hose ? (1 Viewer)

[rich g]

I need to buy a new hose for filling the fresh water tank.
Do you use food grade or just the normal hose pipe.
I have used both as we only drink bottled water,not sure whether it is worth paying extra for a food grade.

 

[The Dudess]

Ours is food grade, but only because that's what was recommended when we bought our first motorhome and as we were nervous about everything we thought we should do things proper.

 

[pappajohn]

I would just use a garden hose....I've never used anything else.
Unless you bought the van new, how do you know what was used by the previous owner/s.

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[Deleted member 29692]

Ours is food grade. I don't think it's particularly expensive. I just bought a reel from B&Q to keep it on.

We drink the water from our tank no matter where we fill it up.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Food-Grad...orhome-/271261504302?var=&hash=item3f2872132e

 

[scotjimland]

There are endless posts about this topic.. those who say you don't need food grade and others, myself included who use it.. the ones who don't use it won't ever be converted..

there are plenty of food grade hose sold on eBay.. I use clear braided food grade ..

the only type of food grade I wouldn't buy is the flat roll up type.. had a few but they didn't last long.. they are ok if you are very careful when you roll up.. any dirt or grit trapped in the roll soon punctures it.. .. but if you are space challenged.. probably your best bet

Bottom line, non food grade plastics can, over time, leach out chemicals which are carcinogenic.. they may also taint the water..

your choice..

 

[FIDGET]

I use ordinary garden hose, but then again we don't drink the water , only use it for cooking & washing.
We always fill separate bottles for drinking & making tea/coffee.

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[Deleted member 29692]

the only type of food grade I wouldn't buy is the flat roll up type.. had a few but they didn't last long.. they are ok if you are very careful when you roll up.. any dirt or grit trapped in the roll soon punctures it.. .. but if you are space challenged.. probably your best bet

We did have a flat one. It didn't survive the water canon pressure at Chamonix aire though.

 

[PORKSTER]

normal garden hose but dont drink water from tank

 

[maison]

Carry food grade lay flat hose with us for filling in sites etc, but fill up at home using garden grade hose. Always flush through first.

Never had a problem with either.

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[sweetie]

Used same piece of yellow garden hose for 14 years and always drink water from tank, I,m still here. We just make sure it is well flushed through.

 

[Enword]

We always use food grade I can taste the plastic ( leaches into the water) if you can taste it in my view it cant be good for you.

 

[TheBig1]

if using a garden hose doesnt worry you, then why not? only causes cancer

food grade plastics used in the more expensive hoses and proper containers are not just a gimmick. just like lead pipes were outlawed for potable water sources. you cannot always taste anything in tainted water but it is harmful to your body

an extra £5 - £10 is a small price to pay

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[mjltigger]

We use normal hose. We rarely drink from the tank but if we are short of bottled we will boil it for coffee.

 

[seabreezesports]

Being on spring water worrying about the type of hose is irrelevant. So is worrying worrying about which hose to buy if you don't have a sterile place to use and store it .

 

[scotjimland]

Being on spring water worrying about the type of hose is irrelevant. So is worrying worrying about which hose to buy if you don't have a sterile place to use and store it .

how so ?

if your spring water is tainted, or may cause cancer.. then maybe you should consider finding another spring..

Normal tap water is chlorinated, flushing a food grade hose before filling sterilises it ..


What's Your Garden Hose Made Of?
The Ecology Center, a non-profit research group, tested 21 different garden hoses purchased from popular stores like Lowe's, Home Depot, Target, and Walmart, looking for chemicals like lead, cadmium, bromine (associated with flame retardants), chlorine (which indicates the presence of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC), phthalates, and Broken Link Removed.Broken Link Removed

One-third of the hoses tested contained high levels of one or more chemicals of concern, and more than half (67 percent) were made of PVC. PVC is a significant source of exposure to chemicals known as phthalates, which are used as plasticizers.

