Water hose

[Samjane6675]

Hey MHFunsters I have to buy a food grade water hose for refilling the tank. What is the best length to get? I've seen them for 4-5 metres, but I'm thinking this will be too short. Thoughts?

 

[Intruder]

For me, I think 5 meters would be fine, but if you ever to to sites which have City Water Connections, then I would probably grab 10 meters.

 

[Mixyblob]

It only needs to be food grade if you intend to drink direct from the tank. Most people have a seperate, smaller drinking water container and just use the main tank for washing up, showering etc.
We've been using an expanding snake type hose for 3 or 4 years now and its great. Stetches incredibly far (20-25 mtrs) and is stored in our watering can.

 

[ChrisL]

I think it depends on how long you are staying at one site for, if you only stay a few days then you can fill up when you arrive and then again at your next stop, so 5 - 10 mtrs would be plenty, or if like me you tend to stay for longer periods then get as much hose as you have storage for, I carry 2 x 25mtrs, this means I don't have to "strike camp" and travel to a water point, i'm usually within 50 mtrs of a water point. I also only use tank water for washing purposes so don't have a food safe hose, although the tank is refilled every week and a half so never gets stagnant. I have a separate 15ltr container for drinking water.

 

[Jon Stewart]

Hey MHFunsters I have to buy a food grade water hose for refilling the tank. What is the best length to get? I've seen them for 4-5 metres, but I'm thinking this will be too short. Thoughts?

I use a 10m hose, and always use it rather than the one already attached (if there is one).

I think 5m would be fine if you can always guarantee getting close up to the tap, but 10m gives you a bit of leeway.

Would your fresh water tank size make a difference to your choice? We've quite a big one, so can go a bit longer between fills.

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[Landy Andy]

I use and would buy the same again.

Two 5m lengths with the ability to use a joiner. The same joiner that is needed at some French water points.

 

[hja]

I think ours is 15 m but it is a cassette flat hose and you only need to unroll what you need.

 

[SMB]

2 X expanding hosepipes probably about 35m in total, various adapters including a universal connector for those taps without threads and a Spanish garden tap handle for sites with them missing. 2 x 5 litre jerrycans for drinking water.

 

[Oldrat]

Two short hoses are better than one long one.

Ideally you should dry a hose out after use to prevent bacteria build up. This is obviously harder with a longer hose.

We use 2 expanding 5m hoses, most of the time only needing to use one.
After twirling them around helicopter stylie, to get rid off as much wet as possible, we hang it (them) up in the van to drain.

 

[Jon Stewart]

I use and would buy the same again.

Two 5m lengths with the ability to use a joiner. The same joiner that is needed at some French water points.

Hopefully all those French sites you can get within 5m!

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[rod_vw]

I must admit we never drink the water from the tank except when it has been boiled.
However I also realise that there can be and most probably are chemicals in a normal plastic hose but we've been using the same 5m (ish) hose to fill our camper tank for well over thirty years and have yet to grow second heads or any other fall foul of any other horrible malaise. Likewise the watering can that we use when hose filling is not convenient is just any ordinary plastic watering can obviously kept clean for the job.

I've also seen the inside of street water mains and old domestic plumbing the contents of which would terrify many folks if they thought too much about them!

 

[Jon Stewart]

We use 2 expanding 5m hoses...

After twirling them around helicopter stylie, to get rid off as much wet as possible, we hang it (them) up in the van to drain.

Drying out a collapsible/ expandable type one is a lot harder as you can't leave it to self dry in it's compact form, hence hanging them up to dry.

I just drain mine out and roll it. The rigid structure allows it to continue drying rolled up in the van.

This is why I chose not to buy an expanding one.

Each to their own though!

 

[Wee Bold Davy]

We use a 10 litre plastic watering can, which we can use anywhere as it does away with having the wrong connection for the tap Keeps me fit too

 

[Baggydave]

Hey MHFunsters I have to buy a food grade water hose for refilling the tank. What is the best length to get? I've seen them for 4-5 metres, but I'm thinking this will be too short. Thoughts?

Personally I wouldn’t worry about “food grade” as when you refill your likely be connecting it up to all sorts of old hoses/connectors/taps on sites or Aires. We use a collapsible reel type & no problems after 15 years. we don’t normally drink the water but use it for cooking & washing etc. we have a smaller 5 litre supermarket water type container for drinking & refill that. At the end of each trip we throw & renew next time.

 

[Cush]

I thought it only had to be food grade if the water was remaining in the hose, like when some caravans are connected for a while on a fully serviced pitch. I. Sure there are “water quality” experts on the forum that could contribute. How many toxins can leach out of the plastic on a 5 min fill? Serious question. Or is it to kill unpleasant bacteria? Another serious question.

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[Samjane6675]

2 X expanding hosepipes probably about 35m in total, various adapters including a universal connector for those taps without threads and a Spanish garden tap handle for sites with them missing. 2 x 5 litre jerrycans for drinking water.

Oh my god, I'm confused about connectors now Do you reckon this will do the job??

