Fresh Water System Flush & Sanitize - How To?

C

chyanke

New Member
May 2, 2012
7
Las Vegas, NV
Boat Info
2004 Sea Ray 280 Sundancer
Engines
Twin MerCruiser 5.0 MPI w/ Bravo III
Is there a great way to clean, flush, and sanitize the fresh water system in my 2005 280DA?

I purchased it a few years ago and the previous owners barely used it. I have probably cycled several tanks of fresh water but my wife doesn't even use it to wash her hands...she says the water smells bad. I noticed it smelled when we first purchased the used boat and I flushed the system by filling it up and opening all the faucets letting the water run through the lines but this clearly wouldn't sanitize it. How would I clean the Hot Water Tank?

I was wondering if I pour some bleach in the fresh water tank and run it through, will this do the job sufficiently or will it hurt the pump with the bleach?

I was also thinking of using bleach water to fill the tank and run it through the lines and instead of letting the boat water pump push the entire tank full of water through, I would hook up an air diaphragm pump and suck out the water through the fill inlet (to save the boat's pump from working hard)....similar to when you pump out the black water holding tank at the dock. Will sucking out the water with an air diaphragm pump mess the fresh water system up...or even theoretically work?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thx!
 
Take a look in your Sea Ray owners manual in the fresh water system section, there are complete instructions there utilizing bleach. I have done this at least annually.
 
There are also water treatment products you can buy. Some to shock and some for mild treatment. Got mine from WestMarine.
 
Your pump will have no problem emptying the tank a few times. Don't be afraid of bleach. You should be using a capful with every fill up after you shock it to get rid of the smell. I would fill it and add the shock level of bleach or sanitizer, let it sit for a day or two, take it for a ride to slosh it around. Empty and repeat with 3/4 tank to let it splash around more during a ride. Empty and refill with a capful and you should be good to go. Don't let the water sit in the tank for more than 2 weeks before emptying and refilling with another capful of bleach.
 
Attwood has a procedure for sanitizing the hot water tank. Search this forum or google. It involves filling the tank with vinegar and letting it cycle then flushing.
 
Bleach kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria.
Vinegar is an alternative however with much less results, 80% or so.
If the water is going to end up in your mouth I would use the bleach approach.
 
Ok, I guess you know better than the manufacturer of the hot water heater.

Here is the procedure from the Atwood Manual.


Flushing to Remove Unpleasant Odor


A rotten egg odor (Hydrogen sulfide) may be produced when the electro galvanic action of the cladding material releases hydrogen from the water. If sulfur is present in the water supply the two will combine and produce an unpleasant smell.


1. Turn off main water supply. Drain the water heater tank and reinstall the drain plug. Remove the pressure-temperature relief valve. Mix solution of 4 parts white vinegar to 2 parts water. (For a 10 gallon tank, use 6 gallons vinegar to 3 gallons water). With a funnel, carefully pour the solution into the water heater tank.


2. Cycle water heater with the above solution, letting it run under normal operation 4-5 times.


3. Remove the drain plug and thoroughly drain all water from the tank. Flush the water heater to remove any sediment. You may flush the tank with air pressure or fresh water. Pressure may be applied through either the inlet or outlet valve on the rear of the tank or through the pressure temperature relief valve coupling located on the front of the unit.
 
That's great, I'll listen to the health dept thanks.

Enjoy your diarrhea !

OP is asking about his fresh water system.
The mfg of the hot water heater is specifically speaking of their tank and not the water system.


I do know that.
 
We always in the fall and spring
(1) put about 2 cups of Bleach in with about 20 gallons of water then cycle all faucets cold & hot till you smell bleach, let it sit for about 4 hours then empty the tank.
(2) put about 2 cups of Vinegar in with about 20 gallons of water then cycle all faucets cold & hot till you smell vinegar, Start the boat or turn on the hot water tank for a couple hours go for a short cruise to churn things up, then empty the tank.
(3) Change filters then cycle 2 or 3 tanks of fresh water through the system.

Never have had any odor or problems with the system.

Doing the vinegar in the hot water tank would be a good idea to remove any calcium, lime etc build up on the heating element and remove any silt in the bottom of the tank. I drain and rinse out our home hot water tank every year, you'll be amazed at what comes out of the bottom of the tank NASTY.
 
