mymorph Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Hi all, just bought our first mh, for family touring primarily around Europe. 6 birth rimor, no frills van nice clean order. We've moved up from family camping & solo wild ultralight camping.so have a lot of camping stuff we can use. my first query is what people Prefer to use to fill up the on-board water. I like the idea of layflat as it'll take up less space but having never used the stuff is it too much of a phaff? Is plain food grade hose a better option? :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 We fill up with a garden hose at home, but just use a watering can for topping up when travelling - which can be for four or five weeks at a time on the continent. We carried a new lay-flat hose in the van for 4 years and didn't use it once. As you say, too much of a faff, I guess. So a watering can works for us, but others will have different views. Good luck with your new van. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheer lunar-see Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Hi and welcome, I use a lay flat hose sometimes but not food grade, as we don't drink the water from the tank, some people use a watering can to fill and others with more money, pump from a water carrier, but most will carry some form of container for their drinking water, as the tank water can be tainted. Whatever your method enjoy yourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymorph Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 Was thinking a watering can would take too long with 4 1/2 of us on board we' ll use a fair amount of water. Although not planning on drinking it will be used for cleaning teeth etc. So would like it to be near as. I have a doulton ceramic gravity filter for wild water filtration a bit of a bulky affair but packs up neat enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Wouldn't be without my lay flat hose.........I now have two B-) ......... A faff is having to move the camper to reach a tap 40' away..........although I often find my hose gets hijacked by other moho owners after I've filled up :-S ............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 We have a food grade hose, didn't cost too much so decided why not buy one, as it's clear you can see the crap that builds up inside, or you could just use a garden hose and carry on in blissful ignorance of how dirty it is :D We generally reuse supermarket water bottles for drinking water, at present I think we have 3 or 4 500ml bottles and a large bottle of around 4l, we also have a 'water2go' bottle in the van on standby (for what I don't know :D ) but that's normally for trips to more 'exotic' countries that don't have european standards of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 We use either a flat food grade hose which is cut into two lengths [one third, two thirds] which can be joined together. Also, we carry a 25l food grade container with a tap for top ups. We have drunk out of the fresh water tank for 20 years without problems although we do cleanse the system every year and replace the hose every 10 years. Whether you need food grade has been debated to death on all motorhome and caravan forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 A common or garden hose has worked well for us for nigh on 50 years (not the same hose!)! I always drain the hose when finished filling to prevent stale water collecting - it really is no problem to just raise one end of the hose and let the water empty from t'other end as you coil it up! Lay flat hoses often need to be laid flat without bends or kinks to allow water to flow especially if the pressure is low and for us they just are not worth the faff given what they cost, plus they often have a smaller bore which slows filling and the final straw is that any space saving is minimal. My advice , particularly if you intend to camp off site and take on board water whenever the opportunity presents, would be to get yourself two lengths of garden hose - one about 20' and one about 40' and join them when needed with Hozelock type connectors. You will also need a variety of tap connectors as they do vary and this has been discussed several times of late. Have a look at these found via the search facility. https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Hints-and-Tips/france-taps/38229/#M464543 https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/search/query.asp?action=search&searchforumid=all&keywords=water+filling&author=&days=365&Submit=Search Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 colin - 2015-08-23 5:02 PM we also have a 'water2go' bottle in the van on standby (for what I don't know :D ) but that's normally for trips to more 'exotic' countries that don't have european standards of water. That'll be Lancashire then :D ........... Although I've never heard it described as exotic before 8-) ........