Water Bladder TCP Taste

On 17 Apr 2007 00:40:47 -0700, toad <[email hidden]> wrote:

|!I've bought a 5L water bladder.
|!
|!Presumably they've treated it with something because any water coming
|!out of it tastes strongly of TCP. Which is sub optimal because it's
|!undrinkable even in coffee.
|!
|!What can I use to clean it out? A large number of filling-emptying
|!cycles with water has done nothing at all to help.

Take it back to where you bought it and demand your money back.
If they try to fob you off with a replacement, fill it with water in the
shop and demonstrate the problem to the manager.
--
Dave Fawthrop <sf hyphenologist.co.uk> 165 *Free* SF ebooks.
165 Sci Fi books on CDROM, from Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page Completely Free to any
address in the UK. Contact me on the *above* email address.

On 17 Apr, 08:47, Dave Fawthrop <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

On 17 Apr 2007 00:40:47 -0700, toad <[email hidden]> wrote:

|!I've bought a 5L water bladder.
|!
|!Presumably they've treated it with something because any water coming
|!out of it tastes strongly of TCP. Which is sub optimal because it's
|!undrinkable even in coffee.
|!
|!What can I use to clean it out? A large number of filling-emptying
|!cycles with water has done nothing at all to help.

Take it back to where you bought it and demand your money back.
If they try to fob you off with a replacement, fill it with water in the
shop and demonstrate the problem to the manager.

Ok, so it is a fault rather than a common feature with a known
solution. Thanks.

toad wrote

Quoted message said:

Ok, so it is a fault rather than a common feature with a known
solution. Thanks.

My camelback had a tainted flavour for a while after
I bought it. I found that hanging it somewhere warm with
the screwcap off helped drive off the taint after a while
although whether it would have done this anyway is
anyone's guess. I just tried to encourage whatever
natural evaporation process was already going on.

Chris

toad said:

Ok, so it is a fault rather than a common feature with a known
solution.

Tricky to say... "water bladder" covers a lot of possible bases. If
it's a Platypus I'd say it's something amiss, because none of the
several I've ever used has tasted of TCP, but different bladders are
made of different things in different ways.
What sort is it, so people can say "mine did[n't] do that"?

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In message <[email hidden]>, toad
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I've bought a 5L water bladder.

Presumably they've treated it with something because any water coming
out of it tastes strongly of TCP. Which is sub optimal because it's
undrinkable even in coffee.

What can I use to clean it out? A large number of filling-emptying
cycles with water has done nothing at all to help.

TIA.

Platypus:

"HOW DO I CLEAN MY PLATYPUS?
Use hot, soapy water and rinse thoroughly with hot water. For tough
cleaning jobs, add 1/4 cup of baking soda to 3/4 cup of water (double
for Platypus 2) and shake for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice, shake
10 seconds, and vent by loosening cap away from face. Repeat shaking and
venting three times. Expel as much air as possible, cap bottle, and
allow to soak 20 minutes. Rinse three times with hot water. Caution:
When adding lemon juice to baking soda, effervescence occurs and will
cause pressure to build in a capped Platypus."

Camelbak:

"Sorry to learn of your unpleasant experiences with your new CamelBak.
The taste you are getting is from the tubing, not the reservoir itself.
I have a couple of tricks for you to try to alleviate that nasty taste.

Step 1- Try soaking the interior of your reservoir in a sugar/water
solution. Use 1/2 cup sugar to a full reservoir of water. Make sure to
release the bite valve & get this solution into the tubing. Let this
soak overnight. In the morning, let all the solution drain out via the
hose & bite valve. Rinse very well with warm water and take a taste
test. If you still notice any rubbery/plastic taste, proceed to Step II.

Step 11- Use a limejuice & water soak. Use 3-5 tablespoons of
concentrated limejuice to a full reservoir of water. Again, make sure
this gets into the tubing, and let soak over night. Let the soak drain
thru tubing, rinse well with warm water & have a taste test. "

Regards,
--
Neil Pugh

Neil Pugh said:

In message <[email hidden]>, toad
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I've bought a 5L water bladder.

