"Till taught by pain, men know not water's worth."--Byron
"You don't miss your water, 'til your well runs dry."--The Byrds
Courtesy Clearly Ambiguous on flickr.com by creative commons license
Part of using an RV is learning to become your own "utility company." Without water, there's no drinking, no washing, and no 'flushin' the pot.' For RVers, water is a critical issue. We'll talk about RV water in our next couple of installments. Right now we'll discuss the matter of getting water into your RV, and that glorious tool to do it: The hose.
Presuming the water supply at the campground or RV park is safe, once that precious stuff leaves the tap, it's up to you to take care of it. But even before you screw the hose onto the faucet threads, are you sure the connection is safe? We've heard of some RVers who are really concerned about what somebody else might have done to their connection before they arrived. Perhaps used an otherwise potable water faucet outlet to hook up a "dirty" hose and clean a holding tank. If that's a concern, consider thoroughly wiping down the faucet threads with disinfectant, then running the tap to clear the disinfectant.
Not just "any old hose," will do for either filling your tank, or directly pressurizing your RV fresh water supply system. I know, when you were a kid on a hot summer day, it was the greatest thing to take a long drink out of the garden hose between water fights. But not all hoses are created equal, nor safe for public consumption. Unless a hose is clearly sold as "safe for drinking water," it's best to assume it is NOT safe. Why so?
Many vinyl hoses are made with a process that uses lead to stabilize the plastic. That lead can actually leach out into the water. Even in minute quantities, lead can have a debilitating effect on human health, particularly for children. The materials used in a "drinking water quality" hose should be clearly labeled as FDA approved. We spoke with a representative of Teknor Apex Company--a major supplier for hoses sold by Camping World, and asked about their product. While their RV hoses are typically made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), they assured us that lead is not used in their manufacturing process, nor will they allow the use of recycled materials in their hoses--lest the source material contain lead.
Even using hoses with material approved by the FDA, the Teknor Apex representative suggested that RVers do well to run the water through the hose for a minute or so before filling up the tank. Why so? A hose with standing water in it can provide a wonderful medium for bacterial growth. Running water through the hose first will help to clear any undesirables out of the hose onto the ground, and not in your tank.
So we asked: What of those of us who connect a hose to our RV as a primary water source, and leave it connected? Again the answer: If you're going to drink it, it might be best to run the tap for a minute or so before drawing a drink. The problem of bacterial contamination increases with warmer weather when the bugs finding multiplication of their species enhanced. For our part, we've just found it safer (and tastier) to simply use filtered and processed "drinking water" instead of imbibing of tap water.
Next time we'll speak about handy water accessories you'll probably want to have in your RV that will make your lifestyle a bit easier.
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