Snot in my fresh water tank!

W

William Miller

Member
Mar 16, 2007
327
Darnestown, Maryland
Boat Info
290 AJ
Engines
Twin Mercruiser 300 hp Bravo III
Spring is almost here!
Over the years, I have had issues with the screen strainer on my fresh water pump continuously clogged by what I think is the antifreeze that I put in my water tank. I believe it may have gel-ed up at some point.

Is there something that will dissolve this mess. How do I get it out?
 
outlaw32 said:
this happened to me also I took out screen dumped in gallon bleach and then flushed tank until I got rid of it.
Click to expand...

Did the bleach dissolve the gunk? It's not easy to get the hose that goes to the pump to a point to drain the tank by gravity. With the little in line strainer on the inlet of the pump, I can only pump a few minutes before it gets clogged. It's an all day project to keep cleaning it out. I got a larger in line strainer last year, but it still takes a long time. I'm afraid to pump it without the strainer. So I'd like to get something to break down the gunk. I also am guessing that the gunk is floating on top of the water in the tank.
 
open the strainer and suck the water out of the tank with a shop vac. Place the shop vac hose as close as possible to the strainers hole then wrap a small damp rag around the connection to make it more air tite and suck away.
 
Sucking out the tank after consuming a bottle of cheap, 100 proof vodka might be hazardous to one's health. :grin:
 
William Miller said:
Spring is almost here!
Over the years, I have had issues with the screen strainer on my fresh water pump continuously clogged by what I think is the antifreeze that I put in my water tank. I believe it may have gel-ed up at some point.

Is there something that will dissolve this mess. How do I get it out?
Click to expand...

I had the same problem the first season that I owned my 330. It was indeed the red pop antifreeze causing the problem. I had to clean my filter/strainer 4 times the first season because of it clogging up. Since then, no more red pop for winterizing. I now blow out my plumbing system with air pressure set at 20 psi. Have not had to clean the filter/strainer since then. Going on my fifth season this year.
 
wellswa said:
I had the same problem the first season that I owned my 330. It was indeed the red pop antifreeze causing the problem. I had to clean my filter/strainer 4 times the first season because of it clogging up. Since then, no more red pop for winterizing. I now blow out my plumbing system with air pressure set at 20 psi. Have not had to clean the filter/strainer since then. Going on my fifth season this year.
Click to expand...

I don't know what your're calling "red pop", but I've never had a problem with a couple gallons of the cheap pink stuff in my fresh water tank. We use our tank constantly during the season... never had "snot"!
 
FYI, there is no need to put antifreeze in the tank, at all. Simply run it dry and whatever is left will not be a problem.

You have a way to gravity drain the tank? Aren't all the fittings on the top of the tank?

Fill the tank about halfway with whatever solution you want to try. Slosh around and let it set overnight. I've never come across antifreeze causing that problem, before, so I can't offer any experienced advice. Water can get slimy on it's own, if you're not using it enough or not using an additive to keep it fresh. But bleach is good starting point. Don't go crazy with the bleach, though - if it's going to work, it shouldn't take much.

Pull the line off at the filter - now run that line (add an extension, such as a garden hose) to an inexpensive pump (such as a bilge pump). Put the bilge pump in a 5-gallon pail and fill the pail about halfway with water. Remove the fill hose from your tank. Run the output of the bilge pump into the fill fitting on the tank (or, run it directly into the deck fill without removing the fill line at the tank). Turn the pump on and let it run for a while.

When you're satisfied, empty the tank with the bilge pump. Repeat the process with clean water a few times to finish "cleaning" the tank and flushing out the bleach.

Finish by reconnecting everything and running another flush of 10g water and a few capfulls of bleach through all the faucets in the system (but don't run it dry). Again, let it set overnight and THEN run it dry through all faucets. Flush another 10 gallons of fresh water through and you should be good.
 
Sorry, had "gravity fed" on my mind when I wrote the above. The bilge pump won't work in the scenario I presented. It could work, though, if you ran a new hose to the bilge pump/5gallon pail and then ran the output of the pump to the deck fill. But you'd need to use enough water to totally fill the tank so the water would spill out through that line, that normally goes to the fresh water pump, and gravity feeds the pail.

Or, use a transfer pump such as this one (just the first one I found on a quick google search): http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-marine-utility-water-pump-94639.html You would not need the pail - just plumb from the line that normally goes to your fresh water pump, and then to the transfer pump, and then back to the tank (or deck fill). This would probably be the easier way.
 
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I used to have a similar problem until I started douching my fresh water tank with bleach in the spring. I fill the tank about 1/2 way (that's about 100 gallons. I pour in a half gallon of bleach, turn the water pump on then open up each faucet, one at a time, until I can smell the bleach water coming out. I let it sit for about 24 hours then open faucets and run all the water out.

Then I fill it 1/2 way with filtered fresh water and run that through each of the faucets. I do that again to rid the lines and tank of any bleach smell or taste, then fill it with filtered water again.

The filter I use is one I got from WalMart a couple of years ago. I just put in a new cartridge filter every year and it works fine. I hook up the filter between my fresh water hose and the water fill. I never put unfiltered water in the tank so there's little chance of picking up any foul smells.
 
I use the antifreeze in the fresh water system to flush my raw water system, a/c system and generator. I modified a cap for those strainers with a garden hose adapter. I think ill just take the strainer screen out of the suction side of the pump and put a temporary hose on the outlet and flush it a few times with some bleach added. i read somewhere about using baking soda or tsp.
 
by the way, ive been able to get clean water in and out and there are no smells, its just that just gets the little strainer on the suction side of the pump clogged up whenever it sucks up a slug of that slime. Sometimes it will pump fine for an hour and then clog up again!
 
William, you need to clean out the tank with a stiff dose of bleach. Otherwise you will continue to have those snotty problems.
 
Question for those that put a gallon of bleach in their water tank. How long does it take to get the chlorine taste out. I have put in a cup a few times and then have to flush the tank 2 or 3 times.
 
A gallon of bleach is overkill. A quart for a hundred gallons will have the same effect and a lot less smell
 
When I put in 1/2 gallon with 100 gallons of water I let it sit for at least 24 hours. Then it out. Usually after running another 100 gallons of water through the tank and running it out through all the faucets the smell and taste of the bleach is gone.
 
I'd rather smell bleach than have that snot in the water! I don't think it's from the anti-freeze either. It's in your water system and needs to be killed with bleach or west marine water purifyer
 
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