Smelly water from fresh water tank

[Bruce_Olson]

My boat has a 100 gallon aluminum fresh water tank. A month ago, when we put it back in the water, we filled, drained and re-filled the tank. When we went down to the boat this weekend, the water had a strong sulfer like smell. I assume that this is related to bacteria or other life in the water. I''m going to add a two stage filter to part of the fresh water system, but would appreciate suggestions on how to avoid the problem. I thought of putting a little chlorine in the water, but supposedly that is a bad idea with an aluminum tank. It has been suggested that I add a little iodine. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Bruce

[Irwin32]

A friend of mine insists that vodka takes care of all water tank problems. I am not sure of the ratios, but a couple of good flushes would have to take care of the vodka.

[Irwin32]

Maybe the water you put in the tank had a high sulpher content.

[Yodagwb]

Do you put the voka in the tank or do you drink it so you don''t notice the tank taste?

[CISCOJOE]

do not add chlorine to the tank. you will create aluminium chloride which over time will cause you more trouble.

i have an aluminum tank. cleaned and drained it as you did. the odor free result was short-lived. it occurred to me the odor was residing in the lines. the remedy for me was to pickup the chlorine bleach water solution from a bucket , bypassing the tank-
i run the solution thru the lines once a month and have had odor free water for the last 3 months.

good luck

[Bruce_Olson]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I''ll try the bleach solution directly into the hoses first. I might give the vodka in the tank a try, but I have a hard time with the idea of pouring several bottles of vodka into my tank and then flushing it overboard. Possibly, if I had a better idea of how this is supposed to work?

[captkris]

Will chlorine damage the rubber in the water pumps?

[sailingdog]

Yes, if left in the system for an extended period of time. It also does a number on aluminum tanks.

BTW, you really should have started a new thread... not revived a dead one.

Originally Posted by captkris

Will chlorine damage the rubber in the water pumps?

[Rockter]

If the water is oxygenated, and kept oxygenated, it really should not happen. Is the tank breather open? Did you overfill the tank so that thare was no free surface exposed to the air?

[SallyH]

This stuff will completely sanitize the water - without chlorine or bleaches.

Good luck.