fresh water tank smells bad-gctid383410

[Guest]

I did a thread search but didn't come up with any past post on this subject so heres what info I'm looking for if you can please. As stated above I have a foul oder/taste coming from my fresh water tank why is this happening and what can I do to get rid of it?

[RinnyBeth]

change hoses and or bleach out the tank and flush a bunch of times... sulfur smells?

[Guest]

I have seen several additives on the shelf at West Marine that are designed to deal with that.

[Guest]

dwoodford wrote:
I did a thread search but didn't come up with any past post on this subject so heres what info I'm looking for if you can please. As stated above I have a foul oder/taste coming from my fresh water tank why is this happening and what can I do to get rid of it?

Can you describe the smell? It could be one of various issues; and pumping/bleaching the tank may not do the trick.

The first thing I would consider is the quality of the water going into your tank. Yes, that can often times be the culprit. I once berthed my boat at a marina where the well water had a high sulfur content. Whenever we turned on the faucet, the cabin would smell like rotten eggs. I quickly solved the problem by adding an activated carbon filter to my fresh water output (after the pump).

[carguy]

This is in the library: http://www.baylinerownersclub.org/fo...h-Water-System

[Papa_Charlie]

Sounds like you got some bad water or it has sat in there too long.

Empty the tank. Make up a solution of 1/4 cup of bleach to 2 gallons of water. Poor it in your tank then fill. Run all the faucets, both hot and cold until you get the smell of bleach. Let it sit for at least 3 hours. Then continue to drain the system by running the water out of all the faucets. Fill and drain until the smell of bleach has disipated. This may take a couple of tank fulls. I also remove the screens on the faucets during this.

DO NOT POOR STRAIGHT BLEACH DIRECTLY INTO THE TANK! Make a mixture.

[CaptTom]

Follow Peggie's commissioning procedure linked above.

I drink water straight from my on-board system. A lot of people say "eeeewwww" when they hear that, because they know what water from THEIR system would taste like.

But I commission it every spring, sometimes re-do half way through the season, and (here's the secret) USE it all the time. The key is keeping the fresh water flowing through the system. New water from the municipal supply is already chlorinated, so it keeps the system fresh. The worst thing to do is NOT to use it.

Another tip, when you fill your system with the bleach mixture, let it run out the vent for a minute or so, to be sure the vent line is also full of bleach mixture.

[Guest]

Papa Charlie wrote:
DO NOT POOR STRAIGHT BLEACH DIRECTLY INTO THE TANK! Make a mixture.

Curious. Why not? I've not heard this.

[Guest]

don't pour straight bleach into the tank...mainly cus some polimars will react to the bleach....I'd use white vinegar for the tank..

take about a cup of white vinegar and let it sit in the tank for about 24 hrs....drain..then do it again...

:arr arr

[Guest]

I just empty the tank, put about 6-7 gallons of water in, dump in 2 cups of bleach, fill the tank till overflowing & let it sit for about 1/2 hour.

Add more water till it overflows the vent again.

Pump it out, fill with fresh water, let it sit for a bit, then pump it out again. I mostly pump it out thru the Hot side, with a little on the cold side.

Be sure to use FRESH-from-the-store(it has a shelf life of a couple/5 months or so) unscented bleach, not the smells nice or gel stuff.

I dont think bleach will harm anything, but a diluted mix is probably better to sanitize the fill hose.

[Guest]

So is the caution "don't put bleach into an empty tank"? Or is it don't fill up your water tank 1/2 full, then put bleach in, then fill the rest of the tank (like PugetMike does)?

I usually fill my tank up partway, put the bleach in, fill it until overflowing, run the boat, use the water. But we don't drink the water ever. Just use it for the transom shower, rinsing hands off, etc.