Thread: stainless steel water tanks

Originally Posted by scrambler

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

Myth.

As for the clear container/solid container argument - algae need light to grow. No light, no algae. Don't need to see in, coz if you CAN see, they can grow.

If you're THAT worried about growth, drop a water purifying tablet in your container!

Not necessairily, various algaes need bugger all light, as anyone who carries a Coleman cooler in the back of their ute will tell you.Two things, thousands of us are drinking tank water from tanks with green growth on the sides and brown sludge in the bottom with no ill effects, just cos you dont like the look of it doesnt mean its harmful.Two, if you look at the inside of any of the water mains and pipes that deliver water to your home, the walls will be coated with brown sludge anyway, you just dont see it. We have reticulated water supply to my hometown, which is chlorinated and filtered and meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, but the locals refuse to drink it, using it only for washing and showering, all drinking water is from the tank.

not to mention stainless steel is one of the dirtiest metals there is.. cut your self with it and the wound will nearly always fester.

goodies grow just as well on it as they do on plastic if not more, and its harder to move most of the time. they use caustic to clean stainless in breweries and soft drink manufacturing plants...

i have a custom Stainless one in the back of the Defender... i'll take some pix for you....

Originally Posted by incisor

not to mention stainless steel is one of the dirtiest metals there is.. cut your self with it and the wound will nearly always fester.

goodies grow just as well on it as they do on plastic if not more, and its harder to move most of the time. they use caustic to clean stainless in breweries and soft drink manufacturing plants...

Now I'm confused....I thought that stainless would be the safest metal to use....for example: milk trucks use it. Does anyone else have any info. that states that stainless is a dirty metal.

Cleaning stainless steel water tanks is simple.

Fill the tank to about one-third - and drop in about half a dozen Steradent tablets (for a 45 litre tank).

Drive around for a couple of days - drain the water, give it a good rinse - hose in/tap on etc.

The tank is then clean.

If you have a stainless steel thermos that has been used for black tea or even white coffee/tea and it is stained - try a couple of the Steradent tablets in it - you will soon see why the above procedure works.

Hope this assists. I have a plastic jerry can in one of those metal holders in the back of my Defender - with a length of hose and tap on the end. Works well - and yes, every so often I clean it with the Steradent. No problems after 4 years.

Originally Posted by thebeast

Now I'm confused....I thought that stainless would be the safest metal to use....for example: milk trucks use it. Does anyone else have any info. that states that stainless is a dirty metal.

i worked for many years in stainless for the food and chemical industries with Bell Bryant. (now part of Invensys)

just about any major food plant in AU would have some apv gear in it.

it probably is the safest to use, my point was you just need to clean it occasionally

it is used in cooking and storage areas because it is "easy to clean" not because it doesnt habour germs. it needs doing regularly or it gets a biofilm that adheres and in some cases corrodes the surface.

a mild vinegar and water solution is a very effective as is that "tank clean" you can buy at camping and 4wd shops.

its main claim to fame is that some forms of it doesnt corrode in adverse conditions.

any commercial gear using stainless steel has specific cleaning regimes in place to ensure cleanliness, eg breweries, meat works and places like coca cola use caustic soda or similar to clean the tanks and piplines. Milk tankers were cleaned out using a chemical wash when i was building them.

they even coat it and titanium with silver now before using it for implants in humans as they were getting too many rejections without it.

a quick search on google answers the question but you have to get past the usual marketing hype from sink manufacturers...

Originally Posted by Barra1

Fill the tank to about one-third - and drop in about half a dozen Steradent tablets (for a 45 litre tank).

thats how i do mine also, works a treat...

Most common medical instruments are stainless of one type or another. There are many different grades of stainless and some are lumped in a group called food grade. Stainless is prone to fatique cracking more so than Aluminium or galvanised steel, so a water tank design that will reduce water sloshing around or stress on any mounting points is required. My wife has thrown out all of the aluminium pots and pans we have because of the potential for increased leaching caused by heat when cooking and who am I to argue with 'She Who Must Be Obeyed'.
I think the biggest safety problem with galvanised steels and water tanks would be in the welding process and inhalation of zinc oxides, so take care welding.

Maybe we need volunteers to chew on each type metal and see who dies first.

Almost forgot. I have used stainless tanks for years and never had a problem, the current one has no algae, no foul taste, never been cleaned, never been emptied, no infections from cut hands. The infections are caused by bacteria not the parent metal.

Just read incisors post and it would appear he has the inside run on this post having been involved in the industry, so take note.

Rick