The total phthalate content of the hoses ranged from 11 percent to 18 percent by weight, and all of those made from PVC that were tested for phthalates contained one or more chemicals banned for use in children's products by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Read more

Broken Link Removed

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[Old Soldier]

We use X hose, lightweight, expanding, empties itself and packs away very easily. We never drink from the tank anyway. As far as plastic leaching from hose the water needs to be in the hose for some time for that to happen and unless you kept it connected to the van and under pressure all the time that does not happen. Anyway, what type of pipework is there before the supply tap, I suggest a mixture of old iron, copper or plastic or a combination of all three, particularly in campsites and farmers fields.... I personally have not heard of anyone pegging it just because they used non food grade filling hoses etc!!

 

[scotjimland]

I personally have not heard of anyone pegging it just because they used non food grade filling hoses etc!!

how would you know if someone 'pegged' it from a cancer caused by chemicals leaching from a hose ?


I can never fathom out why people decide to risk their health for the sake of a few extra quid.. If your food was sold in a known cancer causing PVC container would you still buy it.. ? I certainly wouldn't..

Citing other potential hazards isn't reducing the risk.. it's like smokers saying you can die from exhaust fumes.. which is also true.. but not a reason to keep on smoking..

As I said earlier.. your choice..

 

[Old Soldier]

how would you know if someone 'pegged' it from a cancer caused by chemicals leaching from a hose ?


I can never fathom out why people decide to risk their health for the sake of a few extra quid.. If your food was sold in a known cancer causing PVC container would you still buy it..

Citing other potential hazards isn't reducing the risk.. it's like smokers saying you can die form exhaust fumes.. which is also true.. but not a reason to keep on smoking..

You are right, I wouldn't know but if it really was a serious health issue then I'm sure, in this day of health and safety, we would all be informed and advised. My opinion is that "food grade" is something some people have latched onto purely to see certain types of hoses.
As for citing other potential hazards, I'm not, just stating that if there was any contamination it would probably have already occurred in the supply pipeline long before your little piece of hose was connected. My opinion of course and others will make up their own minds, not wishing to convert one way or other.

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[Minxy]

how so ?

if your spring water is tainted, or may cause cancer.. then maybe you should consider finding another spring..

Normal tap water is chlorinated, flushing a food grade hose before filling sterilises it ..


What's Your Garden Hose Made Of?
The Ecology Center, a non-profit research group, tested 21 different garden hoses purchased from popular stores like Lowe's, Home Depot, Target, and Walmart, looking for chemicals like lead, cadmium, bromine (associated with flame retardants), chlorine (which indicates the presence of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC), phthalates, and Broken Link Removed.Broken Link Removed

One-third of the hoses tested contained high levels of one or more chemicals of concern, and more than half (67 percent) were made of PVC. PVC is a significant source of exposure to chemicals known as phthalates, which are used as plasticizers.

The total phthalate content of the hoses ranged from 11 percent to 18 percent by weight, and all of those made from PVC that were tested for phthalates contained one or more chemicals banned for use in children's products by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Read more

Broken Link Removed

You may wish to read it a bit more closely yourself Jim ... below is interesting and IMV quite telling about the method used to get the test results to 'prove' their findings:

One of the primary problems with making consumer products out of Broken Link Removed is that the chemicals can be released into the water that runs through them. This is why I've long recommended using glass dishware, storage containers, and drinking bottles in lieu of plastics. Obviously, there are no glass garden hoses (though there are some more natural options, which I'll explain shortly)…

What this means is that, assuming your garden hose is made of toxic plastic chemicals, as it sits outside in the sun those chemicals concentrate in the water. When the Ecology Center researchers tested water from a hose that was left out in the sun for two days, they found:

• BPA levels of 0.34 to 0.91 ppm, which is three to nine times higher than the safe drinking water levels used by the National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Broken Link Removed (a phthalate) levels of 0.017 ppm to 0.011 ppm, which is two times higher than federal drinking water standards

