Spile54 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Hi, hope someone can help. I'm picking up a new Autotrail Imala 620 next week. I think I've organised everything I need to get started apart from a fresh water hose. I've trawled though some of the threads on this forum but I'm still not sure what type of hose I need to take on fresh water. The two queries I have are what length of hose I need as I've seen them anything from 5 to 25 metres and which is better, a flat hose or round one? We'll be using the motorhome just in the UK this year so don't need all sorts of fancy fittings... at least I hope we don't. Many thanks. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 I've tried a variety of hoses and until recently I carried a reel of ordinary garden hosewhich probably had 25 metres on it - but I came across a proper (three core side-by-side, flat profile) 10 meter length of blue (food quality) hose on a flat plastic reel and switched to that, saving a little weight and space. I've only had to use a few metres of it, since you can usually manoeuvre pretty close to the tap on sites. I didn't get any contamination problems from using garden hose so please yourself, according to what you can pack it easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 In my view, you need a 10 to 15 metre hose, possibly in two lengths that are roll flat, in a cassette. The hose itself should be food grade. Then get yourself a lunch box filled with a variety of connectors for all the likely different taps you will encounter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 In addition to the above, get a watering can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Hi, 25 metres of blue food grade hose is a big coil when you wind it up. the blue flat hose in a cassette is convenient, but soon develops leaks along the flattened edge. we use 2 short expanding hoses, end to end when necessary, or singly if possible. I know that they are not rated as food quality, but so far no effects noticed. we also have 4 different types of ends about 6 inches long, each with a different type of tap connector/adaptor, and the whole lot is stored on the tank top underneath the floor we also carry a plastic can with screwtop holding 5 litres which we can use if the taps are not in reach of the flexi hoses. it works for us. tonyg3nwl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spile54 Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 StuartO - 2016-06-06 7:39 PMI've tried a variety of hoses and until recently I carried a reel of ordinary garden hosewhich probably had 25 metres on it - but I came across a proper (three core side-by-side, flat profile) 10 meter length of blue (food quality) hose on a flat plastic reel and switched to that, saving a little weight and space. I've only had to use a few metres of it, since you can usually manoeuvre pretty close to the tap on sites. I didn't get any contamination problems from using garden hose so please yourself, according to what you can pack it easily.Thanks StuartO.So if I had a flat hose, say 10 metres, and the tap on site is only 3 metres from the van do you have to unrol the full 10 meter length of hose before using it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Spile54 - 2016-06-06 8:30 PMStuartO - 2016-06-06 7:39 PMI've tried a variety of hoses and until recently I carried a reel of ordinary garden hosewhich probably had 25 metres on it - but I came across a proper (three core side-by-side, flat profile) 10 meter length of blue (food quality) hose on a flat plastic reel and switched to that, saving a little weight and space. I've only had to use a few metres of it, since you can usually manoeuvre pretty close to the tap on sites. I didn't get any contamination problems from using garden hose so please yourself, according to what you can pack it easily.Thanks StuartO.So if I had a flat hose, say 10 metres, and the tap on site is only 3 metres from the van do you have to unrol the full 10 meter length of hose before using it?Yes it's generally more trouble than it's worth. While your doing it someone else will Nick the best pitch and bear in mind using a hose means moving the motor home each time. Most of us start off when we first start using a motorhome filling the tank with a hose then end up just topping it up with a watering can every few days. I've got two lay flat blue hoses in the loft supplied with various motorhomes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet1956 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Our secondhand motorhome was supplied with a flat cassette role type thing that was far too long and seemed to require two of us to fiddle with and was too cumbersome. I searched on line and found this. http://www.outdoorbits.com/food-quality-spiral-hose-arvise-p-814.html#reviews We now use it all the time with no problems and it needs only one of us to operate. It does need a shake to make sure that as much residual water is expelled as possible after use. We put it back in the plastic cover that it came in but it is not ideal. A waterproof bag would be better. Glad to be writing something on the forum that's not about Brexit for once! Regards Veronica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Never tried a flat hose which sounds convenient, just make sure its not the type for burying under the soil for watering plants cos it has lots of holes in it. Its