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Water tank on 2003 Vista 248 has slime. Is there a product to disolve. The micro-screen just before pump plugs every 5 minutes. Can I flush this out or should I pull the tank and replace? how hard to pull the water tank? Thanks,

Fill the water tank with a solution of 1 cup (8 oz) of household bleach per 10 gallon tank capacity. Turn on every faucet on the boat (including a deck wash if you have one), and allow the water to run until what's coming out smells strongly of bleach. Turn off the faucets, but leave the system pressurized so the solution remains in the lines.
Let stand overnight-- at least 8 hours--but NO LONGER THAN 24 hours. Drain through every faucet on the boat (and if you haven't done this in a while, it's a good idea to remove any diffusion screens from the faucets, 'cuz what's likely to come out will clog them). Fill the tank again with fresh water only, drain again through every faucet on the boat, repeating till the water runs clean and smells and tastes clean.
Cleaning out the tank addresses only the least of the problem...most of the problem occurs in the lines, so it's very important to leave the system pressurized while the bleach solution is in the tank to keep the solution in the lines too.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Excellent advice. Bleach is harsh and destroys plastics and rubber. The tank and plumbing systems are plastic. The water pump has a rubber(ized) impellar or diaphragm. You want to kill the gunk without wrecking the system. You may need to do this more than once. And if you do be sure to let the system recover somewhat in-between by flushing thoroughly with fresh water.

You can avoid this problem in the future by using fresh water tank treatments, along with regularly changing the water. Drain it all if it hasn't been used in a month. When you refill, put in a fresh tank treatment packet. Various brands exist, RVs use them too.

Don't know exactly where the tank is on your model. It's removable on the 348, but only after pulling off the cabinet under the forward berth. Lots of screws with lots of reaching near nasty bits of fiberglass. I never checked if it could be gotten out the companionway door though...

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

No need to remove the tank. Just clean it out.

Before you go sanitizing the whole system, disconnect the plumbing from the tank to the filter screen and water pump. You need to get all the slim out and rinse tank before plugging up filter with slime again.
Then sanitize. rinse, and put fresh water back in with a little baking soda for good taste/smell.

You get this from letting the water in the tank sit for a long time with no chemicals. I don't like using chemicals in my freshwater tanks on the boat or the 5th wheel RV. I drain after each use, that is, the entire system, tank, hot water heater and lines. I only need the experience the slime once in our first travel trailer. I don't drain if we are to use system with in a week. It doesn't take long for the water to go back in a hot water heater, I drain this if it going to sit unheated for only a few days. But that just me!! I know others are not so critical.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

Thanks everyone,

I did end up pulling the tank. The previous owner let a tank of water sit for year plus. There was too much gunk to treat with chemicals...

Pulling tank was a challenge, but do-able.

Thanks,

Yuk!!!!

What a chitty job. Glad to hear you've made progress on it. Did you take any pix in the process?

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

No pics....but if ever anyone needs to know how to pull or where the strainer, check valve, isolation valve, fill and vent lines are!!! I'm their man.


Does anyone know if all 248's have grey water tanks or does the sink drain to outside and shower goes to black water?

Thanks

The gray water tank is usually an option. But boats sold in lake areas may tend to come with it already. More and more lakes are insisting upon gray water systems to avoid anything being dumped into the water.

The sinks and shower either drain into the gray water system or overboard. None I know of ever drain into the black water tank. The shower and galley sink usually drain by gravity into a sump first and are then pumped up to either the gray tank or overboard.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

All boats are plumbed differently and there are options that could affect how they are routed.

Our 248, both the galley and head sinks dump overboard, the shower drain goes to a sump and then overboard. The head is the only thing connected to the black tank.

I very much doubt that a 248/268 would have a gray tank, there is no room, or a very small gray tank.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

Both the 268/248 has the option of a grey water tank. On the 268 the tank would be located under the aft berth on the port side. Tank size if so equipped is approx 20 gallons. Ours doent have it, so the space is used for storage.

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

how do u get to that storage space?

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Walter

2003 248 Vista - VP 5.0 GXi
2009 Toyota Tundra SR5 5.7L 4x4

Its not the easiest to get too. You have to lift the lower half of the aft berth mattress and lift a cover to access it. Similar to access to the black water tank, except its empty.

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

Hard to access places are good for storing infrequently used stuff, like heavy weather rain gear or spare engine parts. I find it's a good idea to put the stuff in ziploc bags to prevent them from getting wet and/or moldy. I save the silica gel packets that come with cameras or electronics and use them in these situations. It's worked pretty well the past three seasons. A tip, if stuff is different sizes, roll it up inside the ziploc so you can SEE the size label. Saves you from unpacking the wrong ones.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

I use the same space for storage, but like I said before, it would have to be a small tank.

Maybe 20 gallons is a good sized gray tank on a boat. I am used to at least 40 gray on the camp trailer, and no gray on a boat, so 20 to me seems small.
This part of the country it is acceptable to dump gray water, in the lake or on land. So when camping in the mountains, our gray goes to watering a tree!!

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos