Drinking water treatment

[merseydave]

Hi all, as I am new to caravans can anyone tell me how you go about cleaning the fresh water system out please.

Regards Dave.

 

[Parksy]

Hi Dave
Water sterilisation products such as Puricleanse are available from caravan accessory shops or you could use Milton which can be found in the baby product shelves of supermarkets. Fill your aquaroll with clean water, add the recommended dose, run the taps including the hot tap to fill the boiler and leave to stand for about 20 minutes before flushing with clean water. Don't leave the sterilization solution any longer to avoid damaging your boiler. I would suggest that you use an empty bottle to collect drinking water from the site tap because caravan pipes even when sterilised can contain all sorts of nasties.

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Hi Dave I know this sounds expensive but it isnt really Parksy is right with his advise also ASDA do sterilising tablets do the same job as Milton. Now back to the beginning what we do cos I have a dodgy digestive system as regards water we never use water from the barrel for drinking nor coffee and tea ,we always buy bottled water but still sterilise the water system for shower and washing up. Any change in water from our own apart from bottles doesnt do me any good. I hope this helps ..
Sir Roger

 

[chrisbee1]

Conversely, I and many thousands of others have used water straight from the caravan taps with no ill effects (in my case) for years although I only drink water if it has coffee or whisky in it.

 

[DaveA1]

Conversely, I and many thousands of others have used water straight from the caravan taps with no ill effects (in my case) for years although I only drink water if it has coffee or whisky in it.

Same here, Sterilise van twice a year, then use tap as if I was at home. Apart from the whisky, can't stand whisky

 

[merseydave]

Ok it looks like I will give it all a good sterilise and use as normal, I don't see it much point in having running water in the caravan and not use it.

Regards Dave.

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Just like to point out that we do everything with the water system in the van as the rest of you and I understand that many use the water from the van Its just me that when I got to other ares of the country and different water suppliers do not suit my digestive system I could spend all day in the loo after just one cup of tea from another area and strangely enough our water at home is probably the worst drinking water in the country .Thats my rant over .
Sir Roger

 

[Keefanmaxx]

Must admit, Mrs Keith and I use bottled water for drinking ...... we've had some funny tasting tea and coffee, even though the pipes are sterilised, but that could be down to the strength of the mixture (too much Milton!!)

For information, I don't like Whisky either .... and it costs too much to fill the Aquaroll with it!

 

[Parksy]

Caravan water pipes can contain all sorts of bacteria, when the caravan is not being used the pipework still contains water from the previous trip.I've seen pictures of a sort of sludge inside a section of caravan water pipe and if your caravan was a used model how can anyone be certain that the previous owner sterilised system regularly?
Each to their own though, do what is best for you, I am careful and prefer to know for sure that my drinking water is safe

 

[Parksy]

PS
I take my single malt undiluted

 

[ProfJohnL]

Conversely, I and many thousands of others have used water straight from the caravan taps with no ill effects (in my case) for years although I only drink water if it has coffee or whisky in it.

Same here, Sterilise van twice a year, then use tap as if I was at home. Apart from the whisky, can't stand whisky

I've never heard of using whiskey to sterilise a water system, :lol: Actually it would probably work quite well :huh:

 

[merseydave]

I understand what has been said on this and I trust what you all have said as I am new to this and I have put this to those on here who have been around caravans for years. But the thing is would those who own a static and only visit their van every few months or so have the same problem, just my thought.

Regards Dave.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

But the thing is would those who own a static and only visit their van every few months or so have the same problem, just my thought.

There is a big difference between static caravans and tourers. A static is like the plumbing at home, there is always water in the pipes which excludes air and the water is chlorinated. A tourer has its water pipes drained regularly and therefore air (which permits nasties to grow) is allowed in, but also note that the pipes are not fully dried.

 

[DaveA1]

Must admit, Mrs Keith and I use bottled water for drinking ...... we've had some funny tasting tea and coffee, even though the pipes are sterilised, but that could be down to the strength of the mixture (too much Milton!!)

For information, I don't like Whisky either .... and it costs too much to fill the Aquaroll with it!

