Richard J Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 Hi All, I’ve used various Aires in France but I’ve never filled up with water at one. I know the taps vary but can anybody tell me what fittings I need to cover all types ? I plan to do a bit more “off piste” on our next trip so won’t be in campsites often enough to fill up with water. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hozelock-Threaded-Outdoor-Tap-Hose-End-Connector-2175-3-4-and-1-2/332584660467?hash=item4d6f972df3:g:spwAAOSwvepalTn- These 2 + a 1" one and I carry a watering can as well and use it a lot. But their all available in France if you come across a odd one. An don't forget the disinfectant spray to use on the tap most have had a cassette pushed up on them at some time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard J Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Thanks for that. I do have the 1/2” & 3/4” as per your link but I don’t have a 1”. I would like to try and avoid using a watering can to put 100 litres of water in if at all possible.... I thought some don’t have the screw thread type but something completely different ? Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 Link to eBay heres the 1" and also one of these becoming more common the top right hand male to male Link to eBay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard J Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Okay thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 We have one of these, have yet to find any type of tap it doesn't fit. It must be said though that 'changing size' can be difficult. https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/w4-fill-up-5m-p155103 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickB Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 Some Aires have a female Hozelock type fitting so you may need a male fitting on your hose. I use a hose joining connector which has double male ends. Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard J Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Thank you both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 This 2014 forum thread discussed water-tap connections on French ‘aires’ and includes useful photos https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Hints-and-Tips/Water-Connection-Adaptors/34072/ The 1” connector mentioned by witzend is relatively rare nowadays and is normally encountered only on elderly ‘primitive’ aires. If you don’t have the appropriate connector, sourcing one in France may prove tricky. I’ve not come across a ‘publicly-available’ French aire with a female Hozelock-type outlet, but I’ve been on campsites where the service-pedestal has that arrangement. Logically, when fresh-water replenishment is offered at a publicly-available aire, the outlet should be reasonably standardised. Plainly, on campsites where the water taps are not intended for motorcaravanners to fill their vehicle’s massive fresh-water tank, the taps may have no threaded end and even ‘universal’ connectors (example here) https://tinyurl.com/y6zw3jg3 won’t work. That’s when ingenuity and duct-tape may be required... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roryboy Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 The connectors in the picture are the only ones I've needed in eight years of using Aires. Also a four metre length of plastic pipe has been sufficient to fill with fresh water on all the Aires bar one - and then my back up pipe of 20 metres was needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 You’ve been lucky... 20 years ago, when we never stayed on campsites in France, aires’ water-outlets could be very interesting. I vividly recall a roadside aire at La Rochelle where it was plain that the ‘unthreaded’ taps had been installed and then the wall behind them tiled so that even a worm-drive adapter could not be firmly attached. The taps were push-button type and the water-pressure was high - I got SO wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roryboy Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Derek - 20 years ago in the olden days many pumps looked like the one in the picture - trust me, most are fairly modern now. But some of those Cemetery taps can be a bit dodgy ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasnt Me Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 On a side note, we can rarely find an aire service point that will accept our bank cards. It's very frustrating as it makes things difficult. I'm not sure what the answer is, some say to ask a local to pay and give them the cash. Most aires have a free tap to rinse your toilet box this can be used for your tank with care. I.e. don't drink it or brush your teeth. You can also get some water purification tablets. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roryboy Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Most Aire bornes take either €1 or €2 coins or Jetons from the local Tabac/Boulangerie/Mairie. Don't you carry any Euro coinage with you ? The pipe attached to the tap for fresh water must show 'Eau Potable'. 