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Not all bacteria to be found in water constitute a health
hazard. On some older boats, where the water supply is kept in old steel
tanks, one common contaminant is iron bacteria. Although a nuisance, this isn't dangerous to human
health.
Iron bacteria combine iron or manganese with oxygen to produce a brown slime which coats pipes and plumbing fittings and can clog
filters. Given the right conditions this bacteria multiplies at an alarming
rate.
Water develops a tinge of colour ranging from yellow, through orange to red and a smell that may remind you of fuel oil, rotting vegetables or sewage when you first turn a tap on in the
morning, although this becomes less apparent as the day goes on.
Chlorine that is commonly used to treat bacteria in a water supply is ineffective against iron bacteria but muriatic
(hydrochloric) acid apparently does the trick. It is usually recommended that the handling of this chemical be left to professionals
and, when it comes to a drinking water supply, one can't be too careful. After
treatment, it takes a great deal of rinsing to remove the last traces of acid from the tank and
pipe-work.
It is very important to ensure that the entire system has been treated as,
otherwise, the whole problem will start up again, from the tiniest quantity of bacteria left
behind, so it's a job that needs doing when the boat is laid up and there is an alternative water
supply.
Once the system is cleared of the problem, it should stay clear provided that the water introduced is free of the bacteria
(avoid using ground water from wells, a common source of iron bacteria) and the tanks are regularly filled to capacity so that oxygen is not being given huge areas of surface with which to come into
contact.
For a trouble-free life, one might consider abandoning the steel tanks for polypropylene alternatives or lining them with something not susceptible to corrosion if there is sufficient access to make this
possible.
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