Presumably they've treated it with something because any water coming
out of it tastes strongly of TCP. Which is sub optimal because it's
undrinkable even in coffee.

What can I use to clean it out? A large number of filling-emptying
cycles with water has done nothing at all to help.

TIA.

Platypus:

"HOW DO I CLEAN MY PLATYPUS?
Use hot, soapy water and rinse thoroughly with hot water. For tough
cleaning jobs, add 1/4 cup of baking soda to 3/4 cup of water (double
for Platypus 2) and shake for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice, shake
10 seconds, and vent by loosening cap away from face. Repeat shaking and
venting three times. Expel as much air as possible, cap bottle, and
allow to soak 20 minutes. Rinse three times with hot water. Caution:
When adding lemon juice to baking soda, effervescence occurs and will
cause pressure to build in a capped Platypus."

Camelbak:

"Sorry to learn of your unpleasant experiences with your new CamelBak.
The taste you are getting is from the tubing, not the reservoir itself.
I have a couple of tricks for you to try to alleviate that nasty taste.

Step 1- Try soaking the interior of your reservoir in a sugar/water
solution. Use 1/2 cup sugar to a full reservoir of water. Make sure to
release the bite valve & get this solution into the tubing. Let this
soak overnight. In the morning, let all the solution drain out via the
hose & bite valve. Rinse very well with warm water and take a taste
test. If you still notice any rubbery/plastic taste, proceed to Step II.

Step 11- Use a limejuice & water soak. Use 3-5 tablespoons of
concentrated limejuice to a full reservoir of water. Again, make sure
this gets into the tubing, and let soak over night. Let the soak drain
thru tubing, rinse well with warm water & have a taste test. "

Regards,

When I had a boat I found any taste pollution could be cleared by using
a solution of Bicarbonate of Soda, a good shake then fill right up and
leave for 24 hours.

toad said:

Quoted message said:

|!Presumably they've treated it with something because any water coming
|!out of it tastes strongly of TCP. Which is sub optimal because it's
|!undrinkable even in coffee.

Quoted message said:

Ok, so it is a fault rather than a common feature with a known
solution. Thanks.

No - I've had the same! I've always used a SIG bottle, but as everyone
seems to be using a bladder and tube, I thought I'd give one a try. I
bought a Platypus and drinking tube and had the same vile taste as you.
It seems to be something to do with the tube or tube fitments. I've
tried rinsing and flushing the tube with bicarb solution to no effect
(Tip: Sodium Bicarbonate is more soluble in _cold_ water, than hot!).

I've given up and gone back to the unfashionable SIG bottle. The other
thing with a bladder is that it's difficult to fill from a burn.

Jim Ford

Jim Ford said:

I've given up and gone back to the unfashionable SIG bottle. The other
thing with a bladder is that it's difficult to fill from a burn.

The wide-mouth ones like Camelbaks and Platypus Big Zips get around the
filling problem, but if you're finding the taste nasty then probably
best avoided.

I've abandoned Siggs simply because IME they're no better than pop
bottles, weigh more, suffer from denting over time, come in fewer sizes
and are an insane amount of money as opposed to basically free (though
if, like me, you'd already been daft enough to buy one then the cost is
no longer an issue). Describing them as "unfashionable" seems to be
rather at odds with their ever-increasing prominence in outdoor shops!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Jim Ford said:

I've given up and gone back to the unfashionable SIG bottle. The other
thing with a bladder is that it's difficult to fill from a burn.

The wide-mouth ones like Camelbaks and Platypus Big Zips get around the
filling problem, but if you're finding the taste nasty then probably
best avoided.

I've abandoned Siggs simply because IME they're no better than pop
bottles, weigh more, suffer from denting over time, come in fewer sizes
and are an insane amount of money as opposed to basically free (though
if, like me, you'd already been daft enough to buy one then the cost is
no longer an issue). Describing them as "unfashionable" seems to be
rather at odds with their ever-increasing prominence in outdoor shops!

