Discovery under van water pipes

poor but proud

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2018
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redlands
i have an older van pop top heritage, after my last couple of trips to the bush some of the red pressure pipes showed their age and split, i went through the van and replaced all red line with new john guest pipes and fittings no worries there. but while doing this i noticed that the under floor pipes non pressure were clear plastic tube and all of these tubes showed algea in the pipes , i then progressed and changed these lines to food grade piping but now even 12 months the plastic taste from the tanks is terrible making the water unusable for even a cup of tea, does any one have a magic bullet to get rid of the plastic taste, by the way the only pressure pipe i could not replace was the one that goes to the fold down sink in the ensuite any idears that do not include removing the whole ensuite or cutting a hatch in the outside skin of the van thanks in advance
 

Mick

Active Member
Mar 15, 2014
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Victoria
Hi and welcome to the forum

This might sound strange but I have read that some have ran red cordial through the tanks and pipes instead of tank cleaning chemicals,
as 2lt makes up about 80lts then take it for a drive then dump and flush with fresh water.
running it through your sinks as well.
As for your other problem others on the forum might have an solution
 

Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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I have heard that cordial idea as well, just never tried it, give it a go be better than the tank clean stuff..........................a lot of vans have the clear pipe for drains/tank fill etc and the algae will appear it will even turn up in opaque pipes you just don't see it................I think the pipe inside will be okay since its out of the elements.
I always dump my tanks when I get home then refill, run the hot water tap to flush the HWS, then dump and refill before we go away again, no air in tanks for stuff to grow so all is fine....many prefer to drain and leave them empty though....jury still out I think.
 
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poor but proud

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2018
446
557
93
72
redlands
Hi and welcome to the forum

This might sound strange but I have read that some have ran red cordial through the tanks and pipes instead of tank cleaning chemicals,
as 2lt makes up about 80lts then take it for a drive then dump and flush with fresh water.
running it through your sinks as well.
As for your other problem others on the forum might have an solution
 

poor but proud

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2018
446
557
93
72
redlands
I have heard that cordial idea as well, just never tried it, give it a go be better than the tank clean stuff..........................a lot of vans have the clear pipe for drains/tank fill etc and the algae will appear it will even turn up in opaque pipes you just don't see it................I think the pipe inside will be okay since its out of the elements.
I always dump my tanks when I get home then refill, run the hot water tap to flush the HWS, then dump and refill before we go away again, no air in tanks for stuff to grow so all is fine....many prefer to drain and leave them empty though....jury still out I think.
 

poor but proud

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2018
446
557
93
72
redlands
leaving the tanks dry can cause issues with flakes of algea coming loose and then coming out the taps for ages the same happens when you try a chemical flush
leaving the tanks full works best for me dump and refill when we head off
 

poor but proud

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2018
446
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redlands
if you try the cordial treatment, beware. used the cordial, out flushed all lines several times including hot water heater,shower basin etc left the van alone for a couple of weeks ,the water throughout the van was putrid, the little bit left in the lines in places unexplained had fermented ,the cordial may work when on the road but not good when van sitting, have since done a peroxide flush as per instructions it worked well, before you worry about the chemicals its the same as used in home brew bottle washing and the residue breaks down naturally
 
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Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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oh yucky @poor but proud , I suppose whatever you flush with you would have to flush it out with mains water and also run the pump for ages after cleaning all the filters and tap screens..................I keep my tanks and lines full all the time so never have an issue but even with black fill hoses I have found some gunge trying to live, just like household water lines things set up house.