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  1. #1
    Site Sponsor sande005's Avatar
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    Check your hoses!

    Getting ready for a month long trip, and just got the trailer out of storage. Proceeded to start the sanitizing process. I bought a cheap 2 gal. watering pitcher that I use to premix the bleach in - the spout makes it easier to pour into the gravity fill port on my trailer.
    Surprised to see bits of "stuff" floating around in the pitcher. Ick! Dumped that batch, and made new. Even more stuff! Blamed it on the pine trees I was standing under. Moved away, and this time even more stuff!
    I need almost 100 ft of hose to get from my house spigot to the trailer, so 4 lengths of hose. Finally started testing each length. 2 were my pricey fabric collapsible "Zero-G" hoses that I really like. About 4 seasons of use. The other two were old Camco white ones, one at least 10 yrs old, usually relegated to emergency use only.
    Yep, of course it was the Zero-G's that were putting out "chunks". Bummer. Long flushing, etc. just made it worse.

    Bought what was available locally since we leave very soon - cheap white ones, with the bad fittings which are prone to leaking. If there is time will try to pick up new ends for them, and replace with better....

    In any event - as part of the sanitizing routine, I'd advise just doing a bucket test as I ended up doing, before just trusting what your hose may be putting into your tank/plumbing. Now I wonder how long this has been happening....at least I use a filter just before it enters the trailer when on city water!
    2017 Imagine 2670MK
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  2. #2
    Seasoned Camper fmartinmn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sande005 View Post
    Getting ready for a month long trip, and just got the trailer out of storage. Proceeded to start the sanitizing process. I bought a cheap 2 gal. watering pitcher that I use to premix the bleach in - the spout makes it easier to pour into the gravity fill port on my trailer.
    Surprised to see bits of "stuff" floating around in the pitcher. Ick! Dumped that batch, and made new. Even more stuff! Blamed it on the pine trees I was standing under. Moved away, and this time even more stuff!
    I need almost 100 ft of hose to get from my house spigot to the trailer, so 4 lengths of hose. Finally started testing each length. 2 were my pricey fabric collapsible "Zero-G" hoses that I really like. About 4 seasons of use. The other two were old Camco white ones, one at least 10 yrs old, usually relegated to emergency use only.
    Yep, of course it was the Zero-G's that were putting out "chunks". Bummer. Long flushing, etc. just made it worse.

    Bought what was available locally since we leave very soon - cheap white ones, with the bad fittings which are prone to leaking. If there is time will try to pick up new ends for them, and replace with better....

    In any event - as part of the sanitizing routine, I'd advise just doing a bucket test as I ended up doing, before just trusting what your hose may be putting into your tank/plumbing. Now I wonder how long this has been happening....at least I use a filter just before it enters the trailer when on city water!
    Hey Ted, I guess you just gave me another good reason to put the filter on the house side. Who woulda thunck the Zero G hoses would deteriorate that fast. I'll check mine. Thanks for the post.
    Frank & Jolynn Martin
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  3. #3
    Fireside Member AZCamper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sande005 View Post
    Getting ready for a month long trip, and just got the trailer out of storage. Proceeded to start the sanitizing process. I bought a cheap 2 gal. watering pitcher that I use to premix the bleach in - the spout makes it easier to pour into the gravity fill port on my trailer.
    Surprised to see bits of "stuff" floating around in the pitcher. Ick! Dumped that batch, and made new. Even more stuff! Blamed it on the pine trees I was standing under. Moved away, and this time even more stuff!
    I need almost 100 ft of hose to get from my house spigot to the trailer, so 4 lengths of hose. Finally started testing each length. 2 were my pricey fabric collapsible "Zero-G" hoses that I really like. About 4 seasons of use. The other two were old Camco white ones, one at least 10 yrs old, usually relegated to emergency use only.
    Yep, of course it was the Zero-G's that were putting out "chunks". Bummer. Long flushing, etc. just made it worse.

    Bought what was available locally since we leave very soon - cheap white ones, with the bad fittings which are prone to leaking. If there is time will try to pick up new ends for them, and replace with better....

