Anything that can freshen up a bowser of brackish water?

[billylula]

Power washed it a few months ago - have a filter on it - it collects rainwater as we have no running water at our stable. Water is slightly brown and horses aren't keen - anything safe to put in it to freshen it up a bit?

 

[tda]

Have you also washed the gutters that collect the water?

 

[PurBee]

You can get chlorine dioxide camping water purification tablets. For a massive tank you’d need a huge amount though.

If the tank is clear/exposed to light, the ‘brown’ maybe some kind of algae or iron particles solidified - the streams are red brown here from iron. Also bacteria from iron in water produces a orangey-brown colour. These are some things which will grow quickly if the tank is exposed to light, and put anything off from drinking it.

We cover all our tanks. If its exposed to sunlight, might be good to cover with white tarp to reflect the light so it doesnt warm-up, helping bacteria/algae/bugs grow.

 

[billylula]

Yes

Have you also washed the gutters that collect the water?

They aren't covered that's a good idea thanks

 

[Nasicus]

You can get chlorine dioxide camping water purification tablets. For a massive tank you’d need a huge amount though.

I was once at a place that insisted this was the best way to clean the auto water troughs and that they did it only a few months prior. The water was like pea soup, so I drained it and found there was about 3 inches of murky water and a further foot of accumulated debris, sludge, worms and various deer and bird bones!
Of course this doesn't apply to OP as they've cleaned it out, it just brought back a memory! Purbee's suggestion of covering the tank in a white tarp is perfect, as it'll block the light and reflect the heat a bit.
If the stink has gotten into the plastic of the bowser, you could go for a large scale Baking Soda cleaning? Might be a bit impractical for something of that size, but it's fab at neutralizing smells, like in a plastic water bottle that's gone a bit funky (especially after your mum put milk in it and forgot about it!). How I do it is put enough Baking Soda and Water in so that I can swish it around and have the Baking Soda remain on the surfaces, leave overnight and then wash out. Perhaps it might be possible to do that on a larger scale?

Also, just because I'm nosy, OP did you mean brackish water, as in, saltier than fresh water but not as salty as sea water?

 

[billylula]

I was once at a place that insisted this was the best way to clean the auto water troughs and that they did it only a few months prior. The water was like pea soup, so I drained it and found there was about 3 inches of murky water and a further foot of accumulated debris, sludge, worms and various deer and bird bones!
Of course this doesn't apply to OP as they've cleaned it out, it just brought back a memory! Purbee's suggestion of covering the tank in a white tarp is perfect, as it'll block the light and reflect the heat a bit.
If the stink has gotten into the plastic of the bowser, you could go for a large scale Baking Soda cleaning? Might be a bit impractical for something of that size, but it's fab at neutralizing smells, like in a plastic water bottle that's gone a bit funky (especially after your mum put milk in it and forgot about it!). How I do it is put enough Baking Soda and Water in so that I can swish it around and have the Baking Soda remain on the surfaces, leave overnight and then wash out. Perhaps it might be possible to do that on a larger scale?

Also, just because I'm nosy, OP did you mean brackish water, as in, saltier than fresh water but not as salty as sea water?

I used the word brackish completely incorrectly I just meant it's gone a bit brown. It doesn't smell (to me anyway) and tastes fine (to me anyway!)

 

[PurBee]

I used the word brackish completely incorrectly I just meant it's gone a bit brown. It doesn't smell (to me anyway) and tastes fine (to me anyway!)

I find animals know better than us about water quality. They have sharp instincts for safe to drink (for them) water. We have 2 water sources, rainwater and ‘fresh mountain spring water’ bubbling directly from the bedrock, contained and pumped. There are no houses or any human activity above our elevation where the spring water originates.

My horses always prefer drinking rainwater over the spring water. This worried me, so i tested the spring water - high calcium, high iron and the bacteria test came back positive, but didnt specify which bacteria. I filter the spring water now. It tasted so fabulous i never knew, but the horses did!

 

[Nasicus]

I used the word brackish completely incorrectly I just meant it's gone a bit brown. It doesn't smell (to me anyway) and tastes fine (to me anyway!)

Ah no worries, I was concerned you were having salty rainwater for the moment

 

[Highmileagecob]

My water butts had mosquito larvae floating in them, and Old Dobbin wouldn't drink from them. I emptied mine, scrubbed them and rinsed, and they will stay upside down until a couple of weeks before end of summer turn out.