Silver in the water tank?

[wholybee]

Asking if others have done it is a very dangerous way to decide if it works. Most likely, the water they started with was perfectly safe, and anything they did that they thought worked would to them, have worked.

If there is any chance the water you put in your tanks is contaminated, Boil it, use Chlorine, or use iodine. Those methods have been scientifically tested to work, and are safe.

Then there is the possibility that maybe your tank or your pipes are the issue...

[roland stockham]

You have a problem that could impact health. Fresh water should not 'go off' or develop a bad smell or taste after being stored in a clean container. I regularly store water for months as emergency supplies on land and have had water stored in boat tanks without treatment for more than 3 months without any problems.


The problem you have is bacterial contamination in your system which could create a significant health risk. You need to fully sterilize the tanks and all pipe work. This can be done with chlorine such as bleach using a 10% solution or any of the other proprietary solutions. My suggestion is to use Sodium Metabisulphate which is the one used for cleaning water-makers. It is also available through brewery or dairy supplies as it is commonly use for sterilizing pipework. The advantage is that it releases a gas so sterilizes the entire system even if you don't get it completely filled and is a 'food safe' product so any residual is not harmful. After sterilization you should flush the tanks as well.

The source of contamination may be just contaminated tanks and pipework on the boat but could also be the dock supply you are using. Best way to check that is to fill a clean container, seal it and leave it for a couple of weeks. If after that time the water smells and tastes bad then it is the dock supply that is causing the problem and you either need to find a different supply or treat it when filling tanks.

Also remember to guard against contaminated hoses. Dock hoses are frequently not clean so either use your own hose (preferred) or flush well before use.

[GordMay]

What wholybee said.
Colloidal silver is a classic example of anecdotal reports, that differ drastically from scientific research. If you decide to try colloidal silver, check to make sure that it won’t interact with any prescriptions you’re taking.

In 1999 [1], and again in 2009 [2], the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release stating that there was no evidence to suggest a clear health benefit for colloidal silver. Rather, there’s evidence of some risks associated with using colloidal silver. Colloidal silver also interferes with your body’s absorption of certain drugs, including antibiotics, and thyroid deficiency medications.
The Food and Drug Administration is issued a notice, establishing that all over-the-counter (OTC) drug products containing colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts for internal or external use are not generally recognized as safe and effective and are misbranded.
The FDA does not regulate colloidal silver, but a dosing chart created by the EPA suggests that your daily silver exposure (topical, oral, or environmental) shouldn’t exceed 5 micrograms per every kilogram your weight.
➥ https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris2/che...stance_nmbr=99


[1] 1999: “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a final rule establishing that all over-the-counter (OTC) drug products containing colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts for internal or external use are not generally recognized as safe and effective and are misbranded...
➥ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10558603/

[2] 2009: “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers about the risk of permanent skin and mucous membrane discoloration, known as argyria, associated with the use of dietary supplements that contain silver, including colloidal silver...
➥ https://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/.../ucm184087.htm


WHO does not recommend silver, as a drinking water treatment.
➥ https://www.who.int/water_sanitation...32018.pdf?ua=1

On the basis of the significant data and performance gaps in disinfection efficacy as a primary disinfectant of water, the limited data on the range of microorganisms against which it is effective and under what conditions, and the availability of widely used, well-characterized disinfectants, silver is not recommended for use as a primary disinfectant in drinking-water supplies at this time. There are also uncertainties around the toxicology, particularly with regard to human health end points ...”
➥ https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi...004.13.4.26606

[Hardhead]

Not sure if it's relevant, but I just came across this: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/colloidal-silver

[psjanker]

Should have written ....use copper tubing. I like copper when doing renovations and folks are looking at using copper plates in AC systems and countertops for anti bacterial properties.

V/r
Pete

[Mistress Sirena]

Originally Posted by psjanker

Should have written ....use copper tubing. I like copper when doing renovations and folks are looking at using copper plates in AC systems and countertops for anti bacterial properties.

V/r
Pete

I once owned a 40' Consolidated Yacht power cruiser that had a copper water tank in the bow about 60 gal as i remember I replaced all the plumbing lines with 1/2" copper and replaced all fixtures it just seemed the right way to do it
lived aboard for 4 years never had a problem with odors or taste.wondering if copper tank would be a option today?
Ps tank was soldered maybe silver solder IDK.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by facciatosta

Any thoughts?

I think anything other than adding chlorine to the tank to keep it clean and safe and installing a carbon filter on the line to the drinking supply to remove right at the point of use is just just a crazy exercise in a lot to do about nothing!

Does your wife also refuse to use normal chlorinated city water???

[peter loveridge]

The ITT flow through filters use some sort of silver compound

[KP44]

Originally Posted by facciatosta

Any thoughts?

As I understand it, silver is not a disinfectant but our bodies can use nanosilver as such against microbes (not viruses). So silver by itself is just another heavy metal.

I would consider replacing or cleaning the hoses if they seem contaminated or water "rots" in the hose.