Phew! That would certainly sterilise the water system

 

[Gabsgrandad]

I'm with chrisbee1, -- sterilise couple of times a year, for 40 years now it has worked! The family all grew up on it, kids well into their 40's now, granddaughter (13) drinks it still. (My whisky drinking days are over, but If anyone in my days had brought 'any water' near my whisky -- I'd have chopped their hands off, -- wouldn't have done it again then! (Still have whisky in the van -- suppose could use it for sterilising, or lubricating 'Woosies' maybe?

 

[saint-spoon]

I had a look at a thread on this subject from a few years back and the arguments for and against are still the same. Differing opinions really. We should have a special category for “Those Threads” in which anything with nose weights, second hand gas bottles and so on can live. Anyway, I have to watch what I eat and drink; had a spell of campylobacter twenty odd years ago and haven’t been quite the same since. I’ve had the c-van for a year now and sterilised the system once when we got it new and then after the lay up over December. I intend to give it a rinse through with Milton on our next outing as well as we will be on a service pitch which makes it a bit easier. This is an interim system clean because the sink in our bathroom has been out of action for a few months and I want to make sure that that part of the system is clean.
My general rule is that I always give the aquaroll a good rinse through before filling to wash out any water that has been trapped whilst not in use. I then flush through the system until I have drawn out at least 5 litres of water through the cold tap (this I use to top up the toilet flush). I then use the on board water for making tea, showering the kids, brushing teeth etc. once we are onto the second barrel of water I reckon that it is potable and I have had no problems.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I had a look at a thread on this subject from a few years back and the arguments for and against are still the same. Differing opinions really. We should have a special category for “Those Threads” in which anything with nose weights, second hand gas bottles and so on can live.

Please be more specific about which other subjects need a 'special' category, as it seems there may be a linking thread. hmy:

 

[Dustydog]

Same as Gabs and we are still here. :cheer:
Plus don't leave Milton or any other steriliser in the hot tank for more than 20 minutes before thoroughly flushing. It eats into the stairs less steel
Also where possible remove the filter to avoid contamination .

 

[Beehpee]

I had a 1999 Avondale that I would sterilise at beginning of the season and then fit new filter, we always drank what came out of the tap in tea, coffee and cold drinks for the grandkids, I also stopped bothering to fit a filter a couple of years ago and have done the same with the van we bought a few months ago, touch wood and all that, none of us have had any ill effects from drinking the water so far, I'm a great believer in being exposed to a few bugs and nasties, as people refer to, helps to improve our immunity to things so I'm happy to continue as we have, it is down to personal choice though so if people want to just go for bottled then that's perfectly fine and obviously anyone with any slight digestive intolerance is almost certainly doing the right thing in using bottles. It would be a funny old world if each and everyone of us did everything the same and then there would be little or nowt for us to discuss on here.

BP
Ps re there being chlorine in the tap water at home surely the water at campsites is also chlorinated?

 

[Parksy]

The tap water at campsites has the same treatment by water companies as that from home but rather than pushing it through our caravan pipes we simply fill bottles, but each to their own, if you're happy to use your caravan system why not?

 

[saint-spoon]

A quick question if I may for those that regularly sterilise the water system, do you drain out the sterilising fluid or just flush through with fresh water until you can’t taste it coming out of the tap anymore? the last time I did ours I just flushed through with a couple of barrels of fresh water, one through the cold and one through the hot system. If I opened up the system drain I would have quite a few gallons of sterilising fluid on the deck and I very much doubt that it very good for the grass.

I suppose if anyone had an old gas cylinder that they didn't want I could buy it off them and make a drip tray out of it to catch the sterilising fluid as it drained... but that might add to the nose weight. :evil:

 

[RayS]

While cleaning pipes don't foget to change filteres. Some remove filters before cleaning pipes which seems to be a good idea.
I always change filter just before a trip ( most of my trips are at least a month) and don't have any problems. But on the site we use in Spain the water is now desalinated and has a strange metallic taste to us. OK for washing up and showers although still extremely hard. Mineal water is stll only about £1 for 10 litres so use this for drinking, ice, cooking and save space by not taking filter jug