Filling Hlt With Garden Hose?

[captaincleanoff]

When you drink from the end of a garden hose, it tastes like garden hose...

How do others fill their HLTs? I have am designing a gravity fed system, so the HLT will be about 2m off the ground. This means that I will have to fill it when up high, as it would be too heavy to lift... I can't fill it by pouring water from smaller vessels, as the clearance between the HLT and the roof is only about 10cm..

So the only way I can fill it is with a hose, and the nearest hose outlet is about 10m away... I don't particularly want to use 10m of silicone hose... But dont want garden hose-flavoured water in my HLT... What to do?

 

[razz]

I use the garden hose from my water tank. RDWAHAHB.

 

[Gulf]

I'm just setting myself up a similar system and have purchased some food contact reinforced PVC for this purpose. I got it through a contact in a wholesaler so 20m of it only cost me around $25.

 

[mossyrocks]

I use a garden hose from the hot water tap in laundry (suppose to be used for the washing machine) that way my HLT water doesn't take much heating to reach mash in temps (I use an over the side immersion element for heating).

Cheers,

mossy

 

[glaab]

Stratco have 10M lengths of food grade pvc hose, its labelled "drinking water hose"

 

[seemax]

Lead is used to make your average garden hose.

I've seen a few different brands of food grade PVC hoses available at all the regular places... much cheaper than silicone house. It's used commonly in caravans, etc.

 

[chappo1970]

I use a drinking water grade hose like the ones used for caravans. Light blue in colour. Doesn't taint the water at all.

 

[Greg Lawrence]

I fill cubes with hot water from the kitchen tap, then take them out to the garage and fill up my HLT.

 

[QldKev]

When you drink from the end of a garden hose, it tastes like garden hose...

How do others fill their HLTs? I have am designing a gravity fed system, so the HLT will be about 2m off the ground. This means that I will have to fill it when up high, as it would be too heavy to lift... I can't fill it by pouring water from smaller vessels, as the clearance between the HLT and the roof is only about 10cm..

So the only way I can fill it is with a hose, and the nearest hose outlet is about 10m away... I don't particularly want to use 10m of silicone hose... But dont want garden hose-flavoured water in my HLT... What to do?

either
invest in a food grade hose, the big green shed has them.
or get a decent 2 stage (or more) filter and mount it to your brew bench. Then use decent hose form the filter to the HLT.

QldKev

 

[technocat]

I use a good quality garden hose from tank water to fill my HLT which the inlet is two metres above the ground without any adverse effect. This is a dedicated hose for just this purpose after having a couple of infection problems due to my son using my brewery hose off a dam water tap. Needless to say our dam must be teeming with all sorts of bacteria not conducive to brewing and any hoses used off the dam taps for watering gardens and fruit trees are definitely banned from the brew shed.

:angry:

 

[Cortez The Killer]

I use the garden hose - it's your standard green one

I just run the water that's been sitting in the hose for a while down the drain and then fill the HLT

I also use it to fill my soda water keg and haven't picked up any funky flavours at all

I'd do a side by side test - ie water from hose vs water from tap without hose on and see if you can pick up anything

Cheers

 

[white.grant]

I have a nice old green hose that I use to fill the HLT etc. Have had no issues with it at all.

However, I recently purchased a new nylex garden hose - a nice long one (30m?) to reach the vegie patch and the back part of the garden. The off gasing from this is something else , no way I would every use it to fill up the dogs water bowl let alone my hlt. The water comes through the hose with a very obvious chemical odour and is very foamy (for want of a better word). I think it really depends on the hose and like CtK says, check it to be sure.

cheers

grant

 

[QldKev]

Most garden hoses are made of polyvinyl chloride, which uses lead as a stabilizer. Even if it tastes ok, then you still run the risk of lead poisoning. A small amount of lead will pass through your system, its only large doses short term that is the issue. If you do use your garden hose let it run for a while prior to using the water for the HLT.

A potable water hose / decent filtration system is not that dear compared to your health. It is your choice.


QldKev

 

[daemon]

Didn't realise there was lead in garden hoses, looks like I'll be upgrading soon. I do as a few others do and simply let the water run for a while (tank water). BCF have the hoses on special this week so it's probably good timing

I've been looking at filters for the water as well, I know it's a bit OT but what is recommended for tanks? Considering I boil the water and taste wise it's fine to drink I was thinking a basic sediment filter.

 

[Pumpy]

I use a drinking water grade hose like the ones used for caravans. Light blue in colour. Doesn't taint the water at all.

God what a hose snob!!!!

Can you pick them up from Bunnings ??

Pumpy

 

[Screwtop]

I use common garden variety hose to the water filter then food grade reinforced drinking water hose from the filter to the HLT.

Peice a piss this brewing caper eh!

Screwy

 

[Batz]

If you run the water out of the hose the next fresh lot of water doesn't taste like a garden hose.
Try it.

Batz

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I use common garden variety hose to the water filter then food grade reinforced drinking water hose from the filter to the HLT.

Peice a piss this brewing caper eh!

Screwy

What's it reinforced *with*?

I'll warrant that it isn't stainless steel...

I have black poly pipe from my concrete water storage via a collection of galvanised iron and brass into a blue caravan hose into a filter (sometimes, depending on how the world is treating me) into the brewing system. The water falls onto my roof into a galv gutter, through a white PVC downpipe into a galvanised iron tank. A petrol-powered pump pushes it up hill into storage. *gasp*

 

[Gavo]

What's it reinforced *with*?

I'll warrant that it isn't stainless steel...

I have black poly pipe from my concrete water storage via a collection of galvanised iron and brass into a blue caravan hose into a filter (sometimes, depending on how the world is treating me) into the brewing system. The water falls onto my roof into a galv gutter, through a white PVC downpipe into a galvanised iron tank. A petrol-powered pump pushes it up hill into storage. *gasp*

:lol:

Come to think of it, my water falls out of the sky onto the same roof that the birds poop on, down a into colourbond gutters, down PVC drainpipe into a poly tank. From there it goes through black poly pipe and copper pipe into a pressure pump that has a rubber diaphragm, back into more copper and poly pipe via various brass, poly and stainless fittings, then out a chromed brass tap. :huh: and thats before it goes into the cube to be carried out to the brewery.

But last time I brewed I just used the garden hose and flushed it out first. Caravanners, for a long time have been using garden hoses to fill their water tanks and they are still towing their caravans around the country-side.

A taste test will tell you what you need to know. If it tastes bad then don't use it. There will be chemicals you can't taste, but they probably won't kill you.

If you are worried about chemicals then don't breathe the air in your car, don't use an underground car park. By the way who uses food grade camp mat on top of their mash in order to keep the heat in their mash?

Just a rant.

Gavo.

 

[dr K]

The answer comes from simple observation. Take a length of the (Nylex?) blue food grade hose and a length of , well why not use Nylex again, garden hose, note how the green garden hose is easily wound around a reel, is far more pliable than the blue stuff?
I am going to state the obvious, garden hose has more plastcisers, possibly different as well than food grade. Will garden hose hurt you, well it aint got lead in it and its perfectly safe anyway. Will garden hose affect your beer?
Well depends on the beer I guess, in an otherwise clean beer it will, but it seems not important.
Me, I would opt silicon for flexibility and blue stuff for the rest.

K