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Water Hoses For Boats & Marinas - Best Practice.


Alan de Enfield

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New guidelines have been issued on how to use fresh water facilities safely in marinas, boatyards, sailing centres, canals and other inland waterways.

https://www.pbo.co.uk/news/new-best-practice-for-marine-water-use-62803

 

Water suppliers as well as industry experts from British Marine, the RYA, The Yacht Harbour Association, RNLI, and the Canal & River Trust have contributed towards the new guidelines.

 

The full document

 

https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2019/11/Industry-Best-Practice-Marine-Water-Facilities-2019.pdf

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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1 minute ago, George and Dragon said:

38 pages? No thanks. I'll never get that time back.

OK - summary.

Don't expect marinas / service points / water points / sanitary stations / pump-outs to supply hoses.

You own hoses must have a 'switch-offable' valve on the end.

Use ONLY food grade hoses for potable water.

Use expanding' crinkly hoses was wash-downs.

 

Full reasoning and legal requirements explained in the document.

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1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

Are they in the real world, do I stop 4 passers by and ask them to hold my hose off the ground

 

 

These passers  by would also enable your hose to be protected from the ignorant inconsiderate cyclists who persist in riding over your hose.

( I have three caravan steps which I use as a 'bridge to keep my hose off the ground. They double as footstools and boarding platforms the rest of the time)

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2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

OK - summary.

Don't expect marinas / service points / water points / sanitary stations / pump-outs to supply hoses.

You own hoses must have a 'switch-offable' valve on the end.

Use ONLY food grade hoses for potable water.

Use expanding' crinkly hoses was wash-downs.

 

Full reasoning and legal requirements explained in the document.

 

Early in our boat ownership someone did leave hose out on the marina pontoon and one of the dogs belonging to another boat found it an irresistible piss post . Since that day I have  only used the hose that I keep on the boat. And it is always put away promptly after use .

.

 

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OK, I can see what they are thinking on some of these.  BUT, is there a contamination problem with contamination now?

 

I don't know but seems like they are solving a problem that doesn't exist or is there something I don't know? Sure don't claim to know everything.

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If in doubt [near elsan], spray tap with bleach spray, but always run off a few litres before connecting your hose, any nasties will be flushed out, rinse off hose after use and put in a clean dry locker. 

Edited by LadyG
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Given the "food grade" blue lay flat hoses Ive had seem to last about 18 months before they get pin holes whilst the lay flat garden hose from 1983 (date stamp on fittings!) is still watertight I wont be using a food grade hose!

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I am careful not to drop the ends in the cut, coil it up holding the thing up so the water drains out and run a few gallons through to wash out the earwigs before stuffing the hose in the tank filler.  I reckon that is good enough.

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All seems sensible advice.  Doubt that many do all of those things suggested, and if some are even practical in all cases, but that does not make it bad advice.

 

I guess that is the end of the fire hoses on the Thames.

 

 

1 minute ago, frangar said:

Given the "food grade" blue lay flat hoses Ive had seem to last about 18 months before they get pin holes whilst the lay flat garden hose from 1983 (date stamp on fittings!) is still watertight I wont be using a food grade hose!

I'm on my second food grade flat hose in 10 years, so I can see if you live aboard they are only going to last a couple of years. 

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Just now, john6767 said:

 

I'm on my second food grade flat hose in 10 years, so I can see if you live aboard they are only going to last a couple of years. 

I thought someone had probably run over the first one at some point so I replaced it....then the next one did exactly the same...I trimmed off the offending part which was at one end....then its just went further along....I do liveaboard and fill up at least once a week if not more when out and about...finding a decent lay flat hose is hard work....although the one I got from Lidl last year is pretty good...Id happily buy another one of those.

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2 hours ago, Cheshire cat said:

It is best practice rather than pragmatic practice. They've stopped short of suggesting buying a new one for each refill!

If you did you would probably poison yourself with the plasticisers and parting agent or whatever form extrusion.

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2 hours ago, Kudzucraft said:

OK, I can see what they are thinking on some of these.  BUT, is there a contamination problem with contamination now?

 

I don't know but seems like they are solving a problem that doesn't exist or is there something I don't know? Sure don't claim to know everything.

The advice will change little to nowt, on the towpath.  But it now exists as a document explaining things you should do, and not do.  That limits the opportunity for an enterprising legal to claim their client has contracted galloping clergy from a public tap, as they now have to prove that they complied with the guidance before the tap owner can be shown to be at fault.

 

If also caters to the water companies' collective paranoia that something nastiferous might get back into the supply main and cost them a mint in legal claims.

 

N

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The the justification for keeping the hose off the ground at all times when filling the boat with water is because of a small, theoretical risk of toxic substance permeation.  The unintended consequence of this is that the hose crossing the tow path is now a very real trip hazard, with consequent legal liability for the boater for injury caused to other towpath traffic.  Therefore CRT need to ensure all water bollards are on the canal side of the towpath, which seems to be the opposite of current crt policy.  Joined up thinking???

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wot a lode of non sense

 

life's too short.

 

the pragmatic way to use water was described on another thread - the water in your poorly maintained and inaccessible tank is not for drinking. 

 

get some 10 litre plastic jerrycans and live a little.    B)

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13 hours ago, BEngo said:

The advice will change little to nowt, on the towpath.  But it now exists as a document explaining things you should do, and not do.  That limits the opportunity for an enterprising legal to claim their client has contracted galloping clergy from a public tap, as they now have to prove that they complied with the guidance before the tap owner can be shown to be at fault.

 

If also caters to the water companies' collective paranoia that something nastiferous might get back into the supply main and cost them a mint in legal claims.

 

N

No - it is their responsibility to install non-return valves and has been for some time. The now widely installed devices (with lots of holes to release water if the hose is blocked) are an example of the better response to new regulations. Initially there was a fear that all water points would be disabled but then someone had a bright idea. Wish that was always the way forward.

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