May have contaminated fresh water tank. Do they have an internal filter? (1 Viewer)

[davidathomas42]

So the first time I filled the tank I used the outside tap. Did a few checks of the water into glass's first and was crystal clear and tasted ok.

So i have filled the tank twice from it.

Today I was thinking I'll fill it ready for Fridays trip away for new year. (It's currently drained down.

I decided to check the supply again before filling and this time there were loads of bits of crap in the glass. I ran the tap/hose for a minute in case it was a one off then checked again and the glass again was full of crap.

Thinking it could be the hose braking down I removed it to check at the source tap and again full of crap.

I had assumed been an outside tap it was from the same feed as the house but the house is crystal clear so it seems I need to avoid the external tap.

My worry now is have I filled the Motorhome tank with crap. I had not noticed any when we used it but we only use the taps for shower and washing pots etc not drinking. Have bottled water for that.

When I drained it down a couple of weeks ago I notice looking in the tank from the big cap on top of the tank it still has about an inch of water inside so I assume the draw is not from the very bottom so you avoid any contaminants should a bit get in. But this was a lot of crap in the water today so I am worried it will be too much for the internal design and I'll have stuff floating for a long time after a drive.

Does anyone know if there is another internal tank filter to stop stuff getting into the lines?

I assume I'll have to pull the tank now to clean and drain it properly but I don't really want to do that before Friday as I am a bit busy to get that invloled.

 

[Robert Clark]

From memory you've got a Swift or Bessie ?
Our Bessie had an online filter adjacent to the water pump
I'd suggest draining the tank and cleaning before refilling with clean water.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

There should be a plug in the bottom of the tank -accessible from a trap in the floor and through the top of the tank- mine has a large threaded cap with a st steel chord attached to the drain plug. You could wash your tank out through this-with a watering can ( clean) and keep draining it out. There should be a filter next to your pump also but I don't know of any other filters in a swift.

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[pappajohn]

Unless you have a water butt or a well for your outdoor tap ALL your water comes off the same mains supply....even if at a different point in the supply pipe (very doubtful)

 

[Eddystone]

I would expect the outside tap to be on the same pipe. How far from the house pipeline is the tap?

 

[magicsurfbus]

To empty the tank completely couldn't you find out which side the outlet hole is then chock the van's wheels up (levelling ramps?) on the opposite side to create a gradient?

As for cleaning the hose, how about filling it with a solution of Milton for a bit then running hot water through it to flush it out?

As others have said, there's probably a filter next to your pump. They can usually be removed for cleaning or replacement.

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[Reallyretired]

The filter on the pump is only a strainer to stop big bits getting in and damaging the pump. It won't stop any fine contaminants.

 

[icantremember]

Fit a Nature Pure filter and never worry about water quality from the tank again.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I would expect the outside tap to be on the same pipe. How far from the house pipeline is the tap?

Our outside tap is very hard water straight from the mains, so we use the softened water (our choice, so please don't create an argument) for the motorhome tanks to reduce scale build up. Some houses may have a similar system; we did it that way out of choice

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[davidathomas42]

Thanks for the input guys. I have a couple of spare hours tomorrow early afternoon so Ill go dig around and see what I can find and clean/sort.

 

[Minxy]

It could be the pipe to your external tap that's the culprit, or the tap itself is deteriorating ... best just to clean the tank then fill from the house tap.

 

[TheBig1]

personally I would use a wet and dry vacuum cleaner and a length of hose to remove rust debris from the water tank. then flush out and sterilise

sounds like the supply pipe to the tap uses a rusty old iron pipe

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[DBK]

I would also isolate your outside tap especially if you are on a meter. Assuming you are on mains water and not a private supply then there is probably a fracture in the pipe underground. The water will be washing out a cavity and some of the rubbish displaced is coming out when you turn on the tap.

 

[davidathomas42]

So I think we are sorted.

I have a Charles Wet/Dry Hoover from my days trading used cars and so I got that out and sucked every last drop out of the tank from the big cap on the top of the tank main body.

I then filled it about an inch deep and with my hand swished the water internally to splash every surface vigorously to loosen any bits up into the water again. Sucked it all out and repeated this step a few more times until it looked crystal clear water again (there were a few bits to start) (but what are they like standard? Is yours gin clear or do they always have a few bits inside?

I then found the metal filter next to the pump under the other seat and whipped that out. You can see it caught a few large bits of debris in the picture. It's a very tight mesh so I am happy it will have caught most of what I saw.

I then cleaned and replaced it and filled the system.

Hard to see in that picture but the pick up pipe for the pump stops about half an inch from the bottom of the tank (it draws upwards) so I assume/hope most of the crap had settled on the bottom and not been sucked into the lines. We did have clear water last trip.

I then manually filled the tank from the same big top plug using my brand new 15l water carrier. This meant I could clearly see the water quality from the kitchen tap in reasonably large volume and it was gin clear as expected.

Once filled I ran all the taps on hot and cold feeds and mix for about 30 seconds each to clear the air and any debris then pulled a few glasses of water from each tap and they were all clear thankfully.

Potential crisis averted.

I topped off the tank again. This time doing the final top off from the external filler with a new funnel and the 15l carrier again until it was brimmed. About 2 litres I guess then came out the bottom of the van which I assume was the neck filler pipe forcing its way out the blue overflow pipe left bottom in the picture as that one goes directly out of the van floor. (Had a good nosey under the van before I started today to get a better idea of what is what)

Finally parked up again on our drive ready for Friday off to Durham. Took the advice of another member from a previous post and parked it the opposite way round to usual and it was perfectly level this time using my small levelling chocks and easier to line up between the crash posts been the cab is narrower so recon I'll do that from now on.

Nipped to the local Tesco for Beer Bread & Bacon and a few other essentials and the fridge and cupboards are stocked and we're ready to rock



Thanks for all the help guys n gals.

Thomas clan will be northbound Lunchtime Friday for our first New Year in the Swift and our first 2 night stay in it .

 

[pappajohn]

Now get a plumber to fit a new outdoor tap and pipework.

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