Garden hose filters?

[colemj]

Don't get me wrong - I have no problem drinking chlorinated water.

However, for those with aluminum tanks and watermakers, it is a good idea to remove the chlorine, as it causes damage to those things.

My previous statements meant to convey that our most common sources of water - rain and watermaker - do not have any chlorine in them and we suffer no ill effects at all from this lack.

Our water tank is clean - a wipe shows no biomass film growing in it, and it has been this way over many years. If it did have growth, a simple chlorine shock and removal would help that.

If one wants to improve their water system quality, chlorine in the tank is the less effective means. Most boats would benefit far more greatly by removing all that cheap, clear vinyl hose (even the reinforced stuff) and replacing it with PEX or PVC. The hoses are where the bad things roam.

Mark

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Those of us who get our water from city water systems drink chlorinated water day in and day out. It's perfectly safe and I see no need to remove it either before or after putting it in my boat's potable water system.

I have not found any need to do anything to my boat's potable water system other than make sure the water I put in is clean and pure and use a dedicated drinking water rated hose to fill the tanks. I have owned the boat since 2008 and I don't believe the previous owners did anything special either.

Most of the filters people have mentioned are effective only for one thing -making them feel good.

Carbon filters can remove most taste and odor but the limited size of these limits the residence time to essentially nothing. As residence time is the principle factor in determining efficacy, the little filters, regardless of where in the line it is located, is useless except to make people think they have accomplished something.

There is an entire industry which has been created to feed this need.

If you routinely cycle muni water in the tank(s) and flush with a disinfectant solution occasionally, save your money and don't waste it on toy filters.

[Helia 44]

Hello Friends,
Two things here, in quickly scanning through this.... I have two things to help you with, and trust me, I know what I am talking about:

First 1) One of my specialties is water sterilization systems for remote areas. You do not need that for civilized water. However, in foreign ports the normal K-mart type household filter is useless. High pressure carbon filtration will take care of chloro-amines (left over from chlorination) and any trace chemicals or pesticides or herbicides. But in foreign ports you need to be aware of Hep virus that you cannot filter, it is a sub-micro virus... SUB Micro, that means even with Doulton high pressure ceramic filtration that we use as primary filtration, is only good for the normal micro organisms and bacteria that make you sick.. The Doulton ceramic is the best, in that when the flow rate goes down you take it out and it is coffee brown, but is re-usable as you just scrub it down until it turns white again... Anyway that will take care of almost all micro organisms that can make you sick, just not Hep Virus... The Doulton will allow you to fill tanks at a rate of about three litres a minute, pretty slow, but very safe..

In civilizations water, all you need is the high pressure carbon filtration, it is only cosmetic, but improves the taste.... The water sterilization systems I put together (not for sale, I am not commercial, there is no commercial slant here) anyway the primary filtration is the Doulton ceramic, then high pressure carbon, then U.V. sterilization at 2700 angstroms.. (Blinding Ultra Violet in a stainless housed unit...) Not necessary for most of you Yachties..

AND number 2) There is a TOXIC word here, GARDEN HOSE... Normal garden hose in the sun, release carcinogenic toxins into the water... THAT is the plastic taste you get out of them... You should use reinforced food grade hose, comes in white or light blue, and you put your own fittings on it. Then you will not get the cancer causing toxins, AND you get away from most of that plastic taste that will actually contaminate your tanks and lines with that plastic taste (toxic)...

Kind regards to all, Helia 44

[dlymn]

We have a 5 micron filter in the sail locker to filter the water as it comes in, another on the outlet side of the pressure pump and a charcoal filter to the galley sink cold water. I have a garden drip irrigation filter before all of this which I use to put chlorine into the system when needed. It,'s easy to open up and the filter holds the granules in the flow. I use low ppm swimming pool test strips to monitor dosing. Do not use clear tubing anywhere. Algae will grow in it. The light through the hull is enough to get it going.

[zboss]

We use a filter at the end of our potable water hose when filling but we don't use it more than twice a month at most. My concern is how to prevent algae and other growth on the filter medium when you are not using it. I certainly do not want to throw out a filter every time I use it.

I have been taking the filter out and letting it air dry but that seems like it would also hurt the filter.

[thinwater]

A few things that may need clarified.

a. Chlorine is very bad for aluminum tanks. Certainly it is a matter of concentration and time, but Colemj's concerns are real. Thankfully, few of us have aluminum tanks.

b. Fill-up filtration is only to catch large chunks of pipe scale and chunks of algae shed from the hose from building up in the tank. Pretty much any filter, including the cheap hose-end filters will do that. But as SV illusion said, anything more than that is feel-good unless the filter is very careful selected. But that is a different topic.

c. The Camco hose-end filter is KDF media (carbon, copper, zinc) which limit bacterial and algal growth, but no, you are not going to eliminate it. But that is not what these filters are for. For most of us, fill-up filtration is only to reduce the amount of junk in the tank to make chlorine sanitizing practical. Often a clean tank is adequately sanitized by the chlorine residual in the city water.

One of my favorite fill-up filters is something like a Baja filter, but is based on a bag filter. Works for hose water, jerry can water and rain water, can be sanitized in the sun or washed, and is good to a nominal 1 micron (more like 5-10 in all honesty). It also gives you a good look at what you filtered from the water.

Tank sanitation and tap filtration are separate steps.

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by thinwater

a. Chlorine is very bad for aluminum tanks. Certainly it is a matter of concentration and time, but Colemj's concerns are real. Thankfully, few of us have aluminum tanks.

I think the tank in my (hot) water heater is aluminum.

Seaward Marine Water Heater - 6 Gallon

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by wsmurdoch

I think the tank in my (hot) water heater is aluminum.

Seaward Marine Water Heater - 6 Gallon

While alloys vary a good bit, you can get an idea by hanging a clean aluminum coupon in the water closet for a few weeks. The concern is fine pitting, which leads to holes.

[malbert73]

I have heard of this- but can someone explain why chlorine and aluminum are an issue? I usually put 1 capful of bleach into each 47 gallon water tank. May change to something else to prevent biological growth. Any ideas?


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[transmitterdan]

Chlorine causes corrosion of Aluminum. Different grades of Aluminum corrode at different rates. But pretty much any Aluminum tank will eventually suffer pits due to corrosion if chlorinated water is left in the tank for extended periods. It may take a few years for the pits to reach the outside and start leaking. This is why water tanks are stainless steel or Monel on many yachts. Some polyethylene plastics are safe for drinking water and they are immune to the corrosion as well.

http://www.nickelinstitute.org/~/Med...ter_14049_.pdf