Carver Owners Forum

We have a 1997 405 that we have had for three years.
We only use the shore water hook up and the on board water tank is basically empty.
We have rv/marine filter on the hose before it enters the boat. And is changed twice a season.
This year, we have noticed the water is milky and has a distinct odor when first using the faucets.
The water will clear up after a short while and the odor will dissipate, but will not entirely go away.
The odor is very foul smelling.
Is there a filter on the boat from where the shore water enters to before the faucets?
The water appears to be clean and odor free directly from the hose before hooking up to the boat.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

No filter on board. I believe your lines need a good cleaning!

I would recommend you sanitize your entire potable water system. I do this every spring by filling the tank about 1/2 way, adding a 2-3 cups of bleach, fill the tank full and let it sit a few hours. I then open all faucets one by one until it smells bleach and then close. Once all are done, let her sit for 24hrs. Now empty, fill, empty fill with fresh water.

The goal is to allow the bleach to sit in the tank and lines giving it time to kill/clean everything and then flush out with fresh water.

Personally we drink the water from our potable water tank however I do have an additional filtration setup installed. See here https://www.carveryachtowners.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4940&p=37088&hilit=filter#p37088

I have a 405 and there's no filter. Midnightsun has the right suggestion on cleaning and sanitizing the water system. I also have no issues with drinking water out of my on board water tank we have always used this with no problems.

I should add that it could be your water heater is fouled up pretty bad also. In this case I would still sanitize however you would need to run enough bleach mixture by opening any hot water spigot to change the contents of the heater introducing enough bleach mixture to be effective.

I use this every spring when I commission the boat...

https://www.amazon.com/Star-brite-Clean-Water-Flush/dp/B0014450BU/ref=sr_1_1?crid=328MFFXAXNHF1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mc0uVXECqG23GeTwEfkzfBy_RHSu59-1DcX0EAvJez-HUTM4X3Uh_DBE90ljJizg9soVEOtwJUqc6SqXLfrpnE6TTkd-c2UrVbaySr3pFV2KWMljSMduiBxaEk0xOH-Je8p81WF_9mpCqz4wcBStZP5RsbmZ7R5pHpgp4LXY1y9QNcuY-bdqynzhEu6Fl0MRoyO23A_RakammiITlyB52_SJRMQMzyvqLTCA-Gu-Bw88lE6Kq1OYPthex7PkcH8uWShV6NtAGLHxOCuHQ9pJB6_ozwc256qaKXww7QnoeZNtow.O5yQ_g00CKksefGEIgyifaEdb_xO8fqpktlidxVr2c8&dib_tag=se&keywords=star+brite+aqua+water+tank+%26+system+flush&qid=1752145832&sprefix=star+brite+aqua%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1

Put enough water in your tank to run through your entire water system including the hot water tank. Pour the product into the tank per instructions, then run each faucet one at a time (cold first) until you know it is dispensing some of the product, you'll be able to tell. Let it sit for a while (I leave it overnight). Then finish draining the tank, and flush the entire system with fresh water. Works great. If your lines are coated with anything internally, this will strip it. I was amazed the first time I used it, I couldn't believe the colour of the water that came out when I flushed the system.

If you want to use something else than bleach, here is a link for Canadians. https://www.amazon.ca/Camco-40207-TastePURE-Cleaner-Deodorizer/dp/B000EDUTQS/ref=asc_df_B000EDUTQS?mcid=76479381025f396aa20f96e22b59205b&tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706836276224&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7879075514251848296&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1002504&hvtargid=pla-379241474386&hvocijid=7879075514251848296-B000EDUTQS-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1&th=1

I agree, sounds like a cleaning is in order....

To add, bleach is what water systems use to disinfect and clean, regular household laundry bleach / sodium hypochlorite at a much lower concentration is what the consumers get.

Remember to flush all your lines, hot and cold, fresh water wash down if you have it, all showers and transom shower to be sure there are no dead ended lines in the boat left after the flushing. You really don't need a lot, an ounce per a few gallons is more than enough. Good luck.

Edit....if there is one, check the anode in the water heater.

Cleaning the system is always a good idea. From a simple approach, make sure you are using a marine grade water hose to connect the shore water to the boat. You should not use a common water hose, filter or not. The marine grade hose is made with anti-bacterial elements inside the hose. A common water hose will get funky real quick, and create that temporary smell and discoloration. Good luck. er

Cooler wrote:Source of the post Cleaning the system is always a good idea. From a simple approach, make sure you are using a marine grade water hose to connect the shore water to the boat. You should not use a common water hose, filter or not. The marine grade hose is made with anti-bacterial elements inside the hose. A common water hose will get funky real quick, and create that temporary smell and discoloration. Good luck. er

Any hose will do as long as it mentions it is good for drinking water.

Midnightsun wrote:Source of the post If you want to use something else than bleach, here is a link for Canadians. https://www.amazon.ca/Camco-40207-TastePURE-Cleaner-Deodorizer/dp/B000EDUTQS/ref=asc_df_B000EDUTQS?mcid=76479381025f396aa20f96e22b59205b&tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706836276224&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7879075514251848296&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1002504&hvtargid=pla-379241474386&hvocijid=7879075514251848296-B000EDUTQS-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1&th=1

The Camco one is actually the brand I prefer, I think it does a better job. My understanding though is that both the Camco and the Star Brite brands of that product are restricted in Canada now. I can't seem to get any through regular distributors so get them while you can because they may not be available anymore once inventory runs out. I did manage to get some through a US company and shipped across the boarder but I don't know how long they'll get away with that if the status on the product doesn't change.