Road side ballast tank inspection by CO

[el Timador]

Hello, pleased to “e-meet” you all. First time posting here.

Last year we bought a 1995 26S, only sailed her twice in September but absolutely loved it! My question is around inspection of the ballast tank by government folks checking for various parasites and concerned about moving them from lake to lake. Has anyone ever had such an inspection? Any thoughts in general on this?

Elsewhere I read a post about adding chlorine or bleach to prevent growth and odor in the tank. Is this a common practice?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Tim

[NiceAft]

First off, welcome. Our members post from all over the world.

If you do not keep your Mac in a slip, while on the hard, you can leave the ballast valve open and the vent open. The ventilation will dry out the ballast, and create an uninhabitable environment. This will only work if there is a time period of weeks to dry out.

I am not trying to place guilt, but If you are not worried about the environment, you can also fill the ballast, and pour a cup of bleach in the vent opening. Many do this also.

[Jimmyt]

Welcome to the forum! There was a discussion on this awhile back... viewtopic.php?f=9&t=25131

[Russ]

I put a couple of chlorine tabs in the tank at the start of the season. Keeps stuffs from growing and smelling like rotten eggs. But that's ONLY the ballast. Does nothing for other wetted areas.


Tiny zebra mussels are smaller than the head of a screw.

Our state (Montana) was doing boat inspections. I believe most Western states are doing this. Zebra muscles are a big concern. Drain and dry to prevent them.

I believe the inspectors used steam to blast the ballast tanks and wetted areas if you came from another area. It doesn't hurt and can prevent these nasty things from getting into local waterways.

[svscott]

I have done a fair bit of research and last fall, I emailed PA fish and boat to ask the appropriate steps to take to prevent spread of invasive species. They only advised to make sure and dry out the ballast tank between outings... providing me no time frame to allow the mussels to die off or anything. I don't totally fault the person I talked to but, I don't think they gave solid, informed advice. My own research indicates zebra mussels and other potentiality harmful things can survive out of water for about 2 weeks given the proper ambient temperature and enough humidity.

After realizing the disgusting rotten egg stench of an unheated ballast tank, I use a several cups of bleach in my 26D ballast tank when keeping my boat in the marina.
Honestly though, as much as I'm trying to combat unwanted growth and critters in there, I'm also avoiding the gross, nasty stench of rotting algae and bio-funk that happens in the sealed tank over the summer months.

I recently bought a 26X that I'm planning on Lake hopping and exploring with and that's why I reached out to fish and boat commission. Outside of the aforementioned 2 week dry-out, a different approach that is available to some people/areas (but not to me) is a steam bath. I believe I read that a hot steam soak of more than 180 degrees F for maybe ten minutes will acceptably kill off the baddies.

Please don't quote me on these things, as these practices are pretty criticaI to keep the environment preserved. It's been awhile since I researched, but I'm pretty confident my info is accurate. After 6 years of my D residing in the marina for half the year, my ballast tank is totally clean and devoid of life BUT my daggerboard definitely has zebra mussel remains clinging to the drain holes.

[el Timador]

Thanks very much for the replies. Looks like bleach is a good option and I like the idea of steaming out the tank. One of the links shared here led to this article:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4544425/

I don't have a steamer but I wonder if a reasonably hot car wash would work.

Anyway, thanks very much for the input. Good to know there is a community of folks who have addressed these same issues.

[Macboy]

I’ve only ever seen them once - at the Brewers launch on Gull Lake. We didn’t have our Mac on the water that time but they were chatting with all boats coming out of the water. Hope to spend a lot of time on the water this season so if I have the pleasure of interacting with them I’ll let you know what transpires. Do the same for me if you don’t mind.

[OverEasy]

Always something new to learn here....

Steam Cleaning the ballast tank.... How would that work?
I mean the ballast tank has a big hole at the aft end and a little hole at the front end with transfer lines and two variable geometry tankage areas.
So shoving a steam line up the fill/drain and hope the steam moves throughout the ballast tank?
I can see it getting the aft tankage some and the starboard transfer passage but not the whole ballast system.

The same goes for getting the ballast tank dry.... unless one has a location like West Texas, Arizona or Southern California it is going to be difficult to get the shaded ballast tank warm enough to actually dry out statically.

The bleach aspect appears to work but I'm concerned about it reacting over time with the fiberglass resin and possible embrittlement if the concentration is too strong and left in place too long. Guess I need to do some more research on polyester resin fiberglass and bleach effects over time.

Keeping contamination's and critters at bay is important.
The idea of a cup or so of bleach added to the ballast for a week, drained and then flushed with fresh residential tap water before going into different lake would probably work.

Maybe a small vent fan fed up to the forward tank area and allowing the air to circulate and eventually escape out the fill/drain valve would work.....

I must be over thinking this but the ballast tank has a large surface area, doesn't fully drain on the trailer (the area amidships is lower than the fill/drain valve when the trailer is level on a Mac 26X. The bow has to be raised about 3 feet up off level to fully drain the ballast tank as I recently found out when I did a static fill test to check for any leaks this past weekend.

To borrow a phrase...."I'm SO Confused".....

[Russ]

The bleach aspect appears to work but I'm concerned about it reacting over time with the fiberglass resin and possible embrittlement if the concentration is too strong and left in place too long. Guess I need to do some more research on polyester resin fiberglass and bleach effects over time.

Maybe the engineer types can chime in with a more definitive answer, but fiberglass seems to be pretty durable and resistant to chemicals. My hot tub is basically a fiberglass shell with a gelcoat and it gets exposed to a lot of chlorine. It's filled with salt water and actually makes chlorine. So I'm not worried about chlorine in the ballast.

