Garden hose

[thiel]

Just wondering if anyone carries a garden hose as part of their traveling kit?

[Lily&Me]

I have carried for several years one of those super-space-conserving green garden hoses for filling the fresh water tank.

Takes up very little space, flush it thoroughly each time you use it, let dry, no problem.

I never connect to city water, always just fill my fresh tank...this little baby saves a tremendous amount of my limited space, and gets the job done.


Maggie

[dznf0g]

nope, well a very short one with a shower head on it so I can use the outside bib for a foot washer.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I have carried for several years one of those super-space-conserving green garden hoses for filling the fresh water tank.

Takes up very little space, flush it thoroughly each time you use it, let dry, no problem.

I never connect to city water, always just fill my fresh tank...this little baby saves a tremendous amount of my limited space, and gets the job done.


Maggie

Is it certified for drinking water, or do you use bottled? Regular, non-food grade, garden hoses have all sorts of stuff not good for you that leach out into the water stream.

[Lily&Me]

This is what I have, and I don't let water sit in it, it just runs thru it from the spigot into my tank, and yes I drink the water from my fresh water tank...sanitize once yearly, at the beginning of the season, and take the usual, common sense precautions.

Have been using this 4-5 years, I'm guessing....no problems.

[CRH]

I don't see any reason to carry a garden hose. I just carry plenty of fresh water hoses. I usually put a Y splitter on the faucet and use a short fresh water hose with a sprayer for outside.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

This is what I have, and I don't let water sit in it, it just runs thru it from the spigot into my tank, and yes I drink the water from my fresh water tank...sanitize once yearly, at the beginning of the season, and take the usual, common sense precautions.

Have been using this 4-5 years, I'm guessing....no problems.

Well, as a kid, I drank out of the garden hose several times a day, all summer long and it didn't seem to hurt me, except for the extra appendages that started growing here and there!

[68 TWind]

I always carry one and use it often. When heading home after a stay at a full hookup campsite, I will fill the black tank (using the garden hose), dump it, refill and dump it again. Since 68 did not have a grey tank, I can't rinse the sewer hose with a grey water dump. I'll run water from the garden hose down the waste hose to rinse it out before storage. I always carry a Y-valve and attach it to the fresh water hookup at the campsite. One side gets the fresh water hose to the trailer and the side is where I attach the garden hose if needed. That way I can run hot water in the sink to clean the dump valve area after dumping the tank before I disconnect the sewer hose (there is always some water that leaks) and rinsing with the hose. I tried one of the "mini" hoses but since I have a truck I just keep an old garden hose under the toolbox in the bed of the truck. For me, it works better when filling the black tank.

[PaulnGina]

Yes, I carry one, along with the white fresh-water hose.

If the white hose was to split or otherwise become damaged, I guess I'll take the chance of having to fill the water tank using the garden hose.......

Oh NOOOOOO!!!! Say it isn't so!!!! We're all going to DIE!!!!!!

[Airtandem]

I use the BLUE filter to fill along with either my White or Garden Hose to fill the Fresh tank. For Drinking water I use either bottled or water from the bio filter (Moen 9600 ?) under the sink. At $50.00 and all it is SUPPOSE to filter, I feel safe. After 10 years I am still alive.
mike

[Tom Nugler]

I'm with Maggie on the expanding Pocket Hose, and for filling the fresh tank instead of the “city” water. FYI you'll never get that hose back into the original box.
I also carry the white water hose. Here's a trick an old Airstreamer told me.
Buy a 50 foot white water hose, cut it into 25, 15 and 10 foot segments and put new brass fittings from the hardware store on the cut ends. Coil it up and secure it with Velcro straps. When you hook up to a water supply now you can select the right lenghts of hose to avoid any coils or excess length that could cause a tripping or other hazard.

Tom

[Lily&Me]

I have and carry the 10' white hose, too, for the rare occasions I am close enough to a spigot to use it.

I have never tried to return the Pocket Hose to its original carton, for the carton itself would find no place in the Interstate.

The hose fits nicely into the pocket on the rear door, minus all the gator wrestling that goes with trying to get a traditional hose into that same spot.

Perfect for a small space.


Maggie

[Dan and Liz]

White potable water hose (2 x 25') and 25' with nozzle for flushing slinky -- in separate compartments.

