Dirty tubes - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

The tube and bite valve on my hydration bladder look awful. I used it on my section hike this June and then pulled it out for a weekend hike this weekend and it looked full of little “germ cities” inside, and was cloudy and dark looking. I tried to clean it with soapy water but that didn’t work. I filled the tube with water and put in iodine water treatment (Polar Pure) and let it sit for about an hour. It still looked as bad, but I hope the critters in there were killed. I used it anyway. Am I gonna die??!!! Does anyone know if they will sell me a new tube, or is this one ok to keep using? Anyone know how to clean the tube or is that normal for them to look like that. thanks.

davepaumen

#2

I usually soak in a bleach/water solution every few days–and the bladder too. Then run all the water out through the bite valve and rinse thoroughly–mine is very clean after 3 years of hard use. You can pull the bite valve off the tube and soak it separately if you need to.

CeCe

#3

Concur with CeCe.

gg

#4

I’ve heard of people getting sick from them. So like CeCe said you need to maintain them properly. Her solution is great, you just need to remember to do it. The bleach can also be used for treating water, 2 drops per liter or quart, you can ever to 4 drop per quart to definately kill all the little critters in the water. Wait 30 minutes and then pop a Vitamin C pill in the water----removes the chlorine (bleach) taste. It actually turns the Chlorine chemically to something else. Tastes just like good tap water. Also use the Vitamin C pills for iodine treated water. Not only does it remove the iodine taste, it also removes the brownish iodine color of the water. Hydration bladder systems are great, but require some regular maintenance. :cheers

Maintain

#5

for getting the smell out of bladders, get some denture cleaning tablets, pop 2 into the bladder, fill with warm-hot water. let it sit overnight… wash out with cold water.

i do this with my camelbak every couple of months. no aftertaste, no smell from the bladder. best way to keep it clean and fresh.

Bloody Cactus

#6

Keeping bladders and tubes clean can be a problem for long distance hikers. It’s a good reason to use a hard bottle like Nalgene.

Peaks

#7

Also found that if you don’t put anything in your water (gatorade, etc.) the problem is almost completely avoidable. I carry a 1/2 liter nalgene for non-water drinks.

Susan

#8

Susan’s point about the sugar is a good one–bacteria love it. Also, letting the bladder and tube sit in the sun will help sterilize them between washings; of course, this year…

CeCe

#9

If your worried about it, just buy some new tubing at your local hardware store. You should be able to get some for less than a couple dollars.

Nooga

#10

I think the correct solution for the chlorine-type bleach is 2 teaspoons to a quart of water. CeCe can probably corroborate. I love the Platypus bottles, but only use water in them. I keep a Nalgene to drink out of so I don’t spill water down my neck…:eek:

P.S. A satisfactory way to dry out tubes is to thread them over an antenna, if you have one. Just remember to be patient. Does the ascorbic acid really work on bleach too? I’ll give it a try. Thanks for the information. :tongue

Lady Di

#11

The way that I clean my tube on trail and at home is to pull some cotton thru it. Here’s how I do it : First I take my dental floss and cut off a piece plently long enough to go thru the tube and then plus a good amount more. Then I remove the tube from the blatter, and remove the bite valve. Then I “suck” the dental floss through the tube, basically feeding the dental floss in through one end as I suck hard on the other. This works best when the tube is dry(er). Once I have the floss threaded through the tube, I tie the floss around part of a cotton ball (we don’t actually carry these hiking. I won’t tell you want I do use, but it belongs to my wife’s toiletry kit ;). Tie it at the center of the blob of cotton. Then pulls the floss back through the tube, dragging the cotton behind. This will pull all the nasty black stuff out. You will be amazed at how NASTY it is. Even a tube that looks clean. This is the “biofilm” that people talk about that resists treatment. Do this until you don’t get any nasty black stuff on the cotton after pulling it through.

I use q-tips to clean out the inside of the bite valve.

Bleach leaves the blatter tasting nasty. We did that with one of ours and even after years of use it still tastes like bleach.

Yes, sugar drinks make it much worse. We use our blatters for water and an old gatorade bottle for sugar drinks with our MSR blatters. We find the MSR blatters absorb oders really fast, and hold them for EVER! Our camelbaks seem not to absorb the oder. Never used them on a long distance hike though.

Gravity Man

Gravity Man

#12

I use regular dish washing machine detergent for my platty and tube. The stuff is designed to clean the things we eat and drink out of, so it works great for actually cleaning out any gunky buildup without having to scrub. It also has bleach in it to sanitize. I just put a teaspoon or so in the bladder and add hot water, shake well and let for 10 min or so, making sure the tube gets filled too. I then let it drain out of the tube then rinse a few times. If you use a powdered detergent like Cascade, you may want to let it dissolve in a cup first, but I haven’t had any problem getting it all out. :nerd

-Cobra

Cobra Commander

#13

I used the bleach solution, the cascade dish washing idea, and the dental floss and cotton ball technique, and my tube is clean as new. Thanks to everyone for the advice. It worked for me. dave

davepaumen