Hozelock fittings - food grade?

[HappyCamperAM]

Hi everyone,

Unusual question, but... we've rocked up at a few fully serviced pitches this year where the taps have been ridiculously far away from the van. As such we bought a food grade 20m pipe to sort it once & for all.
The food grade pipe comes with it's own fittings, which are a bit on the flimsy side. I was going to swap them out for the "hozelock" branded one's that get battered every year in our garden, but never break.
I just wondered though, if the plastic one's supplied are actually of 'food grade' plastic too, or if they're just all generic plastic. Don't want to have gone to the hassle and expense of having forked out for food grade hose, & undo it all be putting connectors on that aren't. Thanks

 

[JTQ]

You could alternatively go for brass ones, not sure who make them but often see them in hardware outlets.

Edit: Toolstation is one LINK

 

[IanB1485]

There's a lot more of the hose in contact with the water compared with the fitting so you may be overthinking this , but you can buy brass fittings. Personally I'd be more concerned with the plasticisers in the plastic of bottled water.

 

[HappyCamperAM]

There's a lot more of the hose in contact with the water compared with the fitting so you may be overthinking this , but you can buy brass fittings. Personally I'd be more concerned with the plasticisers in the plastic of bottled water.

Hi,

Thanks. Hadn't considered brass fixings, but will have a look. You're right, I probably am overthinking it, & there are definitely more plasticisers in bottled water than there will be in the hose & connectors

 

[Mr Plodd]

Never bothered with food grade hose, let alone fittings over the past 20+ years, and I am still here aged 71

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Been using brewery hose and hose lock fittings for many years and no problems 👍

 

[JTQ]

Never bothered with food grade hose, let alone fittings over the past 20+ years, and I am still here aged 71

Probably routed in less informed times, but now such practice flies in the face of modern understanding of the carcinogenic risks.

 

[ProfJohnL]

A few year ago there were some plastic hosepipe fittings which were made with yellow plastic. It turned out the the most common yellow plastic colourant was cadmium, which is highly toxic and substantive traces could be found in water passing through just one fitting! This may not be the material used today, except I would be very wary of unbranded fittings, especially cheap or counterfeit products.

As for the exposure to such issues, without precise testing, you cannot know what levels of toxic and other chemicals might be found from using non food grade pipes and fittings. As its relatively simple to avoid them by only using food grade materials its a risk I'm not prepared to take.

 

[Dustydog]

A few year ago there were some plastic hosepipe fittings which were made with yellow plastic. It turned out the the most common yellow plastic colourant was cadmium, which is highly toxic and substantive traces could be found in water passing through just one fitting! This may not be the material used today, except I would be very wary of unbranded fittings, especially cheap or counterfeit products.

As for the exposure to such issues, without precise testing, you cannot know what levels of toxic and other chemicals might be found from using non food grade pipes and fittings. As its relatively simple to avoid them by only using food grade materials its a risk I'm not prepared to take.

See this

Hose lock fittings are not sold as food grade. But try and find food grade ones. My aquaroll hose , blue , has grey and orange plastic fittings which I have to assume are food grade. .
I suggest those who are concerned buy the Aquaroll fittings. I haven’t seen them sold separately from the hose but must assume they are available

 

[birdman101]

I have always used Brass ones for years as always only use full service pthches. Same material as the site taps connected to. Took the original plastic ones off the hoses

 

[Sam Vimes]

Never bothered with food grade hose, let alone fittings over the past 20+ years, and I am still here aged 71

Not wanting to be completely negative but given that the average life expectancy of a UK male is 87, the jury is still out considering the verdict😉

 

[borderbilly]

Think you are worrying over nothing , after all if you go into establishments for food or drink how do you know what they are cleaning the dishes in etc. As Mr Plodd said he's still here.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Think you are worrying over nothing , after all if you go into establishments for food or drink how do you know what they are cleaning the dishes in etc. As Mr Plodd said he's still here.

You are entitled to your opinion, it may not coincide with the opinions of others.

