Recommission water tank

Oct 26, 2010
2,103
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
I know - I know - it has been posted and repeated that there is an article by Peggie Hall on recommissioning a water system and time and again the quote is "search the archives" for ''......

What happened to it? I have done an all forums search, I've searched on Peggie Halls Posts and just about everywhere but can't find it. I know the general procedure but I was wondering about the "magic" amount of chlorine to put in the tank x oz per gallon and how long to let it set and flush through the system, then refill and flush again, etc.

I just can't seem to find it, can anyone post a link? Is it off because its now in a book somewhere and we don't want to share it on this forum. If so please remove all the posts that say "search for.... " I may just have a mental block on it but I can't find the link to the article anywhere. Its frustrating. I can't even find the "archive" list that is referred to, where is that?
 
Oct 26, 2010
2,103
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
Thanks, I was looking for a specific article so thanks. That was my mental block I guess. I was looking for a titled thread that called recommissioning water tank or maintenance on water system and didn't dig deep enough into the body of the thread. Thanks all and I have the info I need now. It looks like 1 quart per 50 gallons of tank capacity with the mix done in a solution before adding to the tank so its not fully concentrated when it hits the tanks. Leave in for at least 3 hours but not more than 24 hours, flush all lines and reflush again. Thanks so much and thank you Peggie for advice.
 
Oct 26, 2010
2,103
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
Thanks Peggie and I appreciate your response. People have been so kind and to direct me to the necessary information buried in various threads. I have repeatedly tried searching in the terms you have noted, even in quotes so it only trys to get the exact words and I still get 10 pages full of different threads. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but wading through 10 pages of threads with probably 20 threads per page is cumbersome in my book. I've got the info now so thanks for the post but most forums I use have a "sticky" section where things like this and others are identified and easy to find. I can't say as its easy to find here but I still love this forum and value your info. I have your book, but I can't seem to locate it right now so was only looking for the bare bones info on concentration, etc. If you can enlighten me to what I'm doing wrong that was making this search so difficult I'd appreciate it but its for training purposes at this point since I have the info I need. Thanks again and frustration is showing at having many many posts that say "search for....." and then the search returns hundreds of threads that have to be waded through. Just as a thought, it might be useful when someone says "search for..." they actually do the search and see if the results are useful and don't return so many threads that it frustrates the user.
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,982
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
I have been doing searches for folks for decades. It simply take patience. Like looking for something in a library. Glad we could help.
 
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Oct 26, 2010
2,103
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
So I type in "recommission" in the quick search bar and find this, right away:

https://forums.sailboatowners.com/i...ll-out-freshwater-faucet.164965/#post-1139995
Thanks Stu. I eventually found that post too. You have to go through each thread to see if its there before moving to the next on and seeing if its there and so on. If you are scanning too fast, which I apparently was, its easy to miss. I think I finally found this in about the 6th thread searched. I had looked at that one earlier but scanned too fast and missed the info.

Maybe the forum mangers can see if they can put up a "sticky" forum that captures these kind of things. For instance the both the Land Rover and Mercedes forums I frequently refer to have a section of "sticky" threads that cover "routine" maintenance and problem areas and either summarize it there or give a direct link to the info. Just a suggestion to our forum managers. Before you direct me to the Plumbing and Sanitation forum. I couldn't find it there quickly either
 
Oct 26, 2010
2,103
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
It looks like the FAQ section is for that but its sparsely populated right now. I can't even remember how I got to the Plumbing and Sanitation section since I can't find it now! I must be getting old! No wait, I am getting old and cantankerous. Sorry if I've offended anyone but I get easily frustrated by these new fangled computer thing-a-ma-jigs.
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,913
- - LIttle Rock
Ok...since you asked so nicely, here are the "bare bones:"

Although most people think only in terms of the tank, the plumbing is actually the source of most foul water, because the molds, mildew, fungi and bacteria which cause it thrive in damp dark places, not under water. There are all kinds of products sold that claim to keep onboard water fresh, but all that’s really necessary is an annual or in especially warm climates, semi-annual recommissioning of the entire system—tank and plumbing. The following recommendations conform to section 10.8 in the A-1 192 code covering electrical, plumbing, and heating of recreational vehicles. The solution is approved and recommended by competent health officials. It may be used in a new system a used one that has not been used for a period of time, or one that may have been contaminated.

Before beginning, turn off hot water heater at the breaker; do not turn it on again until the entire recommissioning is complete. Icemakers should be left running to allow cleaning out of the water feed line; however the first two buckets of ice—the bucket generated during recommissioning and the first bucketful afterward--should be discarded…bleach does absolutely nothing to improve the flavor of good Scotch!

