How long do you trust your water?

[Dr. D]

OK, I am a newbie to cruising (barely have my toe in the water). I fill my 34 gallon water tank">fresh water tank and the water, after being filtered, tastes fine. When might I expect the water not to be so good?

I know this depends on rate of use. How long without refill would you expect your fresh water to be good?

[boatpoker]

No filter. We carry 200gallons which lasts us two - three weeks. 25years, no issues.

[rbk]

Make sure you regularly empty and clean your tank once a year and keep an eye on your hoses, as they will collect and blacken over time with mildew. Should be more concerned with adding a physical shutoff on your fill pipe if at deck level. Many have contaminated their tanks with salt water from simple failed o rings.

[hoolie]

For reasons beyond our control our boat was out of the water for 20 months and the water in the tanks was still fine, though only used boiled.

[sailorboy1]

Before full time cruising I had and used water that was 2+ months out. I kept a measured chlorine level in it and it went through a carbon filter for drinking

[Simi 60]

We carry 5000 litres/1300 gallons which lasts several months before needing to go back in.
We supplement that with rain and also a 200 litre bladder in the tender and can push that out to 6 mths plus.

Never had an issue with water quality and we run no filters apart from a pump pre filter which, in 3 years of full time cruising has not required cleaning.

[Bruce K]

Many people on land use totally untreated rainwater, including me and most other people on the island where i live, I have about 75,000 litres in storage in two tanks, one tank may not be use for one or two years, if we have sufficent rain. The older the water the better, provided no light gets into the tank, I have a couple of lumps of limestone in each tank, it's supposed to keep the water alkaline, but I doubt it, some use crushed oyster shells thrown in the tank.

[sailorchic34]

I'll Trust it for a month. Especially if the weather is cooler. I've never used a filter. Mainly as a filter is the perfect media for growing bacteria. I learned this designing bio pharmaceutical plants.

[Tillsbury]

Certainly a few months if the water is good and the systems clean. I empty all tanks and refill every six months or so whatever has been happening.

[Mike OReilly]

We carry 200 gallons. We can last two to three months. Major tank cleaning once per season. Clean water in. Chlorinate if needed. Exit filter (~1 micron and carbon). Never a problem (so far).

[ksanders]

I live aboard and make water every day or so. I have a spigot from the water maker that goes into my galley sink.

From that I fill up a couple BPA free gallon jugs that I keep in the fridge.

[contrail]

Indefinitely. Then again, I grew up with the understanding that excellent water is available from sources other than bottled water (in plastic).

[Chotu]

At least a year. Just lightly chlorinate it when it's fresh with 2-4 capfulls of bleach per 50 gallons and you won’t need to worry about a thing.

If the boat is new to you, shock treat the system also with lots of bleach, then run fresh water through to rinse away that bleach.

[weavis]

We have large water tanks. I tend to shock clean the tanks and discard water every 9 months.

For drinking, I have hydrogen water bottles which remove chlorine and ozone, tastes good to drink straight and better still is good water in the coffee...

Instinctively, I don't trust still water in closed containers. However, that is a subjective view and as such, I only keep the water on my boat in a manner which involves occasional purifiers etc..

(I also have a bubbler in the water when Im out using the boat.)

I think my over cautiousness comes from a career treating water born bacterial infections etc...

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by weavis

... For drinking, I have hydrogen water bottles which remove chlorine and ozone, tastes good to drink straight and better still is good water in the coffee...
... I also have a bubbler in the water when Im out using the boat...

What make/model hydrogen bottle do you use?
Is the bubble integral with hydrogen bottle, or a separate device?

Is there any clinical evidence for the claimed health benefits of drinking water infused with molecular hydrogen?

“Recent Progress Toward Hydrogen Medicine: Potential of Molecular Hydrogen for Preventive and Therapeutic Applications” ~ by Shigeo Ohta
☞ https://www.qlifecanada.ca/wp-conten...ydroen-art.pdf