Poisoned!

[jo scott]

:-(

We took our Carioca 644 out for an autumn trip having last used it in June.

 

We hadn't drained our freshwater tank then so just added to its content.

At the camp, I boiled a kettle, drank two good mouthfuls of unpleasant tasting coffee before declaring the water unfit for consumpotion.

As himself uses me as Royal Taster, he was fine as we went on to bottled water only. Me? Decidely unwell for a good 36 hours.

 

Being new to this game, how should we care for our fresh water tank in future? Next trip November so we need to learn fast,

JO

[carolh]

We never drink water from the tank, no matter how fresh.

We always take a 5 litre bottle filled with drinking water and use that.

 

[Randonneur]

We have owned a motorhome for only just over 2 years and always use bottled water for drinking and putting in the kettle. We usually empty our fresh water tank if we know we are not going to use the van within a couple of weeks, but normally, by the time we come home we have used most of the water anyway.

 

When you look at it logically, the water in the fresh water tank, if left stood, is like a stagnant pond without the wildlife.

 

When we had a caravan we always used the water in an Aquaroll for everything, but as it was filled every day it wasn't left hanging about and we also had a filter in the Carver water system.

 

Hope you are feeling better and enjoy motorhoming as much as we are.

[silverbike]

We use tank water for tea and coffee, cooking and washing including teeth - however we do fill up the tank with fresh water every time rather than top it up. We use bottled water (either mineral or filled up from the home or campsite tap) if we want a straight drink of water.

[Geoff Cole]

HI,

I drain the system in the winter and rinse the tank at least once a year, but we always take fresh water in a 5ltr container for drinking and making cuppa's and for the doggy. I suggest you put some water purifying tablets in the tank and rinse it through to remove any bacteria.

Regards Geoff

[Patricia]

Sorry to hear you were ill Jo. I have to say I learned the hard way many years ago when we were tent camping. Like most of the others I always carry at least one, sometimes two, 5ltr bottles depending on the length of the journey. I also have an inline filter and a small eco filter for desperate times. Geoff's advice is good and I always do this at least once at the beginning of the season, maybe more often depending on the heat. Don't forget it is not just the tank but all the pipes too. When we had a caravan we always changed the pipes regularly, but it is not so easy with a m/home, and they always looked disgusting!

[jo scott]

That last bit about disgusting pipes says it all!

 

Thanks to everyone . .looks like its back to the 5 litre bottle - -which we DID do all the way through europe . ..just forgot this time.

 

www.weareontheroadagain.co.uk

[Guest Tracker]

To put it in perspective, we have been motor caravanning for over 35 years and have always used water from the tank for everything except when just a glass of pure drinking water is wanted at which point bottled water tastes better.

 

I always empty the tank on return from a trip and flush and refill the day before each new trip and it seems to have worked for us.

 

A proper flush with Milton sterilising solution or similar at the start of every season may also help.

 

At the end of the day there are no rights or wrongs - just different rights!

[Rayjsj]

Jo,

I sterilise the tank and pipes at the beginning and again at the end of the season, I buy the 'Home Brewers' steriliser from Wilkinsons,but Towsure do a good one too. I use a watering can with warm water 'Mix' into the (empty) fresh water tank twice, then turn on the pump and run through all the taps (hot and cold)one at a time,allowing the 'mix' to run down the sinks and shower outlet into the waste tank,So all the pipes water and waste And the waste tank are Sterilised (i then leave the 'mix' in the waste tank,to kill off any bacteria etc., in there). Never get any nasty 'Smells' from waste tank, or Tummy Bugs from the Fresh.

To be extra sure we use a 5 litre container for 'drinking only' (this gets sterilised when the 'van is done). Don't use Milton... as it is a mild bleach

and will destroy any metal that it is left in contact with. ( Kettle elements,

Carver Boiler holding tanks Etc., this from EXPERIENCE).

