Drinking water on old boats?

[Dieseldude]

Originally Posted by Dieseldude

Chlorine bleach is not good for aluminum. The weak chlorine content of public water supplies may not cause immediate problems. But strong chlorine solutions for extended time will cause aluminum will pit and the reaction will produce hydrogen gas and corrosion products that would need to be removed. An acid based cleaner that is rated for aluminum might be a good choice. Timing the operation is required. Leaving acid cleaner in contact with metal for extended time can be counter productive, as corrosion products can accumulate on the surface. I had this happen with galvanized steel. Best to get instructions from the cleaning material supplier on concentration and timing. And after draining the cleaning solution, the tank may require neutralizing with a baking soda solution. I'm not a chemist, but the thought of strong chlorine solution on aluminum grated with me.


If you can get a fiber optic inspection scope to examine your tank before and after cleaning. This will take the mystery out of what you are dealing with, and give confidence in the results. They are another gadget to buy, but handy for many boat maintenance tasks. Perhaps one can be borrowed or rented.



Here is link to advice on another forum:
https://www.sailnet.com/threads/clea...ter-tank.9550/

Just remembered another possibility. I have a friend who cleans his maple syrup equipment with a dairy equipment cleaning solution. These solutions clean and sanitize. This could eliminate an acid type product. A supplier of dairy equipment and materials may be helpful. Dairy truck tanks look like they are made of aluminum. Getting dairy supplies in small quantity could be problematic though.

[MVDarlin]

If you are concerned about taste get a Zero Water filter. Pitcher unit costs $30. Unlimited water that tests 0 - 5ppm. Use for coffee and drinking water.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Rockinar

To clear things up, I just bought a 1993 Island Packet. Water tank are aluminum and installed under the floors. There's not really a way to clean them and I doubt anyone else did since 1993. Theres no way the water in them taste like bottled Evian. Might be good for cooking and showers. Not sure Id drink from it.

The age wouldn't bother me but the aluminum would. Why in the world would they make aluminum water tanks?

How do you use your boat? Day use or week vacation use? Could you just add a maybe 15-20 gallon new plastic water tank for drinking/cooking?

Another solution is to get a household "under sink" RO unit. They run about $125-$150 and dont take a ton of room if you can find a spot. Would fit under many boat sink enclosures if not much else is in there. They come with a separate small tap. Then use RO water for drinking and cooking. They take almost everything out of the water.

You will need enough water pressure for it to work as these units just operate on normal house water pressure. My home water pressure runs 40-65 psi and my unit works fine.

This is not an RO unit to make fresh from salt water. But it will eliminate any taste and bacteria and virus etc.

[sailoray531]

For routine maintenance, 1 teaspoon of bleach per 10 gallons of water. To deal with an existing problem, a tablespoon of bleach per 10 gallons of water. I also run dock water through a carbon filter before it goes into the tanks. Been doing it for a lot of years. No illnesses aboard. Water tastes fine. Have never understood why folks take up storage space with bottled water when they have water tanks built-in. But different strokes....