# water taste



## leight (Jan 27, 2014)

First trip out in oud Autotrail Tracker FB and after filling up with water at our firtst stop we have noticed a vety strong taste and metallicy smell to our water, so much so that we cannot use the onboard water to make coffee or to clean our teeth. We have flushed the water system through a couple of times but the taste and smell are still there. Any ideas how we can cure this?


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## philoaks (Sep 2, 2008)

We drink straight from the tank with no problems but a friend, who had a similar issue to you fitted one of these to cure it.


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## readyforoff (Dec 28, 2013)

Buy 500g of citric acid crystals on Amazon. Mix 100g in 20 ltrs water. Stick it in your van and run it up to the taps hot and cold. Leave it a couple of days. Flush it through. Water will have a hint of sweet first couple of usages but thereafter I guarantee it will be pure. Also descales your water heater in the process. I just do it as routine every spring...John.


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## leight (Jan 27, 2014)

Hi Phil cannot get the link, wgat did your friend fit?


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## leight (Jan 27, 2014)

Thanks John I will try that.


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## philoaks (Sep 2, 2008)

> Hi Phil cannot get the link, wgat did your friend fit?


This any better? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Whale-Car...ervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item4d1110d679


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

We had the same problem due to the ineptitude of the dealer we bought it from (long story), and tried everything including Milton..... all to no avail.....

We ended up fitting a NaturePure filter which was convenient BUT I believe they have changed the design now....

http://www.motorcaravanning.co.uk/shopuk/water_filters.htm

We think it one of the best things we have fitted but do not change the cartridge annually, but remove it and allow it to dry over the winter and it does at least 2 seasons before the flow rate diminishes.

It is not a cheap option but is very reliable, we have an extra tap solely for drinking water which is filtered.

Dave


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## nidge1 (Jul 26, 2009)

*Water taste*

Hi,
We just take a 5 litre bottle of water from the supermarket with us and when empty fill it up from the site tap for drinking and cleaning teeth.

When we had a caravan I had to take the pump apart and was horrified to see the horrible black grunge that it contained. The pump wasn't very old and I had religiously sterilised the system after every outing.

I know some people always use the inboard tank to no ill effect but I would sooner have my water fresh.

Nidge


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## redkite93 (Dec 29, 2010)

We do the same as nudge for drinking water but the first time we went out we filled up with a normal hose, and everything tasted of top. No one had told me to use a food grade hose, from the camping shop. That cured then problem.


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

There are several proprietary brands on sale at camping stores for flushing through your water system but you could use a Britas filter and jug, a whale filter system (Wickes sell them) or buy a Nature Pure filter system (not cheap) that really works.
Here is a quote from somewhere....For that annual flush-through you can buy special cleaners at accessory shops or 'Milton' at some supermarkets or many chemists and baby shops - even at motorcaravanning shows. Milton Sterilising Fluid is a highly effective anti-bacterial solution which is also non-toxic. It is easy to use and will ensure your drinking water, and storage containers, are free from bacterial contamination. Flush through with water and then fill the system with a solution of Milton at a rate of 30ml to every 5 litres of water. Make sure that this reaches the taps and shower head by letting the water flow until you can smell the Milton. (Take care not to get the solution on your clothes because it can bleach). Leave for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if the system has not been used for a long time, then flush through thoroughly. Note: if a water filter is fitted the cartridge should be removed from the system during the cleaning procedures and a new one fitted after final flushing. _
Getting rid of the taste of Milton can take almost as long but at least any bacteria should be gone.

Alan_


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## rotorywing (Jul 19, 2010)

I've been using our domestic hose to fill the van for the last 9 years and we still drink out of the onboard tap !. 
When on Aires I use a watering can.

At the end of the season I remove the top caps from the tanks and clean the tank and dry it with towels. double check again before the first trip of the year then refill with the garden hose.......!!

Martin
[ I do have a food grade hose coiled up in the boot but this can also have lots of bacteria if stored wet !!]


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

philoaks said:


> > Hi Phil cannot get the link, wgat did your friend fit?
> 
> 
> This any better? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Whale-Car...ervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item4d1110d679


Phil, can I ask how long they last, do you just put them inline directly in the cold pipe, or is it part of a kit?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Re funny tasting water, our house was built in the 60s, and has a plastic pipe coming into the house, and when we bought it we had a dormer put on for the kids (now gone) and an extension on the back, new heating throughout and new pipes.

Now if I fill up our water containers from the outside tap, the futility room or the downstairs bathroom, it has a funny taste, but if I fill from the upstairs bathroom or the kitchen it's fine weird or what, as far as I know all the pipes were changed to either copper or the new JG push together stuff.

