Aft water tank and Lewmar windows

[Steve Sayian]

We too use bottled water for drinking.  I was curious if in fact anyone did drink the tank water.  I agree w/Jon about the marina water. Our yacht club water lina runs about 300 ft in a plastic hose before getting to the docks.  Plenty of length for little critters to grow in there.

I also add bleach in the tanks when filling them, ABSOLUT-ly!!!

[Jon Schneider]

I also add bleach in the tanks when filling them, ABSOLUT-ly!!!

If my tanks were filled with Absolut, I'd overcome my inhibitions, and drink from them 

[waterdog]

I'm still looking for a deck fill cap marked "Rum" for an upgrade I have in mind.   If anyone finds a source, let me know!

[Momentum M]

Hi guys...here's my 5 cents....H2O2 is peroxide...but when activated it loose some oxygen so now you have water H2O.
I know that from my brother (pharmacist) and he's in charge at the manufacturing end of it...so they all clean the equipment/tubs with that...so it's completely safe...but if you want to be more secure...rinse you water.....with water!!!

Also bleach is chlorine...the same thing that your municipality puts in the drinking water...so chlorine does clean and it'll evaporate.  But again, you might want to rinse it out with water....that has chlorine in it!!!

So, both are good...safe cleaner.

[John Sheehan]

Every so often, or before we take a cruise, I sanitize the system by filling the tanks half full, add a cup of Chlorox, fill the tanks the rest of the way and then pump through all lines including the water heater until I can smell the Chlorox in the sinks.  Then let it set a few hours before pumping them empty.  When I fill the water tanks for drinking I do so after washing the boat down to get good fresh water in the hoses and piping at the dock then fill through an in-line charcol filter.  For drinking I installed another in-line water filter in the cold line at the galley.  This way we always have had clean fresh tasting water for drinking and no problems with algae or smell in the system.

[Ken Juul]

We generally give the system a rinse with couple caps of chlorine in about 10 gals of water in each tank.  Drain and rinse with about another 10 gals.  Fill up with city water from a municipal marina. (our home marina is on a well:().  Use the water for everything, carry 10 gals to the boat from the house each trip.  We usually use more than 10 gals a weekend, so it gradually gets depleted until we hit another marina with city water for a fill.  Using the water helps keep it fresh, the chemicals put in by the city keeps the critters down.  I am going to add a charcol filter this season also after seeing the difference it makes at home.

[Stu Jackson]

Try this, from the pro on water systems (recommissioning water systems):  http://archives.sailboatowners.com/pviewarch.htm?fno=20&sku=2008080092417.62&id=530067&ptl=#2008080203957.66

I only fill the water tanks with the dock hose after hosing the boat, helps to bring the fresher water to hose from the long dock piping. 

[Ron Hill]

Guys : For those of us that winterize our water systems spring should be easy. 
In the fall most of the C34s(except 1986) have an aft water tank that can be completely drained.  I also have a starboard water tank with a 4" cleanout on the aft end of that tank.  I unscrew the cleanout and sponge out the residue water that remains in the bottom.  Then blow out/suck out the water line with a shop vac so everything is free of water.
In the spring I take a cap full of bleach an add it to each 25 gallons of water (1 cap for the starboard tank and 2 caps for the aft tank) and I'm ready to go.  I don't add bleach on fill-ups if I in a marina that uses "city" water.  I only add bleach(chlorine) if I'm filling from a well.  Then I also filter that well water to keep all kind of sediment and iron etc. out (see Mainsheet Article).