Oh... so that's why that was black...

[TMG51]

On a few occasions I have glanced at the breather line to my water tank and wondered why the manufacturer used black fuel line hose for this location, as opposed to clear vinyl tubing like everywhere else.

That picture was taken after I removed the breather line. Because, on closer inspection, it isn't a black hose. It's clear vinyl that has turned solid black with mold.

I replaced the line as soon as I noticed, of course.

A couple weeks ago I became very sick all out of the blue. I had a fever for several days, bundled up shivering and sweating in the van in the SoCal sun, lungs and head filled with mucus. It was real work to leave then van even to buy groceries and it took almost two weeks for me to be confident I was getting over it. My left ear is still plugged with mucus and I can't hear out of it much. After noticing this black mold in my water system I'm wondering if that wasn't the cause of my illness.

I add bleach to my water tank when I fill it, because I get my water from a variety of sources and I can't be assured it's all potable. I don't drink it, I only use it for showering, dishes, and such. Still, there is a lot of opportunity for contact.

If there's a moral to the story I suppose it's to be suspicious of any part of your water system which 1) has the opportunity to become wet, and 2) does not stay submerged fully. A dark, semi-damp place is the perfect habitat for mold.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Sux you got sick...glad you're some better.

I found mold behind the water tank (under bed) in our moho where the tank had been sweating.
After cleaning, I installed 2 computer fans to circulate air for drying. Problem fixed.

 

[rvpopeye]

That's one nasty lookin' piece of tubing !
You have it out , half way to replacement , treat it with bleach before you put it in and overflow the treated tank to get the higher parts and fittings too.
Put extra bleach in and let it sit over night then drain and refill.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Black mold is very bad for health. This is a problem in many homes and makes the people sick that live in homes with it.

 

[TMG51]

That's one nasty lookin' piece of tubing !
You have it out , half way to replacement , treat it with bleach before you put it in and overflow the treated  tank to get the higher parts and fittings too.
Put extra bleach in and let it sit over night then drain and refill.

Yeah, I replaced it with a new piece of vinyl tubing.

I'm not really happy with the way the breather hose works in general. It is only just slightly higher than level with the water tank. That means that when I drive, if the tank is anywhere close to full, water is constantly sloshing out through the breather. It means I lose water and it means the breather tube becomes a moist stagnant environment.

It would make much more sense, to me, to have either a one-way vacuum relief valve for a breather, or to install a line that is vertical as opposed to horizontal. In both examples, no water would be lost and no water would be allowed to live in a nearly horizontal environment.

 

[GotSmart]

Yeah, I replaced it with a new piece of vinyl tubing.

I'm not really happy with the way the breather hose works in general. It is only just slightly higher than level with the water tank. That means that when I drive, if the tank is anywhere close to full, water is constantly sloshing out through the breather. It means I lose water and it means the breather tube becomes a moist stagnant environment.

It would make much more sense, to me, to have either a one-way vacuum relief valve for a breather, or to install a line that is vertical as opposed to horizontal. In both examples, no water would be lost and no water would be allowed to live in a nearly horizontal environment.

If you use PVC you can put an elbow and set up a breather cap.

 

[Konaexpress]

That tube sure looks bad but are you sure you didn't have food poisoning? I've had it once really bad and it put me on my but for about two weeks.

John

 

[Theadyn]

Eek!! Glad you checked it out, at least. Hope you're on the mend.

 

[LeeRevell]

Can you possibly reroute the breather tube to be vertical?

 

[Gigi]

*shudder* How awful, do glad you are feeling better.

Gigi

 

[jimindenver]

yucky ick

 

[rvpopeye]

If you can run it up about 4-6 inches above the tank , then down through the floor.
That should cure the "stagnant" effect you're having.
\Plus stop the cornering overflow too.

 

[highdesertranger]

glad you feel better. the breather should go up above the tank at least a couple of feet, should be set up so water doesn't sit in it. I installed a filter on mine to keep dust and bugs out. yes on the treating your tank every so often with bleach. I only fill mine with potable water. highdesertranger

 

[jimindenver]

We sanitize ours at the beginning of the season. I'll have to look at the breather when I am in there this spring.

 

[TMG51]

The water tank sits under one of my bench seats, and there's only about 2" between the top of the tank and the plywood cover. Not really enough to make a vertical arrangement without perhaps snaking a tube into the nearest wall or something. I've thought about it.

I've also thought about making a couple of rigid elbow joints in that vertical space, so that water can't really slosh out while driving and it would then drain into the tank. I might be able to do that in the space I have.

I've been giving it all thought.

I don't think I had food poisoning. No vomiting. Just about everything else instead.

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm better now except for the one mucus-clogged ear.

 

[66788]

I don't think vinyl is good for you either. If you use it for showering, your skin absorbs the nasty chemicals. The new plastics used in the PEX water line systems are a lot safer.

 

[TMG51]

I don't think vinyl is good for you either.   If you use it for showering, your skin absorbs the nasty chemicals.  The new plastics used in the PEX water line systems are a lot safer.

It's just to allow air to return to the tank. In theory, it doesn't hold water. It's just that water splashes back into it when driving.

 

[Canine]

This is why I don't drink fountain drinks. The kind that you place a paper cup under and press a lever and pop fills the cup then you put a plastic lid on it and a straw. Blech.