Generally speaking, the study found that PVC and vinyl hoses were the worst in terms of leaching phthalates and BPA, which makes sense since phthalates are used to make plastics flexible. Those with copper fittings contained the most lead.Broken Link Removed In 2012, the researchers found even worse results when they tested 90 garden hoses, including BPA levels of 2.3 ppm and DEHP levels of 0.025 ppm.Broken Link Removed(For that study they also found that many gardening products, including gloves, kneeling pads, and tools, contain chemicals of concern as well.) The Ecology Center reported on the garden-hose findings:Broken Link Removed
​

So it appears that everyone who prefers to drink bottled water out of plastic containers, uses any sort of plastic for consuming food/drink from, wears some products (gardening gloves for example) made from types of plastics/man-made materials etc are also running the risk of 'absorbing' toxins.

If you left a hose out in the sun for 2 days and then use the water within it WITHOUT flushing it first then you'd be totally idiotic IMV! The ONLY timed this would ever happen would possibly be on a serviced pitch where you had a hose permanently connected to constantly keep the tank topped up ... some caravanners do it but I'm not aware of many, if any, motorhome owners that do.

I've always drunk from the tank of all my MHs without a problem but I do make sure that the garden hose I use is a good one (anti-kink etc) rather than the stupidly cheap ones, and ensure it is well drained after use but more importantly well flushed through before filling with it, not for fear of toxins, but for bugs that can thrive in a damp atmosphere which is more of a threat to health ... even food grade hoses cannot stop this.

The amount of 'contamination' from toxins etc whilst filling would be absolutely miniscule so whilst some like to have a food-grade hose personally I've never felt it a necessity.

What is IMV more important is having a good 'filling procedure':

• ensure your hose/fittings are kept clean
• disinfect the tap before you attach your hose (you don't know what it's been used for previously)
• flush through well before filling
• get as much water out afterwards as you can
• don't leave it out once you've finished

Some people don't want to drink from the tank and that's fine by me, just as my doing so should be fine by them ... I wouldn't criticise them for their choice and neither should I be criticised for mine.

The OP - as you don't drink from the tank my advice would be to go for a good garden hose (anti-kink).

 

[Microchip]

We have a Nature Pure system fitted with a separate tap, but I still use a food grade hose.
Can't be bothered having to carry plastic bottles, waste of time..
Keith

 

[scotjimland]

THE REGULATORY STATUS

The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 (in England and Wales), the Scottish Water Byelaws (2004) and the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009, collectively referred to as “the Regulations”, apply to all plumbing systems in the UK which receive or convey water supplied by a public water supplier. The Regulations require that materials in contact with water intended for domestic purposes (which includes drinking, cooking, bathing, washing) shall not contaminate the water. The Government Guidance1 to the Regulations states that to meet this requirement, all non-metallic materials should comply with BS6920: “Suitability of non-metallic products for use in contact with water intended for human consumption with regard to their effect on the quality of water”.

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[Minxy]

Dr Mercola's organisation makes claims about DEHA in particular, this is the piece from the 'Cancer Research UK' website about reusing plastic drinking bottles etc, but then goes on about other areas of concern ... the below is very pertinent to the claims made by Dr Mercola:

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/abo...-controversies/plastic-bottles-and-cling-film

Do plastics release DEHA and is it harmful?
DEHA is a chemical found in some plastics, but there is no convincing evidence it is found in plastic bottles or cling films. The World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded there wasn’t enough good quality evidence to say whether DEHA has the potential to cause cancer. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that DEHA "cannot reasonably be anticipated to cause cancer"(link is external) or other health problems.
​