If anyone has ever used the water from the Co-Op in Broadford, that is the taste we get, a bit like TCP (Tom Cats P**s) and it makes us feel ill if we try to drink it.


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## philoaks (Sep 2, 2008)

> philoaks said:
> 
> 
> > > Hi Phil cannot get the link, wgat did your friend fit?
> ...


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## Tricky2 (Feb 10, 2008)

Have a read of www.zappysblog.co.uk.
Graham the author of the blog is a member of MHF .
It will tell you everything you need to know about sterilising your tanks. Been using the method he recommends for several years, and it works.
rick


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## andrewball1000 (Oct 16, 2009)

Another vote for Zappys tablets. They worked for me when no others did.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Are you using a normal hosepipe? as suggester earlier. A food grade hose may make a difference. It certainly does in our van although I now stand a 25 litre carrier with a tap next to the sink for drink as it also gives us an extra day between fill ups. Handy when wilding.


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

After carrying every fitting imaginable for our hose, we now only carry a watering can. This is the result of long term trial and error and several different watering cans before settling on the present 20ltr can with a slightly sawn-off pipe that exactly does the job.
The only mistake I have made was last year leaving it outside overnight, it refused to pour next morning.... then the head of a large snail peeped out of the spout.

Alan


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

+ 1 for Grahams tablets, but they won't stop water tasting odd if it's like that going in, they will only help to keep the tank clean.


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## leight (Jan 27, 2014)

Thanks for all the advice, I have just ordered the tablets from Graham and will hopefully report a successful flush through in a couple of days. Thanks all once again.


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## andrewball1000 (Oct 16, 2009)

Leight, my taint came mainly from the internal water pipes from the tank to the tap. I could prove this as I could sample the water directly from the tank and it was sweet with no smell, while that from the tap was not. I put this down to the run of the pipe which exits the top of the tank sitting on the van floor, then drops back down to floor level on its run to the sink. This means that it never drains and can carry dead water which taints the pipe lining. 

When I use Zappys tablets I make sure I give these internal pipes a good treatment, more so than the tank.

Also, check the filler pipe to the tank. Mine was a corrugated one which was fouled with black stuff in the recesses when I looked closely. I replaced it with a clear smooth walled hose that I can see through and use a bottle brush to clean it when I treat the water. 

Good luck.


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## wobby (May 1, 2005)

We use and have been using a nature pure purifier for the last ten years. I can't recommend it enough as it purifies water, not to be mixed up with just filtering. We never buy water and have often filled other campers water bottles. We also have a portable one for use in hotels for tea making and it's brilliant too, in fact my sister took it to India on her last holiday, no deli belly! 
It cost around £190 and worth every pound..

Wobby..


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Me,I just hate tap water home and away


I like carbonated a particular brand

We clean the water tank but have never added chemicals

We boil the other water we use for coffee cooking

Clean my teeth straight from the tank

And the hound from Hells water comes from there

Now I'm worried

Aldra


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## Fermenter (Sep 3, 2012)

Used to use the tank but found it a faff and carrying extra weight was not helpful on fuel useage. Now never bother with fresh water in the tank just fill up with tap water wherever we are using a10L container.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

So how do you shower Fermenter??

Aldra


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## Fermenter (Sep 3, 2012)

Hi Aldra

Use the showers on site 

Fermenter


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## zappy61 (May 1, 2005)

leight said:


> Thanks for all the advice, I have just ordered the tablets from Graham and will hopefully report a successful flush through in a couple of days. Thanks all once again.


Hi Leigh,
Sent you a pm hope I can help

Graham


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## leight (Jan 27, 2014)

Many many thanks to Zappy61 for your idiot proof instructions and your tablets, jobdone water now tastless and no smell.
Thanks for your concern, help and knowledge.


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## Kev1 (Apr 4, 2011)

We clean our tanks and pipes twice a year.
But we have a Brita filter jug cost about £13.
We fill that from the tap and use it for drinking.
An efficient inexpensive way of getting good water

Kev


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## zappy61 (May 1, 2005)

leight said:


> Many many thanks to Zappy61 for your idiot proof instructions and your tablets, jobdone water now tastless and no smell.
> Thanks for your concern, help and knowledge.


No problem Leigh glad to have helped.

