hydrogen sulfite smell in drinking water tank

[kas_1611]

Try adding Baby Sterilising Fluid to your tank rather than bleach or as another alternative get hold of some Sodium Metabisulphate tablets or solution from a home brewing supplier. Both will sterlise your tanks and lines and may clear out any sulphur reducing bacteria that could be chlorine resistant. A 3rd alternative is Hydrogen Peroxide through the plumbing.

Hydrogen Suphide is a highly toxic, reactive and corrosive gas. If you can smell it then stop smelling it get out fast as you are already damaging your olifactory nerves. Above 10ppm it can have long term exposure risks and above 100ppm (by which time your nose is no longer able to smell it) H2S can kill.

If you still smell it, and I highly recommend you invest in a gas detector rather than relying on Mr Nose, then work back to the supply. If you can not be sure it is treated (that is it comes from a well rather than municipal supply) then add an Activated Charcoal filter to your fill up hose.

[dennismenace111]

My old boat a 1987 Watkins has a strong metallic taste to the water... any suggestions on how to clean it up? Ive looked in the tank, its clean...

[Flatswing]

Are your tanks Aluminum? If so, The Chlorine may be aggravating the problem as the tanks degrade -they accumulate a sediment until they leak. I had a similar smell on my Grand Banks-disappeared when I replaced the tanks with food grade PE. Agree you should look inside the tanks.

[DLincoln3]

My boat stays in Michigan year round. I filter the water when I fill the tanks, and I treat it with bleach and water purifier in the tanks. Regardless of all of the filtering and treatments, I had this same issue on the hot water side of my water system for two seasons. I finally replaced the anode in my water heater and the problem went away.

[geoff3nebel]

It might be bacteria in the tank or pipes and is not uncommon. Drain (pump out) the tank(s) and refill with a proprietary water tank/system cleaner; leave it for the reqd. time and pump out. Refill tank again and pump out. Finally refill, adding sterilising solution/tablets. That should fix it. BTW, do not use clear pipes in your water system.

[Scaramanga F25]

We need to be more specific on the names of the chemicals in this discussion. Javex, Clorox, Bleach is sodium hypochlorite. Chlorine is something else. Careful with these in your intended use.

[ttex]

Originally Posted by Scaramanga F25

We need to be more specific on the names of the chemicals in this discussion. Javex, Clorox, Bleach is sodium hypochlorite. Chlorine is something else. Careful with these in your intended use.

Sodium hypochlorite is a type of chlorine that comes in liquid form and can be found in the swimming pool section of the big stores. Clorox is diluted chlorine with additives. Bleach is diluted chlorine. And Javex is just more diluted chlorine like Clorox.

[Scaramanga F25]

Originally Posted by ttex

Sodium hypochlorite is a type of chlorine that comes in liquid form and can be found in the swimming pool section of the big stores. Clorox is diluted chlorine with additives. Bleach is diluted chlorine. And Javex is just more diluted chlorine like Clorox.

My bottle of " Bleach " states as you say is diluted chlorine. "sodium hypoclorite"

My point is that if the bottle says "Chlorine", element # 17, be careful it is concentrated and can destroy your lungs.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by ttex

Is having an anode in the steel water tanks common? I didn't see anything when I opened mine up. I'm not even sure what it would look like.

Always something new to learn.

What your looking for is a nut, about 1" screwed into the tank probably near the thermostat, or temp. switch, w/House current, or same if yours is just a heat exchanger.
Most RV or marine water heaters have them.
There usually gone in a few years or less, but...there are no pin holes in your piping or tank either.
Very readily available.
Local RV Store, even Hardware stores.
SV Cloud Duster

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by dennismenace111

My old boat a 1987 Watkins has a strong metallic taste to the water... any suggestions on how to clean it up? Ive looked in the tank, its clean...

Water purification filteration system with charcoal, and for metals.
Local home hardware store would be my first try.
Cheers,
SV Cloud Duster

[ttex]

Originally Posted by Scaramanga F25

My bottle of " Bleach " states as you say is diluted chlorine. "sodium hypoclorite"

My point is that if the bottle says "Chlorine", element # 17, be careful it is concentrated and can destroy your lungs.

Can't argue with being careful with chemicals!

[ttex]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

What your looking for is a nut, about 1" screwed into the tank probably near the thermostat, or temp. switch, w/House current, or same if yours is just a heat exchanger.
Most RV or marine water heaters have them.
There usually gone in a few years or less, but...there are no pin holes in your piping or tank either.
Very readily available.
Local RV Store, even Hardware stores.
SV Cloud Duster

Thanks, I will have a look.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by ttex

Sodium hypochlorite is a type of chlorine that comes in liquid form and can be found in the swimming pool section of the big stores. Clorox is diluted chlorine with additives. Bleach is diluted chlorine. And Javex is just more diluted chlorine like Clorox.

“Liquid form” is the only “form” you can readily buy. It is a hypochlorite solution regardless of where you buy it or what label it shows and the only additive common is a surfactant or detergent.

None of which is relevant as the sulfide smell from a water heater is al ost always a result of a decayed anode.

[trikola]

Just my 0.02$:

I had such a problem at home (I live rural with my own drilled water well). The reason in my case was that during the winter, the tubing from the well to my house during a rather cold period was heated by a non-selfregulating heating cable and switching off the cable was forgotten. Thus any water coming into the house was continuously heated to some degree.

May be on your boat you have a part of your water tubing running some place which is well exposed to sun heating in FL?

Switching off the heating cable (and later replacing it with some self-regulating) and bleach solved my problem. Good luck with yours!

[a64pilot]

Chlorine as in pool chlorine tablets or granules is I believe Calcium hypochlorate, and bleach as in liquid chlorine is Sodium Hypochlorate.
I believe for our purposes they are indistinguishable, but the liquid form is more available and common.

The only difference I’ve seen in pool usage is over time the Calcium hypochlorate can form Calcium crystals on the plaster surface of pools and this is rough on your feet, the liquid Sodium Hypochlorate doesn’t seem to do this.