www.iFourWinns.com

Not sure what we did wrong this winter, but I've got a bunch of black mold getting trapped by my fresh water strainer. I'd like to know what might have been done incorrectly winterizing to have this happen, but more important I'd like to know how to get rid of it. I'm thinking of using a bleach / water combination in tank for a day to kill all the mold (what ratio?). I'd also like to see if there is such a thing as an access panel I can add to the top of the fresh water tank so I can inspect/clean it. Of course it would have to be sealed.

Any idea's?

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1969 Chris Craft Commander 47
1999 Four Winns 328 Vista - SOLD

Moisture and heat, thats all it takes to cause that issue. I would suggest lots of bleach and water, let it soak, flush it several times until you see nothing and then do it all over again.

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Brian Borchik
The Winds of Cold Springs Harbor Marina
Baldwinsville, NY

This is what I was thinking of putting in the top of the tank, access under the v-berth:
http://www.diveandkayak.com/servlet/the-163/Beckson-6%22-Screw-In/Detail

Any reason not to put this in? I like the peace of mind of looking in the tank, and knowing it's clean.

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1969 Chris Craft Commander 47
1999 Four Winns 328 Vista - SOLD

I have never heard of anyone doing that, the other problem is that they do not necessarily seal 100% air/water tight so there is the possibility of water leaking in and out. If you do not jam the tank full of water I guess you could try it, but if it leaks then you will be putting in a new water tank. Other option is getting one of those cheap scope cameras from Harbor Frieght so you can pull the inlet hose off and look around in there.

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Brian Borchik
The Winds of Cold Springs Harbor Marina
Baldwinsville, NY

Save yourself some trouble, go down to the RV store and they have kits just for this. That will make sure that you get it all out and don't get anyone sick. There are certain things the marine world does not cover well enough. Between RV and Automotive there are better and easier choices for some things.

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1992 Baja 38 Special Twin 502 Mags

03 Stingray 3.0
88 261 Liberator 460 King Cobras
95 Bayliner 1850 3.0
77 Fiber Form 20ft 350/385hp
70 Wescraft 1800 SS 455 Jet

Lead, Follow, or get the Hell out of the Way!

I would not. The flex and distortion is different between the two materials. It will most likley leak in the long run, and then you have a tank you cannot fix very easy. Look for one the kits I mentioned above.

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1992 Baja 38 Special Twin 502 Mags

03 Stingray 3.0
88 261 Liberator 460 King Cobras
95 Bayliner 1850 3.0
77 Fiber Form 20ft 350/385hp
70 Wescraft 1800 SS 455 Jet

Lead, Follow, or get the Hell out of the Way!

I know this may sound crazy, and I understand it may be completely impossible, but, can the tank be removed from the boat?

I had an RV tank (only 20 gallons and very easy to remove) that had mold all over the inside. There was no way to get rid of the mold. I couldn't fill the tank full enough to effectively get the mold on the top of the tank, I could not use any sort of pressure washer or otherwise due to way the fill hose was routed.

So, I pulled the tank out used bleach, hot water, let it soak, sloshed it around, did it all again then rinsed it really good and put it back in. Mold issue gone.

A 44 gallon tank under the V-berth on a boat? Maybe this isn't an option. Just adding a suggestion.

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Current Operational Boats:
'04-Four Winns 180 Freedom 150 HP Evinrude
'72-Chris Craft Commander 31 Sedan Twin-350Qs

I havne't had mold, but the FW owners manual for my boat suggests adding bleach then taking the boat out and letting the waves and boat movement slosh it around in the tank to get it on all surfaces of the tank.

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Terry
Current: 07 Crownline 255 CCR cuddy - 350 Mag MPI/B3 "Casi Cielo"

Previous:97 245 Sundowner 5.7GI/SX

Tow vehicle: 1986 GMC 2500 Camper Special 454/TH400

I've looked online for these kits but cannot find any. I'm sure they exist, but not under my search terms . Perhaps you can link one for me.
I have found many RV'ers that have installed ports like the one I listed above into their fresh water tanks. I would like to have one that had more threads if possible, so if anyone knows of one with more threads, please let me know.

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1969 Chris Craft Commander 47
1999 Four Winns 328 Vista - SOLD

I would go the beach route. Just pour in 2 to the cups and full the tank about 3/4. Open each outlet until you smell the bleach. Then go for a 20min ride, that will stir the tank up and cover every inch of it. I would not pull it or cut into the tank!

Drain the tank, and 4 gals or so & drain again. Repeat this until most of the bleach is gone. Than I would add something like this:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... id=1109346

This is what we use. No bleach. Kills everything. Safe. Cheap.
We have a Camping World just down the road from us, others do carry it, but you can order and have it sent fast for the gas money it takes to find it.

Take a look around there site as they have a ton of stuff.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/thetford-fresh-water-tank-sanitizer/33229

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1992 Baja 38 Special Twin 502 Mags

03 Stingray 3.0
88 261 Liberator 460 King Cobras
95 Bayliner 1850 3.0
77 Fiber Form 20ft 350/385hp
70 Wescraft 1800 SS 455 Jet

Lead, Follow, or get the Hell out of the Way!

Interesting - lots of nasty chemicals in those, probably means it works really well!

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1969 Chris Craft Commander 47
1999 Four Winns 328 Vista - SOLD

Pour a bottle of Chopin vodka in there, go for the boat ride, and then dispense over Blue Cheese stuffed olives and cracked ice. Perfect dirty martini and you will clean out the tank....

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1994 235 Sundowner w/351 Ford

Yep, some members at the club do that. They buy the cheapest vodka they can get.

Drain your tank and fill it with white vinegar. Take the boat for a couple of hours on the lake to slosh it around good. Drain your tank and fill with water. Take one more quick run and drain again. Fill-er up and you're done. Cheap enough and nobody gets poisoned

John

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07 Azure AZ200,
Previous boat,
95 278 Vista,
And a lot of others.

Ontario, Canada