dakota1
Junior Member
Posts: 16
Jeanneau Model: 49 DS
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Post by dakota1 on Apr 17, 2013 5:08:25 GMT
New owner of a 49DS which has been idle for over a year. Am seeking advice regarding flushing water tanks. I have read the owners manual which recommends flushing tanks with vinegar, but is silent as to the ratio of vinegar to H2O. Does anyone have any experience with using vinegar and if so, what solution ratio is best. Thought this might also be appropriate re spring commissioning.
Thanks in advance...
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Post by rene460 on Apr 17, 2013 9:47:59 GMT
Hi dakota, if you search the forum for a thread on"water sensor corrosion", you will find a post I made about last November with suggestions for water tank flushing chemicals which I have used with good success, on my daughter's recommendation. She recommends following the directions carefully, especially the dissolving in hot water. She uses it often in her 4WD in a very hot climate and is quite careful about such things.
I assume that you are suspicious of the tank, otherwise a complete fill and empty, say twice with clean water, and if there is no taste, I would personally skip the chemicals.
rene460
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Post by MalcolmP on Apr 17, 2013 11:22:06 GMT
If you use vinegar I would go for distilled "white" vinegar which doesn't taste/smell as bad as Malt Vinegar It is only acetic acid, so you might find that a lower cost option, but it is quite a strong acid, so use it well diluted - might be better with a food grade citric acid crystals which should freshen things without any real side problems Obviously then rinse everything throughout as if any acid is left it may well corrode sensors etc The thread Rene mentioned is: jeanneau.proboards.com/thread/2364/so36i-watertank-sensor-corrosion |
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Post by mred25234 on Apr 17, 2013 11:41:16 GMT
New owner of a 49DS which has been idle for over a year. Am seeking advice regarding flushing water tanks. I have read the owners manual which recommends flushing tanks with vinegar, but is silent as to the ratio of vinegar to H2O. Does anyone have any experience with using vinegar and if so, what solution ratio is best. Thought this might also be appropriate re spring commissioning. Thanks in advance... Not sure where you are located but in the states West marine sells a gallon jug of "water tank flush" made expressly for this purpose. |
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Post by Zanshin on Apr 17, 2013 11:56:30 GMT
In many countries the tapwater is heavily chlorinated, so flushing with city water might be sufficient - unless you have cause to believe that the tanks are contaminated. The main tank in the aft stateroom(s) have easily accessible and large top inspection ports, so you could look in there with a strong flashlight to see the state of the tanks.
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dakota1
Junior Member
Posts: 16
Jeanneau Model: 49 DS
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Post by dakota1 on Apr 17, 2013 22:42:27 GMT
Thanks to all for your prompt responses... very helpful!
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Post by cpetku on Apr 18, 2013 0:28:40 GMT
When I pulled the inspection plate off last year I'd swear spiders had been living inside when the water was low. If you plan to drink the water, it might be worth a look inside when its empty (assuming SS). The other tell tale sign that thou need to flush again (and again and...) is if the water foams at the facet. RV antifreze used in the winter can be a pain to clear out of the system. Also look for cleaning tablets at your local marine supplier...
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Post by windward54 on Apr 18, 2013 5:00:40 GMT
When I bought our boat, it had been sitting for a while unused. I just ran a couple of tanks of water through the system and it was fine. I primarily use the water from the tanks for washing, especdially the first couple tanks.
Congrats on the new boat, and hope to see you out at Catalina this summer! It'll be nice to see another 49DS out at the island. We can usually be found in Isthmus Cove.
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Post by j on Apr 18, 2013 5:19:34 GMT
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royhb
New Member
Posts: 9 
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Post by royhb on Apr 18, 2013 11:48:28 GMT
On our 42I the only way I can see to drain the tanks is to use the boats pump and empty through the taps.
I've been thinking I might buy a self priming pump to which I would attach a hose that I would drop down the filler tubes.
The reason being to save wear and tear on the boat system pump and impeller.
Have I missed some better way to empty the tanks?
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Post by rxc on Apr 22, 2013 7:43:23 GMT
I haven't had to flush the water tanks on my 43DS because of taste, but I used to do it on my old boat every few years, and it was a pain. We had to add bleach, pump it thru the system, and let it sit for a few hours. Then the tanks needed to be emptied, flushed with fresh water, and a bleach-removal agent needed to be added. That was allowed to stand for a while, and then flushed out. All-in-all, a real pain, but the water was quite good for a few years.
Last year we had a "salt-water incursion" into 2 tanks, and had to flush the salt out. Best strategy was to pump tanks all the way down, add a little bit of sweet water, move the boat a bit, pump out again, and repeat till we could not taste the salt any more. We did not fully fill the tanks eash time we rinsed them. I also have a TDS meter for the watermaker that was useful to make sure our tastebuds were working properly.
Bad tasting water on a boat is miserable. Coffee and tea taste horrible and everyone wants to drink bottled water, which is expensive.
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Post by tedp on Apr 22, 2013 17:01:29 GMT
Something I use is cleaning tablets for dentures. I leave about 5 or 10 of them in the tank for some days, then pump it out and flush it a few times. The worst bit is in the pipes, not the tank itself. They don't taint the water like vinegar or chlorine.
Using bottled water instead of the water from the tank any time you don't want to boil it is a good precaution anyway. If tea and coffee taste all right if made from water out of the tank it's good enough as it is boiled.
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