cleaning water tanks

[justinc]

Anyone shed some light on possible issues with storing good quality rain water in a plastic CT tank for extended periods? The tank has no drain plug:mad:, so I'll have to remove a hose I reckon. I have no electric pump in CT, only a hand type.
Has anyone had success with any water conditioners or similar? Or do they make the water taste odd, and are they necessary?
Thanks,


JC

[Blknight.aus]

so long as the tank is shaded and has debry filters you just need to use a couple of high quality water filters on the delivery side.

you can get puritabs in liquid format but they make the water taste weird.

[justinc]

so long as the tank is shaded and has debry filters you just need to use a couple of high quality water filters on the delivery side.

you can get puritabs in liquid format but they make the water taste weird.

Thanks Dave, it was the Puritabs I was worried about. The water was fresh rain water, from a new water tank, and has been in the CT tank in cool temps in the workshop since June '09(:eek:)

I was wondering about whether to drain it out somehow and put in tap water for the next weeks trip/ camping at the outlaws. It smells fine and tastes OK, so maybe not bother?

JC

[Utemad]

If it smells and tastes fine then I would just leave it alone.
All I ever do to mine is top it up before a trip with tap water.
Have only ever drained it once and that was about two months ago when plumbing a new tap and had to remove the tank for access.

The camper is 3 years old this week. Might give it a birthday cake. Mmmmmmmm cake :)

[isuzu110]

I used to drain mine after every trip but now don't bother. Haven't noticed any problems. CT is stored in a garage.

[justinc]

If it smells and tastes fine then I would just leave it alone.
All I ever do to mine is top it up before a trip with tap water.
Have only ever drained it once and that was about two months ago when plumbing a new tap and had to remove the tank for access.

The camper is 3 years old this week. Might give it a birthday cake. Mmmmmmmm cake :)

Mmmmm, cake! Ours is now 2 years old, so also needs a cake:twisted: or 2 ....:D

I'll leave the water alone then:)

Thanks all.

JC

[dmdigital]

A tip we were given when we bought the Kamper:

Always filter all water you put in to the tanks on the trailer.

We bought a two pot micro-fibre and activated carbon filter which we use when ever we fill the tanks. Also I always leave the tanks stored full, drain before we are about to go away and refill them.

[LandyAndy]

Hey JC
Good post.
I will add a drain in the fittings of my CT water tank whilst plumbing even though mine will have the luxury of a 12v pump.
Cheers
Andrew

[d@rk51d3]

What's the tank made from?

At work, we used to get people bring in their black poly caravan tanks, and we would poly-weld in a threaded fitting, to allow a drain plug to be used.

If that's the case, any large scale irrigation joint should be able to do it for you........... or even a poly tank manufacturer. (alot of team-poly drivers have a welder in the truck.)

Also be careful with rainwater and carbon filters. The bacteria in the rainwater breeds like mad in carbon. So if you're susceptible to guardia (etc.) you may need to find another filter media, or at least get a carbon with a ceramic outer. Not cheap though, and very slow passthrough.

[clean32]

i wouldint be leaving water in any tank, rain water isint very clean, just to form rain a fair amount of dirt needs to be injected and then theres the method of capture. town supply is the best. rain water 3 days and i would be getting a bit suspect.

Darkside is correct about carbon filters

[clean32]

oh your actual question, water conditioners. personaly i doint like them mainly becouse you doint know whats in the water to start with and what you actualy need to treat it so adding stuff willy nilly i doint beleve in.

good clean dry tanks, town supply water, no light = 1 week. after that i would and do boil

[dmdigital]

Also be careful with rainwater and carbon filters. The bacteria in the rainwater breeds like mad in carbon. So if you're susceptible to guardia (etc.) you may need to find another filter media, or at least get a carbon with a ceramic outer. Not cheap though, and very slow passthrough.
We remove the filters from the bowls, vacuum seal them in bags and stick them in the fridge between uses. Also replace every 12 months regardless of how often they are used.

[JDNSW]

i wouldint be leaving water in any tank, rain water isint very clean, just to form rain a fair amount of dirt needs to be injected and then theres the method of capture. town supply is the best. rain water 3 days and i would be getting a bit suspect.

Darkside is correct about carbon filters

Recent studies in Adelaide show no difference in infection rates between those using rainwater and those using town water. Most rural residents use rainwater without filtering and without ill effects. These facts suggest that the risk is overrated.

The amount of particulate material needed to nucleate rain drops is so small as to be almost unmeasurable. Much more comes off the roof than falls in the rain - hence the devices that discard the first few litres, but as a general rule, while not as sterile as town water, rainwater presents little risk unless there is some form of overt contamination such as birds nesting on the roof.

John

[123rover50]

Filters in your bowels???

