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Water pipe flushing

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britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/01/2009 : 10:52:19

Just thought I would share this with you guys.

JD is now just over 4 years old, and we have moved a lot of water through the pipes during that time, but mostly the pipes are stagnent while the boat sits on the trailer between cruises.

So it was time to clean them out.

I had installed a power wash pump a couple of years ago and recently modified the plubming so that the outlet from the Plastimo Bladder under the V-Berth and the Original Water tank were T'd together under the galley, where the pump is located.

So to 'clean' the plumbing, I filled both tanks to over full inducing a gallon of chloriine (so about a 1:40 mix) Then attached a hose to the pump outlet which is mounted in the Port Gunwhale, and put the other end of the hose into the water filler in the anchor locker.

Left it running for about a hour so that the water was well circulated. Pumped a few gallons through the fawcets too.

After that the pipes looked pretty clear compared to the grunge before doing this.

Then drained(pumped) the water overboard (into our pool).

On inpecting the water from the tanks in a glass, we could see a pretty high count of particulate, must be all the gunk from the walls of the piping.

So we plan on doing another couple of fill and flush before our next trip, leaving a small amount of chlorine in the water between flushes.

Paul.

Joint Decision. (Sold)
PO C250WB 2005 Sail # 841.

Moved up to C34 Eximius

Updated August 2015

Edited by - britinusa on 11/01/2009 10:52:40

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2009 : 16:26:21

Paul, sounds like maybe you need to run an open system instead of closed to get the particulate gunk out of there, otherwise you're just circulating your problems. Run your hose from the house into the fill pipe and discharge directly into your pool to flush out whatever's in there. After that's run for a while go back & do another chlorine treatment to kill anything that's left, then flush again to clear out what that killed, then fill normally. Can you back flush?

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2009 : 03:50:27

Agreed David, the recirculating method saved a lotttt of water. We'll do a couple of fill and flush, it's been pretty dry the past few weeks and the pool could do with the water. I will probably not 'fill' the tanks, but rather do as you suggest and flush while filling.

About a year ago, we started using a drinkable additive whenever we fill the tanks, it's probably just a low dose of chlorine, we cannot taste it. So the final fill will include that.

Paul