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Dingus Khan
06-28-2008, 08:33
there has been some talk about preventing tube funk/bacterial growth by covering up the exposed part with webbing/spandex/etc.
my question/thought is if one was to use a chemical purifier to sterilize the water, wouldn't it also sterilize the container in which the water was kept?

i use a bladder for storage with a gatorade bottle for drinking out of, being careful not to cross contaminate, and use aqua mira. i have a filter, just ditched it because of weight and hassle. during these hot months where drinking is more frequent i have gone back to using the tube system on my bladder for day hikes.

so whats the verdict? anyone use aqua mira and still have the slimey stuff in their tube?

Survivor Dave
06-28-2008, 09:06
there has been some talk about preventing tube funk/bacterial growth by covering up the exposed part with webbing/spandex/etc.
my question/thought is if one was to use a chemical purifier to sterilize the water, wouldn't it also sterilize the container in which the water was kept?

i use a bladder for storage with a gatorade bottle for drinking out of, being careful not to cross contaminate, and use aqua mira. i have a filter, just ditched it because of weight and hassle. during these hot months where drinking is more frequent i have gone back to using the tube system on my bladder for day hikes.

so whats the verdict? anyone use aqua mira and still have the slimey stuff in their tube?


After each trip, I use about 5-6 anti-bacterial denture cleaning tablets mixed with water and let it sit overnight. I remove the mouthpiece and soak it in a bowl of HOT water with a couple more tablets. Seems to work fine. The bladder needs to be scrubbed with bottle brush as well.

SD

JERMM
06-28-2008, 09:14
SD- I do a similar treatment after each trip and on long trips I carry a small bottle of bleach, mix a few drops with water pour in the bladder, slosh around for a few minutes and drain out through the drink tube and rinse.

Lyle
06-28-2008, 09:53
I usually just empty the bladder after the trip. If it's a long time before I get out again, I disassemble and let everything soak in moderate bleach water for a while, then rinse well. Not sure if this is recommended by the manufacturer's, but I've never had a problem with funk.

Dingus Khan
06-28-2008, 10:05
thanks guys - i use the bleach solution as well and store the combo in the freezer when not in use.
has anyone noticed the drops preventing the funk though? i am looking for a solution for on-trail maintenance/prevention for longer trips. otherwise im just going to ditch the tube and go back to bottle feeding :)

Pedaling Fool
06-28-2008, 10:28
thanks guys - i use the bleach solution as well and store the combo in the freezer when not in use.
has anyone noticed the drops preventing the funk though? i am looking for a solution for on-trail maintenance/prevention for longer trips. otherwise im just going to ditch the tube and go back to bottle feeding :)
Make sure you only use plain bleach, not that scented stuff.

I never cleaned my platy during my thru, never an issue, but I did make sure that fluid never sat in there for an extended period of time, even on zero days I would air it out.

TFin04
06-28-2008, 10:35
Plain bleach and hot water in the bladder (about half full) making sure to squeeze some through the tube and mouthpiece. Get all the air out first.

Slosh around and let sit a few hours, sometimes overnight. Rinse with clean tap water being sure to put fresh water through the tube. Roll up and secure with a rubber band, then store in the freezer. The freezer is cold enough that bacteria wont grow. Fill up for next trip and I'm off.

Works great.

take-a-knee
06-28-2008, 11:34
I used to have problems with camelback bladders/tubes growing funk, since I converted to platypus bladders/tubes I've not had a problem. I just rinse them with hot tap water and hang them up until they are completely dry. An antiseptic bleach solution sounds like a good idea, I've used that to clean up really funky GI canteens and it worked great.

Also, in my experience if you put anything containing sugar into anything other than a nalgene or a gatorade bottle you just screwed it up.

rafe
06-28-2008, 11:45
Also, in my experience if you put anything containing sugar into anything other than a nalgene or a gatorade bottle you just screwed it up.

Sweetened water will kill Nalgene as well, if it's left for too long.

Cool AT Breeze
06-28-2008, 12:41
I used Aqumira and still had growth in the tube.

Lyle
06-28-2008, 12:44
thanks guys - i use the bleach solution as well and store the combo in the freezer when not in use.
has anyone noticed the drops preventing the funk though? i am looking for a solution for on-trail maintenance/prevention for longer trips. otherwise im just going to ditch the tube and go back to bottle feeding :)

Just use the bleach water on a zero. Bleach is cheap.

Bearpaw88
06-28-2008, 14:04
thanks guys - i use the bleach solution as well and store the combo in the freezer when not in use.
has anyone noticed the drops preventing the funk though? i am looking for a solution for on-trail maintenance/prevention for longer trips. otherwise im just going to ditch the tube and go back to bottle feeding :)

I used aquamira for 2 months and never had any growth in my tube. I did get funk in my nalgene from drop treated water. I not sure if aquamira alone will always keep the funk out but it seemed to work for me.

angewrite
06-28-2008, 15:08
Every so often when I hit a town (not every time, maybe once a month) I rinsed my Nalgenes and Camelback with bleach water to kill anything funky. Don't forget to wash the cap and the threads of the Nalgene.

Wise Old Owl
07-08-2008, 12:00
Walmart carries a cheap cleaning brush kit, when the black bactieria builds up no chemical is going to get rid of it, you have to brush the tube. If you can't get a brush I found I can take a wire hanger & bend a small loop over a piece of tissue paper and ram it down the tube. - gets it every time.

Bare Bear
07-08-2008, 20:27
Another reason not to use those tubed screwups.
I have never had one that didn't eventually screw up/leak. Gatorade bottles let you see how much water you have left. Free with a cool drink purchase. Never keep em long enough to see them get funk.

