Flexible water tanks

[lbdavis]

My new-to-me boat had a larger Nauta flexible tank in it that was disgusting. The water smelled horrible and I would have never dared to taste it.

I took the bag out this weekend and the inside is coated in organic yuck. Are there ways to restore the usability of this tank? Chemicals? Soap? Is there anything I can do to keep this from happening again if I do restore it?

If not, are there any good flexible tanks on the market? I like the idea of a rigid tank, but I don't want to cut open my settee to install one of comparable capacity.

Sincerely,
Thirsty.

[sailingdog]

Nauta flexible bladder tanks are among the better ones made. What you need to do is shock treat the tank. The real trick is to keep the water flowing... if you leave the water sitting in the tank, it will stagnate and grow stuff like you have in the tank currently.

To shock treat the tank, follow the directions here.

[SimonV]

The flexible tanks are easier to clean than a hard plastic one as you can massage the the sides together to break away the grunge and do as SD suggests and shock treat.

[BarryL]

Hello,

No offense, but I don't agree with this. My tanks have inspection ports that allow me to reach into the tank and scrub the sides. I can clean out the tank in a few minutes. I also have a Nauta bladder (installed by the PO) and it needs a good cleaning. I have more water capacity than I need, so I just don't use the bladder. If I were to go on a long trip and need it, I would bring it home for a real good cleaning.

Barry

Originally Posted by SimonV

The flexible tanks are easier to clean than a hard plastic one as you can massage the the sides together to break away the grunge and do as SD suggests and shock treat.

[rennisaint]

Hydrogen Peroxide is an excellent disinfectant and cleanser, which will do wonders at destroying any organic material. Regular old dish soap, used in modest amounts will also help significantly towards cleaning and refreshing a tank.

There are several steps you can take in avoiding this in the future as well. If you are traveling in areas with high quality water treatment facilities, such as North America and most of Europe, when you fill your flexible tanks try to remove all air pockets from the bladder. By doing this you helping to maintain the chemical sanitizer balance created at the treatment plant by not exposing the water to oxygen, and you are not giving it space to volatilize off into. This will help keep your water cleaner longer. For proof, take two glasses of water, leave one open, press saran wrap down into the other so that no air is in contact with the water and leave these in a nice dark place for several weeks (kinda like your water tanks) and you'll see the difference between a sealed flexible tank and a solid tank.

Further, you can help reduce grime buildup by adding chlorine to any water you add to the tanks. The general rule of thumb is approximately 12 drops of chlorine, to one gallon of water. However, you may want to only add about half of this in the case of already safe drinking water. You know you have put enough chlorine in when you can just smell the chlorine in the tank once it has been mixed properly. Yea your water will taste slightly chlorinated, but it will be clean, and so will your tank.

NEVER put excessive amounts of disinfectant, soap, etc., into a flexible tank, it will not come out no matter how hard you scrub, all you can do is fill your tank, wait a few days, empty it, repeat over and over, and it will still probably taste like whatever you put in it for a long time to come.

You can almost always restore a flexible tank to decent condition, but can't always get it to like new condition. Also, if your tank looks like a science experiment you may want to take a look at your water lines, they are probably just as bad or worse.

[sailingdog]

BTW, adding vinegar to a rinse will often help neutralize any offensive odors or taste coming from the tank.

[lbdavis]

Fantastic ideas! I think I'll try a Hydrogen Peroxide, bleach, soap, and vinegar concoction tonight. Just kidding. But I might try them all one at a time. I'll get back to you all with the results of my experiment.

Thanks rennisaint, I'm already planning on running new water lines. I will have an entirely new plumbing system in my boat next spring save the hot water heater, pressure pump and possibly the existing Nauta bladder I guess I'll have to shock treat my hot H2O tank in the spring...

Has anyone heard of using a charcoal filter - or something similar - on the line coming out of a fresh water tank/bladder?

You guys rock,
Lance