Water Hoses - which one?

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phil-t

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Jul 10, 2017
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Location
Ogdensburg, NY
Been looking for a replacement for our water hose, lots to choose from. Some high tech stuff out there these days.
What's everyone using? My cheapo white CAMCO is swelling under 30 lbs. of water pressure, kinks easily and is a general PIA to handle.
 
The last water hose I got at....believe it or not d=Dollar General was one of those metal armored jobs.. In fact I still have it.. Don't have the RV, still have the hose.

I'm only a few states west of you :)
 
A big variable in selecting a hose is whether you drink the water or use it for washing only. If you use the water for washing only, cheapie hoses are fine.

If you drink the water then a hose selection becomes a little more important. As a kid taking a drink from a garden hose, I remember always clearing out the hose first before taking a drink. That rubber taste never seemed like a good thing to me.

I don't drink the water and I don't use it for cooking. Washing only. I have several hoses all conventional garden hoses without the gimmicks and claims. My best hose I stumbled into was at an cheap house for $3.99. That was over 3 years ago and it's my best hose. Should have bought all they had because I have never seen a price like that again.

One thing I always do is shield the hose from solar exposure. This will help the life of the hose and will also help with the taste if you drink the water.

One thing to look at closely is the quality of the ends. I have had hoses that become impossible to get a non leaky connection and have cut the ends off to install a replacement. Some of the replacement ends are not very good either. To protect the hose ends it is always good to carefully curl up the hose and store without banging the ends. Keeping some extra washers around in the water bay is helpful too.

Another factor is whether or not you have a reliable water pressure regulator and where it is located. If the regulator is in the water bay, the hose from the bay to the camp fitting is not protected and will be exposed to whatever the pressure is at the camp. I have a portable watts regulator that I connect at the camp fitting which protects my $3.99 hose.
 
I love my ZeroG hose. Easy to fold up into almost nothing, completely flexible, sturdy. They are drinking water approved. Only problem was that the end was too large to fit well into my fresh water fill port - bought a piece of poly tubing to fit the OD of the hose and that allowed me to stick it into the port far enough to not fall out while filling.

Linda
 
The common white Camco hoses aren't great, especially if they get used a lot or spend much time in the sun. Their premium model is supposed to be better, but I have no experience with it. Valterra also makes a premium model. Gilmour and Zero-G are good performers too.

For the last several years of our RV life I got my hoses custom-made at rvwaterfilterstore.com. I wanted a mix of sizes that let me easily configure the length for each campsite as well top-quality hose & solid brass fittings. They only cost a little more than other top-quality hoses, so not a big premium for getting exactly what I wanted.
 
ZeroG. has been my go to the last 3 yearts. Went thru a number of the white, hard to put away in cold weather. Takes a lot of space. My ZG wraps around my fist and store 2 25' in a small bucket.
 
I've been very happy with "Flexzilla" water hoses. Drinking water safe and they stay flexible to well below zero temps. I haven't used one in temps that cold, but at 20 deg.F I could easily coil one up in a 5-gallon pail. And they don't kink in normal use...

Didn't take me long, fighting with the hose we inherited to conclude there must be a better way. Like yourself, we bought the Flexzilla and were sold. Bought a second one immediately. Love how easy it is to coil up without kinking. Highly recommended.
 
Zero-G hose is so light weight, so flexible, won't kink, but tough. It has heavy duty aluminum ends that are easy to tighten by hand. Folds up flat so it takes a fraction of the space. $19 @ Target. Love it !
 
I love my ZeroG hose. Easy to fold up into almost nothing, completely flexible, sturdy. They are drinking water approved. Only problem was that the end was too large to fit well into my fresh water fill port - bought a piece of poly tubing to fit the OD of the hose and that allowed me to stick it into the port far enough to not fall out while filling.

Linda
You are asking for problems doing this. the tank vent is that tiny screen next to the fill port. It is designed to allow air to ENTER the tank as you use it, it cannot allow the air to exit the tank as you fill it if you block the fill port with the hose. Many people including myself have jammed the male threaded end of a garden hose in the fill port thinking it was OK. I did this on my new to me trailer and blew off the fill hose on the inside due to the trapped pressure. Some people have had broken or bent tank supports or damage to the tank itself from the tank not being able to vent air properly.

The best solution is to use a fill adapter such as the Camco one or a homemade copy. It uses small clear vinyl hose that fits into the filler neck and allows lots of room for air to make its way up the fill neck and out, without pressurizing the tank.

Camco Water Tank Filler

I made mine since my filler pipe is uphill and then downhill to the tank, mine is long enough to reach into the tank itself.

Charles
 

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Just an FYI - All collapsible hoses are not created equal. We picked this one up at HD and didn't even get one use out of it. Loved that it was so compact and would coil up small. I didn't realize that only one end of it was metal and the end you attach to the supply was plastic. The first time I went to attach it to the supply the threads stripped out of it! Definately taking it back for other options, most likely the Zero-G which we've had out by our pool for a year with great results so far.


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One more comment about water hoses, I find that 80%+ I can get away with a 10-15 ft long water hose for filling my tanks.
 
You are asking for problems doing this. the tank vent is that tiny screen next to the fill port. It is designed to allow air to ENTER the tank as you use it, it cannot allow the air to exit the tank as you fill it if you block the fill port with the hose.
Appreciate your concern but I think you have a wrong picture of what the fill set-up looks like. The vent is in no way involved - it is completely open and unobstructed. In fact, the end of my hose looks just like the camco one you posted, except that the length of the plastic temporarily on the hose is only about 2 inches long and extends into the horizontal port about an inch. There is no pressure trapped or built up anywhere.

Linda
 
Thanks all, I purchased two of the Flexzilla 25' hoses - should take care of most of my requirements/needs. Definetly a real upgrade from the white Camco hose(s) I had.
 
I have 7 hoses from RV Water Filter Store, first ones bought in 2004. Still using all today. Yes they cost more, but when they last 18 years, well you do the math.
 
Thanks for the tips. My Flexzilla from Amazon arrived today. Way more flexible than my Camco blue one.
 
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