All this because of a similiar experience we had in a hired caravan in which we intended to tour Scotland,both got tummy bugs from 'Horrible Green Algae water pipes'. and spent the week in bed. :-( :-(

[maggyd]

When leaving site we always drain the tank by running the taps into the grey water tank and just emptying that, I have a very sensitive stomach so talking tablets and for drinking in a glass I drink bottled water, but boiling out of the tap for tea coffee etc; also you can add a tablet to sterilize the water which we did when abroad. You need to do the whole tank at the beginning of the season and give it a good flush through.

[malc d]

I think the clue is in the description " FRESHwater tank "

;-)

 

 

 

 

[Usinmyknaus]

I drain the cold and hot water systems, incuding the boiler soon after returning from each trip. I sterilise both systems in spring each year.

I also use a "Nature Pure" portable pump-action filter kit to produce pure water from the on-board tank supply as we need it. This kit fits into the neck of "Sigg" bottles and I fill 3 litres at a time and store them in the 'fridge. We use the filtered water for all drinks and washing those vegetables which are to be eaten raw. This type of kit is used by US and other NATO special forces in the field and is claimed to even turn ditch water into drinking water, removing taint, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, cysts and other nasties. I have used the system for 18 months and it has been excellent.

 

On the four occasions I have seen a fellow camper sticking the CL or Aire's only water tap down the spout of his loo cassette, I have very much appreciated the reassurance such a high-performance water filter provides............

 

Bob

 

 

[BGD]

We get round the problem by only drinking wine, Bailey's and beer when out in the MH.

 

:-D

 

 

(Oh, and some bottled water if it absolutely has to be imbibed........)

[david lloyd]

Hi Jo

 

The above points are all sound advice and there is no real substitute for replenishing your tank with fresh water each time and for annual cleaning of the tank and pipework - but be careful not to use any cleaning agent that could corrode the inside of your boiler etc.

 

If you do want to save space by not having to carry around drinking water in separate bottles you could also fit a 'Naturepure' water filter system which is produced by General Ecology and is so effective it can turn canal water inot perfectly good drinking water. You simply fit the filter in-line between the tank and the outlet but you can also buy a small separate faucet that means you are not putting all the water you use (e.g. washing up water) through the filter.

 

There is more information at:

 

http://www.generalecology.com/naturepure1.htm

 

These are also usually available at a reduced price at the major motorhome shows.

 

David

[Rod_vw]

Hi Jo,

 

I've been at this camper game for over 30 years without ill effect, sorry to hear that you fell ill after such a short time.

 

I've always used the same principals as 'Tracker' and 'David Lloyd' one or two flushes out with Milton (it was good enough for the kids utensils when they were small) each season and always empty after a trip and refill just before the next. Mind you that is quite often empty on a Monday morning and refill again on a Friday afternoon.

 

[little-jack]

As with Rod VW, we drain down cold tank at the end of every trip and run Milton through the cold water system, also will run Milton through at beginning of season, and flush out, however we would never drink water from the tank, we carry a plastic jug which we fill as required on site or use bottled water if the local mains water is not to our taste (and always outside the uk).

 

 

little jack

[jo scott]

Moderation is for wimps . . .but you drink Baileys??

jo

 

WC Fields: I never drink water; that is the stuff that rusts pipes.

[jo scott]

In the words of Homer Simpson "Doh!"

[Mel B]

Hi Jo

 

Really sorry you were poorly but I think this says it all:

 

We took our Carioca 644 out for an autumn trip having last used it in June. We hadn't drained our freshwater tank then so just added to its content.

 

Personally I wouldn't touch the water in a kettle at home if it had been left a week, never mind this long. All you've done is add 'fresh' water to 'stale' water, and any stale water will be horrible and could harbour all sorts of nasty bits of bacteria etc.

