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Seapup wrote:I have a question to throw in for the others. What type of tubing do you use to prevent getting a moldy flavor to the water? I used the pasic clear poly from the hardware store and after about a month it needs to be removed and cleaned. The tanks keep fine, but the poly tubing gets funky.

I've used the clear hardware store tubing for a couple of years without issue. Perhaps it's the water you put in. I actually prefer to lug my own city chlorinated water down to the boat vs. using well water from the marina. I think it keeps the junk down a bit. I've heard some put a teaspoon of bleach in their tanks to keep growth down.


As for the electric pump option:

I started off with the electric pump/switch combo. It worked well but seemed to waste more water because I couldn't regulate the flow. It was full on or off. I now have a pressure pump with a valve faucet. If I'm washing my hands, I can turn it to low to rinse slowly. Maybe my imagination, but it seems to last longer. Of course any electric pump will use more water than a manual pump. YMMV

We use food quality hose which we can buy at most hardware stores but better to use it as even if you don't get a gunk buildup you will get a terrible taste out of eg garden hose, the filters do take out all those tastes.
We use a jabsco pump which cuts out on pressure but we turn the taps off manually as would hate a hose to come off and lose our water requiring a trip back to supply which could be 300k's by water (undrinkable).
When travelling on land we carry a couple of containers full of water in the tow truck and top the bladder up with them as it empties.

Clear tubing (CVT) will cause problems......food grade hose is the go...we use Hydrogen Peroxide in our tanks to minimise growth of unwanted "gunk"...and use seperate water containers for the Admiral's tea.
There's a whole range of tank additives available...we just have 20 litre drums of 50% H2O2 available

I have been using this stuff in my 5 gallon water containers for years and have never had anykind of muck or alguae in my tubes or containers. I also install a fresh micro filter like this ,Universal In-Line Water Filter (Shurflo 94-009-50),every year . I can assure you that my water is always fresh ...even after a month in the summer. My water has no smell or taste..it tastes better than my house tap water.
Q1


http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/it ... ener/18634



Add drinking water freshener every time you add water to your tank to:
Remove stale taste & odor from your drinking water
Eliminate taste of plastic, metal and sulfur
Eliminate algae & slime build up in your system
Just one ounce freshens 20 gallons of water
Can be used for both hot & cold water.

Québec 1 wrote:I have been using this stuff in my 5 gallon water containers for years and have never had anykind of muck or alguae in my tubes or containers. I also install a fresh micro filter like this ,Universal In-Line Water Filter (Shurflo 94-009-50),every year . I can assure you that my water is always fresh ...even after a month in the summer. My water has no smell or taste..it tastes better than my house tap water.
Q1

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/it ... ener/18634

Add drinking water freshener every time you add water to your tank to:
Remove stale taste & odor from your drinking water
Eliminate taste of plastic, metal and sulfur
Eliminate algae & slime build up in your system
Just one ounce freshens 20 gallons of water
Can be used for both hot & cold water.

What chemical is the active ingredient(s) is this drinking water freshener? I like the idea of eliminting slime and algae, and freshening the taste, but do not want to use a diluted bleach in my drinking water.

Phil M

This is a diluted bleach product.

Hey Phil--

I think most municipalities in Canada (and the US?) have, for a number of reasons, switched over by now and use bleach as the sanitizer in the drinking water. So tap water in most places you go has bleach in it. But in better measured and monitored quantities than most people would end up with when doing it themselves.

Of course, when the authorities tell you that water is safe to drink, it simply means that it won't kill you... right away!

Like you, I'm concerned about additives in drinking water; since the late 70's when I drink water, it almost exclusively has been distilled water, which I distill myself. Just in case. But of course, distilled water only stores long-term in aseptic conditions, which are hard to maintain, so a sanitizer is still needed for that.

Hydrogen peroxide, like bleach is a strong oxidizer, so it literally "burns" (at a slower rate than combustion, but in much the same way) impurities from the water.

The advantage of hydrogen peroxide is that it breaks down into simple water. But you want to time it so that it has broken down and diluted sufficiently right before you drink it!

One of the keys of successfull storage container sanitation is, through consistent regular maintenance, to prevent slime from building in the first place. Once it does form, it builds a protective biological film, or "coat" around itself, and only very high concentrations of sanitizers can penetrate it, if at all. And even then some mechanical scrubbing might be needed.

-Brian.

The quantities of bleach in drinking water would probably be measured in parts per million, similar to most homeopathic medicines, where the active ingredient is extremely difficult to measure even with sophisticated lab equipment. It is basically harmless to the general population.
I guess we just have to assume that the water is safe, and that the professionals know what they are doing.
I am reluctant to add more bleach or hydrogen peroxide to my drinking water, but I have noticed both my water container and water lines in the Mac need some better routine management, and perhaps, preventive measures.

Phil M

Phil I am affraid I am looking at a R&R of my bladder as it has set for 2 years now.( DONT ASK! ) . No Doubt some water is still in it...How major is major? Disconnect two hose clamps and fold it up and haul it out.. add two rubber caps? I figure I will add some sort of cleaner? Could be bleach could be Peroxide.. Saving Grace? We dont drink that water .. We wash and cook with it.. Boiling it for pasta etc. Drinking water is Bottled as is water for coffee etc.. 1 gallon bottles, stored anywhere and everywhere..

See http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1104

I don't understand the concern about deliberate additives in drinking water. Pollution, sure, but after having googled it, I can't find a single instance of anyone having been harmed by a deliberate water purification additive. Access to safe drinking water is the single strongest correlation to life expectancy, bar none. It's more important that all other medical care combined for improving life expectancy.

The bottom line is that the body is designed to filter out chemical impurities. That's what your kidneys are for. Chlorine is one of ions in regular table salt--your body either evolved to deal with it effectively or God designed it to do so (depending on your world view).

What will kill you in short order is drinking toxic algae that your boat picked up at sea and which grew in your water system. Or any one of a number of amoebas or bacterium.

Don't be foolish. Treat your water.

mastreb wrote: Access to safe drinking water is the single strongest correlation to life expectancy, bar none.

Hmmm... I thought it was access to oxygen

Jim Bunnell wrote:

mastreb wrote: Access to safe drinking water is the single strongest correlation to life expectancy, bar none.

Hmmm... I thought it was access to oxygen

Granted. SECOND strongest correlation to life expectancy

mastreb wrote:I don't understand the concern about deliberate additives in drinking water. Pollution, sure, but after having googled it, I can't find a single instance of anyone having been harmed by a deliberate water purification additive. Access to safe drinking water is the single strongest correlation to life expectancy, bar none. It's more important that all other medical care combined for improving life expectancy.

The bottom line is that the body is designed to filter out chemical impurities. That's what your kidneys are for. Chlorine is one of ions in regular table salt--your body either evolved to deal with it effectively or God designed it to do so (depending on your world view).

What will kill you in short order is drinking toxic algae that your boat picked up at sea and which grew in your water system. Or any one of a number of amoebas or bacterium.

Don't be foolish. Treat your water.

I have heard quite a stir about flouride water treatment, in parts per million too, but that is not what we are discussing here. What chemical do you use to treat your water on your Mac?

Phil M

I just add a few drops of bleach--figure 5 droplets per gallon or one teaspoon per ten gallons. Be certain it's pure 5.25% bleach and that it doesn't contain any scents or other detergents--generally the cheapest generic bleach you can find is best. I come from a culture where emergency preparedness is deeply instilled, so from the time I was a small child we've stored water.

Here's the Homeland Security bulletin on water storage with complete instructions.
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/safewater/