Newbie - what hose should I carry?
Not new to camping and caravanning but new to motorhome with on board water tank.
What hose should I carry for filling up on site for my motorhome. There is no technical connection on the motorhome just a straight forward filling point rather like a fuel tank filler point under a lockable flap.
I am wondering should I have food grade hose? and what length? are flat hoses OK to save space?
Ivor
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We had a roll up hose that broke after a few uses and we found it a faff to keep unwinding and rolling up again so we got one of these.
https://www.yoyoextendablehose.co.uk/
We do not use the water to drink from (5l container for that) so was not worried about food grade, also at home we use the garden hose to fill up anyway.
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I use the same as MollyMummy along with a pair of blue (food grade) hoses. I also carry an assortment of tap connectors, a couple of different size screw on ones, and a universal wing nut style one just in case.
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I have about four metres of clear plastic pipe (see pic – fastened to inside of garage door) and a 20 metre reel of green garden hose.
In six years of travelling in the UK and France I've only needed the longer pipe on one occasion.
I have a variety of connections and an inlet filler cap (as suggested by MM) for ease of filling.
Hozelock connectors are quite expensive but B&Q (and others) do a cheaper price range and are perfectly adequate.
You may need more of 'B' (in pic) as they tend to be left on the tap quite regularly – well, mine do.
On the plus side you may find the ones I left behind and feel free to use them.
Water filling should be a simple process – let's keep it that way.
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In over a decade with a motorhome I’ve never used a hose. I use a watering can with a long spout. It’s good exercise when adding water and you don’t want to be carrying a tank full of water around with you if you’re to remain under 3.5t, assuming this is your limit.
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Food grade hose if you are going to drink the water in the tank. Flat hoses work ok but have the downsides mentioned by peedee. Length depends on what sort of motorhoming you do.
I have always used 15m flat food grade hose, split into one 5m long and the other 10m. I have a collection of hozelock connectors as in K&M’s excellent photo.
I do not use an adapter like MollysMummy but it is on my list to get one to save my wife having to hold the hose in the water inlet pipe.
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Agreed, just fill up when you enter the site, I normally empty to about 30% when I leave a site if I'm going far.
However I do carry a 2 gallon water bottle for use if I can't reach a tap (or can't be bothered to move).
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Having weighed the motorhome fully laden we are happy to fill up at home with a garden hose and carry the full 100 litre until needing a top-up. We then use the hose provided at the service point but carry a flat hose of around 10m I think which came with the van. Quite handy if you are close to a tap so can fill up from your pitch.
We don’t drink the water but carry mineral water which we buy cheaply and top up at the site tap. The advantage is that you can keep one cool in the fridge. We are not cold weather campers.
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Yes I think definitely I will use two hoses that can be joined to give easily two different lengths, I think my experience of flat hoses in the garden says no to that choice, I like the idea of the hose that increases in length but prefer to be able to put the end of the hose in the van filler point before I turn the water on so not that one for me.
I already have a variety of connectors so just need to decide on food grade or just a good quality new hose.
Using a container of any type will not work for us often as we plan to do some wild coming in Scotland.
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I've only just renewed my 10 foot long clear plastic tube at a certain local ( + national ) DIY store
. Its cheap enough to replace regularly. Then I thoroughly sterilised the tap connector, and placed back onto the new tubing. It doen't have to be of Food Grade pipe 'cos the water is only in contact with it for milliseconds !!If I'm moving off site regularly, then I'll top up on my return, but should I be on site for several days I use the 2.5 gallon red watering can and tell folks I'm just watering the tomatoes and peppers
One thing I insist on doing is sterilising the on-board tank with the proper stuff for the job, obtainable from any caravan / motorhome accessory store.
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Can't agree more! 14 years ago, when we started, we did the faffing about with filling up and emptying out at MH service points. An old hand told us to get a watering can and a gerry can. We half fill our fresh water tank at the start of our expeditions ( using short blue plastic hose) before leaving our storage site, and then top up with our watering can (11 litres, 2€ from Super U) and empty the grey water via gerrycan on daily basis. Ours is a modest 'van and can only heat water by gas (so old!), so we use on-site facilities. Drinking and cooking water from a 5 litre white plastic container, refreshed daily.
We also drop a couple of water purifying tablets in our on-board tank at the start of our trips.
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Would you believe it, my food grade flat hose has just failed me. A strange fault. It seems the inside lining has melted and become sticky( I assume with the heat) and throughout its length stuck together in places restricting water flow and stopping water draining out so it can no longer be wound up on its reel. I have binned 90 percent of it and kept a short length and opted to carry one of the cheap >magic ones<. as well.
I do have two 2 gallon plastic watering cans for the rare occasions when I need to top up rather than move off pitch. I find two easier to carry than one and I have a large water tank!
peedee
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You just need to click in the link .... but it's here
Basically a filler cap with a Hoselock connector fitted to it. 👍
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What hose should you carry? 50 denier - it helps your varicose veins.
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I prefer store flat food grade hose. They are easier to handle and store and there is no risk of tainting the water with unpleasant tastes. The downside, in my view, is even the best store flat hoses have a shorter life than your standard garden hose.
I start off with a 25 meter one but can get by most of the time with just 15 meters which is the current length I have as I have had to shorten it due to failure. Its the second one I have had in 20 years and is in poor condition and I do now need to replace it.
Get yourself a store flat food grade and a collection of tap adapters.
peedee
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!) be out of stock at present, so check carefully !!