Galley of a houseboat with a brushed steel tap, a glass of water on an oak worktop and a view through the window onto a calm river

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Drinking water on a houseboat: tank, pipes and frost

Short answer

Water on a houseboat comes from a tank or a hose from the pontoon.

Both need looking after: a clean tank,

water that does not stand for long and pipes protected from frost.

A split hose in winter is a common cause of water damage on board.

A houseboat gets its water one of two ways: from its own tank, filled at the pontoon or a water point, or through a permanent hose from the mooring's supply. Neither is the same as mains water in a house. Water in a tank can sit for days and warm up in summer, hoses and pipes collect a film on the inside, and bacteria like those conditions. On many houseboats the pipes also run through cold places, the bilge, the outer walls or a box on the pontoon, and that is where they freeze first, whether you moor on the Thames, a canal or a Dutch lake.

Clean water comes down to three things. A tank made of material approved for drinking water, with an opening big enough to clean it. Short storage times: use the water regularly, flush the pipes well after you have been away, and clean and disinfect the tank at the intervals the maker recommends. And hoses made for drinking water rather than the garden. If you live aboard all year, have the water tested at the tap; laboratories and local environmental health teams can tell you what results to expect.

Frost is a matter of planning. Lag pipes that run through cold spaces or fit trace heating, route the pontoon hose so it cannot freeze, or disconnect and drain it for the winter. If you leave the boat over winter, drain the tank, pipes, water heater and pump completely and leave the taps open. A burst pipe is water damage from your own systems, and whether a claim succeeds depends on the policy wording and on the precautions it asks for. Check what your policy says about frost and periods when the boat is unoccupied, and keep a note of what you did.

In a frost the bare pipe bursts while the insulated one holds.

Worth remembering

Summer

short storage, a clean tank, a drinking water hose

Winter

lag, heat or drain down completely

Water on board needs care, or it turns into a claim.

Questions

What owners ask us about this

How often should I clean the water tank?

That depends on the tank material, how much you use it and how long water stands. Follow the maker's guidance and clean it again after any long break, such as the winter, before you drink from it.

Can I use a garden hose from the pontoon?

Not for drinking water. Use a hose sold as suitable for drinking water and do not leave it lying full in the sun.

Is a burst pipe in winter covered?

That depends on your policy wording and on whether you took the precautions it requires, such as draining down or keeping the boat heated. With us, damage caused by frost is excluded in every tier, so a pipe that freezes and splits is not covered.

Water from your own systems: hoses, seacocks and tanks A power cut on a houseboat in winter: what happens to heating and pumps? Grey water from a houseboat: what may go into the river and what may not

All topics

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