RV FEATURE
As someone who prioritises caravan safety and hygiene , my recent discovery while fixing a leak in my hose left me shocked . I had purchased this hose several years ago at a local caravan show , believing it to be food grade .
However , during my last trip , the hose developed a leak at the connection point . In an attempt to fix it , I decided to splice off a few inches and reattach the tap snapon connection . To my surprise , I noticed small dark blotches on the inner part of the supposedly foodgrade hose . This disconcerting revelation made me question the safety of our caravan water .
THE FOOD-GRADE FOLLY
Prompted by this incident , I embarked on a research journey and uncovered the distinction between ‘ caravan food-grade hoses ’ and proper ‘ caravan foodgrade hoses ’. Allow me to explain .
In a caravan , even when using town water , health risks arise from water that sits in the tank or in a hose . Chlorine , which is used for water treatment , evaporates after a few days , potentially allowing recontamination of stagnant water .
The Flat Out hose connects easily to a van ' s town water inlet .
In my case , the food-grade hose had retained moisture during storage , leading to bacterial contamination over time . Although I thought I had drained the hose before storing it , it became evident that this was not enough to prevent bacterial growth .
I soon discovered that in Australia , there are two standards for drinking water hoses : AS2070 and AS4020 . AS2070 simply indicates that the hose is made from a material considered food-grade plastic . However , no testing is conducted on the converted hose material , and no guarantees are available for long-term use .
On the other hand , AS4020 certification requires rigorous testing of the finished product , which is done in Adelaide . This testing ensures compliance with various criteria , including antileaching and antimicrobial properties , as well as the absence of bug-harbouring surfaces . The surface must also be UV-stabilised and must not leach plastics into the water .
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