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09-07-2013, 04:22 PM
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#1
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3 Rivet Member
2007 34' Classic S/O
The Villages
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 119
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Smelly water
I use the prescribed white water hoses for our Airstream. One or more of my hoses are stinking up the water. My wife calls it a "mothball" smell. I think it's more "plasticky". Has anyone run into this and how did you correct it?
__________________
Phil & Doris Drugge
[COLOR="Red"]WBCCI #4941
"Jerry and our Amazing Dream Stream"
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09-07-2013, 04:24 PM
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#2
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Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
Normal
, Illinois
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 18,067
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Get one of those blue RV hose water filters at WalMart.
Normalizes the taste from water source to water source, and removes any from the hose.
Maggie
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🏡 🚐 Cherish and appreciate those you love. This moment could be your last.🌹🐚
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09-07-2013, 04:30 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
Commercial Member
1993 34' Excella
York
, South Carolina
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 3,417
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Have you changed the under the counter water filter??
__________________
John
WBCCI #268 Palmetto State Airstream Club 22
Region 3 Past President....come with us, you will like it.
Go often to the house of a friend, for weeds choke the unused path........Emerson
Are you kind?..... Uncle John's Band
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09-07-2013, 04:34 PM
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#4
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Rivet Master
2005 30' Classic
Burlington
, Ontario
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,743
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We use the proper RV hoses and also one of the blue RV water filters, but even so, we generally carry a large container of filtered water from home for drinking, coffee, cooking etc. and if need be, refill it from one of those self-service reverse osmosis stations if we can find one.
Brian.
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Brian & Connie Mitchell
2005 Classic 30'
Hensley Arrow / Centramatics
2008 GMC Sierra SLT 2500HD,4x4,Crew Cab, Diesel, Leer cap.
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09-07-2013, 04:39 PM
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#5
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Rivet Master
2011 34' Classic
Westchester Cty.NY
, / Miami FL
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 3,122
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how old are the hoses? i've hear of hoses developing 'growth' inside them from sitting in the sun a long time. i use a wire cable to pull a piece of washcloth through twice a year.
have you tried a new hose yet? have you asked your neighbors about any water issues?
__________________
Ricky
2012 F150 Super Crew 5-1/2' bed Ecoboost 4x4 3.73 elec. lock diff. Propride hitch
give life. kidney & pancreas transplant 9/9/06
Ingrid-my unofficial '"World's Oldest Streamer" 1909-2008 R.I.P.
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09-07-2013, 04:42 PM
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#6
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Site Team
1974 31' Sovereign
Ottawa
, ON
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 11,219
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Quote:
Originally Posted by richinny
how old are the hoses? i've hear of hoses developing 'growth' inside them from sitting in the sun a long time.
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This could be exacerbated by questionable water. Just because you hooked up to the potable water connection, there's nothing saying that somebody is out there testing that water on a regular basis.
__________________
“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ...John Wayne...........................
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09-07-2013, 04:50 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
2008 27' Classic FB
Burkburnett
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 985
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PhiDor
... My wife calls it a "mothball" smell. I think it's more "plasticky". Has anyone run into this and how did you correct it?
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The hoses that are labeled safe for drinking water are not supposed to contain lead or other compounds that are known to be harmful. That doesn't guarantee that water sitting in the hose in the sun won't pick up an odor. I've noticed that odor myself and if possible try to put as much of the hose as possible in the shadow of the trailer to minimize it. There may be some brands that are better than others. To rule out the water source, fill a glass from the spigot and see if you can detect the odor there, or do you only notice it if it runs through the hose?
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AIR 47751
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09-07-2013, 04:55 PM
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#8
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Figment of My Imagination
2012 Interstate Coach
From All Over
, More Than Anywhere Else
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,868
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Long boring explanation follows. Feel free to skip to the last paragraph if you like.
Are you sure it's not the campground water that's causing the stink? If the campground gets their water from a well, and not from a municipal water source, the EPA Water Quality Standards that apply are not as stringent. The EPA standards that apply are based on whether the people using the water are a transient or permanent population, and the number of people. This is based on the idea that people who drink the water for two weeks are less likely to suffer long-term health risks than people who drink the water for two decades, and a couple dozen people getting sick is less of a problem than a couple thousand people getting sick. Sounds kind of callous, but economics are factored into it; otherwise you'd need to treat well water for a private home the same way a big city treats their water, and the well owner could never afford it.
A campground well is considered a transient non-community water supply. That means that the water has to meet the lowest quality standards of all.
Also, odor is an EPA secondary standard issue, not a primary standard issue. Compliance with secondary standards is voluntary even for municipalities, let alone a campground well. Even water that smells bad or has a funny color can be considered safe to drink if the cause of the odor or color is not considered hazardous to long-term health.