always been a standard garden hose for me. Don't be fooled into paying a lot for food grade hose, its squeezed out of the extruding machine the same as all hose. When water passes through a hose there is always a skimming of motionless water at the edges like a river where the fish lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 I think the requirement for a hose to Food Grade is where water might lay in the pipe for days leeching out harmful plasticisers and then be drunk straight from the pipe. My guess and its no more is that by letting the water run away for about half a minute any contamination is flushed away. I have a flat FG hose but I still let it flush before filling the tank to git rid of an life that taken up residence since the last use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 We have a 5m (I think that's the length) food grade hose which came with a funnel type connector, it didn't cost much and the connector fits everything from a household tap to a large commercial screwed fitting. One of our favorite campsites, which we go to maybe once a year, has the only tap across a stream and down a path, we carry a folding water carrier from tenting days for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Hi Mike Basically it comes down to preference regarding the type of hose. If you want drinking water at the tap the Blue Food Grade is better (IMHO) Many use a separate container for fresh drinking water relying on water tank for other purposes. If you go the separate container method standard garden hose may suit your needs. Pros:- Garden hose is manufactured in vast quantity & generally substantially cheaper & more availability. Cons:- Garden hose can leach plasticisers into the water as it passes through. These can cause upset stomachs if used for drinking. Food Grade Hose is dearer because it has to conform to the British & European Standards to prevent plasticiser leaching. For me, I have a 25mt. layflat hose, which I cut to form a 3mt. & 22mt lengths. Standard Hozelock fittings are suitable & even when restricting travel to the UK, a selection of tap connectors are advisable as a variety of sizes will be encountered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBrown Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Hi we just have a 10 metre blue round food grade hose which we found on Amazon for the near enough the same price as a standard garden hose. We also have a 10L water container with a syphon which we have sanatised before use to fill up if we cannot reach with the hosepipe. We also carry 3 different connectors also plus a couple of spares as I have left and retrieve some on campsites by accident ! Oops ! 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Have you asked the dealer if the van comes with a hose - some do - some don't, just as some come with an EHU lead. At that price it would not be unreasonable for the dealer to give you a hose? We use good quality soft garden hose as it is easier to work with when cold. Two lengths, about 15' and about 30' except when we go abroad or off siting when an extra 30' goes in as some places, like marinas, it can be hard to get to a tap. Standard Hozelock type connectors fit most taps you will come across but a couple of sizes of the rubber press on and jubilee clamp type are never amiss. Cheap copies are available from the discount stores or online and will suffice to start with. Using the search facilty brought up this list where it has been discussed before. http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/search/query.asp?action=search&searchforumid=all&keywords=tap+connectors&author=&days=365&Submit=Search Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Duplicate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 I only use a hose when we are at home and then after that I use a plastic watering can which lives in the toilet compartment. No messing getting close to a tap, uncoiling and recoiling, draining the hose and storing it, Quite a lot of the sites we stay at have a lot of water taps around the site but only 1 or 2 will take a hose connector. Little and often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Have used a flat hose in a reel but found it very fiddly to use. Has to be rolled out completely then completely emptied before it will roll back onto the cassette. Persevered with it but it started to separate - the inner lining came away from the outer which deformed and eventually the lining stuck together so wouldn't run water through. I think this all occurred when the small amounts of remaining water froze in the pipe during cold spells. Now we use a 15m expandable hose which coiled up and fits into a zip up plastic bag. Variety of connectors including reducing inserts a must. Supplemented by a 10 litre water carrier which we used to use for drinking water but now have a 3M water filter fitted in line to the kitchen cold tap. This (E2) type filters out nearly all harmful bits and pieces and lasts for 7000 litres or one year. Just use the water container for topping up if we need to. