Water water everywhere, nor any drop to drink

[Blue Reef Cafe]

Hi,
In a few weeks I will be leaving my boat in Darwin, Australia, for the cyclone season. It will be very hot and humid. I was after advice on what to do with the water tanks to minimize any cleaning in approx four months time. Should I drain the water as best I can or is there something I can add to reduce the number of critters that may grow over the summer months. Also any advice on preparing the boat for a humid climate would be appreciated.

Regards

Russ

[paulajayne]

Stick a chlorine tablet in it and fill it up. See pack for details.

Run all water outlets to get chlorinated water into the pipe work.

Top up with water.

Flush out well before next use.

[capngeo]

What material are your tanks made of?

[boatman61]

My trick of yore has been to stick a capful of bleach (unscented and pure) to every 100L of water.. something I forgot to do on a couple of deliveries.. to my cost..

[bailsout]

A recent post stated that chlorinated water and aluminum don't mix well.

[roberthowell]

ALSO HANG DEHUMIDIFIER BAGS ALL OVER THE BOAT SPRAY EVERYTHIG WITH SOME ANTIMOLD SPRAY AND POUR ANTI MOLD INTO THE BILDGE AS WELL

[paulajayne]

Originally Posted by capngeo

What material are your tanks made of?

Cement ?

[JPA Cate]

Before you leave the boat, offload all food, then get the longest acting cockie traps that you can find, and place them all round the boat, including lazarette and anchor locker-- you don't want it seething when you return.

Assuming polyethylene tanks, use plain chlorine bleach (or the tablets). Make the solution stronger than for drinking water, because, as suggested above, you want to treat the lines, too. Run all the lines till you smell chlorine coming out, including the shower hot and cold, then turn off the water, so that the treated water stays in all the hoses. WHEN YOU RETURN, FLUSH IT ALL OUT AND RE-FILL.

If there is any reason to distrust the water quality, we have used 1 US Tablespoon plain household bleach to 10 gallons of water, about 45 ml to 40 l. And then, filter it out with a charcoal filter for drinking.

Now, I am not really sure you need to do this. We have left the boat for as long as 7 months, and drunk the tank water when we returned, and no ill effects. But it was left in Lake Macquarie, NSW one of those times, and in Hobart, TAS, the other, so, a cooler environment in both cases.

AFAIK, you could just leave your boat, but if you are at all concerned about it, either treat it beforehand, or wait till after you get back, and do it then, as a precaution. The chlorine will be most active for the first few hours, and may have all bubbled away long before you return. Sorry, but I don't know how long it takes.

Ann

[cacalack]

For cockroaches use Advion, available on Amazon. Lived in South Carolina all my life and have suffered infestations many times over the years. Until I tried Advion. The stuff is so effective it's a little scary.

[Blue Reef Cafe]

Originally Posted by capngeo

What material are your tanks made of?

Stainless steel.

[Djarraluda]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Before you leave the boat, offload all food, then get the longest acting cockie traps that you can find, and place them all round the boat, including lazarette and anchor locker-- you don't want it seething when you return.

Assuming polyethylene tanks, use plain chlorine bleach (or the tablets). Make the solution stronger than for drinking water, because, as suggested above, you want to treat the lines, too. Run all the lines till you smell chlorine coming out, including the shower hot and cold, then turn off the water, so that the treated water stays in all the hoses. WHEN YOU RETURN, FLUSH IT ALL OUT AND RE-FILL.

If there is any reason to distrust the water quality, we have used 1 US Tablespoon plain household bleach to 10 gallons of water, about 45 ml to 40 l. And then, filter it out with a charcoal filter for drinking.

Now, I am not really sure you need to do this. We have left the boat for as long as 7 months, and drunk the tank water when we returned, and no ill effects. But it was left in Lake Macquarie, NSW one of those times, and in Hobart, TAS, the other, so, a cooler environment in both cases.

AFAIK, you could just leave your boat, but if you are at all concerned about it, either treat it beforehand, or wait till after you get back, and do it then, as a precaution. The chlorine will be most active for the first few hours, and may have all bubbled away long before you return. Sorry, but I don't know how long it takes.

Ann

To kill bacterial growth, you need free chlorine. Simply, you need to smell it on surface. Not just as it comes out of tank.
Issue is if you wish to restrict growth or kill growth.
General opinion above is to use chlorine, I agree and suggest the is before you leave her - to restrict any growth. Repeat when you return.
I spent many years in Hong Kong, before we had shore power to run dehumidifiers.
Bleach in bilges will kill the bugs then and being in still air, will linger a bit, but not much. Best is to open the bilge, open all lockers and let them breath whilst you are away. Ensure the cabin has ventilation.
If you have shore power, then fit a domestic dehumidifier, with drain to sink and thus overboard. Full length cover is good with open ends, but not during cyclone season of course.

[HopCar]

Aqua Clean Tabs and Puriclean are the best choice for keeping your tanks clean. The sterializing effect is longer lasting than Chlorine bleach and it won't hurt metal tanks.
Water Purification, Tank Cleaning

If you have shore power, even a very small dehumidifier can prevent mold from growing in a closed up boat. I use one of these on my boat.
Eva-Dry Dehumidifier EDV-1100