Do you fill your water tank with your garden hose? [HOSEGATE]

[snowy55]

Do you sterilise your Brandrup carrier and hose?

 

[Bobbybus]

Do you sterilise your Brandrup carrier and hose?

It is still quite new so I haven't yet but I probably will in the future! Gosh! That might be ott but I have been 'proper' poorly when I have been abroad in some less than hygeinic places and I know how it can ruin your time away. I would rather be too cautious than have regrets!

 

[mountainman]

Blimey, that is a whole can of worms!! and I suspect not many people know of any potential problem. I have one of those wall-mounted Hozlock reels that I have been using for years to fill the van tank which the whole family uses for drinking, tea and coffee, cooking, washing-up and washing. While I sterilise the van tank with Milton once a year, god knows what is in the hose reel. However, no amount of Milton is going to remove these nasties that may leach into the water from the plastic hose. Now I understand why some of the camp sites won't let you use their hoses, they don't want the liability presumably.
The easy solution is to change out my hose for a potable water version. Don't know if Hozelock or B&Q do one of these?
I take the point though, about the domestic loft tanks, these often have dead mice and bats floating around in them and not everyone in our house would even know which taps are mains and therefore for drinking and which come from the loft tanks and contain essence of bat!!!
I also sail quite a lot and I have to say most marinas supply good old bog standard garden hose for filling boat water tanks and most crew, not all, drink and cook from these!!

 

[rippers]

The risk is more from the people that have a coil of hose thats been left with water in it, in the sun it can get hot enough for bacteria like legionnaires disease to multiply. If you must use a hose, drain it after use so water doesn't stand in it and flush it out before use.

I have the 20L Brandrup fill up device and blue hose attachment for a tap if close enough on site.

At home I would only drink from the Kitchen sink tap as that is the only tap in the house that should have a direct mains feed. Garden hoses also have a direct feed but should have a double check valve fitted.
I personally wouldn't drink water from a shared tank in a block of flats but thats just me, they certainly don't make shared water tanks anymore because of the associated risks along with many other byelaw30 changes in plumbing systems.

 

[snowy55]

I fill our water tank with our garden hose immediately after I have washed the Cali or the car so the water is fresh and hasn't been stood in the hose for days.
Saves wasting water running it through.

 

[LisaKent]

We have been filling our tanks with Garden hose for years and we also drink the water, none of us has ever had an upset tummy or thrown up !

You probably pick up much worse things on a toilet door handle and then put your hand in your mouth afterwards.

If it was a child under five I would say be careful but as an adult you should have a good enough immune system to fight off a few bugs in the water.

 

[aileron346]

I very much agree with the idea that generally speaking a few bugs do no harm ( and prob a lot of good!) and generally try and avoid antiseptic products. However we do Milton our tank twice yearly and drink loads of unboiled water from the tap.
I'm no expert but I think the issue of food grade plastics is about chemicals not bugs. So I would definitely avoid using a garden hose wherever possible... It's the same reason that kitchen plastics are certified as food safe I think.
Like most of the Brandrup products the filling bottle and the little gadget that hangs it off the awning channel is expensive but brilliant...we use this.

 

[ChocolateEclair]

We picked up our machine before Easter and I have been happily drinking the water out of the tap on several long trips believing it has only ever been topped up with our new food safe hose.

Then when I mentioned this post to my other half I was informed 'oh no, I've filled it up a few times with the garden hose as the other one wouldn't reach'.

Our garden hose was once yellow but now resembles mud.

That explains my sore gums!

 

[WelshGas]

Good on Your other Half. See what you didn't know didn't hurt you.

 

[muttley]

It is interesting to hear how few of us would drink water that wasn't boiled from the tank, when presumably the tank is provided for drinking water rather than washing up. Maybe VW have considered the English, and it is 'water for tea' only.

At home I am a firm believer in a few germs being better than a pristine environment, but on holiday in the van the last thing you would want is to have everyone with upset stomachs. That can ruin a hotel holiday, but when you are a long way from a toilet block on a campsite it would be miserable indeed.

Simon

 

[WelshGas]

Ah, but if I am not confident about the water quality I would boil or use water sterilising tablets. However I am in Scandinavia and as far as I am concerned the countries I'm visiting on this trip meet or surpass all EU standards.

 

[blakeley]

I used to regularly drink from the hose in the garden as a child (still do now occasionally) and never had a a dicky tummy!

