cleaning fresh water tank

paulfitz

GreatGrady Captain
Joined
Feb 12, 2019
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Greenport, NY
Website
www.fitzpatrickinvestigations.com
Model
Seafarer
Hello All,
Just got out on my new to me 2004 Seafarer 226. The freshwater shower is shooting out bits of brown gunk along with the water. So, I'm thinking the whole tank/system may need a good cleaning. Any suggestions on how I may be able to do that please?
Thank you all for your help.
Paul
 

SkunkBoat

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2017
Messages
4,137
Reaction score
1,435
Points
113
Location
Manasquan Inlet NJ
Website
www.youtube.com
Model
Express 265
Its a pain. It takes a while. Combination of getting some bleach in there, shooting water in with hose, REMOVE ALL SCREENS FROM FAUCETS, open all faucets, try to get it near empty and then really work the shooting water in/drain it out....don't keep filling it up, you need the pressure of the water hose to loosen things, more bleach water...come back tomorrow....
 

DennisG01

GreatGrady Captain
Joined
Sep 1, 2013
Messages
6,744
Reaction score
1,188
Points
113
Location
Allentown, PA & Friendship, ME
Model
Offshore
Yeah, it's a bit of project. Not hard, by any means, just time consuming. Since you just got the boat, once you get it clean, just make it a habit to keep the water system clean in the future so you don't have to deal with this again. A little preventative maintenance goes a long way.

You might start with just letting a blach/water mixture (a cup of bleach is plenty) set in the tank for day, first. And go trailer it around for a bit to agitate things. I wonder if you couldn't stick a hose down the fill neck, to the bottom of the tank? Duct tape that hose to a shop vac hose. Maybe you'll get rid of a good majority of the crud that way. Once you get the tank mostly clean, do another water/bleach mix and pump it through the entire system and again let it sit for a while.

Depending on your access to the fresh water pump, and it's filter (to keep cleaning it), disconnect the output side and run it into a bucket or just into the bilge. If that's easier for you to help get the majority of the crud out, that is.

Ever see those water hose end fittings (for garden hose) that have little holes in them? I wonder if you couldn't snake that down through the fill hose? They're sort of like little pressure washer nozzles. Maybe you could do the same thing by inserting a barb to barb fitting in the end of the garden hose, then plugging the free end of the barb fitting and drilling small holes in it (experiment with size). If that fits into the tank, it should do a better job of dislodging the crud.
 

seasick

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
9,071
Reaction score
1,292
Points
113
Location
NYC
Put the garden hose into the fill port for the tank. You may need to hold it in place but keep filling until the tank overflows back out the fill. Let it flush for a while and hopefully at one point you will see gunk flushing out. Continue until the gunk clears up. You may or may not need to pre-treat the tank with bleach.
If you need to do a first stronger treatment, add about an ounce or two per 10 gallons of water and let it sit for a while. Then drain and then flush. As mentioned, you should remove any screens or filters until the water runs clear. Going forward, you can add about a half ounce of bleach for every 10 gallons of tank capacity to keep the mold growth to a minimum. You can also just drain and refill frequently. In hotter climates, the gunk grows faster.
 

RussGW270

GreatGrady Captain
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Messages
1,761
Reaction score
253
Points
63
Age
57
Model
Islander
I have to do the same thing. No color to the water, but they use Sulfuric Bromide instead of Chlorine in FL and so smells like Sulfur.. lol.. I have 3 gallons of clorox to run through it over the next few weeks lol

Now, to locate the dadgum tank! have not had it at the house long enough to explore yet.. duh..

R
 

Fishtales

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2005
Messages
7,490
Reaction score
1,161
Points
113
A little bleach with a lot of water and wash, rinse and repeat like the laundry. Make sure you run all faucets/outlets. They sell a preservative you can add to the water when done. It's the same on most boats. Just a spring cleaning item.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zebulon

Bumpye

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2016
Messages
107
Reaction score
20
Points
18
Location
North Shore, Massachusetts
Had the same problem with my Gulfstream. There is filter at the freshwater pump end the would clog up with gunk. Cleaned the filter a couple of times and ran bleach through the system (about a cup) and filled the tank with the hose and pretty high pressure. It took about 2-3 times doing this. All clean now.