With regards your second point, catering businesses are inspected and given ratings for hygiene and customer safety. As ever there will be a few who deliberately choose not to follow the regulations, but they are a minority. Most businesses do try to comply to maintain a safe place and food for customers.

 

[JTQ]

Think you are worrying over nothing , after all if you go into establishments for food or drink how do you know what they are cleaning the dishes in etc. As Mr Plodd said he's still here.

Yes but he is only 71 and 54% of UK's cancer mortality occur after another 4 years at 75!

Whilst not dead yet both our cancers, my two, my wife's three, only became apparent after we past 75.

 

[Jcloughie]

On our seasonal I use an expandable hose purely for ease and speed. But we use bottled water for drinking and cooking. Still a possible concern with the quality of the bottles. But I cannot do much about that.

John

 

[otherclive]

Yes but he is only 71 and 54% of UK's cancer mortality occur after another 4 years at 75!

Whilst not dead yet both our cancers, my two, my wife's three, only became apparent after we past 75.

Could the die (sic) be cast for Plodd....hopefully not. 🤞

 

[Sam Vimes]

Age is not necessarily a good indicator of health.

I have numerous friends, older and younger than me, most of whom have had numerous health interventions and have a daily cocktail of drugs to take.

Of course what the underlying causes were is not known but we should all take whatever care we can to stay healthy.

 

[birdman101]

We have never consumed any water at all that has travelled through the hose from the tap and through the caravan. Always fit a Brass splitter on the tap. One for the hose to caravan and the other then to fill our Filter Jug.

 

[RogerL]

Life in general throws up too many pitfalls to worry about the quality of drinking water in the UK.

I do smile when I hear of people worried about the plasticiser in bottled water - the irony being that they pay a fortune per litre for exactly the same water that many of us get for virtually nothing straight out of the tap - my local water company uses the same water we drink and markets it as Elmhurst Spring in bottles - but I guess the profit they make on the bottled water is keeping my water rates down!

 

[Woodentop]

We have never consumed any water at all that has travelled through the hose from the tap and through the caravan. Always fit a Brass splitter on the tap. One for the hose to caravan and the other then to fill our Filter Jug.

+1

I have a feeling the grey/orange fittings supplied with the Aquaroll water kit are made by Gardena but are certainly not branded.
Brass fittings are especially good in winter as you just pour some hot water on the tap and splitter to melt the ice!

 

[Buckman]

You are entitled to your opinion, it may not coincide with the opinions of others.

With regards your second point, catering businesses are inspected and given ratings for hygiene and customer safety. As ever there will be a few who deliberately choose not to follow the regulations, but they are a minority. Most businesses do try to comply to maintain a safe place and food for customers.

An eating establishment is lucky if it sees an inspector once in a year or more. In between, a person has no idea on the cleanliness of the kitchen, how the dishes are wiped ( they could be employing a dog to lick the dishes clean) or even how the food is prepared. We seldom eat out mainly due to expense and if we do, it is to a place known to us.

 

[Beachball]

My Aquaroll has main water adaptor kit and 7.5m food grade hose in blue and hozelock fittings to a tap

 

[ProfJohnL]

You should be able to assume that every UK/EU manufacturer of caravan water fittings will be using food grade items, The biggest risk these days are the cheap unbranded or counterfeit products made in the far East where compliance with UK/EU regulations are openly flounted.

 

[izzy]

My hose (just by chance) is food grade and I use hozelock fittings even on the extension hose.
Never been a problem as we mainly drink bottled water or beer.
We use 2 silver/grey aquarols and I have always been led to believe that aquarols are made from "virgin " (not recycled) .plastic and only the cheaper blue ones fade with sunlight.
All this of course could be completely wrong .

 

[Sam Vimes]

I've mentioned a number of times that I get to review certain products on sale at Amazon and most of them originate from the Middle Kingdom.

It's clear that advertising claims in many cases are just misleading and equally clear that no independent vetting of claims has been made. It's so easy to stick a compliance label on a product.

Just recently I've evaluated some food grade items supposedly made of stainless steel 304. A quick test with a magnet shows they are not.

Checking electrical products is a little harder but claims that a standard wire fuse will blow in milliseconds for example is just wrong.