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Hydrogen peroxide


1agos

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2 minutes ago, WJM said:

I pop a water purifying tab in with every fill and very occasionally I add some Milton baby bottle cleaning fluid and then flush it out. Both are designed to be safe for human consumption.

 

Why?

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13 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Why?

Why? Because there is always a small possibility of a little bug taking up residence. On the Thames the water hoses are fixtures provided by the EA, with no option to use your own clean hose. Many boaters seem happy to throw the provided hose on the ground after use. I always give the end a good wipe before putting it into my water tank.

I also use a 'food safe' hose rather than a garden hose. The plasticisers used in making cheaper garden hoses are said to leech out into the water. The plasticisers are said to be carcinogenic. 

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56 minutes ago, WJM said:

Why? Because there is always a small possibility of a little bug taking up residence. On the Thames the water hoses are fixtures provided by the EA, with no option to use your own clean hose. Many boaters seem happy to throw the provided hose on the ground after use. I always give the end a good wipe before putting it into my water tank.

I also use a 'food safe' hose rather than a garden hose. The plasticisers used in making cheaper garden hoses are said to leech out into the water. The plasticisers are said to be carcinogenic. 

If it makes you feel better, carry on doing it, but the risks are really very low as long as you take common sense measures like wiping the hose. The main risk is with storing the water for long periods, when the protective chlorine content will diffuse out, but as has been said, all you need to do then is empty the tank and rinse it with fresh water.

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A couple of water cans (often known as 'Buckby Cans') on the cabin top was good enough for the working boaters of the past, and that is good enough for me - but then I own a working boat with absolutely no need for large capacity water tanks, running water, flushing toilets, mobile water hoses and all this modern stuff that introduces all of the hazards listed in this thread :captain:

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4 minutes ago, BruceinSanity said:

If it makes you feel better, carry on doing it, but the risks are really very low as long as you take common sense measures like wiping the hose. The main risk is with storing the water for long periods, when the protective chlorine content will diffuse out, but as has been said, all you need to do then is empty the tank and rinse it with fresh water.

I have machines in work that take in tap water and keep it in holding tanks before using it in the production process. We treat the water with purifying tablets and with chilled alcohol. Many years ago we didn't do this and the machines would become really disgusting with bacterial growth. Eventually nozzles would clog and the machine would stink. I don't see much difference in the water system on my boat. So that is why I take simple low-cost preventative measures. I just flick in a cheap tablet every time I fill the tank.

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9 hours ago, WJM said:

I have machines in work that take in tap water and keep it in holding tanks before using it in the production process. We treat the water with purifying tablets and with chilled alcohol. Many years ago we didn't do this and the machines would become really disgusting with bacterial growth. Eventually nozzles would clog and the machine would stink. I don't see much difference in the water system on my boat. So that is why I take simple low-cost preventative measures. I just flick in a cheap tablet every time I fill the tank.

I'm liking the idea of adding alcohol to the water tank I'll have to see if I can get that one past the OH ?.

Unless you get your water from somewhere that I haven't come across, most water taps seem to smell of chlorine which will do the job of sterilizing the tank as much as any additive, I don't know if the alcohol will give any more sterilisation though, but then who cares??

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As a complete hammer-chewer, I would think it reasonable to expect stuff to grow where a suitable mixture of air, water, and organic matter such as some dust were present in suitable proportions.  Nozzles, whether of industrial equipment or little used shower heads, would fit into that category.  For water tanks, with a stable air/water boundary, no frothing, and very little organic matter, I would not expect to see disgusting bacterial growth and I don't see any in my plastic water tanks, so I happily drink it.  I keep a water filter jug on board for visitors of a nervous disposition.  If I stop posting suddenly you may infer that I was wrong.

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7 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

As a complete hammer-chewer, I would think it reasonable to expect stuff to grow where a suitable mixture of air, water, and organic matter such as some dust were present in suitable proportions.  Nozzles, whether of industrial equipment or little used shower heads, would fit into that category.  For water tanks, with a stable air/water boundary, no frothing, and very little organic matter, I would not expect to see disgusting bacterial growth and I don't see any in my plastic water tanks, so I happily drink it.  I keep a water filter jug on board for visitors of a nervous disposition.  If I stop posting suddenly you may infer that I was wrong.

