Black Goo On Mesh Filter On The Suction Side of Water Pump

[CertaCito]

Dear Head Mistress,

I've been noticing that my water pump has been running longer than normal. On investigating I unscrewed the in-line filter between the water manifold and the water pump and found that the wire mesh filter itself was covered with a black gooey substance which I assume must be coming from the water tanks or lines as the pump sucks water. I have drained and refilled the tanks several times and I filter the dock water by attaching a GE whole house filter to the hose. I am still finding the in line filter to the pump covered in the black gooey substance.

Do you know what the substance is likely to be, and do you think that bleach treating the tanks per your method will solve the problem? The last bleach treatment was at the beginning of 2010.

Many thanks for your excellent advice

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I don't have a clue what it is...

And I don't think that recommissioning the system will get rid of it.

Whatever it is, it's in your tank...you're not adding more of it. So the only thing I know to do is keep flushing till you get rid of it.

I just had a thought...I wonder if the PO accidentally pumped some diesel into the tank and didn't think it worth mentioning... If that's not it, I'm clueless about what it might be. But once we know I CAN tell you what to do about it.

 

[All U Get]

Re: I don't have a clue what it is...

What is the chance of the goo being some antifreeze from winterizing it. I would always clean my tank by hand in the spring and flush the lines. Just thinking out loud.
All U Get

 

[CertaCito]

Many thanks for that quick reply. I will keep on flushing the tank and see what happens.

And I don't think that recommissioning the system will get rid of it.

Whatever it is, it's in your tank...you're not adding more of it. So the only thing I know to do is keep flushing till you get rid of it.

I just had a thought...I wonder if the PO accidentally pumped some diesel into the tank and didn't think it worth mentioning... If that's not it, I'm clueless about what it might be. But once we know I CAN tell you what to do about it.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I don't think it's antifreeze...

If it were, it would be a common complaint from all the boat owners who can't ever seem to flush it all out of the system.

Have you thought of smelling the goo you're cleaning out of the filter to see that might give you a clue?

 

[kloudie1]

Re: Black Goo On Mesh Filter On The Suction Side of Water Pu

probably black algae.. will be killed by bleach treatment but the treatment needs to soak a while to get to it.. Peggy's recommended flush process will get it .. but it may take a while before it all goes away.. continue to treat every tank fill-up with the maintenance dose..

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

"Maintenance dose???"

What maintenance dose??? I've always recommended AGAINST adding bleach to each fill because it's a bad idea. Chlorine is corrosive and also damaging to rubber and to hoses...any beneficial properties in bleach/chlorine evaporate within 24 hours, leaving behind only corrosive properties. Which is also the reason why leaving the recommissioning solution in the tank to "soak awhile" is also a very bad idea.

There is no such thing as "black algae"...algae cannot grow where there is no light. Any biological black goo would have to be mold or another fungus...those grow in DAMP dark places, not under water.

And besides...it's only been a little over a year since he recommissioned the system. Unlikely that anything that could be cured by recommissioning again would match what he's describing.

 

[Don Lucas]

Re: Black Goo On Mesh Filter On The Suction Side of Water Pu

Being in water treatment; the black goo can easily be biological growth. Antifreeze in water if it is less than 20% glycol will become a "bug" food. The yard that commissioned my boat this past spring did a "crappy" job of flushing my tanks (when you can still see the pink you know did didn't care). And this became a biological growth problem and clogged the strainer. I hit it hard with bleach and measured the free chlorine afterwards (was 5+ ppm which is a BIG dose). This didn't fix the problem! In the end I added a bunch of 31% hydogen peroxide and flushed the tanks again afterwards (that water makes for good bildge cleaning). This got it!

You have to flush the tanks, but you need to disinflect them also or it is going to come back probably.

PS - be careful of the black "goo" when cleaning the strainer. I had a small scatch on my hand and got blood posoning from it (I should have known better).

 

[CertaCito]

Peggie, and all, thanks for the responses.

I have sniffed the black goo and I cannot detect any particular smell. I found that the Shur-Flo in-line filter picked up the goo only from one of the four poly tanks on the boat. I am the original owner, BTW, so I know that nothing other than water or pink non-toxic anti-freeze has gone into the tanks over the last nine years and I am careful to flush them well each season.

Today I bleach treated all four tanks using Peggie's posted method. I drained each tank, keeping the others turned off at the water manifold, and inspected the Shure-Flo filter after each tank was drained. There was a very small amount of some white gooey stuff from the tank that caused the black gooey stuff. I refilled each tank with fresh water and drained them again, inspecting the filter, and found the filter clean each time. All tanks have now been refilled a third time and I will inspect the filter over the next couple of weeks as we use the water on board. I would love to know what the goo is, short of sending it for analysis, but I'm happy that Peggie's commissioning bleach treatment, which I should have done at the beginning of the season, seems to have cured the problem.

Thanks again for all the responses

Mike

If it were, it would be a common complaint from all the boat owners who can't ever seem to flush it all out of the system.

Have you thought of smelling the goo you're cleaning out of the filter to see that might give you a clue?

 

[kloudie1]

Re: Black Goo On Mesh Filter On The Suction Side of Water Pu

AAAeeeeeeee.. The flame, Peggy!! Black algae discription follows.. I don't know how much light his tanks might get thru the fiberglass glass or if the fill or vent hoses see light that normally comes thru the hull.. Most likely mold as you say..
Black (Blue-Green) Algae: -evident by the formation of 1 to 3cm sized black (or dark blue green) spots, tenaciously adhering to the pools surfaces. Black algae forms a layered structure where the first layer (which chlorine may kill) protects under layers from further destruction. Black algae is similar to the black algae that is found on bathroom shower tiles and in silicone seams near the bath. It is also found in aquariums as dark blotching on the glass sides This form of algae is very slow growing but very hardy. It is extremely chlorine resistant.
I know that you don't recommend a maintenance dose of chlorine but lots of folks (I do) like to put an ounce or so of bleach into about 30 -40 gallons of water to keep the tank fresh tasting..
The non toxic anti freeze has alcohol in it .. a nice food for mold and algae..

 

[thinwater]

AAAeeeeeeee.. The flame, Peggy!! Black algae discription follows.. I don't know how much light his tanks might get thru the fiberglass glass or if the fill or vent hoses see light that normally comes thru the hull.. Most likely mold as you say..
Black (Blue-Green) Algae: -evident by the formation of 1 to 3cm sized black (or dark blue green) spots, tenaciously adhering to the pools surfaces. Black algae forms a layered structure where the first layer (which chlorine may kill) protects under layers from further destruction. Black algae is similar to the black algae that is found on bathroom shower tiles and in silicone seams near the bath. It is also found in aquariums as dark blotching on the glass sides This form of algae is very slow growing but very hardy. It is extremely chlorine resistant.
I know that you don't recommend a maintenance dose of chlorine but lots of folks (I do) like to put an ounce or so of bleach into about 30 -40 gallons of water to keep the tank fresh tasting..
The non toxic anti freeze has alcohol in it .. a nice food for mold and algae..

Additionally, the color of bacterial films can easily be changed by the presence of iron and other minerals in the water.

The real give away on biological films is that that are nearly always slimy, like snot, rather than sticky or grity as chemical or mineral dirt will be. This is the give-away in deisel tanks.

• http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/p/diesel-biocides.html

This post has some stuff of deisel bugs (red in the pics because of dye) and cleaning tanks without large openings.