Preserving water

[Tim R.]

Peggy I have read your book cover to cover many times but I have a question that you do not cover in great detail.

I have a boat with about 180gal water capacity. It is great to not have to fill the tanks very often but sometimes the water gets stale. We do run the cold water from the galley faucet through a filter which helps but all our other faucets and our hot water can sometimes get a taste or smell if the water has been sitting in the tanks too long. We have done your clean out procedure but continue to have this issue occasionally.

The tanks are fiberglass and I was wondering if anything can be added to prolong the life of the water.

Thanks

 

[Ross]

Vitamin "C" ascorbic acid is used as a preservative for many foods. The captains of the whaling ships from New england packed cranberries in the water barrels for that reason and for scurvey prevention.

 

[Steve Dion]

Tim:

If the water is properly treated you will never know that the water is stale.

1 oz brandy, whiskey or rum
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 lemon
1 cup hot water
1 tea bag

 

[Tim R.]

Tim:

If the water is properly treated you will never know that the water is stale.

1 oz brandy, whiskey or rum
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 lemon
1 cup hot water
1 tea bag

Steve, I think you mean if the Admiral is properly treated she will not know the water is stale!

 

[Winkfish]

Tim:

If the water is properly treated you will never know that the water is stale.

1 oz brandy, whiskey or rum
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 lemon
1 cup hot water
1 tea bag

Steve, I like the way you think!

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I like some of those suggestions!

But to give you a serious answer now... There's only one way to prevent water in the tanks from becoming stale: USE it! As you've already discovered, you can eliminate funky taste/smell with faucet filters (you can use household filters), but that won't prevent it from turning funky in the tank or the plumbing from getting funky. So if 180 gallons is more than you can use in a week or two, put only 100 gallons in the tank. So you'll have to fill the tank a little more often...that'll just give you an excuse to sit down and enjoy a cold one while taking on water.

 

[Tom Spohn]

We have taken a tip from RV owners in that we filter the water going INTO the tank. Have had no problems with stale water since doing this.

 

[Steve Dion]

My Admiral is ALWAYS properly treated when she is on board.

It mellows her out when the wind is hitting 25+ and we are still under full sail.

 

[Tim R.]

But to give you a serious answer now... There's only one way to prevent water in the tanks from becoming stale: USE it! As you've already discovered, you can eliminate funky taste/smell with faucet filters (you can use household filters), but that won't prevent it from turning funky in the tank or the plumbing from getting funky. So if 180 gallons is more than you can use in a week or two, put only 100 gallons in the tank. So you'll have to fill the tank a little more often...that'll just give you an excuse to sit down and enjoy a cold one while taking on water.

Filling water tanks in Maine when it is 10 degrees out makes you want to sit inside and watch everyone else do it twice as often as you do.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

When it's that cold, you don't have to worry about your water turning funky...the "critters" that cause it become so sluggish below 60 F that a tankful of water should stay fresh all winter. I'd be more concerned about frozen plumbing!

 

[Tim R.]

When it's that cold, you don't have to worry about your water turning funky...the "critters" that cause it become so sluggish below 60 F that a tankful of water should stay fresh all winter. I'd be more concerned about frozen plumbing!

The boat will be heated so frozen plumbing onboard should not be an issue. The water tanks are presently down in the hull which keeps them about the same temp as the outside water which in Maine is pretty chilly.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I don't think you're likely to have any funky water issues this winter. But do you know for certain that the water will be on in the marina during the winter? Most marinas in climates where hard freezes are common turn off their dock water for the winter.

 

[Tim R.]

They leave a frost-proof faucet on all winter. We will submerge a hose and raise it when we need to fill the tanks. We will be living among 10-12 other year-round live aboards. I do have a watermaker but I do not want to put unnecessary wear and tear on it so I will pickle it for winter. I am also leary of the water quality this close to the city.

 

[catsailor]

They leave a frost-proof faucet on all winter. We will submerge a hose and raise it when we need to fill the tanks. We will be living among 10-12 other year-round live aboards. I do have a watermaker but I do not want to put unnecessary wear and tear on it so I will pickle it for winter. I am also leary of the water quality this close to the city.

I never tried the "dunk the hose " method, but since the ocean freezes at ~ 28F, won't you at least get some slush? My gut tells me walking the hose MT might be safer, but that's not easy either.

 

[Tim R.]

Portland Harbor rarely freezes and nearly never where I am. I have no expereince with either methods but do know that is how others have done this in the past. I also think an empty hose would be good but then think it would become brittle if left out and would also get covered with ice and snow. If they had a heated storage shed for us it would not be an issue.