 

[sue.h]

the problem isnt germs or bacteria - garden hoses leach chemicals into the water which is a long term issue, not anything to do with drinking water quality. it is the build up of chemicals that is the concern.

 

[WelshGas]

I understand your comments and the reasoning behind them, but quite honestly the amount of chemicals you are likely to imbibe from filling your water tank using a flushed garden hose compared with just living day to day in our modern society pales into insignificance with everything you are exposed to in modern day life.
Some bottled water have more bacteria, electrolytes and other chemicals than municipal tap water from a flushed garden hose.

 

[motacyclist]

Just arrived back from a few days in the Cali and can report we are both still alive and well* after using garden hose water.

* Apart from alcohol poisoning maybe ....

 

[GrannyJen]

deleted.

pontificating old tart strikes again.

 

[rich-s]

Just arrived back from a few days in the Cali and can report we are both still alive and well* after using garden hose water.

* Apart from alcohol poisoning maybe ....

Ah but have you considered the garden hose water borne virus incubation period. Please post once every 4 hours for the next 7 days so we don't worry about you .

EDIT: Granny Jen - I had too many beers and not enough sense before this reply - I didn't read yours first and didn't mean to offend, sorry. Something to do with the page changing.

 

[GrannyJen]

My apologies to all

I am stupidly over sensitive tonight.

some bad news regarding my own health, even worse some bad news regarding Albert's health.

I am so sorry, not biting at anyone, just feeling a bit .... well, ... brittle.

Apologies from drama queen ... fun queen back as normal in a few days.


Jen

 

[motacyclist]

Hi Jen

I've no doubt Albert will be sorted under warranty, I'm sure your warranty is even better than VW's and things will be sorted .

Colin

 

[GrannyJen]

Hi Jen

I've no doubt Albert will be sorted under warranty, I'm sure your warranty is even better than VW's and things will be sorted .

Colin

They (VW dealer) have been sorting Albert out for 10 months, now the intermittent 240v charging problem is permanent and there is no CCU display to tell me battery state ... or any other state

 

[Noeleen]

[QUOTE="GrannyJen . . .
some bad news regarding my own health, even worse some bad news regarding Albert's health . . . [/QUOTE]

Sorry to hear that. If that ankle is not better yet try Yoga / Pilates / sea swim or some other escape to get you back on track, get your battery charged. You need EHU for 24 hours! Looking at times on your posts you don't sleep the usual hours.

Going back to topic - I only fill mine using a food compatible hose with water fresh from the well. Then we drink from the tap in the Cali. A yucky hose left out in sun / frost with chemicals leeching from the plastic (not to mention the viruses and bacteria) does not appeal to me.

Apart from that, I have it all to learn about the Cali, and I am learning and enjoying daily on this wonderful forum.

 

[WelshGas]

It is all very well clicking the " DISAGREE " button, but Disagree with what in my statement?
That Bottled Water may not be as safe as tap water, that you are more at risk from all the nasty chemicals around us than those in the garden hose?
We will never know!

 

[jts46]

Never or rarely use tank why carry the extra weight (unless wild camping of course)

John

 

[rippers]

Surely this thread has run it course now, seems to be getting quite negative now.

Why not run a poll instead?

To hose or not to hose.. this is the question..


1. You either ate mud and worms as a child and use the hose pipe and you fear no germ or chemical that could ever be in a garden hose pipe.

or

2. You are hysterically anal about food safe hose pipe or sterilise everything (this is me) and drink from the tank.

or

3. You only drink bottle water and use the water in the tank for brushing your teeth and washing up.

or

4. You don't put any water in the tank and just crack open the poison of choice when you get to the campsite.

Water ever method you choose.. stay happy!

 

[Noeleen]

It is all very well clicking the " DISAGREE " button, but Disagree with what in my statement?
That Bottled Water may not be as safe as tap water, that you are more at risk from all the nasty chemicals around us than those in the garden hose?
We will never know!

Hi Welshgas and sorry I didn't make myself clear.

I disagreed with the advice you gave that some bottled water might have more "chemicals, bacteria and electrolytes" than bottled water. You are right, it might have! But it is unlikely in this part of the world. I did see people filling water bottles from a barrel at the back of a restaurant in India, and putting on new plastic seals, then selling the bottles. That was dodgy water.

I have drank water from garden hoses without ill effect. It was simply your advice I disagreed with, and thought I had given my reason in post above.

No negativity intended, simply scientific fact!

And electrolytes are not nasty, they just need to be in physiological concentration for human consumption.

Continue to enjoy your epic trip!

Noeleen