fresh water tank

on a 1977 sea ray 24 sundancer. i need some info on the fresh water tank. does it have a drain? is there anyway to clean it? my sink pump comes on but i haven't tried it yet with water. afraid its goung to be dirty with no way to drain. it sat for 3 years, dont know if it had water in or not, it is empty now..thanks kc

Re: fresh water tank

I'd fill it up and put a small amount of bleach in it to disinfect it. Let it sit overnight, then pump it dry, fill it up and pump it dry again a few times.

Try to store it dry.

You could also find it, remove it clean and sanitise then re-install it.

I only use mine for a freshwater shower and the sink. I use bottled water for drinking. It always tastes better.

Re: fresh water tank

There isn't typically a bottom drain on these. You can get most of the water out by removing the pump fitting at the tank, but that'll still leave an inch or 2of water. That's where any sediment will be.

My advice would be to pull the tank out of the boat and give it a good cleaning. After you've done that, you still want to clean the system all the way up to the faucets.

Fill the tank and add a cup of laundry bleach to it. Run the pump and open the faucets so that the mixture circulates everywhere. Close the faucets, turn off the pump and let sit for 24 hours. That'll kill any bacteria in the system.

After sitting for a day, run the tank dry, fill iit with clean water, run it dry again, and refill it again. You'll be good to go. Empty and refill the tank every few weeks during the season.

FYI, I and the folks I know carry water from home for drinking, and use the tank water only for washing dishes, showering and flushing.

Hope this helps.