[dmdigital]

Filters in your bowels???

I'm glad Ron didn't see that one:TIC:

All corrected now;)

[123rover50]

Been raining all afternoon, if this is climate change ,bring it on.
Water tanks nearly full . Two 10,000 gal tanks, never had filters untill the possum population grew and use the roof as a racetrack. Cockatoos roost on it and frogs live in the downpipes. With all that poo, I decided to put a 10 " carbon filter in the supply to the kitchen sink and icemaker water dispenser fridge. Not the whole house. Filters to 1 micron and I change it when the output from the sink tap drops off. Maybe 4 to 6 months.

No problems so far.

Didiman.

[d@rk51d3]

To be honest, most people are not affected by bacteria in the rainwater (except in extreme contamination situations), but to filter it out effectively, you'll need at least 0.4 micron.

Davey Water Products have an item called Acquasafe (I think). Essentially it's an oxidising agent that you add to the tank (similar to hydrogen peroxide)than burns (kills) the bacteria, and converts to water in the process. Also contains a silver colloid in trace amounts too. Highly recommended but the water companies, and used by B&B's, and food production facilities that use rainwater.

Another effective method is UV. Not cheap either, and not exactly portable.

[LandyAndy]

Darkside.
Surely a T piece in the line with a bung in it is easier than removing the tank to put a drain in????
Andrew

[rovercare]

i wouldint be leaving water in any tank, rain water isint very clean, just to form rain a fair amount of dirt needs to be injected and then theres the method of capture. town supply is the best. rain water 3 days and i would be getting a bit suspect.

Darkside is correct about carbon filters

I'd be sure your tinfoil hat has a brim, so as no rainwater gets on your skin:D

If it smells and tastes fine, its fine;)

[clean32]

I'd be sure your tinfoil hat has a brim, so as no rainwater gets on your skin:D

If it smells and tastes fine, its fine;)

Well you know what they say," a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing"

[fraser130]

My Mum and Dad just spent 6 months up north in their winnebago (hotel), but we borrowed it last yer and put river water in thetank from a rainforest down here in Vic. The tank was seriously infected, but hey did a really simple 1 to 1000 bleach, let it sit full for 20 mins, then drain, then rinse, then it's good as new.
Apparently it's when you leave the tank near empty in the warmer climates that you get problems...
I can fel that Southern Comfortt shot kicking in...bettr go...

Fraser

[Redback]

If you have an infected tankst want to clean it thoroughly, then drive down to your local Homebrew shop and ask for Pink Stain, this will clean and sterilise your tank, make sure you rinse well afterwards.

Then get these and fit them after the tank and before the tap;)

http://www.4wdlinks.com.au/albums/bazzar/Water_filter_002.sized.jpg

Baz.

[d@rk51d3]

Darkside.
Surely a T piece in the line with a bung in it is easier than removing the tank to put a drain in????
Andrew

That's providing that the existing tank outlet is at the bottom. some are top fed, so you probably won't get all the old water out.

[disco_thrasher]

i wouldint be leaving water in any tank, rain water isint very clean, just to form rain a fair amount of dirt needs to be injected and then theres the method of capture. town supply is the best. rain water 3 days and i would be getting a bit suspect.

Darkside is correct about carbon filters

i have lived off pure rain water?(beer too) for 30 odd years never used a filter and gee there is nothing wrong with me my daughter /wife /,brothers and there families or even my parents who have lived of pure rainwater there entire lives and they almost 70 and still running around

we have 125 000 L of water tanks and some sit for 6mnths without been used yes the get stirred every week but thats it

JC your rain water in your tank will be just fine if it tastes good and no smell
i good cleaner is white vinegar for a 80l tank use 1l fill the tank then take it for a drive so it swishes around then drain it refill it to half only take it for a drive then drain and refill for use ,i do this every year to my tanks and no problems

cheers kelvin

[Lotz-A-Landies]

i have lived off pure rain water?(beer too) for 30 odd years never used a filter and gee there is nothing wrong with me my daughter /wife /,brothers and there families or even my parents who have lived of pure rainwater there entire lives and they almost 70 and still running around <snip>...How is everyone's teeth? (No fluoride in tank water.)

Back on topic, lots of good advice above, however whenever I use water tanks and even water jerrycans after a long period out of use. I always drain the tank (sometimes by siphon) then add a sterilising solution which in my case is often "Milton (http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/SO/sodium_hypochlorite.html)" or even just diluted bleach solution and leave it in the tank for about an hour. After that I drain and flush the tank usually by running a hose so that the volume of water in the tank is replaced several times.

Yes I do use tank water because I'm on town water and the RW tank is usually overflowing. I also have a special food grade hose for filling.

If you are on an Enviro-Tank or similar septic system be careful not to let the hypochlorite into the bacteria tank as it will kill them as well and be careful with metals as it will corrode even stainless steel if left inside or as splashes on the outside.

[disco_thrasher]

How is everyone's teeth? (No fluoride in tank water.)

Back on topic, lots of good advice above, however whenever I use water tanks and even water jerrycans after a long period out of use. I always drain the tank (sometimes by siphon) then add a sterilising solution which in my case is often "Milton (http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/SO/sodium_hypochlorite.html)" or even just diluted bleach solution and leave it in the tank for about an hour. After that I drain and flush the tank usually by running a hose so that the volume of water in the tank is replaced several times.

Yes I do use tank water because I'm on town water and the RW tank is usually overflowing. I also have a special food grade hose for filling.

If you are on an Enviro-Tank or similar septic system be careful not to let the hypochlorite into the bacteria tank as it will kill them as well and be careful with metals as it will corrode even stainless steel if left inside or as splashes on the outside.


you dont need flouride to keep your teeth healthy

as i said in my post white vinegar has been used as a natural anti bacterial for 100 's of years and has no servere chemicals in it and cheap and good for the enviro if you drink it diluted you not gonna get sick or die?(if some is left in the tank after cleaning)

[Bushwanderer]

If you have an infected tankst want to clean it thoroughly, then drive down to your local Homebrew shop and ask for Pink Stain, this will clean and sterilise your tank, make sure you rinse well afterwards.

Then get these and fit them after the tank and before the tap;)

Baz.

Hi Baz,
Pray tell, is there anything in those lovely plastic housings?

[Bushwanderer]

you dont need flouride to keep your teeth healthy
SNIP


Bloody hell, another luddite!:mad:

[disco_thrasher]

Bloody hell, another luddite!:mad:
Qld only got flouride introduced into there water late last year so all Qlders have been living without flouride

luddite in a sentence
The Luddite movement, which began in 1811 and 1812 when mills and pieces of factory machinery were burned by handloom weavers, took its name from the fictive Ned Ludd.
The Luddites often appeared at a factory in disguise and stated that they had come upon the orders of General Ned Ludd. These demands included restoration of reasonable rates of compensation, acceptable work conditions, and probably quality control. (is that not a union delegate)


enough of this change of subject ..all i was saying there is nothing wrong with rain water been stored for a period of time

[Lotz-A-Landies]

How is everyone's teeth? (No fluoride in tank water.)

you dont need flouride to keep your teeth healthy

as i said in my post white vinegar has been used as a natural anti bacterial for 100 's of years and has no servere chemicals in it and cheap and good for the enviro if you drink it diluted you not gonna get sick or die?(if some is left in the tank after cleaning)No you don't need fluoride to keep your teeth healthy, that is correct. However fluoride has nothing to do with bacterial count and everything to do with the enamel of children's teeth.

The addition of fluoride to water supplies has been an incredible public health success. More importantly because not everyone, particularly children, are fastidious about dental hygene and having sufficent minerals in their diet.

[disco_thrasher]

No you don't need fluoride to keep your teeth healthy, that is correct. However fluoride has nothing to do with bacterial count and everything to do with the enamel of children's teeth.

The addition of fluoride to water supplies has been an incredible public health success. More importantly because not everyone, particularly children, are fastidious about dental hygene and having sufficent minerals in their diet.


as you can see i did not start the flouride issue and was asked how our teeth where so i answered it you dont need floride to make your teeth healthy

i personaly will not tolerate being personally attacked and being called a luddite

anyway JC sorry this has hijacked your thread i only answered a question


LOTZ-A - LANDYS
enjoy your xmas

[p38arover]

i personaly will not tolerate being personally attacked and being called a luddite



I didn't see it as a personal attack. Being called a Luddite is not that bad - I'm one. The problem is that you are looking at the original meaning of the term, not the term as it is now seen.


LOTZ-A - LANDYS
enjoy your ****ing xmas

:mad:

Now that could be called a personal attack and is not particularly nice nor called for. Diana made no attack upon you, Kelvin.

[p38arover]

Like many Australians. we've used rainwater for drinking and never had an issue. Our house water supply on Norfolk Island was rain water and we lived on it for 3 years with no problems. As a kid, our house had rain water as did our house when I lived in Ceduna in the 1969-1970.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

<snip>...LOTZ-A - LANDYS
enjoy your ChristmasThe handle is Lotz-A-Landies and thank you for your greeting. However I would prefer that you keep Christ in Christmas if you must give me the season's greetings at all although I don't celebrate it myself. What I do understand is that it is important for Christians and only respectful that we don't blaspheme His name.