 

We have been motorhoming since 1997 and apart from our first vehicle where the tank had been contaminated with petrol before we got it (old Commer Autosleeper camper and it was apparently a common occurance as the filler looked like the petrol cap!), we have always used the water in our motorhome freshwater tank for washing, drinking, including for just a simple glass of water straight from the tap, rinsing veg, lettuce etc and have never had any ill effects whatsoever.

 

We always drain the tank down on our return from a trip away and fill it up again just before we go, a full tank can last us about 4 days, 5 at a push and it has never tasted nasty at all. We haven't rinsed the tank/pipes with Milton etc as there has never been the need, when re-filing the tank we always let the freshwater run through the pipes and out through the taps to give it a good purge (you have to to get the air out anyway).

 

As your tank was left with water in it for such a long time, I think a really good rinse through with some sterilising mixture is a definite necessity - put it in with a good amount of water and then go for a drive round, preferably with lots of going round corners (make sure the water tank cap is tight!), that way the sterilising fluid will get into every nook and cranny in the tank. Then draw some of the fluid in to the pipes until is comes out of the taps then leave it for a while (whatever is recommended by the manufacturer) before draining it all out and putting in a load of fresh water, repeat the drive around again to give it a good slosh around, then drain via the taps again. Give it one final rinse (driving not required) and it should be ready to use.

 

If you want you can make use of the water you drain into the waste tank to give that a purge as well, just don't empty it immediately and whilst you're having your drive around it will slosh it about in there and give it a good clean up as well.

 

Be careful of Milton though as I hear it can do nasty things to the inner workings of your boiler ... makes you wonder what it does to us! ;-)

 

 

 

[Andy_C]

I use Puriclean once a year, in the spring, to clean the tank, other than that I never drain down at all, just top up when we need to. We've had a NaturePure filter fitted for several years and always use the water from that for drinking, cooking etc. Never bother with bottled water and never had any problems, even as far afield as Turkey and Morocco.

 

Andy_C

[catinou]

Hi Jo,

 

Sorry you were unwell - we also use the Nature Pure water filter and have had no problems with the taste of our water from the tank at all. In fact an English couple we met on holiday in Italy this year were drinking water we had put into the fridge after drawing from the tank and said that it tasted so much nicer than drinking tap water - they assumed it was bottled ;-)

[davenewellhome]

As I've said before we always carry a 2.5 gallon container for drinking water, simply because our first camper had no dedicated on board water storage and we've just continued to do so.

 

A couple of months ago a customer asked me to look at his water works (the van's that is, not his personal water works :$ ) as the pump was working but no water came out of the taps. On investigation I found all the taps to be clogged with a combination of limescale, dirt and even dead insects :-S :-( !! After that there is no way I'm going to drink water out of a tank that's been under my 'van for 18 years!

 

D.

[libby]

As any good soldier will tell you, NEVER leave the top on your water bottle when empty!

 

We always carry our 'home tap water' for drinking where ever we go, and when the vehicle is laid up ALL VENTS ARE LEFT OPEN.

[Bazza454]

Hi Jo,

Mel and Andys advice is spot on.

Flush through with Puriclean (available from most caravan accessory shops) a couple of times a year and completely drain down if the 'van is to be parked for more than a couple of days.

Imagine this, if you filled a 5ltr container of fresh water in June and then stored it in your garage or shed at home, would you drink it in September or October? Hopefully not. 

[Brian Kirby]

Sorry if this is a bit late, but if you "Google" Miriad Products, and then search their catalogue for Certisil, or Microbox, you should get what you need.  Certisil is the water purification product reccomended by Truma as suitable for use with their water heaters/Combi heaters.  It does not contain chlorine, which otherwise eats the stainless steel water containers in these heaters.

Microbox contains three products: one to purify the reservoir/pipes, one to remove any aftertaste, and one to maintain the water drinkable for a claimed six months.  Whether you rely on the later is up to you, but I keep some of this in the reservoir all the time there is water aborad, which is whenever we are travelling.  No problems generally in trips of up to 10 weeks so far, so I guess it does something!

Hope this helps.