    In any event - as part of the sanitizing routine, I'd advise just doing a bucket test as I ended up doing, before just trusting what your hose may be putting into your tank/plumbing. Now I wonder how long this has been happening....at least I use a filter just before it enters the trailer when on city water!
    After watching this and your post I am wondering if I should ditch my Zero G and replace it with a Flexzilla.

    https://youtu.be/WalzXF48iac


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  4. #4
    Site Sponsor sande005's Avatar
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    Can't say whether the hose was breaking down, or if just lots of gunk had grown in it. I do make a point of trying to drain it as completely as I can after each use, and when storing for long term keep it in an open container in the pass through, assuming it will dry out. Whatever it was, it looked "organic", so might be growth inside. The Camco's have been disrespected, and put away wet most of the times, with the ends fastened together, so they never have a chance to dry out. I would suspect them of growing things, but apparently not.

    About Flexzilla - long one star review on Amazon. They grow black mold on their outside very quickly, and it is impossible to remove.

    'Tis a quandry - I saw a research site that tested both zero-g and flexzilla, and they both had various "bad for you" contaminants in them, just far less than conventional hoses. Back in my foodservice days, my inspector required we only use hoses that were marked "NSF" certified. Just labeled "drinking water safe" did not pass muster with him at all. But for us in the retail world they are very hard to find, and very expensive. Most manufacturers just refuse to go through the expensive testing and paying of the certification fees. Its easier to claim the raw materials used are the same as the standards call for. But if they source from dodgy suppliers, or don't have solid manufacturing control, they can still introduce contaminants into the drinking water.

    So in the end, I try to be aware of the potential, but assume that since I'm not really drinking it day in and day out, there are other things to worry about. I mostly care about ease of use, that they don't burst, and that the couplers can go together leak free. Even that basic criteria list is hard to check off!
    2017 Imagine 2670MK
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    (Previous: Jayco 26.5RLS Fifth, Revolution Pinbox)

  5. #5
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by sande005 View Post
    Getting ready for a month long trip, and just got the trailer out of storage. Proceeded to start the sanitizing process. I bought a cheap 2 gal. watering pitcher that I use to premix the bleach in - the spout makes it easier to pour into the gravity fill port on my trailer.
    Surprised to see bits of "stuff" floating around in the pitcher. Ick! Dumped that batch, and made new. Even more stuff! Blamed it on the pine trees I was standing under. Moved away, and this time even more stuff!
    I need almost 100 ft of hose to get from my house spigot to the trailer, so 4 lengths of hose. Finally started testing each length. 2 were my pricey fabric collapsible "Zero-G" hoses that I really like. About 4 seasons of use. The other two were old Camco white ones, one at least 10 yrs old, usually relegated to emergency use only.
    Yep, of course it was the Zero-G's that were putting out "chunks". Bummer. Long flushing, etc. just made it worse.

    Bought what was available locally since we leave very soon - cheap white ones, with the bad fittings which are prone to leaking. If there is time will try to pick up new ends for them, and replace with better....

    In any event - as part of the sanitizing routine, I'd advise just doing a bucket test as I ended up doing, before just trusting what your hose may be putting into your tank/plumbing. Now I wonder how long this has been happening....at least I use a filter just before it enters the trailer when on city water!
    I was looking to buy Zero G but after your post I'll stick to the cheap white ones like I've had for the past 10 years. No chunks coming out of them.
    2020 Solitude 372WB
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  6. #6
    Site Sponsor sande005's Avatar
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    Interesting - the newer Camco "TastePure" hose is NSF listed. That might be my new one to try....
    2017 Imagine 2670MK
    2012 F-150 SCrew, Eco, 4x4 6.5 box
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  7. #7
    Site Sponsor
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    You should cut open your hose to see what is happening. We full time and 3 years later our "G" is okay....
    Could it be long storage?
    Jim and Belinda H. Pa.

