Exterior Filtering Creek Water

BigSkiddy

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May 7, 2013
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I'm planning on free camping at Thredbo for a week.

The girls are likely to run through the two water tanks fairly quickly, so I was planning on getting water from the river.

I don't plan to drink the water, but would like to filter it before putting into the tanks.

Any tips as to what to do?
Only thought I had was to pour the water through a cloth to catch sediments.
 

craigandteena

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An option so you don't contaminate your tanks and if you do this often is to take a 20 ltr empty water jerry and before you leave tap into the hose from your tank by putting two shutoff valves and a T piece. One you can put a standard hose connection on the end and take an extra piece of hose that goes into the jerry can with river water. You can then have your pump draw from that. I have a similar setup. Take a look at My Jayco site except my pump is aftermarket and underneath but you can do a similar concept.
 

yabbietol

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Sep 2, 2014
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Queanbeyan NSW
I'm planning on free camping at Thredbo for a week.

The girls are likely to run through the two water tanks fairly quickly, so I was planning on getting water from the river.

I don't plan to drink the water, but would like to filter it before putting into the tanks.

Any tips as to what to do?
Only thought I had was to pour the water through a cloth to catch sediments.
Do NOT drink the water in the Snowy Mountains it is NOT SAFE without extensive treatment. A filter of at least .1 micron which is a very very fine filter or boiling the water for at least 2 to3 minutes will render it safe. Effectively filtering the water to make it safe before putting it in the the tanks would not be practical as a.1 micron filter needs a lot of pressure to allow water to pass through and they are also not cheap.
Even above the snow line all the streams and bogs are contaminated with Giardia which is a very nasty bug. It is also very difficult to get rid of once it contaminates your water containers as it leaves tough inert spores behind even after the containers (and pipes) are drained and dried. The only way is to soak and flush the containers and pipes with dilute bleach very messy to do well and not miss as joints or tiny crevices.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardia
The water in the snowies got Giardia from tourists in the 1980s and it has spread to the highest places by animals who have caught it. The cure for Giardia is very nasty antibiotics, which I have taken on three occasions for Giardia, once from the snowies, once from contaminated water containers and another time from dodgy water tanks.

Best bet is take some water containers and fill them up in town.

Note: Diluted bleach from supermarket (generic brand is cheapest) is a good water purifier and tank and pipe cleaner. Be careful as it but tastes bad and is difficult to get concentration right and if you get it wrong (too dilute) you get sick.
Water purification tablets are simply food safe pool chlorine (and also is the same stuff as Napisan). Water purification tablets always taste dreadful. Bleach is a thing good to flush out water tanks and pipes if you are not sure of water quality, best to leave it in the container (and pipes) for 24hours or more then flush with safe clean water a couple of times. Do not leave in pumps etc for extended periods as corrosion from the chlorides in the bleach become an issue.
 
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Drover

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No matter where you are you should never put water from rivers or creeks into your tanks unless it's been treated.
Keep your tanks for drinking/cooking if you are free camping then you must enforce water restrictions, showering while free camping is easier with an external shower tent with solar shower unit, or a 12v shower pump from jerry cans which you draw from the creek/river. If you leave them on their side all day you have heaps of damn hot water for a tubs. or boil it in a billy.
 

BigSkiddy

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Thanks @yabbietol . I was just thinking about Guardia after I posted and if you can flush the tanks afterwards. Seems like a bit of a hassle to clean, not keen in putting bleach into the tanks.

Plus I wouldn't want the wife to become blonde.

Good idea there @craigandteena don't think 20litres at a time would be enough though.
 

achjimmy

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Jan 24, 2011
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Was just down stream from Tom Groggin years ago and was going to boil the billy. Lady comes over and says don't drink that! They had been all over the high country drinking from streams and had only got sick the night before drinking there. I remember just smelling the water with my hands and it stunk of soot. Further up stream at the Davis plain crossover you could tell why. It was like Pitt st with fourbies crossing the river every 15mins (Easter time). Don't think I have every travelled anywhere without all my drinking water coming from 600ml bottles.

I don't drink from the water tanks at all.
 

craigandteena

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I don't drink from the water tanks at all.
I am thinking of no longer drinking the water from my tanks just because it does not taste the best even with putting it through a Brita Water filter that sits in the fridge. The van is only new and used 3 times and filled only with water that we drink from at home.
While this may hijack the original thread, which I think the conclusion was not to put river water into your tanks thanks to @yabbietol scaring everyone off (good input BTW), what are others thoughts on their water from their tanks for drinking?
Would a better inline filter make it taste better?
Should the tank be cleaned out?
 
