We've been toting around gallons of bottled water for cooking (coffee, etc.). Good coffee, but bottles of Poland Spring are heavy to lug, tough to stow. Fresh water in the 2 tanks looks good and smells sweet. Tanks are well flushed, shocked and treated with Clorox every spring. Would appreciate any recommendations on using tank water for coffee (boiled) and/or filtering at least the COLD for consumption. Looking forward to loosing the Bottles.
Thanks
Stewart Napoleon
Desiree, C 34 MkII, 1472
OGYC
Reply #3 here: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=414206&highlight=recommissioning
and
http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=45678&highlight=recommissioning
Stewart,
Clean tanks are fine to drink from providing that the water going in is good and they are used often. I too used to load up with bottled water. It's not much of a problem when taking short trips, but when you need to resupply after a couple of weeks the beer is enough to carry.
In addition to keeping my tanks clean I also use a Britta faucet filter. It fit right on the the galley faucet and the water tastes as good as bottled. Just need to keep a couple of bottles in the friidge.
Jim
I dislike the faucet filters, plus it doesn't help the head sink for teeth brushing etc. I installed a small whole "rv" charcol filter after the pump, before the hot water tank split. Fresh water at both sinks now. I try to always fill with city water so I don't have to add clorox. And I use alot, probably at least 10-15 gals a weekend. I also blow out my water system with compressed air each winter rather than adding pink, easier to recommision and water stays sweet all season. If I know I'm not going to get a chance to fill up at a dock with city water I haul a couple jerry cans of water to the boat a couple times a month. Wife prefers cold water, so still end up hauling a case of bottles about once a month, but thats not too bad.
Stewart,
Sounds like you're doing a good job keeping your tanks clean with the annual shock with clorox. I also use a whole house filter connected to the hose when I fill the tanks.
You should be fine using the tank water for coffee and anything else you want.
The trick is to keep using the water in the tanks so that it doesn't sit to long.
Alternate the use of each tank so that you completely drain one before you switch to the other one.
I think that the Britta filters are good as long as it works for you that it only filters the one faucet. You can also recycle the plastic water bottles and fill them from the Britta.
I installed an ice-maker filter in the head cold water line. Got it at Lowes. It was one of the very fine ones that filter out all the critters as well as charcoal for chemicals. That is the water we used for drinking even though I think the water in our tanks was fine. New filter at $15 a year was cheap insurance.
Stewart : There have been a number of posts on this message board and articles in the Tech section of the Mainsheet on "Filtering Water" !!
A number of people have a filter cartrage under the sink before the water pump, so they have filtered water out of the head & galley faucets (as well as the walk thru transom faucet!!).
I like the faucet filter and filter my water (spring water only) when I fill the tanks.
You have all kinds of choices on how to do it! A few thoughts