I wonder what the bug count would be on the filter jug just prior to changing the filter

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2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I wonder what the bug count would be on the filter jug just prior to changing the filter

If you have suffered no ill effects from using the water in the days just prior to changing the filter then surely the bug count (however stratospheric) was not dangerous.

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17 hours ago, WotEver said:

I used to clean my boat water system with the exact same regime and frequency as I use in the house water system. 

Same here. And the caravan system too.

We are not dead or have been ill.

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21 hours ago, WJM said:

 

I also use a 'food safe' hose rather than a garden hose. The plasticisers used in making cheaper garden hoses are said to leech out into the water. The plasticisers are said to be carcinogenic. 

I'm sorry but what a load of rubbish!

Who said? You are 25 years out of date. Carcinogenic plasticisers were banned in the 1990's. Today the plasticisers for PVC are safe. The leeching rates are so low as to be almost unmeasurable and no worse than the additives they stuff into your food which you consume in vast quantities in comparison. You have more chance of being hit by lightening twice.

'Food safe' hose is a way for manufacturers to charge more for their product. It is no more safe than normal garden hose. 

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5 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

 

'Food safe' hose is a way for manufacturers to charge more for their product. It is no more safe than normal garden hose

Well said, Dr Bob - I've tripped over both and there's no doubt they're equally dangerous! :blink:

(Thanks for the info though - interesting stuff)

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10 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Well said, Dr Bob - I've tripped over both and there's no doubt they're equally dangerous! :blink:

(Thanks for the info though - interesting stuff)

Food safe hose is usually blue, so if you use one in the garden it may be safer than the standard green one as you should see it easier as long as you don't have blue grass.

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1 hour ago, rusty69 said:

Food safe hose is usually blue, so if you use one in the garden it may be safer than the standard green one as you should see it easier as long as you don't have blue grass.

That's why I have a yellow one.

However if I ever found the tow path flooded with custard I would use a blue or green hose to fill the water tank.?

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12 minutes ago, cuthound said:

That's why I have a yellow one.

However if I ever found the tow path flooded with custard I would use a blue or green hose to fill the water tank.?

Does anyone know where to buy a hose that does what it is told? In the marina, every hose we have tried escapes off the pontoon and finds its way into the water....yuck!!! Whatever I do when winding our 90 ft hose back on the roll, it slips silently in the water thus requiring a good wash out. It twists itself up at the first opportunity, it moves itself when you are not looking and trips you up but its propensity for slipping between the boat and pontoon is just driving me nuts. Are there any better behaved hoses around?

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I have a couple of those stretchy hoses on board. They don't tangle and are very easy to handle/store. Just pop into a bucket or similar when not being used. They do have a couple of faults. They need a reasonable head of pressure or they don't stretch and if they go into the water on the Shroppie they get caught between the ledge and the baseplate and get chopped in half - instantly :angry:

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5 minutes ago, Slim said:

I have a couple of those stretchy hoses on board. They don't tangle and are very easy to handle/store. Just pop into a bucket or similar when not being used. They do have a couple of faults. They need a reasonable head of pressure or they don't stretch and if they go into the water on the Shroppie they get caught between the ledge and the baseplate and get chopped in half - instantly :angry:

We've started using a stretchy hose. It jumps into the water as it deflates if you don't watch it. Also, if you turn it off at the tank end before turning off the t-junction tap at the water point, mahoosive amounts of water under pressure emerge from the other outlet, the barbed one, and soak SWMBO. This does not make for harmonious boating for the rest of the day. Possibly laughing was a bad move...?

Nonetheless, it's been a good investment.

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3 hours ago, Dr Bob said:

Does anyone know where to buy a hose that does what it is told? In the marina, every hose we have tried escapes off the pontoon and finds its way into the water....yuck!!! Whatever I do when winding our 90 ft hose back on the roll, it slips silently in the water thus requiring a good wash out. It twists itself up at the first opportunity, it moves itself when you are not looking and trips you up but its propensity for slipping between the boat and pontoon is just driving me nuts. Are there any better behaved hoses around?

I got fed up with using cheap hose so bought a length of "non-kink" hose from B&Q.  It is yellow with, I think, a green stripe (not certain of that).  I keep it on a Hozelock reel which it winds onto easily.  It cost a bit more than ordinary garden hose, but I've had it for years without any problems.