    2018 337RLS- 2nd ac, dual pane windows, table and chairs, Kodiak disc brakes 12-28-17 (Thanks Ed!)
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  8. #8
    Site Sponsor sande005's Avatar
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    It's out in the trash, waiting to be picked up. My speculation -

    As anyone who has replaced a faucet at home may know, there is a lot of crud that can be deposited inside a water line. Hence why when first using the new fixture, one removes the screen and runs the faucet until it clears up. What that crud is is probably a combination of animal, vegetable and mineral (mostly mineral). But most of it sticks to the inside of the pipe, sight unseen. And with the water supply being treated, there is no risk of it causing ill effects. Certainly far less than that "pure mountain stream" we all envision. Might be the same thing in the hoses we use, although the total time of use, and therefore accumulation, is far less than house pipes (full timers excluded).
    Putting the hoses away wet (and they all have some moisture) might easily contribute to growth of the animal/vegetable part. Sanitizing will kill that, but the "dead bodies" still remain.
    As a swimming pool owner, I know it is far easier to clean out algae that has been killed by chlorine, than it is to clean off actively growing patches. I assume the same goes for the hoses - easier for the dead things to get flushed out.

    What probably compounds everything is the extreme flexibility of the zero-g type hoses. What is stuck on the inside walls can be loosened more readily just by flexing of the hose. The traditional hoses likely are much less prone to that, due to stiffness. There may be differences in how well things can stay stuck to the plastic materials used, also.

    Since I sanitize the hoses at the same time as the rest of the system, I have no concerns about health. But I don't like to see lots of bits and pieces floating around in my water. Or plugging up my filters/faucet screens.

    Since I let the hoses flush for a very long time, and they still were emitting things, it was time for them to go - no good way that I could see to otherwise clean them out.

    Perhaps the same is happening in the white ones, but "out of site, out of mind" seems to be the rule of the day. They aren't adding anything to the water output. May be nothing in them, or it may just stick better inside.

    And I don't ever want to think about the inside of the fresh tank or the rest of the plumbing, as long as it is all dead, and stays buried.....
    Last edited by sande005; 04-16-2021 at 07:34 AM.
    2017 Imagine 2670MK
    2012 F-150 SCrew, Eco, 4x4 6.5 box
    Max. Tow, HD Payload, Airbags, ProPride hitch
    (Previous: Jayco 26.5RLS Fifth, Revolution Pinbox)

  9. #9
    Rolling Along OurNewEra's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AZCamper View Post
    After watching this and your post I am wondering if I should ditch my Zero G and replace it with a Flexzilla.

    https://youtu.be/WalzXF48iac


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Thanks to @sande005 for starting this thread and to @AZCamper for the YT link. I was getting ready to ditch my conventional hoses for the Zero G. I'm tired of fighting the hoses to roll them up. Now I may rethink the Zero-G upgrade. The Flexzilla looks interesting. The price point is also much better than Zero-G. One more thing to think about?!

    Does anyone have suggestions on how to EASILY roll-up conventional hoses?
    Mike & Lisa
    Central Florida
    2021 Imagine 2970RL
    1996 Chevy K3500 Crew SRW 7.4L Gas

  10. #10
    Site Sponsor NB Canada's Avatar
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    Check your hoses!

    Quote Originally Posted by OurNewEra View Post
    Thanks to @sande005 for starting this thread and to @AZCamper for the YT link. I was getting ready to ditch my conventional hoses for the Zero G. I'm tired of fighting the hoses to roll them up. Now I may rethink the Zero-G upgrade. The Flexzilla looks interesting. The price point is also much better than Zero-G. One more thing to think about?!

    Does anyone have suggestions on how to EASILY roll-up conventional hoses?
    I store mine in a 5 gallon pail. It coils around the inside of the pail easily
    50 feet of white camco hose and store my filters,regulator and fittings in the middle


    2021 Imagine 2400 BH
    2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 crew
    Last edited by NB Canada; 04-16-2021 at 09:46 AM.
    2021 Imagine 2400 BH
    2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 Crew 1840lb payload

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