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Regarding hose quality. Where was it made ? Hungary - India - China, who knows or who cares, it may say food grade but if its 'so important' why are all the connectors not labelled similarly ! What happens to the water once its in the holding tank, is that also food grade, what about all the M/H fittings that the water passes through, are they also food grade? To produce a medically suitable 'clean material' the parts would have to be produced in a 'clean room' environment, and the costs would be prohibitive. When a liquid passes through a tube it does not scour the tube wall as it passes for the resistance of the tube wall prohibits this. The liquid flow is greater in the centre of the tube. A suitably worded label is a means of persuading a buyer to choose that product in preference to another. Plus a cost. And we've not even touched on the storing of the hose, Is it steam cleaned after every use ... ? Yes I do go on about it ... but one of my lives was in the plastics industry ... right up front where the moulding takes place, including medical requirements.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Spile54 - 2016-06-06 8:30 PM Thanks StuartO.So if I had a flat hose, say 10 metres, and the tap on site is only 3 metres from the van do you have to unrol the full 10 meter length of hose before using it? The type I bought doesn't need unrolling any more than the length you need because the tubing doesn't collapse when it's rolled on to the cassette reel. The cassette is a bit flimsy and doesn't roll up easily but I manage. I place the cassette on a small folding drinks table and connect the hub end to the MH filler neck (using one of those special filler connectors you can buy) drawing out the other end of the hose to reach the supply tap. That way I don't have to hold anything while it's filling up. I forgot to mention hat I also carry a watering can, which is handy for topping up when you can't be bothered to move the MH to the tap. These are bulky but at least they don't weigh (or cost) much. I have in the MH a selection of tap and other connectors which I have never had to use; the standard UK threaded hoselock tap connector seems to fit everywhere (including France and Germany) when I want to use the hose. There is a larger sized screw tap but I've only come across one of those in ten years. A double male hoselock-type connector is needed for connecting to some Aire service posts, so one of those is worth carrying. One of these days I'll get around to dumping the rest as unnecessary cargo; if you have a watering can, you can always manage using that. And have some disinfectant wipes in the motorhome, to wipe the tap or spout before you use it, in case some dirty bastard has used it to rinse his toilette cassette. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Tracker - 2016-06-07 7:21 AM.....Two lengths, about 15' and about 30' except when we go abroad or off siting when an extra 30' goes in as some places, like marinas, it can be hard to get to a tap..... Bloody hell Tracker, that's nearly enough to reach back to UK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 StuartO - 2016-06-07 8:40 AMTracker - 2016-06-07 7:21 AM.....Two lengths, about 15' and about 30' except when we go abroad or off siting when an extra 30' goes in as some places, like marinas, it can be hard to get to a tap..... Bloody hell Tracker, that's nearly enough to reach back to UK!Watering can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 StuartO - 2016-06-07 8:40 AM Bloody hell Tracker, that's nearly enough to reach back to UK!In Sweden a few years back we met some Dutch people at a marina and it took our combined lengths of hose to reach the tap - about 200' ! Better than the alternative!Is this a record, I wonder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 I needed to fill up on a site once where the tap was just too far away to reach with the 30m garden hose I carried at the time. I had the 10 liter reserve container we carry but carrying that backwards and forwards so many times was not appealing. So I bought an extra 10m of collapsible hose from the local supermarket to bridge the gap, which worked. But I never used that extra hsoe again and once I'd realised that a cheap watering can and topping up regularly would do the trick, and I found a bargain food-quality hose in a cassette, both the garden hose and the extra collapsible hose were demoted to the garden shed. And we moved house recently and the previous owners left their long garden hose behind, to which we added our domestic and MH hose reels, and another retractable one which hangs on the wall. So we now have what might be a neighbourhood record for hose capacity in the garden. I'll have to consider a booster pump to ensure adequate spraying pressure if I hook them all together! . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmacz Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Carried a flat hose for first time campervan holiday. Now only carry a watering can and hose has gone. Never had a problem but don't use sites, only wild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeco Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Water in country OZ is often a bit "sus" so we carry a 20 Mtr food grade hose fitted with an inline filter.like Rich we also have a 10mtr extension hose for those sites with the tap further away. Generally the extension hose is not needed but when it is it comes in handy. I always drain the hose and the filter before stowing in the MH. Food grade hose is not that significantly more expensive so why not use it? Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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