Water tank blues (or browns...)

[Tom Richmond]

Hi all.

 

Had a good day on the boat today! Having a little sunshine helps a lot!

 

The bilges are now dry, and I have done some experiments with ballast in the back... I will remove the old redundant water tank tomorrow, and weigh it in for scrap. I'm gonna see if the yard wanna part ex for something I can use as ballast, if not I'll just get some slabs. I need to put 520kg of extra ballast in, I have space for 12 slabs, which is 540kg...

 

But... In my efforts to figure out what ballast I need, I filled my (now main) tank to half full, to check how she sits in the water, and found out...

 

My front tank is filthy dirty - rusty rusty rusty. It is a sealed tank, galvanised steel, 450kg, triangular under the front deck. I can see in via a little storage space at the front, under the double doors in from the well deck. It has a short rubber hose connecting the filler inlet at the top, the main outlet to the pump down at one side, and a breather inlet at the top on t'other side.

 

So, I obviously can't get inside it, to black or treat the rust in any way...

 

I can remove the whole tank - if push comes to shove (I'd have to take out the cooker, and sink units to get it out, as well as kitchen tiling etc, but I could do it...)

 

What about treatments? I've read about Vactan on here? Or can I line the tank with something? A plastic liner maybe?

 

Thanks as always for the wealth of experience!

 

Tom.

[Starcoaster]

Vactan is something you paint on, rather than adding it to the water. Yes you can get tank liners, but how are you going to get it into the tank if you only have inlet/outlet holes, not a hatch?

[Tom Richmond]

Yeah good point....

 

I can get to one side, so I could cut a hole in it? Or cut out the whole side?

 

Now I am thinking, maybe I could get in there and cut the tank up with me angle grinder, remove it in pieces without touching the kitchen.... Not sure how I'd get a new tank in there though...

[b0atman]

its obviously been sat for a while so initially try flushing it through until water runs clear are you sure it is rust and not brown algae

[Androo]

Can you post some photos ?

[Tom Richmond]

Can you post some photos ?

 

Of the water or the tank?

 

The water is brown.

 

Brown like piss when you're dehydrated...

 

I'll see if I can get some pics of the tank tomorrow... (and the brown water.)

its obviously been sat for a while so initially try flushing it through until water runs clear are you sure it is rust and not brown algae

 

Did three flushes today, bleached it now, and gonna flush again tomorrow...

 

How do I know if it is rust or algae?

[kevinl]

I'd be careful putting bleach into my drinking water supply, careful to the point of not doing it also the bleachy water isn't too kind on the waterlife in the canal, I'd use Milton or something similar.

K

[dor]

I'd be careful putting bleach into my drinking water supply, careful to the point of not doing it also the bleachy water isn't too kind on the waterlife in the canal, I'd use Milton or something similar.

K

It's ok if it is thin bleach, which is basically sodium hypochlorite and this will disperse/break down quite quickly. It's normally recommended as the cheap alternative to Milton. Thick bleach has other additives which is not so friendly.

 

I would flush the tank through a few times - it should come clear after that. Worth fitting a ceramic filter on the galley cold tap.

[ditchcrawler]

Yeah good point....

 

I can get to one side, so I could cut a hole in it? Or cut out the whole side?

 

Now I am thinking, maybe I could get in there and cut the tank up with me angle grinder, remove it in pieces without touching the kitchen.... Not sure how I'd get a new tank in there though...

I have done that in a loft but without the angle grinder, cut it up in small bits to get it through the hatch.

It's ok if it is thin bleach, which is basically sodium hypochlorite and this will disperse/break down quite quickly. It's normally recommended as the cheap alternative to Milton. Thick bleach has other additives which is not so friendly.

 

I would flush the tank through a few times - it should come clear after that. Worth fitting a ceramic filter on the galley cold tap.

We use to do that regularly when I was Offshore. 1.25 pints of thin bleach to 40 tons of water and its still drinkable "Just" any more and the tank requires flushing afterwards.

[steelaway]

I have done that in a loft but without the angle grinder, cut it up in small bits to get it through the hatch.

We use to do that regularly when I was Offshore. 1.25 pints of thin bleach to 40 tons of water and its still drinkable "Just" any more and the tank requires flushing afterwards.

 

How strong is modern bleach?

Bleach I've bought recently seems to be a very diluted version of the Domestos we used to buy.

 

Alex