Last edited:
I use a product called aqua bon every time I fill the water tank. Never have an issue with odor at all. There is a cheaper product at Walmart by Camo that might work as well I brought some have not tried it yet.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
 
Bob & Sue said:
We always in the fall and spring
(1) put about 2 cups of Bleach in with about 20 gallons of water then cycle all faucets cold & hot till you smell bleach, let it sit for about 4 hours then empty the tank.
(2) put about 2 cups of Vinegar in with about 20 gallons of water then cycle all faucets cold & hot till you smell vinegar, Start the boat or turn on the hot water tank for a couple hours go for a short cruise to churn things up, then empty the tank.
(3) Change filters then cycle 2 or 3 tanks of fresh water through the system.
Click to expand...

+1 We had the same problem you described this summer (new boat to us) and followed the above process - worked great. I plan to do it every year now. While I don't do it, I have seen a recommendation to add a couple capfuls of bleach to each new tank of water to keep it fresh.
 
Dancin Dave said:
That's great, I'll listen to the health dept thanks.

Enjoy your diarrhea !

OP is asking about his fresh water system.
The mfg of the hot water heater is specifically speaking of their tank and not the water system.


I do know that.
Click to expand...

Actually the OP specifically asked how to clean the hot water tank:

"Is there a great way to clean, flush, and sanitize the fresh water system in my 2005 280DA?

I purchased it a few years ago and the previous owners barely used it. I have probably cycled several tanks of fresh water but my wife doesn't even use it to wash her hands...she says the water smells bad. I noticed it smelled when we first purchased the used boat and I flushed the system by filling it up and opening all the faucets letting the water run through the lines but this clearly wouldn't sanitize it. How would I clean the Hot Water Tank?"


 
Bob & Sue said:
Doing the vinegar in the hot water tank would be a good idea to remove any calcium, lime etc build up on the heating element and remove any silt in the bottom of the tank. I drain and rinse out our home hot water tank every year, you'll be amazed at what comes out of the bottom of the tank NASTY.
Click to expand...

I clean the screen/strainer on the water pump every year when I winterize my boat and I am amazed at the nasty stuff thats in there. I would never drink the water out of my freshwater tank, washing hands even with the rotten egg smell isnt a big deal but I never drink the stuff even if it smells OK.
 
I'm going to try that vinegar in the hot water trick in the spring. My cold water doesn't stink ,but the hot water is horrible. I use a water treatment that is just bleach without the odor,, but that hasn't done anything for the water that goes through the hot war tank.


Thanks for posting that Jimt.
 
JimT said:
Actually the OP specifically asked how to clean the hot water tank:

"Is there a great way to clean, flush, and sanitize the fresh water system in my 2005 280DA?

I purchased it a few years ago and the previous owners barely used it. I have probably cycled several tanks of fresh water but my wife doesn't even use it to wash her hands...she says the water smells bad. I noticed it smelled when we first purchased the used boat and I flushed the system by filling it up and opening all the faucets letting the water run through the lines but this clearly wouldn't sanitize it. How would I clean the Hot Water Tank?"
Click to expand...

Maybe you should try bleach if it smells bad? Another idea is to use peppermint oil.
 
chpsk8 said:
I'm going to try that vinegar in the hot water trick in the spring. My cold water doesn't stink ,but the hot water is horrible. I use a water treatment that is just bleach without the odor,, but that hasn't done anything for the water that goes through the hot war tank.


Thanks for posting that Jimt.
Click to expand...


When I bought my boat recently it came from a lake without chlorination in the water. The hot water stunk so bad my wife couldn't stay below when the hot water was running. I ran a hundred gallon through the system with treatment and had no improvement. Then did the vinegar clean and all is well. There was some gross stuff in the bottom of the hot water tank. I am now on city water so I hope that issue is behind me. Never had the bad smell on my prior boat so I am hoping the chlorine in the water will take care of it going forward.
 
Post #8 (JimT) is ok as far as it goes, but is somewhat misleading because it does not address sanitizing the entire water system, only the hot water tank. Post #2, (Dancin Dave) gives the proper method for making the water in the tank safe for human consumption.

Rather than y'all peeing on each other's shoes, why not just do the vinegar approach on the hot water tank in case there has been some galvanic action causing a sulfide odor then sanitizing the whole system using the approach outlined in the Sea Ray owner's manual?
 
If you all think your city water system doesn't have the same gunk in it, I think you are naive. There is likely growth in ANY water tank or system. I know it was in the Navy.
 
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