Clean out fresh water tank

[FLWhaler]

Anyone ever clean out the fresh water tank and how did you do it?

 

[ElyseM]

Spring Fresh

Spring Fresh - 1 Gallon Bilingual

www.camco.net

i use this every year coming out of layup. good luck, ron

 

[seasick]

First thing I do is put the nozzle of a water hose into the fill and run water until the tank overflows. Then I let it run until no more 'gunk' overflows. Now I pump out some water using the washdown or sink and add some bleach. An ounce for every 10 gallons of capacity , sometimes less, sometimes more depending on how moldy the tank was. Fill with water and let sit for 15 minutes or so. Run the faucets again to bleach out the lines and fixtures.
When the mixture is all pumped out, check any filters or screens and clean as needed. (If a screen is really clogged up, you may have to clean it first before the tank flushing).

It will help a lot to add a bit of bleach to the tank especially if fresh water doesn't get used up very quickly. A small amount per tank (maybe 1/2 ounce/ 10 gal) will keep growth way down.
Of course, don't drink the water and be careful with the water that you drain out when flushing. The bleach can damage your clothes and upholstery.

 

[PDX-Boats]

First thing I do is put the nozzle of a water hose into the fill and run water until the tank overflows. Then I let it run until no more 'gunk' overflows. Now I pump out some water using the washdown or sink and add some bleach. An ounce for every 10 gallons of capacity , sometimes less, sometimes more depending on how moldy the tank was. Fill with water and let sit for 15 minutes or so. Run the faucets again to bleach out the lines and fixtures.
When the mixture is all pumped out, check any filters or screens and clean as needed. (If a screen is really clogged up, you may have to clean it first before the tank flushing).

It will help a lot to add a bit of bleach to the tank especially if fresh water doesn't get used up very quickly. A small amount per tank (maybe 1/2 ounce/ 10 gal) will keep growth way down.
Of course, don't drink the water and be careful with the water that you drain out when flushing. The bleach can damage your clothes and upholstery.

Where are the filters located? How many are there to clean?

 

[SkunkBoat]

I would add that at first instead of filling you use a hard spray into an empty tank a few times to bust loose some crap.

The ends of the faucets unscrew to remove screens

 

[seasick]

I would add that at first instead of filling you use a hard spray into an empty tank a few times to bust loose some crap.

The ends of the faucets unscrew to remove screens

My system on one boat has a clear plastic filter that screws on to the input side of the pump. The filter looks a bit like a yoyo and has a metal mesh screen inside. It can be opened, the screen removed and cleaned. It get pretty cruddy over a season. Some system have an in-line filter in the plumbing.

As to the hard spray first, I should have mentioned that but because of how I get started at spring commissioning, it jsut happens that way. My tank has antifreeze in it over the winter. In the spring I use the pump to empty the antifreeze. Then I jam a straight hose nozzle into the fill and fill the tank. The force of the nozzle scrubs the tank and the gunk floats up eventually overflowing. Do that until water runs clear. Note that if a lot of gunk develops during winter layup, the filter is present can clog in a hurry and may need to be cleaned a few times.
Regarding the screen in the faucet head, I would remove that before anything.

 

[Fishtales]

Bleach as was stated to disinfect. There are tablets you can add. Don't drink the from the supply, just use for house purposes and washing down things.