Maggie's notion of a filter that you install right at the pedestal, between your hose and the faucet, is your best defense against contaminants in the campground water. Those filters use granular activated carbon, which removes most contaminants that can cause odors in water. Even if you already have a filter under your sink, filtering the water before it ever gets to your hose is a better notion than filtering it after it leaves your tank.
__________________
I thought getting old would take longer!
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09-07-2013, 05:07 PM
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#9
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Rivet Master
Commercial Member
1993 34' Excella
York
, South Carolina
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 3,417
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Antagonist, that sounded like a man in the know. You been drinking some of that Louisianna swamp water???
John
__________________
John
WBCCI #268 Palmetto State Airstream Club 22
Region 3 Past President....come with us, you will like it.
Go often to the house of a friend, for weeds choke the unused path........Emerson
Are you kind?..... Uncle John's Band
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09-07-2013, 05:12 PM
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#10
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Figment of My Imagination
2012 Interstate Coach
From All Over
, More Than Anywhere Else
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,868
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sandlapper
Antagonist, that sounded like a man in the know. You been drinking some of that Louisianna swamp water???
John
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Only if it had plenty of alcohol added as a disinfectant!
Seriously, at work I had to design a water treatment system for a water well at one of our field sites. Had to bone up on the EPA primary and secondary standards, testing requirements, and the best type of filter to use for different contaminants. It's all very complicated.
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I thought getting old would take longer!
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09-07-2013, 05:30 PM
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#11
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Rivet Master
Commercial Member
1993 34' Excella
York
, South Carolina
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 3,417
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Well heck, I was right, you are the man in the know.
Thanks for sharing.
John
__________________
John
WBCCI #268 Palmetto State Airstream Club 22
Region 3 Past President....come with us, you will like it.
Go often to the house of a friend, for weeds choke the unused path........Emerson
Are you kind?..... Uncle John's Band
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09-08-2013, 10:01 AM
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#12
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3 Rivet Member
2007 34' Classic S/O
The Villages
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 119
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Thanks for the replies. I have changed the PUR filter under the sink. That water is fine and I drink it, no smell, no bad taste. I use a blue filter outside, but usually at the trailer, not the spigot. I'll try filtering before the hose. I think that the odor comes from the hose. I have 2 or 3 hoses and they all produce some odor. The smell according to my wife, (and women have better noses than men) has the smell of camphor or mothballs. Did you ever smell mothballs? How did... never mind.
So, we'll keep experimenting. I think I'll try pouring bleach solution through the hose to clean it. Can't hurt (I don't think)
Thanks again.
PhiDor
__________________
Phil & Doris Drugge
[COLOR="Red"]WBCCI #4941
"Jerry and our Amazing Dream Stream"
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09-08-2013, 10:20 AM
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#13
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Rivet Master
2012 25' Flying Cloud
Berlin
, Maryland
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,786
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I was told that one should drain the hot water heater if the AS is not going to be used for awhile as the water in there could begin to pick up an odor
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09-08-2013, 11:31 AM
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#14
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Rivet Master
2011 34' Classic
Westchester Cty.NY
, / Miami FL
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 3,122
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PhiDor
Thanks for the replies. I have changed the PUR filter under the sink. That water is fine and I drink it, no smell, no bad taste. I use a blue filter outside, but usually at the trailer, not the spigot. I'll try filtering before the hose. I think that the odor comes from the hose. I have 2 or 3 hoses and they all produce some odor. The smell according to my wife, (and women have better noses than men) has the smell of camphor or mothballs. Did you ever smell mothballs? How did... never mind.
So, we'll keep experimenting. I think I'll try pouring bleach solution through the hose to clean it. Can't hurt (I don't think)
Thanks again.
PhiDor
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moving the outside filter to the trailer end of the hose should tell you if it is the hose.
__________________
Ricky
2012 F150 Super Crew 5-1/2' bed Ecoboost 4x4 3.73 elec. lock diff. Propride hitch
give life. kidney & pancreas transplant 9/9/06
Ingrid-my unofficial '"World's Oldest Streamer" 1909-2008 R.I.P.
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09-08-2013, 04:43 PM
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#15
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Rivet Master
2008 27' Classic FB
Burkburnett
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 985
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PhiDor
... I think I'll try pouring bleach solution through the hose to clean it. Can't hurt (I don't think) ...
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Some of us, perhaps many sanitize the FW tank in the Spring before our 1st outing. It is good practice to run the bleach water solution through the hose also. Beware it will take several rinsings to lessen the chlorine odor. A baking soda solution often aids with the chlorine odor reduction. At least you can give the wife a choice, mothballs or chlorine. ;-)
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AIR 47751
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09-08-2013, 04:45 PM
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#16
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Rivet Master
2008 27' Classic FB
Burkburnett
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 985
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Quote:
Originally Posted by urnmor
I was told that one should drain the hot water heater if the AS is not going to be used for awhile as the water in there could begin to pick up an odor
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I believe the odor from the water heater is often described as sulphur or rotten eggs.
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AIR 47751
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