Water & Sullage Hoses
The water hose connects from mains pressure to the RV and does not require 12V pump for water to flow.
There is a special drinking water (food grade) hose you should use with your caravan, motorhome, rv or camper trailer. Normal garden hose can give the water a “plastic” taste. The drinking water hose is usually a white hose. This hose should be used when filling drinking water tanks installed in RV’s. The tank fill inlet, usually with a lockable cap, is often located on the side of the RV. An in-line water filter can also be fitted to the incoming hose to filter water further as people with sensitive stomachs can be affected by different water from different areas.
There is a brand of water hose that is a ‘flat’ hose. The advantage of a flat hose is that it can easily be wound onto a flat hose reel (Multi-Reel) for storage. The disadvantage of the flat hose is that it must be fully unwound and laid out when connected to mains pressure for the water to be able to flow freely.
Many travellers have suggested carrying a couple of different lengths of drinking water hose (ie 2 x 10 metre lengths and 1 x 5 metre length). This gives flexibility in choosing the appropriate combination at any location if required. You may also like to carry an addition length of sullage hose to give the same flexibility. A plastic barbed joiner for the sullage hose can be obtained from a hardware, garden irrigation supply store or caravan accessory shop.
The sullage hose connects from the kitchen sink and shower outlet under the RV and extends to the sullage drain, normally located near the tap, when on a caravan/trailer park site.
The best sullage hose has the convoluted outside and the smooth inside (doesn’t trap food particles). Sullage hoses are a black colour.
These hoses can be purchased from your local caravan accessory shop or hardware store.
Tips And Hints
Do not fill the tank too fast as escaping air can push the water back out giving you the impression that the tank(s) may be full when in fact they are not. Another alternative is to have an air vent or breather tube installed to allow any air to be released.
The tank fill inlet pipe can be fairly small in diameter. To assist filling the tank you may wish to make up a adaptor connection that can “click” on to your regular hose which then allows you to attach a much thinner short hose section. This smaller diameter hose piece can then slide easily into the inlet pipe and allow the excess air to escape around the thinner hose back out the filler.
Another useful device is a regulator which regulates the water pressure when connected to mains. These regulators can be purchased as a separate unit and are sometimes referred to as ‘in-line mains pressure controller’ or ‘city water pressure controller’. They are particularly useful when staying at a location with mains water supply connected for some time. Being connected to mains water pressure enables you save your water tank supply for later use.
A tip for securing hoses after use is to purchase some Velcro straps (at least two for each hose) and secure them around the hoses. You can screw a U bracket in the boot of your caravan or hatch to neatly hang them on.
Another idea for storing your water and sullage hoses is a product called ‘The Hose Bag’ which is a small bag with handles in which you place the hoses and as you insert the hose it forms a circle within the bag. Just one tip though, if you use brass fittings on the hose then make sure they are not stowed next to the fabric of the bag or you may wear a hole in the bag.
