aluminum tank for potable water?

[pipes]

I have a new/unused 100 gallon AL tank....Can it be used for potable water? OR can I SLOSH some sort of liquid liner to seal it............TANK YOU...... 

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Pipes,

Check this thread out on the same subject!

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=640.msg5094;topicseen#msg5094

Hope this helps
Nick-

[scanzel]

Don't go there on aluminum tanks for holding or water tanks. I asked this question a few months back and got quite a bit of feedback explaining the negatives of it. I had seen some new fuel tanks on ebay and thought they would be ideal for my needs but have now decided to go plastic after checking on the properties of aluminum and possible health hazards if used for drinking water etc. Just my FYI.

[tekebird]

no matter what material I would not use tank water for potable.......it is very difficult to propery sanitize a tank be it plastic, ABS, Alum, Stainless, Titanium what have you.

[belfert]

no matter what material I would not use tank water for potable.......it is very difficult to propery sanitize a tank be it plastic, ABS, Alum, Stainless, Titanium what have you.

I agree here.  I always buy gallons of water at Walmart for my bus or RV.  My travel trailer had water put into it a number of times that was laced with arsenic.  The locals recommended not drinking it.  I go back to the same place every year and fill up with the bad water so I decided not to bother sanitizing and just use purchased water instead.

Brian

[jjrbus]

 I would not care what the tank was made of. I am not drinking water out of my holding tank, too many variables! I buy water at wherever. Chad has a nice setup in his bus. He fills 2 5 gal water bottles at home and has a seperate pump and faucet for it.

[TomNPat]

Pipes,

We used an aluminum (75 gallon) tank on a truck conversion we had for about 10 years.  Used an anode rod to prevent the tank from being eaten up.  The water from the tank didn't taste good, but it was better tasting than some of the stuff from places we went.

I'm 64 and haven't died yet from drinking coffee made from that water, but I think I'd rather have it made from Wal Mart water too.  Only thing is, when you're trying to make a living, you don't have time to go to Wal-Mart often.

If fact, since I have a few shares of 'underperforming' Wal Mart, buy lots of stuff there, including a pitcher filter.  We use one all the time, like Pura, that makes our coffee taste good compared to what it used to.  Buy a garden tractor/mower, fish finder, and all you clothes and automotive needs too!

Best tasting water I ever drank came in a faucet in my grandmothers kitchen through a 50 year old pipe from a spring up on the hill.  I'm not that picky, but some probably wouldn't let it touch their lips.  "lips that have touched alcohol shall never touch mine" is the old phrase that doesn't apply to me.

If I'd know I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of my body!

TomNPat

[JackConrad]

If I'd know I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of my body!

Yeah, I know what you mean. All those years of thinking I was "indestructable" are really catching up with me. One of the reasons I quit riding in the rodeos. I used to bounce when I hit the ground, the last few times I just kinda went "SPLAT!".  Took a week or 2 before I cound walk "normal" again.  Jack

[pipes]

Thanks for all of the replies. I think I will use the tank, and bottled water for drinking/cooking.
                                    Regard to water tanks. I worked on Tugboats and other boats/ships for about 50years, 2or3 were built in the late 1800s ! all had water tanks of course, except ONE. In the late 40s. Febuary Three of us flew on a ski equipped plane to Hay River NWT and landed alongside a passenger/freight ship frozen in six feet of ice. She was moored in a small slough to protect her from the massive river ice breakup in the spring.

                                                           The ship YELLOWKNIFE EXPIDITOR sucked  ALL of our water including potable, out of the "Great slave lake"      The only toilet available at that time was a  wooden outhouse on the bank of the slough NO door! And it was 70f  below zero! No such thing as sitting there reading the Sears catalogue
                                       BTW I will be 76 in may..........No doctor No medications, just grungy water.

[TomC]

On my over the road big rig, I used a 75 gallon aluminum fuel tank for water.  What it did was surprising in that the reaction of the aluminum with the minerals in the water caused little pellets of calcium type deposits to be formed.  So much so that I had to clean out the uptake tube on the tank at least once a week and clean the water pump screen once a month.  A real pain.  Do yourself a favor and use plastic, it doesn't react with anything.  And once you do a few fill ups, you won't taste anything except the water.  Besides you should have a good filtration system for drinking water.  Good Luck, TomC

[Sam 4106]

I think some of you are a little paranoid about drinking from an aluminum container. How many of you that won't drink water from an aluminum tank have ever drank soda or beer from an aluminum can or coffee from an aluminum percolator?
Enough said, Sam 4106

[FloridaCliff]

Brother Sam,

Your preaching to the choir here.....

I just drain and fill my tank every time before I head out.

I also drink from the hose, the shower and actually swallowed a little lake water once.  LOL

But, I also intake water soluble hops, yeast and barley malt to kill the germs.   

Cliff