Dr Mercola's set-up is self-serving (no doubt with the best of intentions though) as that's his job and where he'll get his income from - it claims to be a 'non-profit' organisation, not a NO profit organisation - so it can make a profit and provide a nice little income for those involved and the amount of profit can obviously 'change' depending on the level of salaries, re-investment, perks etc - the crux is that any 'profit' is not paid out to anyone, but re-invested into the organisation so it doesn't SHOW a profit as a normal company would. You have to look at the full financial picture to know how they achieve the 'non-profit' status. In addition his organisation will no doubt provide earnings from other linked 'products/services' that ARE profit making. I am not saying that Dr Mercola's organisation is doing anything wrong but non-profit can mean different things to many people, this is the definition from Wikipedia:

In economic terms, a non-profit organization uses its surplus revenues to further achieve its purpose or mission, rather than distributing its surplus income to the organization's shareholders (or equivalents) as profit or dividends.​

 

[Minxy]

THE REGULATORY STATUS

The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 (in England and Wales), the Scottish Water Byelaws (2004) and the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009, collectively referred to as “the Regulations”, apply to all plumbing systems in the UK which receive or convey water supplied by a public water supplier. The Regulations require that materials in contact with water intended for domestic purposes (which includes drinking, cooking, bathing, washing) shall not contaminate the water. The Government Guidance1 to the Regulations states that to meet this requirement, all non-metallic materials should comply with BS6920: “Suitability of non-metallic products for use in contact with water intended for human consumption with regard to their effect on the quality of water”.

Jim I don't have any issues with what you are writing BUT that legislation is meant for fixed supplies where the water is sat in the pipes etc continuously, no doubt in response to the above posting by 'Old Soldier', but has no real relevance IMV to a hose used for a couple of minutes to fill a tank.

 

[scotjimland]

BS 6920:2014

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[Minxy]

BS 6920:2014

I wish you would say what you're on about Jim rather than just put links up ... I can't see exactly what you're trying to 'say' with that one ...

There is a standard that has to be met and that is defined in the BS6920 document I assume, have you read it? If so, what are the pertinent points in relation to water in a hose for very short amount of time?

 

[scotjimland]

Jim I don't have any issues with what you are writing

I have already said twice.. on two different posts 'your choice' .. the advice and information is easy found and the regulations are also there to read... I know them.. I don't need to read again.. be my guest

No one has criticised your choice of hose.. you use whatever you want..

I don't understand why you are so intent on debunking the evidence and good advice and using proper food grade hose.

I was in the food industry for many years and have more than just a 'Google knowledge' of what food grade means and what the risks are.. if it weren't for the regulations there would be tens of thousand more cases of cancer .. it reminds me of the argument that the tobacco industry made in support of smoking.

I have no axe to grind nor looking for an pointless argument.. members are quite capable of making their own choice .. as I said.. your choice.

 

[Minxy]

Jim I'm not criticising you, but just posting a link doesn't help those of us who are 'not' in the 'trade' as it were ... you may have knowledge but how does that help us by putting up links with no explanation of why?

I am in total agreement regarding the safety aspect for the pipework in fixed water system and anything that will be holding the water for a prolonged length of time ... but a hose with the water in it for a very, very short period of time isn't the same.

To use your smoking analogy ... if you are in a room for a couple of minutes where someone has smoked you may breath in a few nasty chemicals but they are extremely unlikely to cause you to develop cancer, whereas if you were in the room constantly being exposed to it all the time then the risks would be much, much greater. Same with water in a hose for a couple of minutes compared to it sitting in it permanently.

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[scotjimland]

pointless going any further..

.. so whatever you say Mel..

 

[Minxy]

But Jim, you have knowledge of food safety etc that I do NOT dispute for one minute BUT rather than just state what the requirements are for fixed/long term water systems it would be good to have an expert view on the genuine risks of a non-food grade hose for very short time use ... I'm not taking the p*ss either.

Surely the risk must be absolutely miniscule for filling a water tank?

 

[rich g]

Well after reading all your replies,it's a no brainer for the few extra quid have bought a Food Grade Hose.

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