drinking water?

[paulstoke1975]

is the water in the holding tanks fit for drinking after being boiled or is it more common everyone on narrowboats to drink bottled water?

[Little Else]

Don't use bottled water and only boil water if I'm making tea.

[by'eck]

If its from a clean water tank and boiled, generally not an issue, but having a stainless tank helps.

 

The holding tank is where the poop goes.

[paulstoke1975]

If its from a clean water tank and boiled, generally not an issue, but having a stainless tank helps.

 

The holding tank is where the poop goes.

where the poop goes,

 

i guess that's not the best place to drink from then

[Paul C]

This type of post troubles me. Yes, I know its good to ask questions etc, but I had a look through your other posts and you've got the house on the market and looking to liveaboard, but this kind of question suggests you've not spend any significant time on a boat. I'd suggest getting "out there" on a boat, eg hiring, for at least a week, and finding out about a lot of the little bits and bobs which go with boating. Not just the boat handling, but the adaptions you need to make for living/staying on a boat. Yes you can accuse me of being out of place suggesting it etc.......but you might just sell the house and make a massive mistake - not only in lifestyle but also financially - if you find a few weeks/months down the line you don't actually like boating.

[Rickent]

Hi paul ,

Just out of interest how is the house sale going?

I am struggling with mine at the minute due to an anti social off licence next door to my house.

[Ray T]

We've fitted a Silverline water filter to our boat. Also used in caravans, motor homes etc.

 

http://www.silverlineuk.co.uk/categories/water-filters-107

 

Many other makes available though

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

If you inspect the inside of the water tank you will see either a clean tank or a manky rusty one. If the former then if you are living on the boat the water use will keep it sweet. If you are only on the boat once a month and do not visit over winter then it can get stale. If the tank is manky then drain, clean and paint with a sutible potable water tank paint or line it with fibreglass. Fitting a sutible water filter will help.

[Alan de Enfield]

Our water tank is 'blacked' with potable blacking, we have inline filters but do not drink the water.

 

We have several 2 litre milk 'bottles' which we fill each time we fill the tank - the tank water is used for washing, showers etc but the bottled water for drinking and doing teeth.

 

I'm sure the tank water is OK but it has a very slow 'turnover' as we are not liveaboards - Bottled (tap) for me on every boat we have had.

[saltysplash]

we livaboard and drink the water from the tank.

only filter we use is a Mr Brittas filter to reduce scale in the kettle

[ditchcrawler]

Don't use bottled water and only boil water if I'm making tea.

Same and been doing so for 18 years

[Paul C]

My only concern is washing the crap/canal water/canal sediment from the deck and it somehow getting into the water tank, during the filling process.

[Mike Tee]

When we lived on board we had a third tap in the galley with a quality filter in line (can't remember the make). As this was only used for drinking or washing salads etc, the filter lasted for ages.

The water in the (stainless) tank was probably fit for drinking and I was always very careful when filling to avoid contamination (plus we'd had the boat from new), but it wasn't worth the risk - two people on board, one toilet, stomach problems, you work it out!

[blackrose]

We've fitted a Silverline water filter to our boat. Also used in caravans, motor homes etc.

 

http://www.silverlineuk.co.uk/categories/water-filters-107

 

Many other makes available though

 

I have a similar filter made by General Ecology.

 

http://www.purewateronline.co.uk/420400-Nature-Pure-Quick-Change-with-Faucet.html

 

These are relatively expensive bits of kit. Mine cost about £150 + about £50 annually for a new element (that was a boat show price about 9 years ago but I can see they've gone up a bit since then). Using one of these means you can drink straight from the tank without boiling the water. Most of these systems come with a dedicated drinking water tap, so that you're not filtering your shower water, etc, although some people filter all their fresh water - just not usually as thoroughly as the expensive systems do it.

[Phil Ambrose]

Same and been doing so for 18 years

Ditto for 14 years

Phil

[Mac of Cygnet]

I'm with W C Fields on this one. But in my case because I don't like the taste, of any water. I fill a large plastic water bottle at water points for cleaning my teeth.

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

I think the quality of the water that comes out of your Boat tap is directly linked to the quality and management of the water that goes into you boat tank.

A dock or pontoon hose pipe that has been left coiled in the sun for a few days/months, With Dogs/ Birds weeing pooing on it and it being periodicly dropped into the Canal, River, or if using your own Hose, that's been coiled up and stored on you roof or in a cupboard with the remnants of the last fill still inside might give

VERY bad quality water when you fill up indeed.

But low cost Simple steps as in the filters Blackrose and others have described can be

taken to give you piece of mind if nothing els.

Since selling both my Pre Watermaker filtration system & my actual Watermaker it's self, I drink Bottled water now.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Paul's Nulife4-2

[John V]

my small cruiser has had the water system used/abused? by other peeps for 30 odd years.....Although regularly chlorinated and flushed I drink bottled water, On the liveaboard, only our use from new tanks fitted 15 years ago we use straight from the tank.

[Woodstock]

We add a low level of chlorine to the tank, have an inline filter before the tap and use a Brita filta jug- and I drink the water- No problems so far

[Grace and Favour]

We have a stainless tank, and simply put all drinking water through a a Brita filter jug.

[Naughty Cal]

We have a plastic water tank and drink the water straight from the tank. It isn't a huge tank and we fill it most weekends so the water is always fresh.

 

We don't sterilise our tank as we have never felt the need.

[Sabcat]

Our boat has an old galvanized tank. No filters, no boiling, we just drink it.

[nicknorman]

We have a stainless steel tank. We certainly make tea/coffee, brush teeth etc using that water. We do tend to use bottled water for drinking squash etc but I'm sure the tank water would be fine as we have a reasonable turnover for non-liveaboards (washing machine helps!). When the boat was about a year old, we started to get a bit of a musty aroma from the taps so I gave the tank a dose of Milton, rinsed, and since then it's been fine.

 

We always run the hose for a few moments before filling, to get rid of any stale water in the hose, and I rinse the end of the hose that is going into the tank hole.

[paulstoke1975]

Hi paul ,

Just out of interest how is the house sale going?

I am struggling with mine at the minute due to an anti social off licence next door to my house.

hi, its been on the market 6 weeks but i have only had 2 viewing so it looks like ill be dropping the price soon , i have anti social scum next door to me

[luggsy]

Have a steripen traveler uv water purifier just make a couple of ltrs a day takes 5 minuets