Hi, Getting ready to use a caravan that has not been used for a long time. I am wanting to make sure the water pipes are not contaminated (it is cold water only) Is it ok to run a weak solution of bleach through then flush out well?
i wouldnt ever run bleach through the lines, you might damage pipes or leave a nasty taste, i would use milton in a aqua roll, the leave it in the pipes for 30-60 mins then run the rest of the aqua roll through, then run a clean aqua roll of water through to make sure its all gone, some people use puraclean instead of milton.
it seemed from an earlier post this month, you shouldnt leave milton in a metal tank longer than an hour, this is mainly for the hot water side though.
Definitely Milton...you can always the caravanners who have had kids can't you?
Phil
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Both milton, puriclean and bleach are all chlorine releasing agents. Bleach is hypochlorite which breaks down to chlorine and oxygen, the others are chlorine based isocyanates, which break down to chlorine and other organic compounds, both will make PVC piping brittle over long periods of time (not the 12 or so hours you would take to clean a system). The main thing to watch with any chlorine agent is that it will eventually rot stainless steel (especially the cheap low grade used in caravan sinks). I use bleach, for the toilet and water containers and the others for the piping, as long as you rinse it out well you will be ok. If you dont want to use chlorine go to the chemists and get a bottle of hydrogen peroxide (does the same job and breaks down into harmless water). Used to work in lab in a chemical plant and have done a lot of work on materials science for storage of chemicals etc. (could also get the neat industrial stuff too!). I dont pander to the manufacturers who say you must use our product for cleaning, they all contain the same chemicals just in a different bottle and double the price tag.
use a full 40 ltr barrel of water with a cup of milton in it.leave for one hour only as the stainless tank does not like milton,if you brew your own beer you can use the same cleaner as used for the tanks and bottles.do not forget the filler pipe.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
PuriClean 400g - Cleans and purifies all stored water systems. All water tanks, pipes and taps become contaminated with dirt, stains, bacteria and algae. PuriClean provides a simple, effective method of cleaning and purifying the complete water system. PuriClean is non-toxic and non-caustic.It does not taste, smell, foam or harm any components in the water system. Cleans up to 270 Lites (60 Gal) Price: £5.99
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Tap water contains Chlorine which kills most bacteria , when the water board lay pipes underground they dont sterilise them before you turn your taps on ,they just tell you to run your water for a while until it clears , so just flush your system through and rinse your water containers , any body who has a pond with Koi are told not to drain all there water down because when you fill it up it will kill all the bacteria , so they partially drain and refill
Quote: Originally posted by joecroft2 on 30/1/2010
Tap water contains Chlorine which kills most bacteria , when the water board lay pipes underground they dont sterilise them before you turn your taps on ,they just tell you to run your water for a while until it clears , so just flush your system through and rinse your water containers , any body who has a pond with Koi are told not to drain all there water down because when you fill it up it will kill all the bacteria , so they partially drain and refill
no will not do for me as we had a small child very ill one day due to drinking water from the tap,he was sick like i have never seen and finished up at the hospital during the night.the hospital said is a water bug.since then i clean out the pipes regular with milton.its good for babies bottles so its ok for me.we now as a precaution buy bottled water for teeth cleaning.the rest is boiled anyway.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Quote: Originally posted by joecroft2 on 30/1/2010
Tap water contains Chlorine which kills most bacteria , when the water board lay pipes underground they dont sterilise them before you turn your taps on ,they just tell you to run your water for a while until it clears , so just flush your system through and rinse your water containers , any body who has a pond with Koi are told not to drain all there water down because when you fill it up it will kill all the bacteria , so they partially drain and refill
no will not do for me as we had a small child very ill one day due to drinking water from the tap,he was sick like i have never seen and finished up at the hospital during the night.the hospital said is a water bug.since then i clean out the pipes regular with milton.its good for babies bottles so its ok for me.we now as a precaution buy bottled water for teeth cleaning.the rest is boiled anyway.
appreciate your issues michael, but to get a water bourne bug is uncommon in our society, and It might be that there was an issue that caused your sons illness further back up the line. Dont forget that bottled water comes straight from the ground into the bottle with no processing or sterilising at all, so theoretically you are just as likely to pick up some bacteria along the way.
Both milton, puriclean and bleach are all chlorine releasing agents. Bleach is hypochlorite which breaks down to chlorine and oxygen, the others are chlorine based isocyanates, which break down to chlorine and other organic compounds, both will make PVC piping brittle over long periods of time (not the 12 or so hours you would take to clean a system). The main thing to watch with any chlorine agent is that it will eventually rot stainless steel (especially the cheap low grade used in caravan sinks). I use bleach, for the toilet and water containers and the others for the piping, as long as you rinse it out well you will be ok. If you dont want to use chlorine go to the chemists and get a bottle of hydrogen peroxide (does the same job and breaks down into harmless water). Used to work in lab in a chemical plant and have done a lot of work on materials science for storage of chemicals etc. (could also get the neat industrial stuff too!). I dont pander to the manufacturers who say you must use our product for cleaning, they all contain the same chemicals just in a different bottle and double the price tag.
Thanks for that ...I was going to say the same...but not as well!
On new building, and refurbs involving alterations to the water pipes, the pipes always have to be chlorinated, and a water sample sent to the lab for analysis.
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Topic: water pipes