I also let the water drain out of it before putting it away.  I have a tap on the boat end (actually a lever ball valve with 6 inches of 15mm PVC pipe) and a blanked off piece that screws into the other end, so it doesn't leak when I put the reel back on the boat.  Next time I fill up, I wait for the water to come through then let it flush for a few seconds before putting it in the filler pipe.  Just in case something has got in.

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On 23/04/2018 at 20:45, 1agos said:

What do you guys think about adding Hydrogen peroxide to the water tank to clean it after a winters lay off. 1 to 100 litres.

Have spoken to a water expert (20 years in the north american water industry) who says this is the best way to go and add 500ml to a tankful bi monthly

I only remember this stuff turning my mums hair yellow.

 

Doesn't the Chlorine in tap water do all you need to keep the water clean of nasties ?

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1 hour ago, dor said:

I got fed up with using cheap hose so bought a length of "non-kink" hose from B&Q.  It is yellow with, I think, a green stripe (not certain of that).  I keep it on a Hozelock reel which it winds onto easily.  It cost a bit more than ordinary garden hose, but I've had it for years without any problems.

I also let the water drain out of it before putting it away.  I have a tap on the boat end (actually a lever ball valve with 6 inches of 15mm PVC pipe) and a blanked off piece that screws into the other end, so it doesn't leak when I put the reel back on the boat.  Next time I fill up, I wait for the water to come through then let it flush for a few seconds before putting it in the filler pipe.  Just in case something has got in.

From my days working in proper nurseries we always used hozelock pro stuff, similar to 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hozelock-30m-Maxi-Pro-Hose/dp/B004EK3KZO

Watering a few thousand plants twice a day a decent hose made a supprising difference

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On 25/04/2018 at 00:12, frahkn said:

If you have suffered no ill effects from using the water in the days just prior to changing the filter then surely the bug count (however stratospheric) was not dangerous.

But would you have suffered ill effects if you never changed the filter of even didn't have one. Its very hard to say. We often picked up a high bug count offshore and treated the system but we never had anyone show any ill heath symptoms. In 20 years I only ever new of one illness problem and that was due to contractors feeding pigeons inside their mess hut where food was served and eaten. That caused a complete platform demanning and clean 

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3 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

But would you have suffered ill effects if you never changed the filter of even didn't have one. Its very hard to say. We often picked up a high bug count offshore and treated the system but we never had anyone show any ill heath symptoms. In 20 years I only ever new of one illness problem and that was due to contractors feeding pigeons inside their mess hut where food was served and eaten. That caused a complete platform demanning and clean 

We have a third tap which supplies drinking water via a filter. I usually use it (after all, I paid for it) but it also drips on the work surface so my wife always uses the ordinary, unfiltered water. Neither of us have ever had a problem.

At home, the kitchen cw tap is direct mains but the bathroom cw tap is from the cw tank in the loft, again we don't treat and have had no problems.

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  • 2 weeks later...

the great thing about using hydrogen peroxide to clean out your boats drinking water system is that when it oxidises in 2-3 hours it breaks down into water and oxygen so it completely safe and does not even need flushing out,  its still advisable to flush it out to get rid of the stuff it has cleaned out but not to get rid of the hydrogen peroxide. 

 

In addition to cleaning the system out it is also good to use to make fresh potable water last longer when you fill the water tank up and also to refresh water that has been in the tank for a few weeks.

 

This is what is done on the majority of passenger airplanes to treat the water in their water tanks as you cant guarantee the quality of the water you get in some remote airports. It is also used in kidney dialysis units to remove biofilm from the water pipes in their machines, so if its safe and good enough for airplanes and hospitals its good enough for my boats water system.

 

As with all things its important to dose it correctly so I would recommend you use a product designed for this type of thing, I use Elsil which I simply add to the tank after filling it up, it leaves no odour and is good to drink.

here is a link to the manufactures information on the product http://www.skykem.co.uk/elsil-purifier  you can buy it in smaller bottles for use in boats and motorhomes etc.

 

 

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43 minutes ago, old-p said:

 

 

In addition to cleaning the system out it is also good to use to make fresh potable water last longer when you fill the water tank up and also to refresh water that has been in the tank for a few weeks.

 

 

Just one question, if I use this product will my tank of water last weeks and not 3 days like it does now. ? 

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11 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Just one question, if I use this product will my tank of water last weeks and not 3 days like it does now. ? 

On the safety sheet for drinking water it says use 10ml Elsil per 100l of water,  leave for 30 mins before using,  then it remains active for 10 days. 

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