Water hoses and algae

[Jinx & Wayne]

Does anyone have a tip for cleaning a water hose.  Mine is 2-1/2 years old.  It is apparently growing algae on the inner surface because it comes out in little sheets and clogs the screen on my filter.  I know about sterilizing the system inside the RV, but I am not aware of a process for the hoses themselves. I've purchased new hoses but would like to avoid this problem in the future.  Ideas?

Edited October 12, 2020 by Jinx & Wayne
correct typo

[SWharton]

We always poured some bleach in the hose, 1/2 c ?, filled it with water, connecgted the ends, and let it sit for a while.

[remoandiris]

Is the hose being stored for periods of time?  If not, there may be something wrong with the water source.  Many times municipal water has chlorine and other chemicals added at the water plant to kill bacteria, etc.

[Jinx & Wayne]

13 minutes ago, remoandiris said:

Is the hose being stored for periods of time?  If not, there may be something wrong with the water source.  Many times municipal water has chlorine and other chemicals added at the water plant to kill bacteria, etc.

No, the hose has been in use for 2 years except for travel days.  I haven't had any health issues from the water.  Not all of the parks have been municipal water.  Some were on tested wells.  Pretty much any water source will grow algae.  Chlorinated municipal sources will grow it once the chlorine evaporates.

 

 

[Jinx & Wayne]

20 minutes ago, SWharton said:

We always poured some bleach in the hose, 1/2 c ?, filled it with water, connecgted the ends, and let it sit for a while.

Elegantly simple.  I will try it.  How often do you suggest?

[SWharton]

Whenever needed. We did it at least once a year whether we needed it or not.

[Kirk W]

I would sterilize the water hose at least twice a year as it is by far the most susceptible to algae growth because of it's exposure to the sun. If you can keep the hose out of the sun that will help. Unfortunately, the white hoses are the most prone to that problem since sunlight can penetrate them. There are potable water quality hoses available that are blue and I found that those tend to last longer and are less subject to the sunlight problem, but they also usually cost more. Part of the reason that the algae problem is worse in a hose that is subjected to sunlight is that chlorine breaks down more quickly when exposed to sunlight and the algae grows better with sunlight. 

[Jinx & Wayne]

2 hours ago, Kirk W said:

There are potable water quality hoses available that are blue and I found that those tend to last longer and are less subject to the sunlight problem, but they also usually cost more. Part of the reason that the algae problem is worse in a hose that is subjected to sunlight is that chlorine breaks down more quickly when exposed to sunlight and the algae grows better with sunlight. 

I had both blue snd white. I just bought a metal one which should do better at blocking sunlight. Do you have any information on how they work?

[Zulu]

4 hours ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

Does anyone have a tip for cleaning a water hose.  Mine is 2-1/2 years old.  It is apparently growing algae on the inner surface because it comes out in little sheets and clogs the screen on my filter . . . Ideas?

Buy a new hose. That's what I ended up doing when we found algae in our system.

BTW, bleach won't work.

But you might try this Thai trick that I first used . . . However, the rolled up hose scrubber ended up getting stuck in the hose. Even if it does make it through your hose, you won't know if it removes all the algae. And if you don't remove it all, the algae will be back.

Note that if there's algae in your hose, them there's a fair chance that it migrated into your RV. If you suspect that, look at using an algaecide.

I was lucky. The algae never made it past my two outside filter cartridges. My UV filter stopped the algae cold.

 

[travelinbob]

This is not hard to understand. Just buy a new hose every year or two. It's not going to break the bank.

[bigjim]

1 hour ago, travelinbob said:

This is not hard to understand. Just buy a new hose every year or two. It's not going to break the bank.

No common sense allowed here,.  It stifles discussion.🥴

[remoandiris]

Guess we've been lucky.  No algae in the hoses we've used for 3+ years.  If we did, I'd just replace.  Last hose I bought was due to the prior one kinking every time it was rolled up.

Edited October 12, 2020 by remoandiris

[DanZemke]

1 hour ago, bigjim said:

No common sense allowed here,.  It stifles discussion.🥴

But "common sense" is often a group related.  What's common sense for some, may not be common sense for others.

1. travelinbob said: "This is not hard to understand. Just buy a new hose every year or two. It's not going to break the bank."

2. An alternate perspective may be: Just get a better hose so you don't have to replace it every year.  It's not going to break the bank.

More expensive water hoses often have an inner layer that that is opaque to sunlight.  So algae growth is not an issue. 

[jbh]

A good snort of Purogene would kill the algae and remove the biofilm but a new hose would probably be cheaper.

[bigjim]

Dan are you trying to say I am not as funny as I think I am? In a round about logical way.

[DanZemke]

Jim, no I wasn't.  In retrospect, I should have responded directly to travelinbob's assertion.

[bigjim]

Don't sweat the small stuff  Dan, I have  a thick skin and I can still laugh at my own jokes. With my memory I can laugh at the same one over and over.  Kind of like groundhog day.😁

[lappir]

I will be in a cold climate again this year for the winter. Not super cold, but days of 20's  won't be unusual. Didn't think much about it last year, but I will make sure I purge my hose well after the first freeze when I hook up to fill my tank. I have spent the last month filling my tank and then using it until near empty in preparation for the winter use. Wanted to find out how long I really have. Last winter I would "top it off" any day I had off and it was warm enough. I never ran out, but decreasing the frequency of "Hooking it all up" may be a better plan. Sure I could go with the heat tape and a heated hose, but both are expensive and getting a new heated hose because it has algae in it isn't something I would want to do. I have a Water Filter store hose and it has the best hardware for sure. Haven't peeked inside it in a while, but my sediment filter doesn't show any signs. It's in a clear holder so I can see the filter easily. 

I do plan to do a vinegar wash when I move in two weeks. I plan to have the tank empty, add about 10 gallons of vinegar and another 10 gallons of water run it through all the lines and let it set for over 24 hours during my move. I'm hoping it will descale my water heater too. I flush it a couple times a year, but have not put anything in it before the flush. Did watch the Video of the before and after and the effects of heating the vinegar. They also mentioned using a higher concentration, but I haven't looked to see if another video has been done with that method. I will try to fill my supply hose with the concentrate too for the ride, sort of like the ultrasonic machine in Sterile processing that is used to clean out the inside of cannulated instruments. 

 

Rod

[Jinx & Wayne]

21 hours ago, bigjim said:

22 hours ago, travelinbob said:

This is not hard to understand. Just buy a new hose every year or two. It's not going to break the bank.

No common sense allowed here,.  It stifles discussion.🥴

Yes, I can buy a new hose every couple of years.  However, my goal is to avoid the algae rather than drink it for a while until I get around to buying a new hose.  So does common sense say one year or two before algae growth starts?

[bigjim]

2 hours ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

  However, my goal is to avoid the algae rather than drink it

I sure agree with that.