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 pelmetman - 2015-08-23 4:52 PM Wouldn't be without my lay flat hose.........I now have two B-) ......... A faff is having to move the camper to reach a tap 40' away..........although I often find my hose gets hijacked by other moho owners after I've filled up :-S ............. On a busy Aire in France we once joined hoses with several other campers of varying nationalities - all using Hozelock type connectors - to create a hose over 100 meters long which we used to fill the tanks of everyone who needed water - took a while though but it was fun and much beer and vino collapso was consumed during th duration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 pelmetman - 2015-08-23 6:03 PM colin - 2015-08-23 5:02 PM we also have a 'water2go' bottle in the van on standby (for what I don't know :D ) but that's normally for trips to more 'exotic' countries that don't have european standards of water. That'll be Lancashire then :D ........... Although I've never heard it described as exotic before 8-) ........... Well you don't get much more exotic than George Formby and Gracie Fields. Our first trip out in our present van was to Lancashire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hetty Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Will soon be buying our first motorhome , an older Hymer . We have been advised not to drink from water tank but if it can be done would prefer it . Do you use something like Milton to clean it? Many thanks Hetty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Hetty - 2015-08-25 4:52 PM Will soon be buying our first motorhome , an older Hymer . We have been advised not to drink from water tank but if it can be done would prefer it . Do you use something like Milton to clean it? Many thanks Hetty Welcome to the club Hetty! Opinions differ wildly! We've been drinking water from the onboard tank for over fifty year - not the same water I hasten to add - and it has never done us any harm. It can taste a bit stale at times or plasticy after a day or three but for teeth washing, tea making, or just drinking with squash it is fine for us. If you just want a glass of plain water to drink then bottled water might well taste better unless the tank is freshly filled. For many others it is a definitive no no, and all I can suggest is you flush out the tank with tap water before leaving home and maybe take some bottled water with you on your first tto see how you get on. I have never cleaned a tank out in all those years but I do empty it on every return so that it stores dry. I fill the tank with tap water, let it stand overnight and empty twice at the start of every new season or if it tastes a bit iffy mid season. As with every opinion on every topic, it is probably best to read all the points of view and then evolve your own style to best suit yourselves. Be cautious about using Milton (and bleach) which is very good for cleaning the waste idioter tank) as it can attack and corrode stainless steel (sink and waste fittings) if left in direct contact for too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 colin - 2015-08-23 5:02 PM We have a food grade hose, didn't cost too much so decided why not buy one, as it's clear you can see the crap that builds up inside, or you could just use a garden hose and carry on in blissful ignorance of how dirty it is :D . Boy do I wish I'd posted that :D Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hetty Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Thank you for that . Will get flushing ! Hetty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmacz Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Watering can for me and drink water from tank as well, usually tainted with a tea bag before I drink the water. 130 litre tank approx and also drain tank completely when not in use and weekly when in use. Really depends where you plan to travel, not every wild place has a thread on a tap and watering can covers all taps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Hetty, we've used Milton tablets and Milton liquid to flush through the water system. As Rich says, you have to be careful with Milton because it can damage stainless steel, especially the inside of a water heater. Diluted Milton is OK but can leave a taste until completely flushed through. For the last couple of years we've used Puriclean tablets from the local Go Camping store [and some motorhome accessory shops or online]. We prefer these tablets to Milton but they are not as easy to buy. We flush the system around Easter. Your Hymer manual may contain guidance on how to do this to ensure you flush the whole system. I can give you Hymer's current instructions if need be. As gmacz says, drain the tank when not in use. Hymer recommend changing the water in the tank every 4 days or sooner. You'll also need to drain over the winter when not in use. Your toilet flush may come from the main water tank. If it does, and you like a clean and fresh smelling toilet, buy some Thetford AquaRinse [pink] or equivalent, dilute it in a spray bottle and give the toilet bowl a spray after use. It is also supposed to make it easier to clean the toilet. We've always drunk from the water tank but as we are mere striplings compared to Rich, only for the last 20 years. You do need to check the advice given about not drinking from the tank if it is from the owner or dealer to understand why that advice is being given. There is a possibility that something happened in the past that informs that advice so check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Brock - 2015-08-26 9:51 AM Your toilet flush may come from the main water tank. If it does, and you like a clean and fresh smelling toilet, buy some Thetford AquaRinse [pink] or equivalent, dilute it in a spray bottle and give the toilet bowl a spray after use. It is also supposed to make it easier to clean the toilet. Good point. However, if your loo has it's own flush water reservoir beware of using Thetford aqua rinse in it, unless you drain the tank after every trip - which is a bit of a faff - as if left in the tank it is prone to forming black algae which at best looks unsightly when flushing and at worst can block the flush pump. - and that is a real pain to get at to clean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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