Keeping my fresh water system clean
Hi every.
I bought my first caravan at the end of last year, so I'm still learning the ropes so to speak.
As part of my setup, I purchased a 40L AquaRoll and a wastemaster to use to supply water to my caravan and to catch the waste. The last thing I want is for this to get contaminated and make me sick. So....
I have just purchased an AquaRoll filter. On reading the instructions, it said that I should use a product to clean the AquaRoll and pipes in the caravan. I've got some Dexda clean on order, which should be here on Thursday.
My first trip away, in the van is on Friday. My plan is to use the Dexda to clean out the Aquaroll, then put in the filter (it's my first, so no need to fish the old on out).
Would I be right in thinking that it would also be wise, to run the Dexda through all the caravan pipes as well?
(I've not read the instructions yet, but I'm assuming that I'll end up filling the AquaRoll, dumping in the whole bottle of disinfectant, leaving it for a bit (shaking it up for make sure it gets everywhere) Then emptying it out. I'm thinking that for this part, rather than simply emptying the Auqaroll down the drain, I'd run the contents through all the water system in the caravan - hot and cold water. 40 liters should be enough to flush the system through well. Then have the water collect in my wastemaster. All of this should get everything ready for the season.
OR, have a missed something here and about to make a mistake or some sort?
Comments
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Hello and welcome.
First off you are going to get a lot of we never drink the water from the caravan tap type posts and we always sterilise. Well I do drink from the taps and I "don't " sterilise and I have never had a problem. If you must disinfect the water system the only two pieces of advice I would offer are. Remove the filter, because it will be activated carbon and that will absorb the cleaning agent. They also tend to be a good place for bugs to live and to rinse well as some chlorine containg products such as Bleach or Miltons will attack stainless steel.
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Good point about the stuff possibly attacking stainless steel. Don't think I want to rinse that stuff around the kitchen sink and risk that getting damaged. The bathroom sinks and shower are plastic, so. could possibly flush those through. Going to give this some thought.
As for the people who will say, never drink the water and sterillise. Please don't clog this thread up. That's a completely different subject and a topic in it's own right. I don't want that debate here. This is about cleaning out the caravan pipes tanks.
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You're in for a rough ride trying to tell people what they can and can't post, Astro. Good luck with that one.
PS. I don't drink water from the taps.
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We never drink from the taps either...
When we had a caravan I would just use bleach in the aqua roll, let it sit for a while then run it though the pipes inside and again leave it for 30 minutes then flush through 2 or 3 times till the bleach smell had gone.
Have not done the MH yet but would use the same process except filling the onboard tank instead of aqua roll.
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This isn't about telling people what they can and can't post. I just don't want to get into the whole debate about drinking from the taps or not. Like I said, it's a whole other topic. If you want to discuss that, please post or refer to a topic on that subject.
This is about "cleaning my system out" not "drinking from my system"
All I'm asking is that people don't hijack the discussion with their agenda. I never said that I drink from the taps. All I'm saying is I don't want that discussion. Don't confuse the issue.
Bacteria in water will build up if it's not cleaned out once in a while. I don't want legionnaires or other nasties from washing thank you very much.
Now, please keep this about cleaning the system.
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For my water system I usually use Puriclean, Halfords sell it. I fill the tank and add product already dissolved in water. I then pump it through the system. Having done all that I then refill with clean water and flush through the system. As we don't drink the water from the taps I have no idea whether it leaves a taste?
David
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Topical for me because I've just done ours. I used Puriclean because if you have an Alde heating system, they advise against anything which contains sodium hypochlorite (which includes bleach and Milton) because it can damage the stainless steel boiler. According to the blurb on the packaging, Puriclean is OK for stainless steel.
Filled the Aquaroll with the Puriclean solution - drew it through all the pipework - including to the bathroom and shower head. Filled the onboard tank and then left it there for 24 hours. Flushed it through a couple of times (not the whole 49 litres, though!) and as far as I can tell, seems to have done the job. Not that we had a problem before - and have always drunk out of the Aquaroll - and onboard tank - with no ill-effect.
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TOTALLY AGREE with Richard and Ros -- In fact I have just finished the "Flush and fill up" business myself 'cos I'm off to Scotland tomorrow!!
