Freshwater line gummy

[snwbdr94]

I've been working on rehabbing an older sun lite TC and looking at the plumbing I noticed the 3/8 clear tubing line from the tank to sink is dark and gummy. I cut off a small section to test a strong bleach mix and I would say it removed 85% of the gunk but still left behind a pinkish slime in the clear tubing that wouldnt rinse out. If access was easier I would just replace the entire section but it looks as if it runs behind the refrigerator and under. The hole it runs through was sealed by some white hardened rubber preventing it from being pulled through. My guess is I will have to remove the refrigerator and replace the line but I'm hoping someone has another magical solution. Side notes, the 1.3gpm water pump was seized and water tank looked clean. I will bleach the tank to sanitize it.

[snwbdr94]

I appreciate all the input I received! It helped tremendously! I ended up running a new 1/2 PEX line. I knew deep down I wouldn't be happy with leaving the old lines in. Having fresh lines will give me a great peace of mind.

Ticki, you make a great point on cold weather camping. I don't do very much sub 40* camping so I'm not worried about the lines. If the forecast does show freezing temps, I will just bring a blue jug or sleep in the back of my Honda Fit for that trip.

[ticki2]

Unfortunately I am not familiar with that floor plan , where the line is coming from and going to . Regardless , if you plan to replace it I would strongly recommend rerouting to a better location if you plan to do any cold weather camping . The way it is it doesn't have much freeze protection .

[snwbdr94]

jimh425 wrote:
Take the camper off the truck and look at the bottom of the camper for access.

I wish I had access from underneath. When I first was looking into the hose issue, I was thinking I might have been able to gain access from below but pressing everywhere underneath is solid plywood. Definitely would have made this a breeze! I've had the camper off the truck for close to a month and just recently mounted it for the first time over the weekend.

Here is a photo from when I finished up the roof repair and mounted it back on. Sure was nice working inside the camper with out the roof!

[jimh406]

Take the camper off the truck and look at the bottom of the camper for access.

[snwbdr94]

I cut out a small section behind the frig. I apologize for the dust, didn't have the shop vac handy prior to taking photo. First image shows a group of wires and just next to it is the 3/8 dark "clear" tubing for the water. The more I think about it, the better off I am just replacing it and not waste time trying to fix it. Also you can see the rubber sealant they used to keep mice out. It isn't an easy task to remove. Just next to the wires I cut all but the part where it is secured on the bottom and it still wont break free.

As you can see there are not any accessible points. If the tubing won't pull from this area then I'll just poke another hole on the inside for the new tubing to route through. Should be able to blindly push new tubing in and use that new opening as a way to route under the sink.

Again, I am appreciative of every ones input so far. I have come to realize I'll just be wasting more time trying to clean tubing that should just be replaced in less time.

[coolmom42]

I second the idea of a brush, then liquid dishwasher detergent plus bleach, OR you could use a laundry detergent designed for high efficiency washers. Either one of those will be low suds. I would flush the mixture through, let it stand several hours, and then use the brush. Repeat as needed. Of course you want to flush several gallons of water through it before use.

If that doesn't get it, replace the line.

[Yeti_plus]

I have a wire brush designed for cleaning out the tube on a Platypus water reservoir that goes into my backpack and comes out to a bite valve on the shoulder strap of the backpack. I think it is about 2.5 or 3 feet long. You can buy the cleaning brush at REI or some other sports store that sells hiking gear. You could go from each end to the middle and then flush the tube out.
I also like the idea of liquid dishwasher machine soap. I have used this for cleaning many stubborn things.I used some in the black tank of the truck camper just after we got it.
It came from a rental fleet so tank flushing may not have been done properly. I had flushed the tank and thought all was good , but added some Cascade into the black tank, added 5 gallons of water and drove around for 2 or 3 days. The water that came out showed me that the tank was not rinsed during its rental days.
Could also try to simply reroute a new line from the pump to the tap.

[jimh406]

I would replace it for sure. Some campers have access to the bottom, and you wouldn't have to take out the existing tubing if it is attached in an inconvenient way.

[snwbdr94]

Dutchmen, the length would be approx. 5ft at max length. After I posted I was also thinking I should be able to find a wire brush with a good amount of length to it. I like the ideas. Figure brainstorming with a group is better than brainstorming by my self! 🙂

Ticki2, I agree that the best solution is to replace the tubing. I may be able to get to it with out removing the refrigerator. The back access isn't the issue, the two vents that are required from Dometic are there but there is a plywood base the refrigerator sits on top of. The drain tube has a hole cut out and when I feel around, there is a gap between the plywood base and the bottom plywood base the camper is frame on. In this gap there are a couple wires that are fed through along with this 3/8 tube. I have tried breaking apart the hard rubber seal in a different location and the easiest way will be to drill it. I could cut out a 2" hole above the current tube to see if I can't free it from the rubber seal.

Thanks for the tips so far, I'll keep it updated with what I end up doing. If anyone else has any suggestions, feel free to chime in! Likely will wait until the weekend to do the work. Lot's of hours have been put in to fixing this camper up. Thankfully it keeps snowing in MN so I don't have to feel bad about the hours I've put in!

[Photomike]

If you used bleach and it turned pink what you have done is killed what was in there BUT it is still in there just dead now. I would say either do not use as potable water or replace.

[ticki2]

It would be better to replace the tubing .Most campers have an outside louvered access door to the back of the frig . Do you not have one? Can you remove the hard rubber seal to free up the tube ? If you can , attach a string to the old tube before pulling it out to use as a pull line for the new tube .

[DutchmenSport]

It sound like the water line is not extremely long, especially being in a Truck Camper. So... any possibility of just running a semi-stiff bare wire through the pipe and let the wire break free the accumulated gunk? Kind of like running a cleaning rod down the barrel of a shot gut. In other words, snake it out? Perhaps the wire would break some of the gunk up, it might be enough to free up the remaining slime and it can be flushed out then. Maybe someone will come up with a better solution. This is just my initial thought and probably something I'd try first, before ripping the plumbing out and dismantling RV appliances.

Edit:
Another idea just hit me.

You know, automatic dish washing liquid cleans dishes, lime, water spots, grease and a bunch of gunk from dishes, right? Maybe a strong automatic dish washing liquid solution poured through the pipes and then a good flushing afterwards might clean it up too. Here again, it's worth an attempt before dismantling the camper.