Bear Cables
07-08-2008, 20:48
I used to have problems with camelback bladders/tubes growing funk, since I converted to platypus bladders/tubes I've not had a problem. I just rinse them with hot tap water and hang them up until they are completely dry. An antiseptic bleach solution sounds like a good idea, I've used that to clean up really funky GI canteens and it worked great.

Also, in my experience if you put anything containing sugar into anything other than a nalgene or a gatorade bottle you just screwed it up.

I too have had the scummy problem with a camelback but never with the platypus. I do clean after hike with denture cleaner and use aquamir on the trail.

Narwhalin
07-08-2008, 21:02
Another reason not to use those tubed screwups.
I have never had one that didn't eventually screw up/leak. Gatorade bottles let you see how much water you have left. Free with a cool drink purchase. Never keep em long enough to see them get funk.

Also the first drink isn't warm, as it always is out of a tube system...

Wise Old Owl
07-09-2008, 23:25
Try to avoid the Undrinkium....

Newb
07-10-2008, 07:41
That scum tastes great on a cracker.

Nomad94
07-10-2008, 07:55
That scum tastes great on a cracker.

If you put it on some agar you can have a good source of spreadable goodness for weeks. Plus, it presents an excellent opportunity to share your culture with others.

I use peroxide for cleaning toothbrush, mouthpiece, hoses. No bladder, the hose goes to a bottle. Peroxide turns to plain h20 w/i a day...

Hooch
07-10-2008, 22:21
there has been some talk about preventing tube funk/bacterial growth by covering up the exposed part with webbing/spandex/etc.
my question/thought is if one was to use a chemical purifier to sterilize the water, wouldn't it also sterilize the container in which the water was kept?

i use a bladder for storage with a gatorade bottle for drinking out of, being careful not to cross contaminate, and use aqua mira. i have a filter, just ditched it because of weight and hassle. during these hot months where drinking is more frequent i have gone back to using the tube system on my bladder for day hikes.

so whats the verdict? anyone use aqua mira and still have the slimey stuff in their tube? Good question with a buncha good answers. First, thought, don't confuse sanitizing water for sterilizing water. When you treat it or filter it, you're sanitizing it, not sterilizing it. Trust me, there's a big difference. Putting a cover on the tube won't deter the growth of funk in it and will actually encourage bacterial growth. Bacteria like warm, dark places to grow, so that would give them what they want to multiply. When you're done using a hydration bladder, empty its contents and scrub the entire thing, including the drinking hose with soap and water. A little bit of dilute bleach won't hurt anything either, just as others have said. Rinse it thoroughly and wrap it up with a rubber band and tuck in the freezer. In the freezer, it's too cold for bacteria and other funk that can make your hydration bladder a pretty nasty place to grow, so this will keep it nice and clean for the next use.

tight-wad
07-10-2008, 23:34
My "daily" exercise regimen is a 1 hour hike in the park near my house in Bham, Al. Many miles of trails very similar to the AT. I always carry a daypack with 10, 20, or 30 pound weights, and a 2 liter bladder with sipping tube. The current bladder and tube are probably 3 years old (?). I don't remember ever cleaning it. All it has ever had is water from the tap. I have never added any flavorings, etal, to the water in the bladder, and it doesn't have any gunk.

Bob S
07-11-2008, 00:23
How hard would it be to run a cleaning rod or string down the tube to clean out any hard deposits? Then once cleaned this way use the bleach mixture. A string (510 cord) with a weight on one end to get the cord to fall through the tube and a cloth swab tied on the other pulled through would go a long way to removing a lot of funk. Like the cloth gun cleaning kits, I would think this would be easy to do.

Hooch
07-11-2008, 15:14
How hard would it be to run a cleaning rod or string down the tube to clean out any hard deposits.........? Camelbak actually makes a brush set (http://www.rei.com/product/753377) that includes a brush specifically made to clean out the inside of the drinking tube of your hydration bladder. I use it and it works well for me keeping my tube funk free. :D

Walmats brush is 1/2 the cost of Camelbuk.

Wise Old Owl
07-11-2008, 20:27
How hard would it be to run a cleaning rod or string down the tube to clean out any hard deposits? Then once cleaned this way use the bleach mixture. A string (510 cord) with a weight on one end to get the cord to fall through the tube and a cloth swab tied on the other pulled through would go a long way to removing a lot of funk. Like the cloth gun cleaning kits, I would think this would be easy to do.


No weight required a gun cleaning tool or a clothes hanger wrapped with a piece of tissue will work. just do not scratch it.

Wise Old Owl
07-11-2008, 20:38
Another reason not to use those tubed screwups.
I have never had one that didn't eventually screw up/leak. Gatorade bottles let you see how much water you have left. Free with a cool drink purchase. Never keep em long enough to see them get funk.

I switched and will never go back, However you are on the right track, I still hang on to a empty G bottle for three reasons.

1. Making speggetti with boiling water in a cozy.
2. Drinking sugar drinks or mixing powder drinks
3. Not having to leave the tent in winter.....:D

Wags
07-12-2008, 10:20
i just taped a 1"x4" piece of cloth to the end of a coat hanger and scrubbed that way.

Monkeyboy
07-13-2008, 21:35
I use a snake-type brush used for cleaning trumpets to clean the funk out of the hydration tube.

You can get one at any music store.

honkydory
07-16-2008, 12:03
How hard can it be? A teaspoon baking soda, three drops of bleach and some massage - rinse - done! ;)

Wise Old Owl
07-20-2008, 12:59
Another reason not to use those tubed screwups.
I have never had one that didn't eventually screw up/leak.

I find them far more practical, light weight and convienent. Just because they get funky means you have to clean them, that only takes five minutes. I have only blown one into a leak and that was because I lost the washer on the screw cap.

There is nothing like loading it with ice and water and putting it on your back and not having to take the pack off for a drink.