News & Advice

Nobody Wants a Dicky Tummy

There is nothing worse than getting a dicky tummy while you are away in your motorhome or caravan. But unfortunately, it is far from uncommon. So today we are going to discuss exactly what causes it and what you can do to prevent it.

What Causes It

The cause of most stomach upsets in motorhomes and caravans is the water system. Put simply, bacteria can build up in the system and you end up consuming it when you use the water. Surprisingly though, this doesn't mean you have to drink a large glass of water to be affected. Merely washing food or brushing your teeth in the water can be enough to make you ill.

The bacteria tends to build up most when water systems are left unused for a while. The longer the water system is left unused, the bigger the build up. It can take just two weeks for this to start to happen. So we aren't just talking about long winter periods of inactivity. The build up of bacteria can start any time through the season when your motorhome or caravan is inactive for a while.

Why It Is Difficult to Remove Bacteria From Your Water System

Unfortunately just draining your system won't remove the bacteria. The important thing here, is how you have the system purged. There are two important factors to consider:

The first is water that can be left in the system when you purge or drain it. As you can probably guess, water pipes in motorhomes and caravans tend to snake around a bit, and that means there are always low lying bends that retain some water even when you have drained your system.

The other thing to consider is the way that the bacteria clings to the insides of your pipes. It does this in blisters (Biofilms) which burst releasing bacteria and then they heal over again to produce more bacteria. This is a repeat cycle. I know - not a nice thought is it?

The Solution

The solution to the problem is to have your water system purged using specialist equipment. We recommend once a year to maintain an acceptable level of hygiene. What the equipment does is send a pressure pulse through your water system. This addresses the two issues we discussed above. It removes the bacteria blisters altogether and it drains the low lying water traps leaving your system bacteria free.

Want to see the results? Here is a sample of the water purged from a modern, regularly used motorhome just this week.

Pretty grim!

The Science

I know the pictures tell you all you need to know, but actually, this is all backed up with science and an independent report from the University of Ulster. The report concludes that using our specialist equipment "...ensures the reduction of the microbial load by over 99% which would be of great health benefit to users."

Half Price Antibacterial Flush

One last thing to mention. If you get your antibacterial water flush done at the same time as your habitation check or caravan service, we will do it for half price. Click on price list for more information.