Flushing / cleaning pipes

KEITHN61
KEITHN61 Forum Participant Posts: 17
edited March 2019 in Caravans #1

Hi

Just wondering if its a good idea to clean / flush the pipes that have been left idle over the winter period and if so whats the easiest way of doing this and is any chemcal / steriliser reccommended

Thanks in advancee

Comments

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #2

    We use Milton solution in the Aquaroll and run it through all the pipes at the start of the season. Never had a problem yet (and we use drinking water from the caravan tap all the time!) smile

  • KEITHN61
    KEITHN61 Forum Participant Posts: 17
    edited March 2019 #3

    Thanks

  • Freddy55
    Freddy55 Club Member Posts: 1,810 ✭
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    edited March 2019 #4

    And presumably change the filter after?

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
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    edited March 2019 #5

    never use a filter, sterilize the pipes and aquarol at end of season and again before the next season. don't have a filter at home so why in a van. British water is safe and clean.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,148 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #6

    Not all vans have filters but they do go green and gungy so need changing when appropriate - which probably isn’t as often as the filter makers recommend!

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,671 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #7

    No filter in our van either.

    We clean the full system before our first trip each year, and between trips if it has been unused for more than 3-4 weeks.

    We use Puriclean.

  • markflip
    markflip Forum Participant Posts: 177
    edited March 2019 #8

    If you have a filter, the 'by the book' way is to remove the old filter, replace it with a piece of pipe the same length prior to sterilising the system then replacing the filter with a new one after rinsing.  I can't see why you can't leave the old filter in place IF you're going to replace it anyway, but the charcoal might interfere with the chlorine that is going to do the germ killing I suppose.

    You ask how to do it - first sterilise your water containers, by filling them with sterilising solution and leaving for 20 minutes plus.  Then make up some fresh sterilising solution in one of them and use the pump to fill the caravan water system with the solution and run through the pipes, from all taps and the shower, enough to flush out any stale water.  I then leave for 30 mins, run through a couple of litres again and leave 30mins. Run through the remaining steriliser, (drain the water heater if you have one) rinse out the water container, fill with some fresh water and refill and flush through the van's pipework with fresh water, as before, from all taps hot and cold and shower until there is no trace of steriliser.  Finally fit a new filter and rinse that through with fresh water as they always lose a bit of charcoal on fitting.

    I use 'purple' beer line cleaner to sterilise as it's cheaper than Milton and does the same.

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,684 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #9

    Although I have used it, I believe products like Milton which contain sodium hypochlorite shouldn't be used in caravans with combi-boilers because, over time, it can damage them.  Like others, I now only use Puriclean which is chlorine based.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #10

    Yes, we use the same, it contains chlorine dioxide which doesn't damage components.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited March 2019 #11

    Another one for Puriclean 

  • paul56
    paul56 Forum Participant Posts: 937
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    edited March 2019 #12

    Just bought a new WF3000 charcoal filter for the van and was talking to the caravan supplies shop owner and explained I used Milton to 'clean' the pipework. He gave a sharp intake of breath and said it can do damage to components...Oh well, been using it for almost 40 years now!

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