My Sigg bottle must be over 26 years old. It is now fashionably
dented and has lost about 1/2 of its original paint (I can recall
floating it downstream in the early days to promote the weathered
look, much as one used to abuse denims as fast as possible to avoid
having ones mates laugh uproariously at the ironed dark-blue look).
The stopper has never been replaced. It still fits neatly into the
side pockets of all my rucksacks.

It is a trusted friend - I treat it with no care whatsoever and it
doesn't let me down. I doubt one could say the same for plastic
bottles. Its mate is a cheap plastic equivalent which has replaced an
earlier model whose screw-top broke, on a hot day.

But I am looking at buying a Camelbak reservoir as it is a pain to
have to stop and remove a sack in order to have a drink.

Peter Clinch said:

I've abandoned Siggs simply because IME they're no better than pop
bottles, weigh more, suffer from denting over time, come in fewer sizes

I think that sums it up. I'm fast coming to the conclusion that a
couple of 2L pop bottles are the best water carrying/storage medium.
You can fold them flat when empty, and the storage capacity is better
than the sigg.

However I really want to use this bladder because there's a specific
place I go where the tap is a bugger to get to with a bottle of any
kind.

I still use a sigg for meths & of course the one big advantage to
siggs is that they look pretty cool! (and IMHO look even better with a
good few dents!)

John Laird said:

But I am looking at buying a Camelbak reservoir as it is a pain to
have to stop and remove a sack in order to have a drink.

I'd have thought it wouldn't be beyond the wit of man to keep a bottle
somewhere you can get at it with the pack on. For me the big advantage
is you can fold a bladder flat when it's empty. (As of this weekend
I've realized a secondary, and surprisingly important factor is that
you can fill a bladder from an awkward tap.)

John Laird said:

My Sigg bottle must be over 26 years old. It is now fashionably
dented and has lost about 1/2 of its original paint (I can recall
floating it downstream in the early days to promote the weathered
look, much as one used to abuse denims as fast as possible to avoid
having ones mates laugh uproariously at the ironed dark-blue look).

My 1 litre one started leaking after about 12 years. Though I say 1
litre, it had dented enough to be nearer 800 ml by the time it died. I
didn't replace it.

Quoted message said:

It is a trusted friend - I treat it with no care whatsoever and it
doesn't let me down. I doubt one could say the same for plastic
bottles.

My Sigg did ultimately let me down. While I wouldn't expect a pop
bottle to last 26 years, or even 12, the fact that you can get a new one
basically free any time makes that a moot point. Pop bottles are still
incredibly strong, though I still like Siggs for fuel because fuel
spills can be most unpleasant, as opposed to a minor inconvenience.

Quoted message said:

But I am looking at buying a Camelbak reservoir as it is a pain to
have to stop and remove a sack in order to have a drink.

Get a bottle holster for the belt.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In message <[email hidden]>

John Laird said:

Peter Clinch said:

Jim Ford said:

I've given up and gone back to the unfashionable SIG bottle. The other
thing with a bladder is that it's difficult to fill from a burn.

The wide-mouth ones like Camelbaks and Platypus Big Zips get around the
filling problem, but if you're finding the taste nasty then probably
best avoided.

I've abandoned Siggs simply because IME they're no better than pop
bottles, weigh more, suffer from denting over time, come in fewer sizes
and are an insane amount of money as opposed to basically free (though
if, like me, you'd already been daft enough to buy one then the cost is
no longer an issue). Describing them as "unfashionable" seems to be
rather at odds with their ever-increasing prominence in outdoor shops!

My Sigg bottle must be over 26 years old. It is now fashionably
dented and has lost about 1/2 of its original paint (I can recall
floating it downstream in the early days to promote the weathered
look, much as one used to abuse denims as fast as possible to avoid
having ones mates laugh uproariously at the ironed dark-blue look).
The stopper has never been replaced. It still fits neatly into the
side pockets of all my rucksacks.