As Ron has suggested, I wasn't attacking you, just pointing out that apart from the risk of crypto and bacteria in rainwater, there is also a risk to the dentition of children. No offence meant.

Seasons greetings to you as well.
Diana

[disco_thrasher]

:eek2: :confused: :eek2: :soapbox:

[Bushwanderer]

Sorry Diana,
I think I might have inflamed things by calling him a Luddite. I stand by that call, although I appreciate your attempts at reason.

It's really interesting that some people feel obliged to force their views on others, even though they are poorly informed.

All the Best,
Peter

[disco_thrasher]

:imwithstupid::soapbox:
Sorry Diana,
I think I might have inflamed things by calling him a Luddite. I stand by that call, although I appreciate your attempts at reason.

It's really interesting that some people feel obliged to force their views on others, even though they are poorly informed.

All the Best,
Peter


WTF :imwithstupid:

[Pedro_The_Swift]

MOD HAT ON.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

[TerryO]

Just to take this discussion to a whole new level of sillyness and even further off topic. There is some arguement about the lord being a 'he', while I don't pretend that I have the absolute answer to this debate I can say one thing for sure.

If people want to argue and get heated about whats good water and or not, which should be such an easy topic to discuss, then I can't wait to see how excited they will get about debating religion.

For the sake of an interesting debate I'll go with the feminists point of view on this occassion that the
lord is a woman... Any takers??

So from a very proud male chauvinist luddite who is extremely happy it is raining and filling our empty water tanks with either drinkable or not drinkable water depending on who you listen too...

Merry Christmas
Terry ;)

[Lotz-A-Landies]

(title "He or Her that is the question") Just to take this discussion to a whole new level of sillyness and even further off topic. ... <snip>Yes Terry, it is further off topic and about as annoying as all the various Christmas stuff on TV. But it is their celebration and there is a lot of them so be it.

From your point I put the "his" in Bold-Italics exactly for the reason of the debate, but also the people who believe in Christ almost always believe it to be a him. Once again it was out of respect for their beliefs.

As I have said elsewhere, you don't have to hold a belief yourself but it is plain bad manners to go around disrespecting the fully held beliefs of others, be they Christian; Jewish; Muslim; Buddhist or a host of others. Importantly I mean the disrespect by illiterating the names of the deities, prophets and festivals they hold to be true.

Nuff Said.

[rovercare]

Bloody hell, another luddite!:mad:


Manners!:p

I agree, I've lived on tank water all my life, it much hasn;t wrong anything me:D

If it smells and tastes fine, it is, pretty simple;)

[TerryO]

Yes Terry, it is further off topic and about as annoying as all the various Christmas stuff on TV. But it is their celebration and there is a lot of them so be it.

From your point I put the "his" in Bold-Italics exactly for the reason of the debate, but also the people who believe in Christ almost always believe it to be a him. Once again it was out of respect for their beliefs.

.

He or her was that the question?

I must admit I didn’t expect you to bite Diana and all of what I said in my comment was very much tongue in cheek meant to add some light heartedness to what looked like becoming a heated debate.

Still you did bite just a little.

The answer to the question ‘he or her’ possibly can be found in the very first monotheistic religion Zoroastrianism which was around roughly a thousand years before Christianity, Judaism and Islam and is accepted in many circles as the basis of these religions. The Zoroastrian religion has a male God whose name is Ahura Mazda and no he didn’t create the rotary engine.

Look on the bright side the argueing over water has stopped...

:angel:

Merry Christmas
Terry

[rovercare]

The Zoroastrian religion has a male God whose name is Ahura Mazda and no he didn’t create the rotary engine.




Nope, but its all a big Wankel:angel::D

[TerryO]

I knew someone would get it...;)


cheers,
Terry

[LandyAndy]

HIM OR HER????
I got the answer yesterday.
Watch the movie DOGMA,all shall be revealed:cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[numpty]

Back on topic.......:angel: I very rarely drain our tanks out. I have a 65 litre zinc anneal tank in the vehicle and a 55 litre black plastic caravan tank in the trailer. In actual fact, the water in the vehicle tank has been there for 12 months. T he trailer tank is in the trailer, not under, and I fitted a drain in the line between the tank and the pump, so can drain it if desired.

Apart from the odd tic and a pronounced left turn in my stride, there is nothing that the water has done to me.:D

[justinc]

Gee thanks all, some very *interesting* comments in there, I think:eek:

If anyone is still interested, the water in my campertrailer tank is still very much clear and tastes wonderful, so unless I am struck down in the next few days with some awful stomach disorder, then I am happy that at this point I need not panic about it.

I WILL however be investing in some filters, as when travelling it is a bit of a lottery on quality of supply.

Once again, thank you all for an entertaining and informative read:)

And goodnight.


JC