water Tank issues

[powerboater56]

we've started our trip home from Michigan to Rhode island aboard OTTER, our 2005 35CB. First few days have been great -- stayed in an amazing marina in Harrison township for several days before we started. The marina has slips for about 400 boats, wifi, cable TV, power and pumpout at every slip. Prices are so much less than New England it is delightful. The marina also had fitness center, pool, restaurant, picnic tables for every slip. Called macRay Harbor -- really a nice place and very nice people.

We also stayed at a grand old yacht club -- the Detroit Yacht Club almost across from downtown. Huge old building -- the largest square footage of any yacht club in the U.S. -- you could have four parties of 300 people in their upstairs facilities. Nice people too.

mechanical gremlins very few. One problem -- we started seeing specs in the water entering the vacuflush wc, and then we stopped getting fresh water. A mechanic figured out the filter in the intake fresh water valve was clogged, and said we have to get rid of junk in the fresh water tank. I am draining the tank now, and plan on finding some bleach in this little town to put in the tank before we refill it. Any other ideas to keep the water nice and get rid of the crap in the tank?

Prices for slips are great -- we have paid $1/ft tonight, $1/ft at macRay harbor under a special deal, and $2.25/ft at the Detroit Yacht Club. My wife worked at the Newport yachting Center and they charge $5/ft on summer weekends. Plus extra for power hookups -- we pay nothing here for power or cable TV hookups.

This Albin is proving to be a delightful boat for cruising -- we came across lake Erie today with a fair amount of wave action at the mouth of the Detroit River and OTTER blasted on through unfazed. With the 440 Yanmar I can cruise comfortably at 17 knots at 2600 rpm.

Thanks for any advice

John Schiefelin
OTTER
2005 Albin 35 CB
Currently in West Harbor, marblehead, OH

[jcollins]

Sounds like a good trip so far. AND...great prices on the marinas. I can't add much about the water except to mention just a little bleach is needed.

[furball]

John, do you have an access hatch on the top of the water tank? Mine doesn't but many water tanks seem to. You may be able to inspect/clean the inside. If you bleach the system, search the web and you'll find safe ratios of bleach to water. I think I used about two cups for 45 gallons of water. Don't forget to fill the tank completely so the top, sides and hoses are full and exposed to the bleach solution. Good Luck!
John

[RicM]

John,

Keep posting about your experiences with the 35CB and about your trip. I often think that it might be our "next" boat, or more accurately, our southern condominium.
Often the systems on boats that are for sale are not maintained as they would be if in use. Attention tends to be lavished on the cosmetics. Try the bleach but learn how to clean the filter, as if there is algae growing in the tank & lines it will come loose after the bleach kills it, and you may have to keep cleaning the filter for a while. We have never used the tank water for drinking on Time After Time, and in a pinch you can grab a bucket of raw water to flush the toilet. Just use as little as possible as the vacu-flush holding tanks are smaller than conventional as the rushing air is supposed to do most of the flushing. If you do flush with raw water you may notice a little more odor from the head due to microbes in the raw water. Just flush the tank with fresh water when pumping out and use a little extra "blue stuff" in the tank. When in marinas with hookups the shore water connection bypasses the water tank, and if the filter is clear, a quick flush of the lines should give you sweet water regardless of what's in the tank. There are commercial algaecides that you can find in boat stores or WalMart. Blue stuff for RV's is the same stuff, as is holding tank toilet paper, and is much cheaper at WalMart than marine supply places.

[tlinson]

John,
I'd be careful of bleach it can be harsh on seals in pumps. Make sure you dilute it and flush it several times. Once you get the system clean use some white vinegar once in awhile, it cleans and restores without any damage.Good Luck .

tlinson,
Tim Linson.

[Pitou]

A friend's wife is the chief "lab rat" of food safety at a local fish processing plant who shared a safe way to sanitize my freshwater sysyem. Food contact surfaces are approved at 100-200ppm, this lower end should not cause any corrosive damage to the water system either. A 200ppm Clorox solution should be effective to sanitize your fresh water tank. At the start of each season I sanitize my fresh water tank using this Clorox solution which is equivalent to 1 Tablespoon per one gallon of water or 2 oz. / 5 gallons. I fill my water tank approx. 1/4 full then add the clorox bleach through the hose fill using a funnel then top off and run it into the empty hot water tank. Be sure the hot water tank is empty at the start so that you get the proper ratio in there as well. That solution gets carried and used during the 1st week of the season.

As follow-up ... throughout the season I use Aqua-Bon or any other drinking water freshener at each fill of the tank. As mentioned earlier keep an eye on that filter .... it's one of the easiest maintenance items onboard.

Also provided from the same source :If you want to disinfect the holding tank system I would recommend you use a 2400ppm solution, which is equivalent to 2/3cup per one gallon of water. This I let sit for a few hours and then flush with freshwater. I do this at haul out.

[Veebyes2]

I had the same problems when I took delivery of my 32. I had 4 seasons use at the time. The problem found was sediment blocking the hose between the 2 water tanks. A simple matter of removing the hose, letting all the water go in the bilge (bilge pump took care of that), cleaning & reinstalling.

As long as you are in the cleaning mood, haul the strainer out of the fwd bilge section & clean that too, along with the strainer to the pump. Someday it may save your boat. Boatbuilders are not very good at cleaning up after themselves & all kinds of dust & dirt winds up in unseen places in the bilge.

[jruesr]

It sounds like you folks have nice new boats and do not have issues like I have on my 1990 Albin 32. My water tank is a 90 gallon tank and it was fabricated from Aluminum, 1/8 inch thick sheet and welded. It sprung a big leak and promptly emptied itself into the bilge. The water pumped out without a problem but that left us with lots of dirty dishes etc.

I cut two inspection ports in the top of the tank providing access into each baffled compartment. The inside of the tank had oxide deposits all over the bottom and on all the welds. Under each oxide deposit I found pitting and corrosion.

I do not know what the new boats tanks are made of but I hope that Albin changed from aluminum. My research indicates that water tanks should not be made of aluminum for lots of reasons.

If I had a new boat I would install inspection ports in the tanks so I could clean them annually and depending on the material I would be careful what chemicals I use in my water.

PS: My aluminum fuel tanks corroded through and had to be replaced also.

Happy boating
John
Passages III