It is a trusted friend - I treat it with no care whatsoever and it
doesn't let me down. I doubt one could say the same for plastic
bottles. Its mate is a cheap plastic equivalent which has replaced an
earlier model whose screw-top broke, on a hot day.

But I am looking at buying a Camelbak reservoir as it is a pain to
have to stop and remove a sack in order to have a drink.

Some years ago a friend of mine in New Zealand was marketing a drinking
system that fitted most of the commonly available soft drinks bottles.
He marketed it under the name "Aquatube". Unfortunately he lost interest
in this venture and moved on to other things, however I'm still using
the system. The great advantage is as Pete says, that you can easily
replace them. The other advantage that I've found is that the Aquatube
system seems less prone to bottle leakage than the Platypus or Camelback
bottles. This is because the aquatube screwcap remains at the top of the
bottle, with the bottle upright in use, whilst a tube through the cap
extends downwards into the liquid. Thus there is no continuous
hydrostatic pressure that might force liquid out of the seal around the
cap or out of the valve.

Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
<\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
"> || _`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

Mike Clark said:

The other advantage that I've found is that the Aquatube
system seems less prone to bottle leakage than the Platypus or Camelback
bottles. This is because the aquatube screwcap remains at the top of the
bottle, with the bottle upright in use, whilst a tube through the cap
extends downwards into the liquid. Thus there is no continuous
hydrostatic pressure that might force liquid out of the seal around the
cap or out of the valve.

Never really had an issue with using a Plat with the cap up the way,
whatever the instructions say. As long as you suck out the spare air
once you're ready to park it then a suck will bring you the water.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Mike Clark said:

In message <[email hidden]>

John Laird said:

Peter Clinch said:

Jim Ford wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> I've given up and gone back to the unfashionable SIG bottle. The other
> thing with a bladder is that it's difficult to fill from a burn.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The wide-mouth ones like Camelbaks and Platypus Big Zips get around the
filling problem, but if you're finding the taste nasty then probably
best avoided.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've abandoned Siggs simply because IME they're no better than pop
bottles, weigh more, suffer from denting over time, come in fewer sizes
and are an insane amount of money as opposed to basically free (though
if, like me, you'd already been daft enough to buy one then the cost is
no longer an issue). Describing them as "unfashionable" seems to be
rather at odds with their ever-increasing prominence in outdoor shops!

Quoted message said:

My Sigg bottle must be over 26 years old. It is now fashionably
dented and has lost about 1/2 of its original paint (I can recall
floating it downstream in the early days to promote the weathered
look, much as one used to abuse denims as fast as possible to avoid
having ones mates laugh uproariously at the ironed dark-blue look).
The stopper has never been replaced. It still fits neatly into the
side pockets of all my rucksacks.

Quoted message said:

It is a trusted friend - I treat it with no care whatsoever and it
doesn't let me down. I doubt one could say the same for plastic
bottles. Its mate is a cheap plastic equivalent which has replaced an
earlier model whose screw-top broke, on a hot day.

Quoted message said:

But I am looking at buying a Camelbak reservoir as it is a pain to
have to stop and remove a sack in order to have a drink.

Some years ago a friend of mine in New Zealand was marketing a drinking
system that fitted most of the commonly available soft drinks bottles. The Aquatube
system seems less prone to bottle leakage than the Platypus or Camelback
bottles. This is because the aquatube screwcap remains at the top of the
bottle, with the bottle upright in use, whilst a tube through the cap
extends downwards into the liquid. Thus there is no continuous
hydrostatic pressure that might force liquid out of the seal around the
cap or out of the valve.