1. Prepare a chlorine solution using one gallon of water and 1/4 cup (2 oz or 25 ml) Clorox or Purex household bleach (5% sodium Hypochlorite solution ). With tank empty, pour chlorine solution into tank. Use one gallon of solution for each 5 gallons of tank capacity.
(Those are the “official” directions. They work out to 1 quart/litre of bleach/50 gallons of water tank capacity , which is MUCH easier to calculate! )
2. Complete filling of tank with fresh water. Open each faucet and drain cock until air has been released and the entire system is filled. Do not turn off the pump; it must remain on to keep the system pressurized and the solution in the lines.
3. Allow to stand for at least three hours, but no longer than 24 hours.
4. Drain through every faucet on the boat (and if you haven't done this in a while, it's a good idea to remove any diffusion screens from the faucets, because what's likely to come out will clog them). Fill the tank again with fresh water only, drain again through every faucet on the boat.
5. To remove excess chlorine taste or odor which might remain, prepare a solution of one quart white vinegar to five gallons water and allow this solution to agitate in tank for several days by vessel motion.
6. Drain tank again through every faucet, and flush the lines again by filing the tank 1/4-1/2 full and again flushing with potable water.

And btw, this will also remove the taste/smell of antifreeze in the fresh water.

People have expressed concern about using this method to recommission aluminum tanks. While bleach (chlorine) IS corrosive, its effects are cumulative. So the effect of an annual or semi-annual "shock treatment" that will only remain in the tank for a few hours is negligible compared to the cumulative effect of holding chlorinated city water in the tank for years.

To keep the water system cleaner longer, USE your fresh water...keep water flowing through system. The molds, fungi, and bacteria only start to grow in hoses that aren't being used. Before filling the tank each time, always let the dock water run for at least 15 minutes first (a good time to wash the boat)...the same critters that like the lines on your boat LOVE the dock supply line and your hose that sit in the warm sun, and you certainly don't want to transfer water that's been sitting in the dock supply line to your boat's system. So let the water run long enough to flush out all the water that's been standing in them so that what goes into your boat is coming straight from the water main. You'll know because the water will be a lot colder.

This is a bit more than just the bare bones, but I'm a pushover for anyone who can turn begging into an art form. :D

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
 
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Feb 26, 2004
22,982
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Smokey,

I do this to make "future searching" easier:

I put something like

recommissioning water system

in the text of my post.

Then next time someone asks, recommission and recommissioning will pop up.

The link I sent you went right to that specific reply, so all it took was reading the one that popped up on your screen.

Stickies on some forums become over burdening to the concept of daily Q&As. It's a different setup, works for some websites, but not for all. I like the way this site works, and the folks who contribute. Nice community.

I hear ya about computers. Sometimes these new-fangled thingies give us the impression that things are always faster. Not so, one still has to go look. Just makes finding it easier, 'cuz it's right at your fingertips.

I still like going to the library, too. :D
 
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Oct 26, 2010
2,103
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
Stu, Thanks for the tip. Also, other than the frustration when you're looking for something very specific, when weeding through the threads looking for the specific thing you are trying to find you sometimes stumble on other things worthwhile. That always seems to happen when I'm looking at something that Mainesail has commented on in a thread.

I was trying to get to the boat quickly before the tide turned and I would be unable to easily get into my slip and wanted to start the water treatment when I got there. Hence my frustration at not finding it quickly. I missed the tide so will do it today.

It looks like the FAQ section on this site may be intended for the tips and tricks but it doesn't seem to be very well populated yet. Don't know if its just not used enough or if its new. I just found it when I was pounding my keys to get the dose rate for the water recommissioning.

One thing that I couldn't get to work on this forum. On some forum searches, when you put what you are looking for in "quotes" it will only search for those "exact words in the exact order". Then you don't get every return that says Commissioning and every return that says Water etc. I don't know if that is a feature that might be worth adding if it can be easily done. It didn't seem to work for me but maybe I messed up and didn't put in the end quote.
 
Oct 26, 2010
2,103
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
And thanks Peggie. I appreciate your detailed response and really appreciate your contributions to this site. Your book is my go to resource for any and all things to do with head and water maintenance. You've made my boat a pleasant abode instead of a smelly stopover. I try to follow your recommendations religously!
 

Rxsail

.
Mar 25, 2018
28
Hunter 30T Lake Norman
Should you put anything in the water to keep it fresh once it has been recommissioned using the methods above?
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,913
- - LIttle Rock
Nope. An annual recommissioning should be all that's needed to keep your water tasting and smelling as good as any that comes out of a faucet on land. If that's not good for you, put a faucet filter--any of those available for use at home--on the galley sink faucet.

And btw...recommissioning made easy (how I always did it): bring a couple milk jugs full of fresh water from home. Last thing before turning in for the night, fill the tank with the bleach solution. First thing in the morning, drain the solution while you're making coffee using the water you brought from home. Fill the tank again with fresh water while you drink the coffee....drain that while you fix breakfast. Fill the tank again while you eat breakfast. You're done.
 
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May 17, 2004
5,542
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
Another trick I use for searching if the normal site search doesn't work - go to Google and try searching for recommissioning site:sailboatowners.com. By specifying the site Google will limit the search to SBO, and sometimes Google's index algorithms help surface what you want.
 
Oct 26, 2010
2,103
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
Another trick I use for searching if the normal site search doesn't work - go to Google and try searching for recommissioning site:sailboatowners.com. By specifying the site Google will limit the search to SBO, and sometimes Google's index algorithms help surface what you want.
Thanks, I'll give it a try too. Any tips are appreciated.