Stretchy Hose

[stranded]

Enthusiastic chap at SIBS managed to sell us a 50ft stretchy hose - seemed like good solution for those little jobs where unrolling the flat hose is just too much trouble, including topping off the water tanks. But unwrapped back at boat says emphatically not to be used for drinking water. This warning followed in same para with some gumph that suggests it might be because of risk of contamination when in storage rather than hose itself but not clear (I don't have the instructions with me). The chap said it is made from latex. I can't imagine it being a problem, but don't want to poison us. Any thoughts - unless it is continually dissolving so hardly fit for purpose can't really see that any significant toxins are going to get into through flowing water perhaps after first few uses? Mark

 

[cliff]

Convoluted hose that "expands" lengthwise when in use? - simple - it does not dry out when not in use leaving water in the convolutes - a nice breeding ground for all sorts of nasties - bit like the normal marina hoses really so I would not worry, just flush it out well before topping off your fresh water tanks - hint - wash the decks and topsides down first then fill your tanks. You might also add milton or other sterilising chemicals to your tanks to be on the safe side if you are paranoid about a few bugs.

 

[stranded]

Nah - bugs is good. Thanks for the advice - encourage me to wash down the boat from time to time as well! Mark

 

[Leighb]

We saw this demo also, it looked impressive and the chap assured us that it was OK for drinking water, however to fill a tank at any decent speed you need to remove the spray head, once you do this the hose shrinks back to about 20 feet. This would not be adequate to reach the tap in most marinas, so we did not buy.

 

[stranded]

I wonder if you were the guys getting the demo at the same time as us when I asked him to take the spray off (in which case, small world!). You're right of course. Fortunately 20ft is plenty on our home berth. Still have to carry the regular hose though for longer runs when we haven't time to wait for a slow fill or there is a queue.

 

[savageseadog]

Many plastics contain plasticisers many of which are pretty toxic organo-metallic compounds. It's probably OK to drink the water if the hose is flushed through but the choice is yours.

 

[ccscott49]

We have one and its the best bit of kit I've bought for a long time, especially for washing down, which is all we use it for, we have a girt big diameter long hoise for water tanks, but as has been said, just flush it out before use and yes SOME bugs are good for your immune system!

 

[Barleycorn]

I saw the demo and also was assured that it would be OK for drinking water. However I have had a hoselock layflat hose that rolls onto a reel that was also not recommended for drinking water, but I have used it for filling water tanks for twenty years without issue.

 

[stevebrassett]

Everyone is so scared of being sued that they won't recommend something for a purpose unless it has been designed and tested for that purpose.

Trouble is you then don't know whether they mean:-

"We don't know if it is safe for drinking water, so we are going to recommend that you don't use it."

or

"You really don't want to use this for drinking water."

 

[nigelmercier]

These are often advertised on the TV Shopping channels (yes, I sometimes watch them). What they don't tell you is that a proportion of the pressure is lost in keeping the hose inflated.