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Drover

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Way back in the dream time, when carpet in a FWD was usually Mum's off cuts...............I was up in the hills with a High Country Cattleman and all the greenies were saying the cattle were contaminating the streams and rivers, we were drinking from clear, sweet tasting water from creeks and rivers...............he reckoned that with the cattle gone and all these bushwalkers, climbers and skiers, who love conservation will bring in heaps of weeds and make the water bad because they don't take their crap out with them and having been thru No Vehicle areas I am amazed at the amount of rubbish and dunny paper these people leave behind, off roaders are bad enough and disgust me also but they are usually feral sorts, not so with the back to nature mob who will abuse me for owning a FWD ( which has a smaller footprint than a Prious, so get stuffed.)..................rant over.
 

Crusty181

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@craigandteena We only drink water from the tank. We have issues in Melb, but the water isn't one of them. Our water is glorious. We fill the tank from home for drinking, and use on site water for everything else. One of the first things we do at a CP is taste the site water, and only if it passes muster we top up. Never had problems with tank water, and never ran out either
 
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Drover

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When I get back from a trip I dump my water and refill again, then before I head off next trip I dump and fill, unless I want less then only fill what I want, water tastes good..............I have tried dumping when I get back and leaving them dry till I go again before refill and actually notice no change and don't know why I do it the way I do.............but we are only home for 3 - 4 weeks before we head off again so that might be why....we are on tank water so town water usually tastes like crap and since it sits in the house tank for 10mths the van tank should be at least cleaner.

PS: Just remembered why I dump before I go just to get rid of any plastic taste that may be there, but since I haven't had any rain for the last 5 months things have changed, no dumping.
 
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Crusty181

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Way back in the dream time, when carpet in a FWD was usually Mum's off cuts...............I was up in the hills with a High Country Cattleman and all the greenies were saying the cattle were contaminating the streams and rivers, we were drinking from clear, sweet tasting water from creeks and rivers...............he reckoned that with the cattle gone and all these bushwalkers, climbers and skiers, who love conservation will bring in heaps of weeds and make the water bad because they don't take their crap out with them and having been thru No Vehicle areas I am amazed at the amount of rubbish and dunny paper these people leave behind, off roaders are bad enough and disgust me also but they are usually feral sorts, not so with the back to nature mob who will abuse me for owning a FWD ( which has a smaller footprint than a Prious, so get stuffed.)..................rant over.
How big are these damned feral big footed Prious things anyway, and are they dangerous to caravaners. I get up to the High Country occasionally, but I aint going back till they hunt down and trap that bloody big footed Prious thing.

(PS I personally don't drink stream water ... EVER. We have a farm with a couple of permanent creeks, and you never know whats lying dead just up river around the bend. The water always looks b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l, but it aint ever going in my mouth)
 
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Crusty181

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When I get back from a trip I dump my water and refill again, then before I head off next trip I dump and fill, unless I want less then only fill what I want, water tastes good..............I have tried dumping when I get back and leaving them dry till I go again before refill and actually notice no change and don't know why I do it the way I do.............but we are only home for 3 - 4 weeks before we head off again so that might be why....we are on tank water so town water usually tastes like crap and since it sits in the house tank for 10mths the van tank should be at least cleaner.

PS: Just remembered why I dump before I go just to get rid of any plastic taste that may be there, but since I haven't had any rain for the last 5 months things have changed, no dumping.
We leave our tanks full. Mould can't grow in full tanks, and clean water doesn't go off. If the tanks start out clean and stay clean, theres no reason you can't leave the tanks full indefinitely.
 
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craigandteena

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When I get back from a trip I dump my water and refill again, then before I head off next trip I dump and fill, unless I want less then only fill what I want, water tastes good.......
Thanks @Drover, I will try dumping the water out of the tanks before I leave this weekend and refill. I read on here a while ago to keep the tank full so I always fill it when I return but I dont dump and refill before heading off again. I too normally only sit still for about 4 weeks at the most so it should not be a problem. May take a few flushes to get rid of that weird taste.
How do you normally dump from your tank?
 
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Drover

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Ha, @Crusty181 make that Prius....................................after looking at the bottom of my house water tanks I can drink anything, except water from my dam, now that is bleck.

As for draining the tanks there is a blanking cap that you unscrew where the hoses go in.
 
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Meanderthals

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And just to put you all off even drinking your town water supply that comes from reservoir's, just remember that things like fish, frogs, cane toads and our snapping handbags fornicate in them. Even if we had a rain water tank I still wouldn't drink any of the contents. The paint stripper that the flying fox's are dropping on to cars and house roofs at the moment is not something I want inside me.
 
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Drover

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And just to put you all off even drinking your town water supply that comes from reservoir's, just remember that things like fish, frogs, cane toads and our snapping handbags fornicate in them. Even if we had a rain water tank I still wouldn't drink any of the contents. The paint stripper that the flying fox's are dropping on to cars and house roofs at the moment is not something I want inside me.
Just have to drink more BEER.