I strongly suggest reading some of Peggy Hall’s instructions on how to keep the odours from setting in a boat. She frequents the SBO and, I think, has her own forum there. Most of it is worth the read.
Keep in mind that the chlorine solution works fine, but only for a short while. It works great for blasting the bacteria in the water after a long period of not using the water. I don’t remember the exact solution, but I think it is about a cup of bleach for a gallon of water, you mix it, add it to the tank, you run it through all the pipes, and when you smell chlorine in all faucets, you let it stay there for a while (slosh around (a couple of hours sailing would do)). that solution should stay a minimum of a few hours and a max of 24 (irrc). They you flush with fresh water. If you want to maintain chlorination, you need slow release source of chlorine (e.g. some tablets). Some people swear by oxygenation (OXY, instead of bleach). Chlorine in water would evaporate, so it would not stay in it for long. On top of that any larger concentration of chlorine may have detrimental effect on some of the seals in your water system. Many say that the only effective solution of not having any odours ion the water system is to use it regularly. If you leave water stagnant in the tank for a week, it will go bad. This is a more question of “how soon” rather than “if”. Another thing to keep in mind is that most of us fill the tanks with a hose from a tap somewhere on the working dock. In a busy marina, this may work fine, but if the water is left stagnant in the hose, it will develop its own flora of bacteria and when you fill the tank without first flushing all that water from the hose, you are putting all that well developed organisms into your tank. Personally, I don’t have much success with keeping the water in the system smell free. I have better days and worse ones, but it is never even close to what I would consider drinkable. I am almost resigned to accept that there will be some smell there. Marek From: Donald Sebastian via CnC-List Sent: Monday, June 13, 2016 14:56 To: [email protected] Cc: Donald Sebastian Subject: Re: Stus-List Smelly Water Tank I am in the same boat with trying to clean my tanks. I don’t think they have been used in about 10+ years and were filled with winterizer solution for probably the whole time. I have flushed them probably 50 times at this point, bleach, etc and still cannot get rid of the smell. It seems to smell worse after they have set a bit so I am assuming the chemical is either settling to the bottom, or the tanks are just leaching the smell. I’m hoping to not have to change the tanks but afraid that is where it is headed. Donald On Jun 13, 2016, at 2:42 PM, Michael Brown via CnC-List <[email protected]> wrote: The pull out platform the settee cushions sit on can be lifted off. Under that is an access plate that screws off. I usually in the spring use a clean microfiber cloth and wipe down the tank with clean water and a little bit of bleach. There are various chemicals you can add ( Sudbury Aqua Fresh and such ) that work well. I routinely add a small amount of bleach, maybe a tablespoon per 5 gallons, when refilling the tank. Michael Brown Windburn C&C 30-1 Listers- My 30-1 has developed a bad odor in the water tank under the starboard settee (the tank that supplies the galley sink). Any tips on how to get rid of it? I'm tempted to pour some bleach in the tank but wanted to check with you all first to see if there is any risk of damaging the material from which the tank is made (fiberglass, I think - the tank seems to be a molded part of the settee). Note I don't drink that water or even use it for cooking. I mainly use it for cleaning. Thanks in advance. Cheers, Randy Stafford S/V Grenadine C&C 30-1 #7 Ken Caryl, CO _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you like what we do, please help us pay for our costs by donating. All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
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