milton solution going straight into the canal? If every boater did it we could probably drink from the cut

Gary

[Keeping Up]

I don't think that one litre of Miltons going into the cut is going to make any difference to anything.

 

I find that you need to run a whole tank of water through, to eliminate the taste of Chlorine. It's not really a lot to waste, and at least it helps to top up the canal

[Tony Brooks]

I don't think that one litre of Miltons going into the cut is going to make any difference to anything.

 

I find that you need to run a whole tank of water through, to eliminate the taste of Chlorine. It's not really a lot to waste, and at least it helps to top up the canal

 

Oh no it won't

 

At least not until you fill the tank back up. (opens the boats through a lock debate).

 

As you empty the tank the draft decreases so the water going into the canal simply makes up for the loss of water due to the decreased draft.

 

[Keeping Up]

Oh no it won't

 

At least not until you fill the tank back up. (opens the boats through a lock debate).

 

As you empty the tank the draft decreases so the water going into the canal simply makes up for the loss of water due to the decreased draft.

 

 

I can't disagree with that - but what sport of a numpty would I be if I forgot to fill my tank again before I set off again?

 

[Paul Evans]

I can't disagree with that - but what sport of a numpty would I be if I forgot to fill my tank again before I set off again?

 

 

Do I detect that you may have been that numpty?

[Keeping Up]

Do I detect that you may have been that numpty?

 

No. I was the numpty who told his wife "Yes there's plenty of water left in the tank for you to have a shower" when there was only enough for her to have an initial rinse and then get covered in soap and shampoo before it ran dry. That's why we now have a warning light on the water level.

[Water Rat.]

Well, thanks all for your imput. I think I will go back to my healty regime of doing nothing at all. I never have done anything and in three years have not had a problem yet.

[Chertsey]

I used to worry, and fitted a Seagull filter on two boats. But after drinking tea made with tank water on other people's boats with no ill effects, I stopped worrying. I concede that I only ever drink boiled water (in the form of tea), and would probably draw the line at drinking it raw.

[Dignity]

After cleaning out and recoating my water tank last autumn,and seeing what was in there there is NO way I would drink water straight from the tank.Even now it's clean I only use it for washing etc.Pays yer money takes yer chance,if you like drinking water from a dirty puddle go ahead,never did the cat any harm,not for me though.

[Keeping Up]

Just because your tank was filthy inside, doesn't mean that everybody's tank is filthy inside.