Caravan Water Concerns

The pipes and tanks carrying the public water supplies are almost always full of water and there is little opportunity for harm to arise. If the water is turned off, as when there is a leak to repair or a new connection to be made, the only noticable effect is often a brown colouration for a while due to disturbed sediment.

The pipes and tanks carrying caravan water supplies are often empty and nature colonises the inside in any way it can. All the cleaning chemicals seem to do is leave their own different funny taste. Your grains of salt are most probably just exactly that - but of which mineral is anyone's guess.

Good advice above, but to first eliminate the water system as a cause have a trip where you do not consume caravan stored water in any way - teeth cleaning, boiling vegetables, making tea/coffe, washing dishes even. You do not mention other members of your party being affected so perhaps they can continue as usual as a control sample.

Slightly off topic (sorry), but I wonder if all the sites and CL type sites (not just CC sites)  have a regime for drawing water from all the taps when not in regular use, such as through the winter shutdown. If not I wouldn’t want to be one of the first few people to use the taps after such a break.

Slightly off topic (sorry), but I wonder if all the sites and CL type sites (not just CC sites)  have a regime for drawing water from all the taps when not in regular use, such as through the winter shutdown. If not I wouldn’t want to be one of the first few people to use the taps after such a break.

 Seasonal .CC sites,water supplies are as far as posible drained at the end of season and "flushed" before sites open,and all toilet blocks are tested and treated 

I would hope (but I don't know) that a microbacterial sample would be sent off for analysis in case some nasty (technical term) had got into the system.

Get amoebic dysentery and you won't need weight watchers for a while.

I'm with those who don't really worry too much!  We do change our system filter regularly, - roughly twice in a season.  The first outing of the year especially, and on arrival at each new site we do not drink directly from tap water, but use bottled for the first aquarole full, then after that we abandon the bottled water and use the tap in the normal way.  Have never suffered from any gypy tummy etc.

I am from the old school of thought that says that we are laying ourselves open to all sorts of trouble in the future by being too clinically clean.  That removal of all naturally existing threats means that the body becomes too vulnerable to every minor infection and loses the ability to defend itself.  I don't mean that we are deliberatly dirty, that would be stupid, I just mean that being clinically clean may bring its own threats!

TF

I'm with those who don't really worry too much!  We do change our system filter regularly, - roughly twice in a season.  The first outing of the year especially, and on arrival at each new site we do not drink directly from tap water, but use bottled for the first aquarole full, then after that we abandon the bottled water and use the tap in the normal way.  Have never suffered from any gypy tummy etc.

I am from the old school of thought that says that we are laying ourselves open to all sorts of trouble in the future by being too clinically clean.  That removal of all naturally existing threats means that the body becomes too vulnerable to every minor infection and loses the ability to defend itself.  I don't mean that we are deliberatly dirty, that would be stupid, I just mean that being clinically clean may bring its own threats!

TF

 

 

That's a perfectly reasonable point TF.

The human immune system needs stimulating and living in an aseptic bubble is neither needed or desirable.

There is a but coming though.

Microbaterial infections are spread very easily in water and for some people it can mean nothing (depending on the micro organism) others a gippy tummy, to some (especially immunosuppressed people) it can literally kill them.

Not trying to scare anyone but  the water system in a caravan that is not in contrant use might not be as innocuous as caravanners would hope it might be.

If you really feel that contaminated water from your unit has affected you in some way, then obviously take steps to avoid it. I have drank water direct out of the taps in various vans for over 20 years without so much of a jittery tummy, maybe I'm lucky, maybe I have a strong constitution, I don't know. But while its good I will carry on with the way I do it, must add though that I regularly change the filter and flush twice a year adding tablets, also I run off the tap for a few litres before filling aquaroll.

Fysh, Fully accepted & wise words.  That is why I adopt the proceedure that I do and never use the first barrel full for drinking or even brushing teeth.  (And don't forget the Ice for G&T's)

TF

A daily doseage of wine/beer/spirits encourages a certain degree of natural immunity.

That's my excuse anyway.

I always have ice for G&T's TF as you will find out if we ever meet on site

The "grains of salt" sound like limescale to me, so check the tap spouts for any signs of this. As for drinking from the caravan water system, we've done it for years with no adverse effects & I'm certain mrs Bunny (  medical microbiologist ) would have told me if our bi-annual cleansing of the system wasn't cutting it ( or is she trying to kill me off......)