Forum Discussion

Thomson7's avatar
Thomson7
Explorer
Aug 28, 2014

Bad Tasting water in trailer

So we bought the trailer new last year, no issues with water taste, well not after the first use. But one time last year we needed to go a bit further to get our water supply and so we used our good hose plus the cheap hose we got with the camper trailer when we bought it. The water tasted like rubber... undrinkable. Smells and tastes bad. Ever since then, it's like the good hose and the trailer plumbing has this bad taste impregnated into it. Tastes fine at the outlet, has some taste at the end of the hose, has terrible taste once through the trailer. It's been at least half a dozen uses now and shows no sign of diminishing or flushing through over time. Suggestions?
Seeking Advice

9 Replies

  • jamnw's avatar
    jamnw
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2014
    I use the "generally accepted method" in the link above. Never had an issue using it in 8 years.

    First year my lines got nasty. Algae. I was ignorant. That's how I found this site, searching for a resolution.

    I have let my lines sit in sanitizer for 3 days, normally <24 hrs. No trouble so far.

    I use a filter on the hose and at the sink. Mainly for my wife. I don't notice a difference. But then again I've drank water in the Philippines and beyond.

    Sanitize. It will solve your issue.
  • bsinmich's avatar
    bsinmich
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2014
    I sanitized mine a couple weeks ago and used a little too much bleach. When I showered I smelled like chlorine deodorant all day. I switched to bottled water for teeth brushing.
  • Jim_Shoe's avatar
    Jim_Shoe
    Explorer II
    Aug 28, 2014
    OR, you can stop in any grocery store or wally world and buy gallon jugs of distilled water. They're cheap, universally available, and have no taste of their own. I use that water for anything that passes my lips. Coffee, cooking and brushing my teeth. The rest of me is waterproof.
  • beemerphile1's avatar
    beemerphile1
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2014
    Have you ever sanitized the system? I do ours at the beginning of camping season and again about mid-season. Algae in the tank can cause a rubber taste.
  • Campfire_Time's avatar
    Campfire_Time
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2014
    All of the above. And buy a water filter. Inexpensive, it will last all season, and will improve the taste of your water. It should be put between your hose and the water inlet on the trailer.
  • ford_truck_guy's avatar
    ford_truck_guy
    Nomad
    Aug 28, 2014
    Sanitize your system as stated above...Only use the white potable water hose... When we camp , we drink nothing from the faucets... its only bottled water for us..
  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2014
    First, get a hose that does not have any taste. Second, drain your water heater. Third sanitize your water system with a bleach-water solution by adding it to the on-board fresh water tank and pumping it through all your lines, and fill your water heater too. Let it sit in the lines for a bit and then drain, and follow up by flushing the lines with clean water. The stronger the bleach, the shorter time you want it to sit in your lines.
  • jamnw's avatar
    jamnw
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2014
    Sanitize your water system. I use bleach and water. I don't recall the ratio, but if you search on here you will find it in the FAQ.

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