Your friend invented the straw? :-)

In message <[email hidden]>

Peter Clinch said:

Mike Clark said:

The other advantage that I've found is that the Aquatube
system seems less prone to bottle leakage than the Platypus or Camelback
bottles. This is because the aquatube screwcap remains at the top of the
bottle, with the bottle upright in use, whilst a tube through the cap
extends downwards into the liquid. Thus there is no continuous
hydrostatic pressure that might force liquid out of the seal around the
cap or out of the valve.

Never really had an issue with using a Plat with the cap up the way,
whatever the instructions say. As long as you suck out the spare air
once you're ready to park it then a suck will bring you the water.

Pete.

I've just returned from two weeks of ski-touring and during the trip I
had both a platypus and my aquatube systems with me. I abandoned my
platypus and returned to the aquatube after the seal failed around the
neck of the bladder. Two friends of mine on the trip were both using
camelbacks, and one of those experienced a failure of the bladder.

Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
<\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
"> || _`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

In message <[email hidden]>

toad said:

On 18 Apr, 10:17, Mike Clark <[email hidden]> wrote:

[snip]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Some years ago a friend of mine in New Zealand was marketing a
drinking system that fitted most of the commonly available soft
drinks bottles. The Aquatube system seems less prone to bottle
leakage than the Platypus or Camelback bottles. This is because the
aquatube screwcap remains at the top of the bottle, with the bottle
upright in use, whilst a tube through the cap extends downwards into
the liquid. Thus there is no continuous hydrostatic pressure that
might force liquid out of the seal around the cap or out of the
valve.

Your friend invented the straw? :-)

Yes a very sophisticated type of straw, with a bite valve and mudmask.

You can see what he was advertising at the time using the internet
wayback machine.

see http://web.archive.org/web/20000819092055/http://www.aquatube.com/

Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
<\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
"> || _`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

In message <[email hidden]>, Mike
Clark <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

experienced a failure of the bladder.

Happens to me every Saturday night....

Regards,
--
Neil Pugh

Peter Clinch said:

John Laird said:

My Sigg bottle must be over 26 years old. It is now fashionably
dented and has lost about 1/2 of its original paint (I can recall
floating it downstream in the early days to promote the weathered
look, much as one used to abuse denims as fast as possible to avoid
having ones mates laugh uproariously at the ironed dark-blue look).

My 1 litre one started leaking after about 12 years. Though I say 1
litre, it had dented enough to be nearer 800 ml by the time it died. I
didn't replace it.

What were you *doing* with it ?!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It is a trusted friend - I treat it with no care whatsoever and it
doesn't let me down. I doubt one could say the same for plastic
bottles.

My Sigg did ultimately let me down. While I wouldn't expect a pop
bottle to last 26 years, or even 12, the fact that you can get a new one
basically free any time makes that a moot point. Pop bottles are still
incredibly strong, though I still like Siggs for fuel because fuel
spills can be most unpleasant, as opposed to a minor inconvenience.

However, I don't buy pop in bottles. Or rather, not in the sizes I
would wish to re-use. 2l bottles are far too big, and while I would
probably accept the 750ml size (especially the "waisted" variety that
are easy to hold"😉, it'd still seem like wasting money on fizzy
rubbish (or worse still, water), just to get a bottle.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

But I am looking at buying a Camelbak reservoir as it is a pain to
have to stop and remove a sack in order to have a drink.

Get a bottle holster for the belt.

It's already sporting a camera pouch on one side, and I'm not sure I
want nearly a kg on the other. I have seen quite a few day sacks with
mesh side pockets which are obviously meant for bottles, but don't
need a new rucksack at the moment. Besides, these are not exactly
going to keep drinks cool in direct sun. Both my rucksacks are
Berghaus Freeflow designs so the back is not in contact with my back,
and hence not being heated that way. A hydration bladder should stay
acceptably cool for some time.

We'll have to agree to differ. My Sigg bottle looks anything but
trendy, but does all I ask of it. Its cost is long since forgotten.
If it's any consolation, when I decided I needed a second bottle, I
went for a simple sturdy plastic one. I can also unscrew the top with
cold hands or with gloves on.