[A W Warn]

I carry 2 white hoses for connecting a potable water supply to the trailer and one blue hose for non potable use.

The blue hose I used for rinsing the slinky and also for draining the gray waste water into the portable blue boy tank when I camp in the mountains where parking is not level. When raising the trailer tongue puts the rear end/sewer outlet too low to connect the blue boy normally, I will connect the blue hose to the sewer outlet and move the blue boy down hill.

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by Tom Nugler

Here's a trick an old Airstreamer told me.
Buy a 50 foot white water hose, cut it into 25, 15 and 10 foot segments and put new brass fittings from the hardware store on the cut ends. Coil it up and secure it with Velcro straps. When you hook up to a water supply now you can select the right lenghts of hose to avoid any coils or excess length that could cause a tripping or other hazard.

Tom

I do the same, learned from the PO of my AS. I did get better clamps and brass fittings he had put on there. Actually, I upgraded the hose and cut new sections with quality brass fittings and top grade clamps. I got both from Lowes but had to look for them. It makes it a lot easier and neater to just use sections instead of that long hose.

[Rich W]

I used to drink from the house water hose until last time I looked inside a 3 year old white hose and saw a wall of slime inside. I tossed it out and got a new one and I don't drink from the garden hose anymore; yuck!

Air gets in where the water is and that slime forms. I guess if you live on the road and use the hose all the time it's OK. If you put it in storage then mold will form, black, slimy mold.

[RLS]

I use 3 white water hoses stored inside propane cover. Two are 25' ea. coiled up to fit around top of ea. propane tank and third 12' that just sits on top of both propane tanks. All 3 get submerged in the tub every yr. before camping with a chlorine solution.

Then I have one 25' black hose for emptying the grey tank or for the blue boy. The blue boy also has a short hose that comes with it, but depending on terrain, sometimes you have to have the blue boy further away to get it low enough for draining. One 12' black one for connecting to black tank rinser and one 25' blue one for misc. These three hoses are stored inside the storage tray in back along with my connectors for the black tank, shovel, extra length of sewer hose, camp fire poker, water hose sprayer and extra leveling pieces.

[spenfolder]

I carry an old piece of garden hose that I shortened with a new fitting on one end (approx 12') that comes in very handy for connecting to "flush" the black tank. The hoses provided at some dump stations are too short. I also carry an extra 25' fresh water hose. I don't think I have ever needed to use it.

[OTRA15]

We take a conservative approach, given the steady increase in pathogens/toxins in our water supplies, and especially in some rural campgrounds. We thus assume the worst for water quality. We also assume that the last camper used his/her hose to empty their grey tank, and then attached it to the campground's hose bib! Yuk . . .

A nasty water-borne pathogen -- including those that are already now growing in last year's hoses! -- will ruin your next month or more.

The 2017 season drill:
-- wipe hose bib spigot carefully with disinfectant wipes
-- run hose bib to disgorge remnants of lead-based solder
-- attach new short potable food-grade water hose (color irrelevant -- white standard)
-- new Camco inline blue water filter
-- new potable food-grade water hose
-- run water through new filter/hoses for a couple of minutes before attaching/filling tank

Etc. etc. -- call it paranoid or overkill, but the weak link in the chain is what spoils the fun!

Happy Trails!

Peter

PS -- thiel -- last year's potable water hoses become the new "garden hose." Yes we carry a length or two for dumping the grey tank [per adaptors] in rural campgrounds that allow it, into a rolling grey water tote, or also into our flower garden in the back yard at home. [not in the food garden] Yes, one must pay attention not to use the old "white hose" for potable water this year. If inattention is an issue, then a standard green hose makes sense.

PS2 -- Before storing a potable water hose for the winter, it should be laid out in the yard, on a slope if possible, and dried out in the sun. When dry, coil it up and secure with sash cord etc., but do not cover the ends, as this would encourage the growth of micro-organisms.

[Piggy Bank]

We've got a 25 foot white hose.

I soak it every once in a while in a 5 gallon bucket of dilute bleach water and then let dry.

We haven't worn out the hose yet, and have had it for 2 years now (going on 3).

Opinions?

(We don't drink the AS water, we bring water from home in a 5 gallon jerry can to drink and to give the dog.)