Caravan water tasting strange

Flappa30
Flappa30 Forum Participant Posts: 33
edited October 2016 in Caravans #1

Away this weekend and cold water through van tap is tasting kind of plasticky. Not had it before, all hoses are food grade. Water direct from tap is fine, so definitely something with the van.

have flushed through a good volume of water, on a serviced pitch thankfully.

any thoughts..?

do we need to flush with some type of cleaning solution, if so what is recommended?

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Comments

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited October 2016 #2

    Don't drink the water from the caravan tap, would be my suggestion. It does, after all, have to pass through a load of hoses and a pump and is stored outside in a semi-open barrel.

    I usually fill a bottle from the tap, put it in the fridge and use that for drinking.

    You could use Milton fluid, if you really want to try to clean it.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2016 #3

    We had the same thing on our previous van in the second year. I used Puriclean Liquid although seems to be more common as a powder to dissolve. Followed instructions and Topped up aquaroll with it and drew it into the caravan pipework using the pump until air was purged. From memory left 24 hours (read instructions with product). Problem solved and we kept the van until 7 years old and never re-occurred 

  • Flappa30
    Flappa30 Forum Participant Posts: 33
    edited October 2016 #4

    Thanks EasyT, just been reading up about Puriclean, so we get some tomorrow and give it a try.

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited October 2016 #5

    Agree  with  your  wise  move  to copy  EasyT,  Ive  been  doing  that  since  I  started  'vanning  way  back  in  '70s !!

    In  the  M M M  magazine  in  those  days  It  used  to  be  called  the  U H T   ==  as  in  Utterly  Horrible  Taste  !

     

    Brian

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited October 2016 #6
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2016 #7

    UK tap water contains sufficient chlorine to clean your system so through flushing should really do the job.  

    This particular taint did not clear by flushing in my case. Tasted like a sealant that had not cured. 'Orrid

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited October 2016 #8

    How much uncured sealant do you consume? Surprised

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited October 2016 #9
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • TimJim
    TimJim Forum Participant Posts: 162
    edited October 2016 #10

    I wouldnt drink the water from the caravan system...seen whole sites come down with strange unexplained bugs....almost certainly from the service points...Bottled water for drinking and your whisky...Its usually becomes apparent in your Tea when things arent
    right...by then too late......

    Tj

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2016 #11

    You may be right. However in 35 years I have never had a problem. As for whole sites coming down with it that would indicate a problem with the mains supply rather than the caravan

  • TimJim
    TimJim Forum Participant Posts: 162
    edited October 2016 #12

    Dead right ET....thats usually the scource ..careless discarding of grey water etc..and as we everyone fills up at the same place im surprised its not more common to be honest......Why risk ruining a hard earned break by taking a risk so easily avoided?....

    Tj

  • briantimber
    briantimber Forum Participant Posts: 1,653
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    edited October 2016 #13

    How does the grey water disposal contaminate the drinking water?...Even if the grey water is poured down the drinking water drain, it doesn't go back into the main  water system, it goes through the drains, back to the treatment plant.

    Where was this site that was contaminated?.......Cool

  • TimJim
    TimJim Forum Participant Posts: 162
    edited October 2016 #14

    Brian....the hoses hanging from the taps are very easily contaminated and some people are less than patient when service areas are busy and will empty grey water in the fresh water side..... thats how easy it is to affect everyones fresh water supply. We were on a private site in the Lakes with a shared fresh/grey water service area ala caravan club sites and the filler hose was the culprit.Very unpleasant for all concerned.

    Bottled water is now a habit we have adopted to avoid this problem.

    Tj

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited October 2016 #15

    exactly BrianT .... there are even none return valves on all the service taps

  • TimJim
    TimJim Forum Participant Posts: 162
    edited October 2016 #16

    exactly BrianT .... there are even none return valves on all the service taps

    Completely ineffectual at preventing cross contamination of attached fittings to taps MM......

    Tj

     

  • briantimber
    briantimber Forum Participant Posts: 1,653
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    edited October 2016 #17

    I haven't seen pipes on fresh water taps Tj, only on waste water taps......However, if one is fitted simply unscrew it fill your bottle then screw it back on......Cool

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited October 2016 #18

    exactly BrianT .... there are even none return valves on all the service taps

    Completely ineffectual at preventing cross contamination of attached fittings to taps MM......

    Tj

     

    How? On any CC site I've been on, there haven't been any attached fittings

  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2016 #19

    Freshwater tap has a threaded end, that's it.

    Waste water tap usually a short hose.

     

  • TimJim
    TimJim Forum Participant Posts: 162
    edited October 2016 #20

    MM...do you have your own pipe for filling ? I know i have as do most.....I have observed people filling their Aquarolls with a pipe attached to the tap on the grey water side with unfailing regularity...it really isnt rocket science to see the potential for contamination...but very easy to avoid. Always going to be people who are less diligent than others. Toilet blocks and showers in CC sites and how people leave them after use should convince you if you needed more evidence.....

    Tj

     

  • briantimber
    briantimber Forum Participant Posts: 1,653
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    edited October 2016 #21

    Tj, I think most, if not all, have their own filling pipe for aquarolls.

    When filliing up on CC, CL, CCC, CS or Commercial sites I always use my own equipment....Cool

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited October 2016 #22

    Same  here  BT !

    I always  carry  a  short  length  of ( Regularly  cleaned)  hose  &  a  pack  of  sterilised  wipes  for  filling  equipt,  be  it  just  the  hose  direct  to  van  or, if  I'm  not  moving,  my  bright  red  10  litre  watering  can  !!

  • ValDa
    ValDa Forum Participant Posts: 3,004
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    edited October 2016 #23

    If you open this previous thread about caravan water, you'll see a photograph.

    That's the reason we never drink the water from the aquaroll - the filthy greeny/black slime inside the pipes. This photograph was taken AFTER the water pipes and aquaroll had been cleaned with either Puriclens or Milton (we used either, depending on which came to hand first). The photograph was taken when my OH was examining the pump to see why it had stopped working.  It was full of greeny-black slime, so he cut into the pipe between the aquaroll and the caravan, and the result is shown above.

    These days we always drink water from a separate container, or refill the kettle directly from the site taps.

    As someone said in an earlier thread 'but boiling will kill any organisms in the water'.  Yes it will, but boiling will also kill slugs but you wouldn't swallow even a dead slug if you found it floating in your tea.

     

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited October 2016 #24

    MM...do you have your own pipe for filling ?  ...

     

    I do, but depending on the flow from the tap, don't always need it ...... the aim on some taps is good enough without the hose

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2016 #25

    Like many I use a length of 1.5 inch household waste pipe

  • dmiller555
    dmiller555 Forum Participant Posts: 717
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    edited October 2016 #26

    Not enough gin perhaps? 

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited October 2016 #27

    ValDa,  I  normally  give  your  view  point  due  credit  on  threads  like  this,  but  since  it  was  purely  about 
    Taste  I  concentrated  on  helping  the  OP  remove  it.

    B

  • Flappa30
    Flappa30 Forum Participant Posts: 33
    edited October 2016 #28

    Ladies &a gents,

    Many thanks for all of the replies. I guess its personal choice whether you drink from caravan system or not. We always have, but with a brand new van earlier this year developed this strange taste.

    Bought a tub of Puriclean and gave the system a clean for a few hours today. Flushed with fresh water, serviced pitch thankfully, and all seems good again.

    We'll keep an eye on things and may change our habits to having a container filled directly from mains tap for drinking water.

    Thanks again �

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited October 2016 #29

    bump

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited October 2016 #30

    bumpety bump

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2016 #31

    We seem to have lost page 3