Is it ok to use garden hose to supply HLT ?

[daddies-beer-factory]

I have been using the garden hose to supply the brewing liquor - as I brew in the shed, its quite a few trips with a bucket.
the wife questioned this today saying the water sits in the hose and breeds bacteria - I said the boil kills off anything bad.
I am now thinking about buying 12 metres of food grade hose ? but what do you think ?

[Eric]

I use 2x10 litre food safe buckets which are multipurpose and give me exercise.
You can rinse out the bacteria, not convince you will as easily remove that sort of, plastic taste?
Your choice.

[chastuck]

There is some thought that poly aromatics can be absorbed from a garden hose not specified as potable. I wouldn't have thought bacteria was a problem if the hose is used regularly. Bacteria needs sunlight as and hoses are generally too dark and dense to admit light. There's more chance of contaminant flavours if hot water is run through ordinary garden hose. Try an experiment - leave water in the hose overnight and run the water into a cup the next morning. Drink the water and see what you think. I bet you can taste something not wanted. This taste could get into your beer. I now use silicon hose for everything from washing beer equipment to CLT and HLT. I feel much happier knowing I'm keeping contaminants down as low as I possibly can.

[Belter]

I definitely wouldn't use it

[daddies-beer-factory]

There is some thought that poly aromatics can be absorbed from a garden hose not specified as potable. I wouldn't have thought bacteria was a problem if the hose is used regularly. Bacteria needs sunlight as and hoses are generally too dark and dense to admit light. There's more chance of contaminant flavours if hot water is run through ordinary garden hose. Try an experiment - leave water in the hose overnight and run the water into a cup the next morning. Drink the water and see what you think. I bet you can taste something not wanted. This taste could get into your beer. I now use silicon hose for everything from washing beer equipment to CLT and HLT. I feel much happier knowing I'm keeping contaminants down as low as I possibly can.

when the wife said it I tried a glass from the end of the hose (it had been sitting in the sun) - I could taste the plastic rubber taste, but I ran the hose a while - and the taste was gone . still thinking of not using this method anymore ! thanks

[barneey]

As a temp / more permanent set up could you not run some "blue" water pipe to the place of brewing? The same would apply by running water through it to flush out any old stuff, but at lease blue water pipe is designed for drinking water.

[Blackjack]

I use 6ft of garden hose in the brewhouse ( laundry) and simply flush it through with fresh water for a minute or so to clear plastic nasties and slimies.

[Andy]

I always use a hose to supply all by brewing water from an outside tap to the garage. I always flush the hose though with "fresh" water before connecting up to HLT etc and have had no problems.

[Scott_]

As above, I use a hose pipe to fill my HLT and don't have an issue, as long as you run fresh water through to get rid of the nasties.

[Kev888]

I've 'sometimes' used a garden hose. I flush it through for a while first though, because (as mentioned above), water can taste nasty if its been left sitting in the hose for any time. I can't say that I've been able to detect any problems then, but it demonstrates that flavours 'can' leach into the water under the wrong circumstances, and the combination of that and it freezing in winter lead me to dig a deep trench out to the garage and lay blue water pipe below the frost level.

Cheers
kev

[daddies-beer-factory]

Thanks to all,
Next brew day I will "proceed with caution" as they say, either flushing the hose through or other cleaner ways !

[TC2642]

I use a hose as well, don't bother flushing it, just let it run into my HLT and treat the water, anything likely to effect the taste will be boiled off anyway. No problem with taste, bacteria or anything else.

As said on here, if you are worried then run it through for a few seconds/minute to get rid of any stale water.

[far9410]

I would have thought that a full flush out, at least until water fresh from the tap comes through , is the least you would do. many of us have our tap water tested, how would this be different after a week or two standing in a plastic hose?