[Djarraluda]

Originally Posted by Mistress Sirena

I once owned a 40' Consolidated Yacht power cruiser that had a copper water tank in the bow about 60 gal as i remember I replaced all the plumbing lines with 1/2" copper and replaced all fixtures it just seemed the right way to do it
lived aboard for 4 years never had a problem with odors or taste.wondering if copper tank would be a option today?
Ps tank was soldered maybe silver solder IDK.

I have stainless steel tanks so avoid using bleach, but our water supplies are chlorinated already so pretty good water. However, I was getting a bad smell from the water so after flushing everything, I made a copper manifold to join the tanks and feed the pump, also inserted lengths of Cu pipe in the lines running forward to the head. No problems in the 18 months since I did that.
I seem to recall copper tanks on older boats but the cost would be rather high nowadays so builders won't be keen and yes, I would silver solder for the durability as soft solder is no longer lead based.

[wefleenor]

I will respond one last time to the silver discussion. I am a PhD in environmental engineering and have done research on the use of silver as an antimicrobial agent.

Much of the literature posted above has little to do with the use of colloidal silver and its treatment of drinking water. The one that does is the WHO paper which actually failed to test colloidal silver, felt it would only treat bacteria, so they dropped it because their criteria requires treatment of 2 of 3 pathogens. The rest discuss the use of ionic solutions made from silver chloride or silver nitrate, or silver nano-particles. Colloidal silver is made by the electrolysis of pure silver in pure water. These silver ions will aggregate to some extent and form some large enough to call nano-particles.

Other articles supplied by others mostly refer to compounds that suppliers call colloidal silver but actually are made from chloride and nitrate compounds for homeopathic health treatments at much higher concentrations than that which colloidal silver is used for drinking water treatment purposes.

At drinking water treatment levels one would have to drink enough water that the excess water consumption would kill them before the colloidal silver did. Yes, too much water can kill you.

On my boat I use chlorine with filters that include carbon to remove the chlorine for drinking and cooking purposes. I carry a 30ml bottle of colloidal silver when hiking case I ever get caught and need to treat local water sources.

For what it is worth, if you have copper in your system and don't use the system regularly you could be opening yourself up to copper compounds that are harmful. You ill usually be warned by discoloration in the water. I built a new home and was forced by code to use copper for the run to the ice-maker. We didn't use it enough to keep the ice from turning color. I ran a tygon tube through the copper tube to eliminate the problem.

[skyhawk]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

This ^^^^^^


Safest and most cost-effective way to sanitize water. And a good charcoal filter really will remove ALL of the chlorine smell and taste.

In my RV I don't find that the chlorine taste stays around long after a sanitation cycle and flushing rinse

[David B]

Originally Posted by roland stockham

You have a problem that could impact health. Fresh water should not 'go off' or develop a bad smell or taste after being stored in a clean container. I regularly store water for months as emergency supplies on land and have had water stored in boat tanks without treatment for more than 3 months without any problems.


The problem you have is bacterial contamination in your system which could create a significant health risk. You need to fully sterilize the tanks and all pipe work. This can be done with chlorine such as bleach using a 10% solution or any of the other proprietary solutions. My suggestion is to use Sodium Metabisulphate which is the one used for cleaning water-makers. It is also available through brewery or dairy supplies as it is commonly use for sterilizing pipework. The advantage is that it releases a gas so sterilizes the entire system even if you don't get it completely filled and is a 'food safe' product so any residual is not harmful. After sterilization you should flush the tanks as well.

The source of contamination may be just contaminated tanks and pipework on the boat but could also be the dock supply you are using. Best way to check that is to fill a clean container, seal it and leave it for a couple of weeks. If after that time the water smells and tastes bad then it is the dock supply that is causing the problem and you either need to find a different supply or treat it when filling tanks.

Also remember to guard against contaminated hoses. Dock hoses are frequently not clean so either use your own hose (preferred) or flush well before use.

It's sodium metabisulphite (Na₂S₂O₅).
Good idea to use over bleach (typically sodium hypochlorite), as such household 'bleaches' often contain sodium hydroxide as well, to enhance cleaning.
One could argue that enhanced cleaning is what we want to do when dealing with biofilm build-up in hoses, but you would certainly want to ensure the system was very well flushed, and the issue there is the time that takes, and the hours the pressure pump(s) runs.

The only other half practical way would be to disconnect the hoses from the tank(s) and leave the bleach solution in the hoses for some hours, then rinse through with a tank of sodium metabisulphite, but its a bit of messing around.

Note that sulphites are not particularly good for you either, so good flushing is still important even though sodium metabisulphite is approved for use in food industries (the fine powder is a lung irritant by the way, so avoid!)

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by facciatosta

I filled up the tank( 20 gl.) from water hose at marina and dropped in small roll of silver wire.

Silver wire will not provide antimicrobial functionality. Colloidal silver, as explained above, will.

I have been using only colloidal silver in water tanks since 2008 successfully.

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by SV__Grace

I agree here. I've made colloidal silver in the past for personal use and can imagine it would work well in a boat's water tank, but it might be challenging (and expensive) to generate or purchase the amount needed.

It is not expensive. One ounce silver bar is good to treat 30 cubic meters of water. Power source is 12 V battery. Just need a second electrode and a wiring. Optionally, a circuit to control the current (needed if you use water sources with a wide range of conductivity of water).