PVC for carrying water, Food Grade?

[BigRed]

Good morning everyone,

Just thought I'd pop through for a little advice. I'm rigging up a bit of a water carrying setup at the moment, and have a question about the materials to use. Usually when I travel I'm only away from towns for no more than four - five days at a time (even if just passing through), but I've got a trip coming up in a few weeks where I'll be heading back to the South Australian outback but for about a month this time. For the shorter stretches I can cope with just carry a plastic jerry in the car, but I'd love to have it external to give me a bit more room (I sleep in the back of my old 4Runner, with my dog, so space can be a premium).

My plan is to use a couple lengths (1M+) of 150mm PVC tube, I'm going to rig them up in place of my running boards, so one on each side. I've drawn up a rough stretch and think it should work pretty well (considering painting one black so it'll heat up nicely in the sun ), but I'm just wondering about whether regular old grey PVC tubing, ie, from Bunnings, is suitable for carrying drinking water? I've heard talk of 'Food Grade' PVC, would it be safe to carry water in regular PVC, or is there a danger of chemicals leeching out etc?

Thanks for the advice guys, appreciate it!

 

[bmurray2250]

Plumbing pipe should be AOK for this purpose but check with a plumber or supplier first. Have seen this used many times on trailers, trucks and 4by's

 

[teza h]

Big red,when you say "running boards" do you meen along the sills? If so I would be very concerned about damage from flying stones or bottoming out and loosing pesious water.

 

[BigRed]

G'day Teza, I had similar concerns, so am looking at different ways of protecting them. I guess ideally this sort of thing would be stuck up on your roof racks, but, well, I don't have any! I like to travel light (I consider myself a backpacker on wheels ), I camp from the vehicle, and basically only carry my essential camping gear, not much luxiry going on here. I'm a photographer, so my equipment takes up a fair chunk of space, but even still, I think I travel fairly light. Having 30-50 litres worth of extra room inside on this trip is going to be heaven!

 

[bmurray2250]

Mount up under the floor pan would work but you need to drill holes to mount it. Malcolm Douglas have a demountable PVC pipe carrying water on the bull bar. Which may be ok in the area he travels but not legal on any road. The big thing you could do is create a false floor and have the water under that.

Here some site for ideas
Opposite Lock :: Everything 4x4
http://www.Kampers.com.au/4WD_Water_Tanks

 

[teza h]

YEH! Big red I'm hearing you on the space issue,but I'm thinking, for the amount of work to fit em under the sills, would'nt it be just as eazy to do the racks. Maybe look at your local car boot markets, I'v seen heaps of racks at mine for realy cheep.

 

[Grey Ghost]

Go for the roof racks, less chance of damage up there and if you use elbow fittings you can get a loop of pipe which will give you even more storage space. And also double check the pipe you are using, to be sure lead etc won't leech into the water.

 

[Silver_Bruiser]

Hi big Red
I used to have an old 60 series and it had an old caravan type plastic tank fitted under her with a piece of board under to protect it even had the caravan hand pump set up on the rear bar along side the filler. worked well, if only I had the room
Most PVC plumbing is suitable as food grade even the purple stuff but its that colour to stop plumbers from connecting to drinking supply. sewer size pipe is heavier grade (thicker walls) and still useable for drinking water......as long as no one does anything else in it of course

 

[olcoolone]

Forget about carry drinking water in plastic, metal or what ever containers, OK for general water.

We take 10Lt disposable spring water casks bought from a supermarket with us on trips.

When you are miles away from any medical help the last thing you want is to get sick from bad water....and it does happen, the pre packaged stuff is safer and you are drinking out of a different cask every couple of days lowering your chances again of picking up a bug plus as a added bonus you can burn the disposable cartons on the fire (make sure you pick up the remains).

Another advantage is if you do spring a leak your not going to loose all your water in one go.

We carry general water in plastic 20lt. jerry cans and also in the tank on our camper.

Try not to carry water on the roof, remember 50Lt's of water is 50KG (plus roof rack plus what ever else) and most roofs have a low weight carrying capacity.

We have 1Lt. bottles that we carry in the car for drinking (two in the front for both of us and another two in the fridge) this way we can also monitor our water consumption.

Pack wisely and you will have plenty of room.

 

[Jake89z]

So is sewer 100diameter suitable for drinking??
I still get the plastic taste out of mine (so I don't swallow the water yet)
And I also glued mine (possible mistake)?

 

[Chatty]

So is sewer 100diameter suitable for drinking??
I still get the plastic taste out of mine (so I don't swallow the water yet)
And I also glued mine (possible mistake)?

I wouldn't be using sewer grade as it's not made for potable (drinking) water and it's also not pressure rated. You may also run into UV breakdown problems with it, but I've seen lots on roof racks that seem to last.
If it was my choice and you want to go the "pipe" route, I would be looking at using stainless steel down pipe material. Caps could be glued or welded on and nothing will leach out of stainless. But it's also hard to get.

 

[Albynsw]

It is not food grade plastic......it is made to carry shit The glue is not going to help either
I have one as well but only use it to wash hands etc. and use proper foodsafe containers for potable water

 

[Gavo]

I think you will find its the pipe schedule that changes (thickness) not the material in standard PVC pipe, especially when comparing sewer to pressure pipe.

There are a few different glues, and yep you'll probably get a plastic taste, just like a jerry when its new.

A good wash out with bi-carb soda usually ditches the taste. Do that a few times and you will be sweet. Or have a crack at adding a few drops of vanilla essence. I've heard that works well.

I have a 6" Sewer pipe setup painted black that I use on roof rack for warm for showers, I've drank it, didn't die. However, take into account PVC water tanks are expensive to make in comparison to buying some designated water jerry cans.

 

[Toddyh]

Issue could also be what you are filling the pipe with. A garden hose gives horrible plastic taste. Food grade hose improves it but doesn't fix completely.
I used bicarb soda in the plastic tank of the camper trailer. It helped a bit.

 

[Chatty]

I think you will find its the pipe schedule that changes (thickness) not the material in standard PVC pipe, especially when comparing sewer to pressure pipe.

The manufacturers won't warrant sewer pipe for use in potable water installations as the PVC material in sewer pipe is allowed to contain contaminants that aren't allowed in drinking water pipe. Whether it actually does contain the contaminants (like lead) is another question - it may be the same material as drinking water pipe, it may be sourced from somewhere else - it's all luck of the draw.
Personally I wouldn't risk it - if the water is going to be sitting in there for a while (as it will if the pipe is used as a tank) and especially if it is going to be getting warm (as it will if attached to a roof rack) then you could get contaminated water.

 

[Jake89z]

Sounds like I've mucked up and will have to have another go, thanks for the help guys

I've heard from a few forums that pretty much any pvc pipe isn't good for drinking.

Good forum