bobmaddison Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Can anyone tell me what the deal is with FOOD QUALITY hoses, what is wrong with ordinary plastic garden hose if it's flushed through/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Nothing, it is just another scam to get more money out of the concerned in my opinion! We have used standard hoses for the whole of our camping life, over 35 years including with a five month old baby, and we are still here with no extra thumbs, ears or missing or failed organs and the baby, well he is nearly thirty now with his own motorhome and standard garden hose. Form your own opinions, the leaching of plasticisers would surely only be if water was left in the hose for long periods or in the heat of the sun maybe, water that is passed through a flushed out hose is surely not going to pick up any major harmful substance. Still each to their own. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 We've always just used ordinary "garden" hose to fill our MH water tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 So do we - always have - always will ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I use food grade. I used ordinary hose when I first had an onboard tank and sadly I acquired an extra head and three surplus fingers. On each hand. I jest of course. About the extra body parts... Seriously, I did use ordinary hose and either myself and my Wife have overactive tastebuds or that particular pipe was dodgy, but either way neither of us could drink the water due to it's taste. And yes we are quite comfy drinking straight from the tank, always have done, without issues. So I bought food grade, and lo & behold the taste of our water was fine. And has been ever since, with 3 or 4 new pipes and a new Motorhome, obviously with a different water tank. I could of course try ordinary hose again, but I really don't need to save myself £?. I would much rather know I'm going to enjoy the water. I'm NOT preaching that food grade pipe is safer/healthier/whatever, just telling you of OUR personal experiences. Some will tell you that some cretins (us) have fallen for a great marketing ploy, that's fine with me if it means I enjoy untainted drinking water. Good luck if you're ok with ordinary pipe as of course it's far far cheaper. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
How Much Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Id say its more the quality/taste of the water passing through the hose than the hose itself. Some water supplies may be safe to drink, but still taste foul to drink - possibly tainting a hose if its used long enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 My experience is the opposite Mike! I'm still using a 20 year old hose because I did find that a newer one did seem to taint the water? It always pays to run the water through for a few seconds before inserting hose into van tank filler to shift any stale water as I think that the longer the water is in contact with the hose the more chance of a leech of 'flavour' from the hose whereas when the water flows swiftly through a shortish hose there is little chance of any taste transfer. I also carry three lengths of hose - a short and two mediums - so that I never have to use more hose than will reach from tap to tank and they all simply clip together with Hozelock fittings when needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 20 years ago I bought a food grade hose :-D ...........................and I am still using it to spread as many germs as I can (lol) (lol) (lol) ................... it's got so many holes in it from people driving over it!!! that I have my own mobile water feature everytime I fill up :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
How Much Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Tracker - 2011-04-27 11:03 PM My experience is the opposite Mike! I'm still using a 20 year old hose because I did find that a newer one did seem to taint the water? It always pays to run the water through for a few seconds before inserting hose into van tank filler to shift any stale water as I think that the longer the water is in contact with the hose the more chance of a leech of 'flavour' from the hose whereas when the water flows swiftly through a shortish hose there is little chance of any taste transfer. I also carry three lengths of hose - a short and two mediums - so that I never have to use more hose than will reach from tap to tank and they all simply clip together with Hozelock fittings when needed. I think id treat myself to a new hose after 20 years! With age alone, yours is bound to be 'breaking down' within itself, not to mention with all the UV and rolling/unrolling. Ill bet a new one cost half what you paid back in the 'olden days'. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I have always used a food Quality blue colour hose for the water tank, when having paid many 1000s of pounds for a van,whats the point in saving a tiny sum of money on a dodgy garden hose. One other thing is that when on site at the drinking water point, a blue hose tells fellow campers who may be watching that its the drinking water hose, and not something that may also be used to flush out a cassete loo or other such tasks at other times. I am all for saving money, but this small extra expense over a garden hose is not worth it IMHO. (^) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Having recently seen the state of a water pipe that we had replaced from under our driveway 8-) I'm now pretty confident that the few seconds that the water spends travelling through my garden hose,will be of little consequence... ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Currently use a garden type hose as there does not seem to be a taste from it, although in the past we have used various other non food hoses that have left an awfull taste. I think it depends on the quality of the non food grade hose as too wether you can get away with it however "propper" food grade hose is without a doubt the best way to go to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilf Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Questions :- What is food grade hosepipe? Why is it different from garden hosepipe? Is the plastic pipe that the water companies used to deliver water to the tap made of food grade plastic? Are your onboard tank and all the internal pipe work in your van made from of food grade plastic? Answer :- Use garden hose from the pound shop like the rest of us and flush it through well to get rid of that new plastic taste. Like Basil, I’ve used garden hose for thirty years. You can always get rid of a taste by adding a “wee dram” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 The problem is mainly with the transparent type of hose, as the light can penetrate and cause bacteria and algae to grow because the inner surface is wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Food grade Hose Conforms to Statutory Instrument 3145 The Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations 1992. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/3145/regulation/4/made Water Hose (BS 3746:1990) Not suitable for potable water, beverages and foodstuffs. Make your choice, but be aware that Water Hose regulations are more related to Pressure capability than anything else & mainly originates from far east sources, with little regulation of constituant products. IMHO The British Standard would NOT specify "Not suitable for potable water" if there is no cause for concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Wilf - 2011-04-28 12:05 PM Questions :- What is food grade hosepipe? Hose pipe suitable for potable water and safe to drink water from the hose. Why is it different from garden hosepipe? It does not contain toxic plasticers or contain heavy metals in the construction materials. The materials also contain additives to inhibit mould and algae growth. Is the plastic pipe that the water companies used to deliver water to the tap made of food grade plastic? Yes Are your onboard tank and all the internal pipe work in your van made from of food grade plastic? Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 chas - 2011-04-28 8:10 AM I have always used a food Quality blue colour hose for the water tank, when having paid many 1000s of pounds for a van,whats the point in saving a tiny sum of money on a dodgy garden hose. One other thing is that when on site at the drinking water point, a blue hose tells fellow campers who may be watching that its the drinking water hose, and not something that may also be used to flush out a cassete loo or other such tasks at other times. I am all for saving money, but this small extra expense over a garden hose is not worth it IMHO. (^) Each to their own of course, but I take rather the opposite approach: why spend your hard earned money unnecessarily. Garden hose is fine for us. We have utterly no control over what pipes/tubes the water passes through before we put it in our freshwater tank; neither do we have any direct control over the diligence or otherwise of any treatment plant processes or employees. I don't think that the extra money you'll spend on "food grade" hose (how do you KNOW it is food grade; and WHAT exactly does that mean in practice) is well-spent. I think labelling some plastic hose, possibly made in China, with all the uber-stringent quality controls that they of course (not) have there is simply a way of screwing punters for more money. I'm really not clear on this: what catastrophe do people think will immediately befall them if they actually used a length of B & Q hose instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Some of you are clearly not aware garden hoses made of PVC often contain lead as a stabiliser for the PVC and this leaches into the water and raises the level of lead in the water up to hundreds of times the permitted amount. You all know the dangers of lead in water and effect on children and babies not to mention adults and effect on early dementure. How based on this can you say on a public forum it is safe to use a garden hose when you clearly do not know if a particular hose is safe or not. By all means use whatever you want but in advising others there is only one route of advice which can be given which is to buy a food safe hose or one specified as suitable for drinking water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francisgraham Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 It's really quite amazing that people with absolutely no scientific knowledge whatsever can pronounce so definitively on the pros and cons of food grade plastics. To say that this is some kind of money-making scam is simply ridiculous. No one is forcing anyone to buy food grade hose pipes and you are quite free to ignore expert advice and use cheap garden hose. The simple fact is that every commercial plastic used in food and drink distribution is 'food grade'. The tank in your motorhome, the pipes that supply it, the bottles that your mineral water and soft drinks come in, and the tubing through which your beer is pumped. If all of these things were made from the kind of cheap plastics used for garden hoses the incidences of cancer would absolutely rocket. One of the main cancer-causing substances is the carcinogens found in cheap hose-pipes and the like. The region that legislation is in place to ensure that such 'food grade' plastics are used is because scientists are fully aware of the dangers of cheap plastics. Have you ever wondered why such innocuous stuff as mineral water in plastic bottles has a sell-by date? It's not that the water goes off, it's that, even with food-grade plastic bottles, over-long storage of many years will eventually leach out the cancer-causing chemicals. I have no doubt that using a garden hose to fill a motorhome tank, will cause no problems for most people, especially if it's well flushed out beforehand, but there is also no doubt that using such hoses will add unhealthy chemicals to your body. These may be in minute quantities that of themselves will do you no harm, but add these to other similar carcinogens that you may be ingesting through your occupation for example and it could be that this tiny amount of harmful chemicals is just enough to tip the balance of whether a cell becomes cancerous or not. Is it worth the risk? That's up to you, but it's a pity that, when manufacturers offer you a product that can only benefit your health and lessen the risk of dying from cancer, that some of you talk of 'scams'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 francisgraham - 2011-04-28 3:39 PM Is it worth the risk? That's up to you, but it's a pity that, when manufacturers offer you a product that can only benefit your health and lessen the risk of dying from cancer, that some of you talk of 'scams'. I don't doubt your right that there are chemicals in there that will kill you eventually :D .....but in general I find there is a whole list of stuff just waiting to snuff out my mortal coil (lol) ..........all I ask is that they form a orderly queue :-D I remember as a young mateloet climbing into my bunk and finding my pillow sprinkled with asbestos from the ACU above my head *-) ..........but I also eat and drink more than I should :D ..................so what will kill me......................................probably my piles (lol) (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 pelmetman - 2011-04-28 11:08 PM .probably my piles (lol) (lol) (lol) Nah - they just make you a pain in the bum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Me thinks some people are frightened of their own shadow. Unless anyone lives in a laboratory every day with a host of test equipment and examines everything they eat or drink they have not a clue as to what they are consuming! Labels and words are an aid to sales. Nothing more. Why believe what someone writes? PS And are so called 'cheap' plastic hoses so dangerous as some suggest? If so then all the cancer bearing substances are being passed into our vegetables that are watered, and into flowers that are taken indoors and are allowed to evaporate into each and every household that we inhale! Oh dear, what a wicked world we live in, be assured something will get you in the end. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Interesting topic...I only read it so that I dont have to watch that unspeakable event that is saturating the media So maybe someone can start recommending reasonable places to buy these hoses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 There's a nice well stocked pound shop close to Westminster Abbey that might be worth a visit today! And whilst you're there, please send William and Kate our best wishes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopesy Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 We don't drink form the tank but carry a 5 ltre container (old plastic drinks bottle well past it's sell by date i expect). I'm off to the shops to buy a food grade hose with a picture of the happy couple on it :-D I imagine (i don't know!!) that the risk from filling up from a hose is far out weighed by the day to day living in the van such as fumes form exhausts trundling up and down motorways, etc etc, but i don't see the point in saving 50p on a length of hose when i waste much more on other things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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