15/30M Flat Food Grade Water Hose Pipe & Connector for Caravan, Motorhome & Boat | eBay UK

1x Tap connector. Food grade non-toxic hose. Application:Garden watering, car washing, be used as household water pipes and etc. Pipe thickness: 1.5mm. Includes adjustable spray nozzle for fill-up ease.

ebay.us

 

[Jon Stewart]

Oh my god, I'm confused about connectors now Do you reckon this will do the job??

15/30M Flat Food Grade Water Hose Pipe & Connector for Caravan, Motorhome & Boat | eBay UK

1x Tap connector. Food grade non-toxic hose. Application:Garden watering, car washing, be used as household water pipes and etc. Pipe thickness: 1.5mm. Includes adjustable spray nozzle for fill-up ease.

ebay.us

Don't panic. It's easy to put together a set of adapters to cover all eventualities.

I'm hoping I've just done that after reading various threads here!

 

[ChrisL]

Oh my god, I'm confused about connectors now Do you reckon this will do the job??

15/30M Flat Food Grade Water Hose Pipe & Connector for Caravan, Motorhome & Boat | eBay UK

1x Tap connector. Food grade non-toxic hose. Application:Garden watering, car washing, be used as household water pipes and etc. Pipe thickness: 1.5mm. Includes adjustable spray nozzle for fill-up ease.

ebay.us

Yes but also get one of these or similar.

https://ebay.us/m/c91RNq

 

[Jon Stewart]

This one also came up on a similar thread.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00X1AWWNY?tag=mhf04-21

 

[Landy Andy]

Oh my god, I'm confused about connectors now Do you reckon this will do the job??

15/30M Flat Food Grade Water Hose Pipe & Connector for Caravan, Motorhome & Boat | eBay UK

1x Tap connector. Food grade non-toxic hose. Application:Garden watering, car washing, be used as household water pipes and etc. Pipe thickness: 1.5mm. Includes adjustable spray nozzle for fill-up ease.

ebay.us

That’s basically what I’ve got and been using for 7 years.

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[Samjane6675]

That’s basically what I’ve got and been using for 7 years.

Cool, that's what I'll get, if it's a good 'un!!

 

[Oldrat]

These will pretty much complete your ‘set’.
Many taps have a wide screw thread, the top two threaded fixings will deal with that, whilst the screw cup is just good to have.

 

[Landy Andy]

Cool, that's what I'll get, if it's a good 'un!!

You will grow the kit as you go. And I’d get a couple of the ones that screw on to the tap as many appear to not remember to remove them after they have finished filling.

 

[Richard n Ann]

These Lidl ones are great, bought 2 now with a connector

Lidl hose

Just bought this Bobby Dazzler from the middle of Lidl, 7.5m €9.99 I don't like the flimsy flat ones so this is perfect as it's still compact, the tube is about half an inch OD, doesn't feel like it will kink easily but still flexible. We're in Spain but I suppose they'll sell them in the UK too

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Whippet93]

I also have a 12" length of hose with connector, that I keep separate from the hose, so if I need to throw the hose under the van to reach a tap, the bit that goes into the tank filler pipe is always clean.

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[ChrisL]

The other thing that may not be immediately obvious is that taps with a threaded end come in two sizes most of the adapters have a threaded insert so with the insert in it fits the smaller thread and if you unscrew the insert from the adapter it fits the larger thread. I have to say I haven't come across the smaller thread on any site i've stayed on but keep the insert safe just incase.

 

[Richard n Ann]

The other thing that may not be immediately obvious is that taps with a threaded end come in two sizes most of the adapters have a threaded insert so with the insert in it fits the smaller thread and if you unscrew the insert from the adapter it fits the larger thread. I have to say I haven't come across the smaller thread on any site i've stayed on but keep the insert safe just incase.

The smaller thread is ½ inch BSP and it's on these taps in Benidorm. The bigger size is ¾ BSP

 

[The Old Man]

It only needs to be food grade if you intend to drink direct from the tank. Most people have a seperate, smaller drinking water container and just use the main tank for washing up, showering etc.
We've been using an expanding snake type hose for 3 or 4 years now and its great. Stetches incredibly far (20-25 mtrs) and is stored in our watering can.

I agree. I have an off, the Middle of Lidl, shelve unbranded, expanding, garden hose. Six years use for filling the fresh water tank except when I use the Storage Site water supply that uses a heavy duty garden hose.

If you have concerns about length, get two and the requist 'Gardena' joining fitting and problem solved.

I don't drink the water, except in teas and coffee, and never suffered any issues.

 

[Baggydave]

The smaller thread is ½ inch BSP and it's on these taps in Benidorm. The bigger size is ¾ BSP

I stayed on a Lidl aire in Spain last year & it had a 25mm threaded connector. Fortunately supermarket across the road sold the right size adaptor. 3e I think.

 

[SMB]

Oh my god, I'm confused about connectors now Do you reckon this will do the job??

15/30M Flat Food Grade Water Hose Pipe & Connector for Caravan, Motorhome & Boat | eBay UK

1x Tap connector. Food grade non-toxic hose. Application:Garden watering, car washing, be used as household water pipes and etc. Pipe thickness: 1.5mm. Includes adjustable spray nozzle for fill-up ease.

ebay.us

You've got lots of options to choose from! I personally went with the collapsible hoses as they are very light, the collection of adapters grew as I travelled to different countries. My hoses are similar to this and I just chucked the spray head.

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