fresh water tank, tastes like ****!

[nauticalrich]

Have a plastic fresh water tank which is clean. I have always had a funny taste from the water so I just use a Jug for drinking water. I use Aqua Tab, water purifier tablets and have tried Sweet Water that is supposed to remove plastic and rubber taste. None seem to work.

I guess I have two questions:

1. What does work?
2. The Aqua Tab give no reference to chlorine. I wonder if they realy work and how long do the last if the water sits in the tank for a while? Apparently this product falls in the category of many products today, NO PROPER AND COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS. Also, no training in the store that carries it.

[jhanay]

Hello
You are probably tasting and smelling the odor from biological fouling. It appears that the tank doesn''t have a vent or it is plugged up. If all is well wash it thoroughly with clorox.
Joe

[MaryBeth]

2 things:
If this is a used boat:
You never know if it is clean or not unless you take it out and look.
Empty a gallon jug of Clorox bleach into the holding tank, let it sit at least 15 minutes, then fill almost all the way with water. If you can, though I know it sounds silly, try to jostle the boat, thus sloshing the holding tank contents. Empty the tank. Before the tank is totally run empty, pour another jug of Clorox into the tank, (this pulls the bleach into the lines) let it sit again,for about 10 minutes, and almost fill with water again, and again try to jostle. After this fill with potable water and then run it through (don''t taste it). Then, once more, fill with potable water and now see how it is. If it''s still bad to you, fill (without the bleach) and try again. Test it with a common test tab from a boating or camping store. If it is still unbearable after these 4 flushes, you need to replace the tank and lines because the bacteria has become set in the lines. Even though you think the tank is clean, it is not necessarily so.

If this is a new boat:
If this is a brand new tank and you think the water tastes funny, it may be because not enough fresh water has been run through it. Does it taste like you''re drinking out of a new doll at Christmas? Fill the tank and empty it until it tastes okay to you. This could take from 5 to 10 times, believe me. Quite often new boats are sent out with tanks that have had antifreeze put in to protect the tank and the seals. Don''t let this be a feature of your new boat that you can''t use. (I used to deliver new sailboats and we had to use this water, at least for cooking, so it eventually gets to the point where you can stand it, and just gets better from there.)

If this is a new boat, and the water tastes a little funny, please try flushing quite a few times (like I said, even ten times is not too little). Sometimes the dealer/seller fails to mention little facts like this.

Best of luck, and please, please, don''t let this be a feature of your boat that you don''t use.
MaryBeth

[colehankins]

I dont think i would put 2 gallons of bleach in my tanks. Run that stuff throught the pumps and then replace the pumps. Try to use only 1-2 tablespoons of bleach and see if that works. If you still get a ****y taste, try the fresh water tanks and not the holding tank. also have you thought about an inline filter for the sinks? check with the head mistress peggy at sailboatowners.com for real helpful advice (i think she is the utmost authority on fresh and other water)
cole

[joshuaheard]

Use 1/4 cap bleach and 1 tblsp of lemon juice in full tank (at least 20 gal.).

[gnorbury]

Maybe a dumb question, but have you checked the state of the plumbing? Flexible hoses are very susceptible to biological growth, and it can be extremely hard to clean out even with bleach.

The first season I had my boat it suffered from really cruddy tasting water. A quick investigation showed the cause to be the blackend & rather gungy "clear" pvc hoses rather than the stainless steel tanks.

Graham

[MaryBeth]

Sorry if I made you mad, but this has had to be done with used tanks, and then the water tasted, and tested, fine. A few tablespoons of bleach would take forever and a half on the boats I''ve been on. No pumps ever had to be replaced, not even an impellor. You are diluting the bleach with water in a 25 or more gallon tank.

Hope they find an answer,
MaryBeth