'Eau Non-Potable' pipes have usually been shoved into the toilet cassettes and should be avoided - how ever careful you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottypam Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 What cards are you using? Had no problems at all last year using a Halifax CC and a FairFX currency card. Prefer as or cards to jetons, as it can sometimes be difficult to find where to get them. Does anyone know where you can get them for the service point at the Carrefour petrol station at Cite D’Europe in Calais? Wish more German stellplatz would use cards. Finding 8 or 10 euro coins can sometimes be a pain. With the dual male connectors, make sure to remove the one from the tap first (and to insert it after the hose is in the tank), otherwise you will get very wet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 pottypam - 2019-02-21 10:48 AM ...Does anyone know where you can get them for the service point at the Carrefour petrol station at Cite D’Europe in Calais?... Advice here https://www.searchforsites.co.uk/marker.php?id=28028 (Regarding Roryboy’s comment that “Most Aire bornes take either €1 or €2 coins or Jetons from the local Tabac/Boulangerie/Mairie. that certainly used to be the case, but in recent years there’s been a widespread move away from cash payment to avoid vandalisation/theft, or use of jetons (a nuisance to everybody) towards ‘no charges’ bornes or payment via ‘carte bleue’.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasnt Me Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Yes some use coins and we do carry some. We tried First Direct Visa debit and credit, also a Natwest. Someone suggested that they were blocked transactions, as it was such a small amount and the process wasn't worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 I carry a 3 in 1 screw-on adapter, the non-threaded end fits the hoselock system. The sizes range (from memory) from 15mm to 25mm. I also carry 2 different sized short rubber tubes. The type that are a push fit onto a domestic tap and enable you to swish the water around the kitchen sink. These are handy at non-standard taps. I would also reiterate the advice to disinfect the tap before using it. I have seen French and Dutch rinsing cassettes from potable water supplies. Also let the water run for a few seconds to empty stale water that may be in the pipe. Cattwg :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 With regard to double-male connectors for use with those bornes that have a female socket, pictured below is one of my prize possessions. It is adjustable and allows you to tame the sudden burst of water pressure from anything between zero and full (Whale-hose-exploding) bore. I can't seem to find them online any more but should you come across one then it's a worthy addition to anyone's connector collection. A second tip is to buy a stock of popular jetons whenever you find a cheap source. The fairly-common 'Aire Services' jeton was going for 4 Euros at some aires last year but luckily we stocked-up with enough for the full trip and beyond when we came across them being sold at 1 Euro per jeton near Cahors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Marinas, coastal, canal or river can be a good source of reliable potable water and they too use mainly Hozelock compatible connections. That said if you only ever use an unusual connector once it will have justifiied it's space in the box! Marinas sometimes have laundrettes too which can be very handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 witzend - 2019-02-20 9:45 PM Link to eBay heres the 1" and also one of these becoming more common the top right hand male to male Link to eBay The links above are not mine but have been edited is there a easy way to post links Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 witzend - 2019-02-22 10:28 AM witzend - 2019-02-20 9:45 PM Link to eBay heres the 1" and also one of these becoming more common the top right hand male to male Link to eBay The links above are not mine but have been edited is there a easy way to post links The links you posted where sooooo long they caused the page to load incorrectly so I edited them for you. The code to do it is: [ url= and the copy/paste as you had followed by ] Some text [ / url ] but leave out all the spaces! And make sure to use square brackets. If you click 'Quote ' on your posting you will see the code in full. Keith. (Assistant Mod). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Before pressing the SUBMIT button that will post a message to the forum, it’s always worthwhile pressing the PREVIEW button. Doing this should reveal peculiar formatting and, in particular, links that will result in the posting sprawling rightwards. On-line adverts or the results of GOOGLE-searches are prime candidates for producing ultra-long links. There are several ways to reduce a link’s length - Keith’s method is one, but I find it simpler to use the TinyURL website https://tinyurl.com/ just dragging and dropping the original (long) URL into the box below "Enter a long URL to make tiny:”, clicking on the “Make TinyURL!” button and then dragging-and-dropping the result back into the forum posting. This is very easy to do using my Apple iMac (and I assume would be equally straightforward using a Windows PC) but using my iPad tablet to do it takes more effort. For people participating on these forums using a phone - Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard J Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 Thanks everybody for the input, I didn’t realise my question would create so much interest. Thank you all again. I’m off to France on Wednesday and a few more times during the year, if I come across anything I think some of you might find useful I’ll update this post. Cheers ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard J Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 The two question marks at the end were supposed to be the cheers emoji ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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