Keeping my fresh water system clean

hmm.  I'm 41.  76 relates to 1976, when I was inflicted on the world. 

But living where I do, our Corporation pop is straight from the Lakes, so know whatgood water is like. Being an ex matelot, I've lived in Rowner  so know what that water is like too.

i use Milton's fluid. If it's good enough for babies bottles then it's good enough for a caravan. I don't think i leave it in the tanks long enough for it to affect the steel tanks (say two hours). I then run the whole aqua roll through the system then rinse through with fresh water. Never had any problem all the years (30) I've been doing it.

We first noticed dirty water in the caravan system when my wife used to rinse her contact lenses out under the tap but every time she got conjunctivitis.

"first noticed dirty water in the caravan system when my wife used to rinse her contact lenses out under the tap but every time she got conjunctivitis."

I'm not surprised! That's why a specialised cleaning fluid for lenses is recommended. Tap water is a no, no.

Without mentioning whether we drink the water or not, I would say that I don't think you can adequately clean the water pipes with any of the products we used to use, which included Puriclens, Milton, and other proprietary products. Even after flushing out our aquaroll, pump and internal pipes at the start of our caravanning season every year, and at the end of some of our extended holidays, we found that the water pump and pipes were full of black/green smelly sludge which ran the full length of the pipework between the pump and the inlet, and on the pipes at the other side of the water inlet.  We know this because we had occasion to take the pipework apart when the pump failed at the very beginning of a holiday, about a day and a half after a full flush through.  We used the process outlined by the OP - filling the aquaroll, leaving it for a while, running it through the system with slightly open cold water tap, until the water was running, turning off the tap, then leaving the system filled with the 'purifying' solution for up to twenty four hours, before running it all off.  We then ran through a second Aquaroll of fresh water, in the same way, before connecting up to a third aquaroll of fresh water.

I have photographs showing what the inside of our pump and pipework looked like afterwards - and believe me no one would consider them 'cleaned'.  Whether the water is fit to drink through those pipes is another question entirely and at the request of the OP I shan't mention it again.

Continuing Val's theme a little (I've also seen pics of pipework)...

At the start of the year when I go through and clean the inside in case of any spiders webs/start of mildew etc. I use Puriclean (+1?) with 1/2 an Aquaroll (of hot water) so far, like others...

BUT, as we also have a food grade hose in case of site water supply, I connect this to the shower tap outlet and lead the hose back into the Aquaroll which allows the cleaning fluid to be circulated around both the hot and cold systems. Then flush through with clean water

I think it's the movement and a little heat (which also tests the gas side of the Truma water heating system (plus I test the fridge on gas at the same time)

This may be overkill (pun?) but it works for us.

Otherwise, No Comment ;-)

I flush with water from the site tap and don't buy bottled water to drink. 

How often should you clean the water system- aqua roller and pipes etc? We use puraclean and have done so in April.

Thanks 

If you're only going to use the water for washing, washing up, and similar, then any interval of cleaning will do.  If you intend to use it for drinking, including boiling water in a kettle, then I would say no matter how often you clean the pipes I personally wouldn't drink it.

There is another longer post on here discussing drinking water - and it seems that most people who have responded to that one don't ever drink the water from the caravan supply.  We certainly don't!  We don't brush our teeth with it, or wash vegetables, and these days we tend not to even connect our aquaroll except for our last day to produce enough hot water to thoroughly wash down the surface inside the caravan, but even that water is mixed with a very good disinfectant!