sanitizing tank and lines

[gbaglo]

I screw one end of my hose into the other for storage, to keep crud in the hose to a minimum.
I like the idea of using the hose as a container for the bleach, connecting to inlet and using water pressure to fire it into the tank. Excellent idea.
No point in rinsing it first.

 

[float5]

He says the hose collects a lot of gunk.

 

[gbaglo]

So, you rinse it, then add bleach, then fire that bleach into the tank with water pressure. I think that is what he is saying.

 

[float5]

I am supposing that bleach and water need to sit in the hose to get the gunk loose. But maybe not.

 

[gbaglo]

Bleach is not a washing solution. It won't clean anything. It kills organisms and nothing more.

 

[Old Fulica]

I can believe it. I am assuming that you put bleach into the hose and ran lots of water through it before putting into trailer inlet. Excellent idea to do the hose and we will make sure we do that.

Hi Cathy. Make sure you use a funnel to put the bleach in hose. if you spill bleach on your hands make sure you rinse it off immediately.

 

[Old Fulica]

I screw one end of my hose into the other for storage, to keep crud in the hose to a minimum.
I like the idea of using the hose as a container for the bleach, connecting to inlet and using water pressure to fire it into the tank. Excellent idea.
No point in rinsing it first.

Exactly.

 

[float5]

Hi Cathy. Make sure you use a funnel to put the bleach in hose. if you spill bleach on your hands make sure you rinse it off immediately.

We use gloves. Already seen bleach at work on clothes.

If there is gunk in the hose, I do not want it going into the fresh water tank.

 

[gbaglo]

I think "gunk" needs to be defined before we spend more pixels on discussion of it. If you really want to wash your hose, you're gonna need one heck of a bottle brush.

 

[thoer]

I think one of the best ways to keep bacterial "gunk" out of water hoses is to make sure that they dry out completely before you store them. My understanding is that the nasty biofilm stuff grows in moist environments.

 

[float5]

True! You would need an incredibly long bottle brush. But obvious gunk, I want out of there. It seems one would at least clean the hose until no obvious gunk is coming out rather than put the gunk into a fresh water tank. I don't know what he is seeing in the hose but it doesn't sound good.

We do try to get all of the water out of the hose for storing. Good idea. With all of the freezing weather we have, I have to think that it is more of an issue elsewhere. The only thing good I can say about our weather!

 

[gbaglo]

I think one of the best ways to keep bacterial "gunk" out of water hoses is to make sure that they dry out completely before you store them. My understanding is that the nasty biofilm stuff grows in moist environments.

I have no idea how one would accomplish that ( especially in BC ). :ermm:

 

[thoer]

I have no idea how one would accomplish that ( especially in BC ). :ermm:

Hope for a sunny day?

 

[gbaglo]

Need I say more? I guess, 10C is 50F.

 

[LeonW]

I think the notion of gunk growing in the hose is one more reason to have your filter on the trailer side of the hose. It is hard too wash the gunk out when you are on the road. Also, one of the investments I am happiest about is a 10' drinking water hose that I bought. Since it is is shorter, it is easier to drain and coil. I do have a couple of 20' hoses that I carry for times when the tap is too far away, but I rarely use them

 

[Old Fulica]

I probably used the wrong word when I said "gunk'. I should have have said mould, mildew, bacteria etc. When a hose has been sitting empty for a long time I am sure these things can build up so it is best to sanitize it too while you are doing the holding tank.. Our water systems have chemicals in them to prevent these buildups or else our lines in the house would get "gunk" in them. When I wrote my original post I had a picture in mind of a time when we were hooked up to untreated water in a Mexican campsite. When I unhooked it after a month the hose had green slimey gunk in it. We were just using the water for washing and drinking bottled water. I threw that hose away and flushed out the lines with bleach.

 

[AK snowbiker]

We just use 4’ – 5’ of clear ½” PEX tubing with a hose connection on one end. Slips right into the fresh water fill port. Small, light and easy to manipulate. An older gentleman at Boya Lake PP turned me onto this, made a lot of sense once I thought about it. I’ve never seen a campground in Northern BC, the Yukon or Alaska with running water at the campsite. We just leave the hose at home. Scott

Scott and Lori
Fat bikes are fun!

 

[Brian B-P]

I have a 19 Escape and not sure if the tank is 20 Imperial or US gallons. According to my math 20 Imperial gallons is more volume at 91 litres versus 76 litres for 20 US gallons.

Those conversions look correct.
Escape does not specify the actual units of the published volume; this has been discussed several times before, and just from memory I think they're in US gallons (so the "20 gallons" would be 20 US gallons, or 76 litres).

 

[Brian B-P]

Jim I have heard the name Hepvo valve but how does that work ?

Jim how does it work compared to p trap which I guess always has water in it , hence smell if not flushed enough . Pat

A Hepvo valve is a one-way flexible valve. By staying closed when there is no water to drain, it blocks gases from the waste tank without requiring a volume of trapped water the way a P-trap does. The Hepvo won't be dry (there's no airflow to dry it out), but at least it won't hold much water. The main purpose for these devices is to avoid the problem of water splashing out of a P-trap during travel, losing the gas seal. Some people also use them as a more compact solution in under-floor installations to avoid low-hanging plumbing, but that's not an issue in an Escape as far as I know.

 

[Donna D.]

The main purpose for these devices is to avoid the problem of water splashing out of a P-trap during travel, losing the gas seal. Some people also use them as a more compact solution in under-floor installations to avoid low-hanging plumbing, but that's not an issue in an Escape as far as I know.

I'm going to change out the P-trap under the kitchen sink to gain back some storage height. Another point in favor of a hepvo is they don't need to be winterized. Granted you'll still pour anti-freeze down into the tank, but won't need to worry about the p-trap.