Puriclean ( A powder ) states on the lid " cleans and purifies water systems including stainless steel boilers"
I also use the occasional drop or three of "Aquasol" ( A Liquid) as an additive for the drinking water itself. The only time I've had problems on holiday was using mucky glasses in the tattiest pub you ever did see, but thats another story
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MM, I'm inclined to think that a lot of the problems are actually due to the source of water in various parts of the country.
I dont expect water in, say, Kinlochewe or Morvich to taste the same as that at Thetford, or even in deepest Cornwall! Of course I'm not commenting on your 'Taint' -- thats a very different point.
B
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"Now, please keep this about cleaning the system."
Do we have a new moderator in Astro?
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Lucky for my. I'm in Yorkshire and am enjoying some lovely software water.
I grew up in Gosport, which is hard water from the south downs. (Portsdown hill)
And had family in Lowestoft, Now that water was like rock.
Luckily, this isn't an issue for me at the moment. But yes, in time, I'm sure it'll be some else to deal with. After all. Having the pipes scale up isn't going to be fun.
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Well done. You've seen the light.
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i use Milton's fluid. If it's good enough for babies bottles then it's good enough for a caravan. I don't think i leave it in the tanks long enough for it to affect the steel tanks (say two hours). I then run the whole aqua roll through the system then rinse through with fresh water. Never had any problem all the years (30) I've been doing it.
We first noticed dirty water in the caravan system when my wife used to rinse her contact lenses out under the tap but every time she got conjunctivitis.
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"first noticed dirty water in the caravan system when my wife used to rinse her contact lenses out under the tap but every time she got conjunctivitis."
I'm not surprised! That's why a specialised cleaning fluid for lenses is recommended. Tap water is a no, no.
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Without mentioning whether we drink the water or not, I would say that I don't think you can adequately clean the water pipes with any of the products we used to use, which included Puriclens, Milton, and other proprietary products. Even after flushing out our aquaroll, pump and internal pipes at the start of our caravanning season every year, and at the end of some of our extended holidays, we found that the water pump and pipes were full of black/green smelly sludge which ran the full length of the pipework between the pump and the inlet, and on the pipes at the other side of the water inlet. We know this because we had occasion to take the pipework apart when the pump failed at the very beginning of a holiday, about a day and a half after a full flush through. We used the process outlined by the OP - filling the aquaroll, leaving it for a while, running it through the system with slightly open cold water tap, until the water was running, turning off the tap, then leaving the system filled with the 'purifying' solution for up to twenty four hours, before running it all off. We then ran through a second Aquaroll of fresh water, in the same way, before connecting up to a third aquaroll of fresh water.
I have photographs showing what the inside of our pump and pipework looked like afterwards - and believe me no one would consider them 'cleaned'. Whether the water is fit to drink through those pipes is another question entirely and at the request of the OP I shan't mention it again.
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Continuing Val's theme a little (I've also seen pics of pipework)...
At the start of the year when I go through and clean the inside in case of any spiders webs/start of mildew etc. I use Puriclean (+1?) with 1/2 an Aquaroll (of hot water) so far, like others...
BUT, as we also have a food grade hose in case of site water supply, I connect this to the shower tap outlet and lead the hose back into the Aquaroll which allows the cleaning fluid to be circulated around both the hot and cold systems. Then flush through with clean water
I think it's the movement and a little heat (which also tests the gas side of the Truma water heating system (plus I test the fridge on gas at the same time)
This may be overkill (pun?) but it works for us.
Otherwise, No Comment ;-)
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I flush with water from the site tap and don't buy bottled water to drink.
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How often should you clean the water system- aqua roller and pipes etc? We use puraclean and have done so in April.
Thanks
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If you're only going to use the water for washing, washing up, and similar, then any interval of cleaning will do. If you intend to use it for drinking, including boiling water in a kettle, then I would say no matter how often you clean the pipes I personally wouldn't drink it.
There is another longer post on here discussing drinking water - and it seems that most people who have responded to that one don't ever drink the water from the caravan supply. We certainly don't! We don't brush our teeth with it, or wash vegetables, and these days we tend not to even connect our aquaroll except for our last day to produce enough hot water to thoroughly wash down the surface inside the caravan, but even that water is mixed with a very good disinfectant!
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so will try without it next time away.
so know what that water is like too.
