Barnacles in the bilge

midget · Post by **midget** » Sat Apr 23, 2005 6:37 am

Don't know why I just thought of this, but I may be glad I did! Maybe after seeing barnacles/mussels on my ballast intake/outlet. These little critters must be getting in my ballast tank (my X is in the water 24/7 behind my house) and that can't be good. Does anyone know a solution to this and a schedule for treatment? Thanks

norbert · Post by **norbert** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:45 am

i think (i hope at least) barnacles and mussels need sunlight to grow. i also have them on the valve baut never discovered them on the inside.

midget · Post by **midget** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:47 am

Thanks Norbert. I hope your right!

walker127 · Post by **walker127** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:31 pm

I heard a couple of those chemical tablets used for treating swimming pool water dropped in the tank kills any kind of life and is recommended when keeping the tanks full on a Mac or any other water ballast boat.

richandlori · Post by **richandlori** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 9:06 pm

Push a 3" Chlorine tablet through the valve and that will kills everything and not hurt the fiberglass. It also may be good to do it every so often to keep the "smell" from venting into the cabin when filling the ballast.

Rich

waternwaves · Post by **waternwaves** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 11:24 pm

For a fact....

Zebra mussels do not need light.to want to attach....and will attach inside submerged pipe..., much to the chagrin of some of my former employers....

midget · Post by **midget** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 2:49 am

Great, thanks folks. Just happen to have some chlorine tabs for the pool. I'll toss one in maybe monthly.

Andy26M · Post by **Andy26M** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 4:54 am

In the absence of chlorine tablets, you can just pour a few cups of clorox bleach in through the vent hole once the tank is full.

- AndyS

Chip Hindes · Post by **Chip Hindes** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 9:28 am

Do not leave those chlorine tabs in a well sealed tank for an extended period. They will outgas chlorine gas and could build pressure up to a dangerous level. BTDT with my pool filter tank. The failure was rather spectacular; fortunately I was about 100 feet away when it happened. Based on what the tank is designed to handle the pressure inside the tank to rupture it might have been 50 psi or more.

Not sure about the liquid chlorine bleach.

I'm also not sure how you want to vent the tank. Chances are the ballast tank is not gas tight, but you certainly don't want it venting into the cabin, either. Perhaps leave the transom valve cracked slightly?

zuma hans · Post by **zuma hans** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 8:22 am

Chlorine tabs in the ballast? How and when do you flush it out? How do you flush the ballast enough so the residual chlorine doesn't make the cabin smell whenever you vent?

And do you really want that much chlorine dumped into your immediate environment?

I would think leaving the boat on its trailer for a few days every few months would accomplish the same thing, without introducing caustic chemicals into the cabin area, much less the harbor.

Carl Noble · Post by **Carl Noble** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 9:11 am

One chlorine tablet will not cause the ballast tank to give off any chlorine smell. I put one in each time I switch from unballasted to ballast. Last season when I pulled out after not changing the ballast for seven weeks the water was clear and had no smell. I think what happened to Chip was that in a pool filter there is very little water due to the filter particulates (guessing maybe two gallons? ) and if it stops running while your adding chlorine you will get a very high concentration of chorine gas building up. Glad that no one was hurt. (Other than Chip's wallet

) Lake St. Clair is zebra mussel ground zero for the States and I would never leave my ballast in without chlorine. Those little buggers attach to any thing hard including seaweed stems.

Frank C · Post by **Frank C** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 10:05 am

Chip Hindes wrote: ... Not sure about the liquid chlorine bleach.

I'm also not sure how you want to vent the tank. ... Perhaps leave the transom valve cracked slightly?

I think I'd just use 2 cups of the laundry bleach myself. As for venting the tank, guess that's just one more good reason for a passive vent hose to one of the thru-hulls.

Bob Zoobricke · Post by **Bob Zoobricke** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 2:40 pm

I use liquid bleach 1 cup a month, I fill the tank let it stand overnight and flush. I replaced the vent plug with a pvc valve vented through the hull. So if I keep the valve open 1/4 of the way the tank can vent from any build up of fumes. I also flush the tank with 1 gallon of bleach at the end of each season but fill the tank with clean water and not water from the Husdon River.

Catigale · Post by **Catigale** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 2:44 pm

The Admiral will appreciate lemon scented bleach...it means you care...

Divecoz · Post by **Divecoz** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 4:56 pm

Bleach is good( 1 cup is enough) as is I would think . . Muratic acid. The acid is a bit more dangerous to handle though. . . I admit.
We use both products to clean and keep clean our cisterna's in Mexico as well as other 3rd world countries.
Here BTW would be my concern and that is where you dump it... Like so many other things in life . One guy doing it . . no problem. . . many . . . 100''s 1000's ???? ... Just a thought as to where to dump . Chlorine has a short life when in contact with the sun /// pools etc. I BTW use Bacacil for my pool as it's much more eco friendly .

MacGregorSailors.com

MacGregorSailors.com

Barnacles in the bilge

Barnacles in the bilge

Clorox

Isn't that a bad idea?

Bleach is good as is