Water quality from Aquaroll

[ValA.]

I wondered if anyone knows if surveys have been carried out into the quality of water delivered via an Aquaroll and Whale pump? I ask this because a couple of years ago, after a holiday in the South of France, at the end of the holiday we noticed a build-up of clear slime, and black mould around both the inlet pump and outlet (despite always using water purifying tablets). I'd noticed for a few years that on holiday I always felt 'under the weather' (and put it down to too much wine!!) but having stopped drinking water from the Aquaroll I don't have this problem any longer. It's only recently that someone raised the question about water quality on the Continent that it struck me that has anyone ever asked about water quality from an Aquaroll!

 

[ValA.]

Just to add to my previous posting, that we always clean our system meticulously - filling with a steriliser solution, leaving for recommended period, flushing through, leaving the Aquaroll full of steriliser for 24 hours, then rinsing and repeating the procedure a week or two later.

 

[rob_jax]

I'm not surprised - we don't drink the water from our Eriba Carysan (both sensitive to the taste of residual monomers and plasticisers in "hard" plastic containers) but use a washed out milk container or mineral water bottle filled from the site tap.

The water in a bulk container is effectively stagnant, possibly poorly flushed by incoming water, and outside in the sun and heat. Those are all good ways to encourage microbial growth.

You may want to try a more rigorous physical clean before sterilisation. Whilst sterilisation should kill the anaerobic bacteria, it probably won't kill aerobic bacteria, and it won't remove organic growth

Robert

 

[ValA.]

Just my feeling too, now, but took us many years to realise. I just wonder how toxic some of these bacteria, algae, slime moulds, etc might be - and whether any proper microbial and pathogen counts have actually ever been done. I know in America there's a big 'problem' with so called 'black moulds' in buildings, and they're investigating the health risks.

I've now written to the Editor to ask this question - perhaps they'll be able to find out - and if not perhaps organise such an investigation.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Robert_374242026]

Hello Valerie,on our Coachman we use a Whale Thames pump and we had a leak on the dual rubber pipe, one of the pipes is for shrouding the electric supply the other for water which was leaking. As i did not carry a spare i had to cut down the pipe and was horried fide at the black gunge in the pipe, we also use clear tabs etc.I now strip down the pipe to clean it.

 

[joeby]

I think the aquaroll is quite safe in the UK as long as you rinse it well ,plus any body who showers in there van will have a fast water turnover so its not in the tank long enough to stagnate ,any body who keeps Koi in filtered ponds will tell you that its not recomended to drain more than a third of your pond down as topping your pond up with too much tap water will actually kill the friendly bacteria in your pond ,but i read an article a few years ago by some one who worked in a hospital and as you know all the water in an aquaroll goes through your pump filter ,and this person found the filter full of bacteria ,so he no longer uses a filter on his water system

 

[RobRoy]

Hi Valerie,

I don't have much recent experience of water quality in Europe but, for what it is worth, I have always drunk water from the Aquaroll without purifying tablets although it is always sterilised at the start of the season.

I have also, all my life, drunk water straight from Highland burns when in the hills - and I've survived to reach my 80th birthday.

Rob S.

 

[ValA.]

So did I (used to drink the water I mean). I drink a lot and never worried about anything - unless the water was cloudy, or smelled! I don't mind drinking from running streams on the moors around here. However, the link with my health on holiday was too positive - drink from the aquaroll: become ill (not the 'delhi belly' type, just generally unwell, headachy, 'hangover' type). This was regardless of the amount of wine consumed as well. I drink lots of water, and for the last couple of holidays have never had any from the aquaroll and haven't become ill. I don't think it's the quality of the water we put in, but the amount it heats up and cools down during the day which is the problem - and I must admit the slime and black mould we discovered did worry me a lot.

 

[malcolm_5063395]

So did I (used to drink the water I mean). I drink a lot and never worried about anything - unless the water was cloudy, or smelled! I don't mind drinking from running streams on the moors around here. However, the link with my health on holiday was too positive - drink from the aquaroll: become ill (not the 'delhi belly' type, just generally unwell, headachy, 'hangover' type). This was regardless of the amount of wine consumed as well. I drink lots of water, and for the last couple of holidays have never had any from the aquaroll and haven't become ill. I don't think it's the quality of the water we put in, but the amount it heats up and cools down during the day which is the problem - and I must admit the slime and black mould we discovered did worry me a lot.

have used water for drinking via water container in the uk for past 25 years with no problem. I have always removed the filter as I feel if any nastys are going to lurk this is where you will find them.

 

[Litespeed]

Hi Valerie,

Although we have never been ill through drinking the water from the caravan system we always experienced a nasty after taste.

We now have a 4 litre mineral water bottle that is topped up from the site tap for drinking water, tea and coffee and use the aquaroll water to wash up and wash with.

Whilst abroad we use only bottled water for drinking and tea and coffee - after all its so cheap nowadays why risk it?

I have also noticed and experienced the transparent slime on the whale pump so give it a good wipe down every couple of days or so.

 

[Oldfogey]

Never had a problem with slimes and moulds in the water system, though we do use bottled water for drinking as water - mainly because after the water quality at home, every where else it tastes a bit nasty.

I wonder whether there is any connection with the increasing complexity of modern water systems - Aquarolls, on-board tanks, pumps, heaters, miles of piping etc. We just have the water container (to be reduced to a 2 gallon jerrycan this season), a foot pump, and a spout in the kitchen sink.

I also wonder whether, if there are harmful bacteria developing, whether these could infect you just as easily as an aerosol in the shower, as much as drinking water.

 

[Nidge1]

Hi,

I would never drink from a Aquaroll, our water pump packed up and I had to do some running repairs (as Robert did). The plastic pipe had black mould coating the inside and looked disgusting. the pump was only about 12 months old and we always used sterlising tablets before each holiday.

Now use a 2 gallon water container and take the brita-water filter from home. When traveling to France and Spain we only use bottled water for drinking.

Regards

Nidge