Getting odor out of fresh water system

[alfreddiaz]

What have you used that works to get odor out of a freshwater tank?


Lots of advice. Some try bleach. But what really works, other than scrubbing, which is not an option. I have a Catalina 25 with a 20 gallon tank and dc powered pump system. I only use distilled water (learned my lesson the hard way).



Al
SV Carried Away

[Pete7]

What really works? bleach.

We use this stuff once a year, job done.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/pr...4f&fo_s=gplauk

Why are you only using distilled water? that must be expensive.

[skipmac]

Depends on what kind of odor.

If it's a tanky, plastic kind of odor then cleaning and constant use and refilling will help a lot.

If it's a kind of rotten egg smell then quit using distilled water or add a bit of chlorine to it. I made this mistake in the past, filling from marina with pure water from reverse osmosis. With no chlorine in the water to kill the bugs it turned stinky and rotten in less than a week.

Either way, occasional cleaning of the tank, water lines, pumps by running a high bleach batch through the system is highly recommended. Search on the internet or this forum will give you the exact quantity of bleach to add.

[Knotical]

Last fall, every time we opened the faucet and our port tank was selected we got this nasty smell, the boat was new to us and I didn't yet know what to do.

This spring we scrubbed both tanks from inside with plenty of soap and some bleach, then rinsed it several times with fresh water, refilled, added bleach and ran all faucets on the boat, did that with both tanks, rinsed it again with plenty of fresh water. I also cleaned the strainers before reattaching. Now, there is absolutely no smell. I may add a little chlorine in them but I have not so far. We get water from the town dock.

[barnakiel]

We used generic tablets from the chandler and they worked fine.


That was some kind of silver compound.


b.

[Shrew]

Bleach

[SailSonoma]

Once you have the rotten egg smell in the water, I've found that the trick to bleach is to shock the system first with a level that is not potable. Then fully empty the tanks and refill.

[smbdyiam2]

try dropping a zinc anode in it. work in hot water tanks with well water

[daletournier]

How much bleach, anyone have a a suggestion.

My water is used weekly but I did notice a "taste" the other week when the tanks got right down , so I'm thinking bleach, never had to before.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by daletournier

How much bleach, anyone have a a suggestion.

I have to defer to the Headmistress in post 8 here:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...er-177853.html

[Howler]

Originally Posted by daletournier

How much bleach, anyone have a a suggestion.

My water is used weekly but I did notice a "taste" the other week when the tanks got right down , so I'm thinking bleach, never had to before.

If you need to shock the system, as SonomaSail suggests, here’s a good article that includes amounts: Knots and Boats: How To Clean A Fresh Water System

Another thing we do is add a half cup of bleach every fill (50 gallon tank... adjust accordingly). This keeps it fresh and clean and the amount of bleach in your water is similar to that of city water. NB: We don’t drink it but we cook, wash, brush teeth, etc. with it. And the added bonus, according to certain government officers: it fights Coronavirus!

[jeffp2]

Whatever treatment you use, make sure you fill the tank completely. The treatment must be in contact with all sides of the tank, including top, to be effective.

[a64pilot]

Calcium Hypochlorate (Bleach) will not kill a sessile bacteria colony, it will kill any in the water though, but isn’t effective on the slime layer on the inside of your lines and in your tank, slime is a protective layer for the bacteria.
Continuous UV sterilization, ozone and chlorine dioxide if continuously dosed will work (good luck with that)
I just posted this link on another thread, page 10 covers effective treatments
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4413065/

Best thing that works for us is to continuously use the water, and have a very good filter that contains carbon and colloidal silver, I use a Seagull filter because it came with the boat, but they are way overpriced, surely you can do the same for less, but you need the colloidal silver to keep the filter from becoming a breeding ground for the bacteria.

[Flatswing]

Definitely follow Peggy Hall’s Instructions. Oft repeated in this forum. U might want to buy her book as it is invaluable & reasonable.
Distilled/ untreated water doesn’t stay clean or safe - municipalities use Cl for this very reason & regularly “shock” end Consumer lines with higher concentrations Of Cl compounds to keep the water potable. (Which is why u will smell Cl more strongly at the tsp from time to time). If your Marina source is a Treated, municipal supply just put it in the tank (I usually wash the boat to flush the Marina supply lines 1st) after you have shocked & thoroughly cleaned all of your hot & cold lines. A cheap carbon filter on the faucet will remove any residual Cl taste if u find it noticeable. If you are on well water, follow Peggy’s instructions for maintenance-probably about a capful of regular bleach in each tank fill

[Howler]

Actually, Peggy is opposed to adding a little bleach each fill. I retract my earlier suggestion to do this because I have the utmost respect for the Head Mistress.