Graham


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

We think our metallic tasting water is house based, Liz has been doing a bit of reading up on it, and found this.

http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/_assets/media/10899_ANW_WQ_06_Smell_Taste_TCP_(9)_TE.pdf


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## zappy61 (May 1, 2005)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> We think our metallic tasting water is house based, Liz has been doing a bit of reading up on it, and found this.
> 
> http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/_assets/media/10899_ANW_WQ_06_Smell_Taste_TCP_(9)_TE.pdf


Hi Kev,
Your link doesn't work but I know the problem. Chlorine can react with some plastics especially when the are new and can cause a TCP type taste. That's why when disinfecting it is important to get the strength and contact time right, if you over do it it results in taste problems. The Milton strengths (mentioned by Rosalan) are in my opinion too strong and often result in taste problems.

Regards,

Graham


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Weird, it was this morning, although lately we've been seeing another problem with links, I've had to open a few by holding down Ctrl and clicking the link so it opens in a new window, but it's not a biggy I do that from most Google searches.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

> *Kev_n_Liz wrote: *Weird, it was this morning, although lately we've been seeing another problem with links, I've had to open a few by holding down Ctrl and clicking the link so it opens in a new window, but it's not a biggy I do that from most Google searches.


Kevs most interesting link about dodgy water

:roll: :roll: :roll:


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

> *"barryd"*
> Kevs most interesting link about dodgy water
> 
> :roll: :roll: :roll:


K off, some letters are not working on my keyboard, sou you'll have to fill in the blanks.


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## lotte11 (Jan 29, 2012)

We have this problem we take a couple of big bottles with us for drinking water.


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

Milton is chlorine based. It's fine for sterilising the tank itself, but Truma advises not using chlorine-based stuff in the boiler, so you shouldn't run it through the pipes.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

We have a Crystal Filter on the input to our system which filters everything coming in from outside. We use three 40Litre Aquarolls and have them standing ready to go by the inlet, with a standard external pump plugged in.

We drain everything at the end of the season, then flush through a couple of times at the start of the new season, changing the filter after that.

The only problem we had was water getting tainted by the 'fur' on the bottom of our aluminium kettle, once we changed that for a stainless type it has not reoccurred.

Crystal filters have charcoil in them plus something else, can't find it now, plus we carry at least one spare new filter with us.

Peter


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## zappy61 (May 1, 2005)

Easyriders said:


> Milton is chlorine based. It's fine for sterilising the tank itself, but Truma advises not using chlorine-based stuff in the boiler, so you shouldn't run it through the pipes.


There is no need to disinfect the hot water system, simply heat up to max and flush through. The key to efficient disinfection is two fold; stength of solution and contact time. The Milton dosage rates in my opinion are too strong and can lead to taste problems.

Graham


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## zappy61 (May 1, 2005)

listerdiesel said:


> We have a Crystal Filter on the input to our system which filters everything coming in from outside. We use three 40Litre Aquarolls and have them standing ready to go by the inlet, with a standard external pump plugged in.
> 
> We drain everything at the end of the season, then flush through a couple of times at the start of the new season, changing the filter after that.
> 
> ...


Hi Peter,
Crystal filters will improve taste mainly by removing the residual chlorine from the mains water via the charcoal cartridge but it is important to note that they won't remove bacteria. As with all fillters the cartridge must be changed at least every 12 months because the charcoal traps organic material from the water (especially river derived sources) and provides nutrients where bacteria can grow.

Graham


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

zappy61 said:


> Easyriders said:
> 
> 
> > Milton is chlorine based. It's fine for sterilising the tank itself, but Truma advises not using chlorine-based stuff in the boiler, so you shouldn't run it through the pipes.
> ...


The documentation that came with our Truma boiler points out that even running cold water through the pipes (i.e. with only cold taps running) will also fill the boiler, and that therefore we should not use any Chlorine based product to disinfect hot or cold water pipes.

Perhaps other people have different systems.


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## andrewball1000 (Oct 16, 2009)

Easyriders said:


> The documentation that came with our Truma boiler points out that even running cold water through the pipes (i.e. with only cold taps running) will also fill the boiler, and that therefore we should not use any Chlorine based product to disinfect hot or cold water pipes.
> 
> Perhaps other people have different systems.


On mine I fill the both the hot and cold water system with normal water first, then I can drain down/fill/and treat the cold water side independently with Zappys tablets without drawing anything through the Hot. When the cold is done I just heat up the hot side as Zappy suggests.


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## zappy61 (May 1, 2005)

*Water taste*



Easyriders said:


> zappy61 said:
> 
> 
> > Easyriders said:
> ...


It is as Andrew says, if the hot water tank is full at the start of the cleaning process this prevents any solution entering the hot water tank. see my instructions
It is just the cold water system that needs disinfection bacterial growth in the hot system is prevented by heating it up to maximum and drawing through the taps. Truma instructions state'to avoid infestation by micro organisms, the water content must be heated to 70 degrees centigrade at regular intervals'.
Hope this helps,

Graham


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