I've never actually stopped at the check points to see how they decontaminate, but my understanding is they blast steam into the ballast of wake boats as well as exterior wetted surfaces. I'm not sure how the steam makes its way through everything.

[el Timador]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4544425/

I don't think it is the steam per se, it is the temperature. The article indicates a temp above 45degC (113degF) is effective at killing off parasites. But you have a valid point about bleaching and then rinsing with residential water. I like that idea too.

Thanks.

[AndyVS]

I keep my boat in a slip on a small lake most of the year but pull it once or twice to take on vacation. When I pull it out, I take it to the do-it-yourself car wash, wash the exterior and then take wand into the cockpit and fill the ballast tank with hot soapy water & then rinse. I'd like to think it cleans out anything living in there.

[OverEasy]

Did a little bit of research on the effects of bleach on polyester resin fiberglass.
This is not a definitive study mind you but it has, so far anyway, raised a flag of caution for us.

The old saying if it's to good to be true it usually is.
It seems that any studies found are for STRAIGHT household grade bleach solution.
Most marine relevant ones have dealt with the effect of straight bleach on gel coated surfaces which sort of makes sense as most people are concerned with the external appearances of their boats.

Bleach degrades all waxes used to seal gel coats. Removal of the wax opens the pores of gel coat. Bleach can and does get into the open pores of gel coat and chemically attacks the molecular bond within the gel coat. This happens with or without sunlight.

Most Commercial tanks that are made from polyester resin fiberglass to transport and/or store bleach have a special PVC liner. Apparently the bleach bottles in the grocery are made from a special plastic formulation that resists the chemical attack of the chlorine in bleach.

Polyester resin fiberglass, such as used in the manufacture of MacGregor hulls and ballast tank systems appear to have a residual wax interior surface left from the manufacture process.

None of the information I have found so far specifically relates to DILUTED bleach solutions.

My limited personal opinion is of little consequence by I can’t help but feel that a cup or two of bleach (that has been pre-diluted prior to it’s addition) to a full ballast tank of lake or brackish or sea water isn’t going to do as much harm to the polyester resin fiberglass as the anaerobic bacteria / algae / scum / organic decomposition / parasitic creatures are going to do.

Most organic decomposition mats generally form an acidic interface interface layer with the surface they reside on. Pests like clams and muscles actually seek out irregularities and chemically attack surfaces so they can attach themselves.

I do know that chlorine does eventually boils (evaporates) from water (think swimming pools) over time. I do know that dilution is a valid mitigation for chlorine solutions spills.

That said, I’m pretty sure that there isn’t a measurable environmental aspect as it isn’t like there is going to be a fleet of MacGregor concurrently dumping their water ballast tanks at the same time and at the same location.

Looks like I’m gonna have to call a couple of Chemical Engineer buddies to see if they can shed a little more light on this topic.

[Russ]

Well, the INSIDE of the ballast tank has no gelcoat. It's raw glass and resin. Never saw wax like the hull gelcoat that came out of a mold.

My experience with a fiberglass hot tub is that chlorine chemically "burns" organic matter. Some kind of chemical reaction with oxygen and the organic matter.

It does "evaporate" eventually. Maybe evaporate isn't the correct term, but it dissipates. Hence why I have to keep adding more. However, the ballast tank is sealed and hopefully has no air. In this state, it is much like the bottle of bleach. Bleach is just diluted chlorine although some offer "flavors" of bleach that add other chemicals and fragrances. I believe Chlorox brand claims to be pure chlorine diluted with water.

In 10 years of dropping a couple of pool chlorine tabs in the tank I've had no issues *knocks on wood*.

As for the environmental concerns, I doubt a couple of tabs of disolved chlorine dispersed over a half mile of water when I'm dumping the ballast is going to be an issue. Talk about diluting it. When I did NOT use chlorine, I stank up the ramp pretty bad with rotten eggs. I pitty the captains that followed me.

I found this. Seems fiberglass is the preferred material for chlorine storage and pipes.

https://beetleplastics.com/chlorine-sto ... -and-pipe/

[Maraquita]

Colorado has been inspecting boats before launching at all lakes for a few years. Our closeness to Lake Powell has made it imperative. If you can't prove that you were inspected coming out of a lake (they install a wire seal from trailer to boat) they will fill your ballast tank with water over 140 degrees. On my 26D, through the vent hole, it takes about 15 minutes. I don't remember how long they make you wait with it sitting in there, but it takes longer for them to crawl all over the trailer and check anchor chains and ropes etc. The link below is to an old 2007 document about cleaning tanks in boats using Potassium Chloride as an environmentally favorable cleaning solution over Chlorine, but it does mention Chlorine as effective. It appears that drying everything out is still more effective, but I worry about how dry a ballast tank can ever be, even in our high dessert climate.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 014876.pdf

"An effective mussel-killing solution — for each ballast tank — is two gallons of a 200 parts per million (ppm) solution of potassium chloride (KCL). Despite the fact that it will kill mussels, this solution is harmless to humans and to the environment. It also has extremely low corrosion characteristics and has been used in the oil well drilling industry for decades due to these characteristics A chloride concentration of 250 ppm is allowable for drinking water and the solution is below that level. Potassium chloride salt crystals are used in water softener systems; people drink and bath in such water. Conservative estimates of potassium and chloride concentration in Lake Powell with usage as indicated above, indicate concentrations of 1 part per trillion. That is far below possible environmental harm. In fact, KCL solution was used in Virginia to completely kill all zebra mussels in a quarry. “In dramatic contrast, other aquatic wildlife including turtles, fishes, aquatic insects, and snails continue to thrive in the quarry.”