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Camelback (again)

Chipbutty

19-Apr-2009
2:29:50 PM

Sorry I know this has been done before and I have checked some of the old messages honest, but I was wandering, I need to clean the tube on my camelback (mouldy) and I have a way but it involves removing it from the bag end and so I wanted to know if anyone else has done this and if it went back on ok?

racingtadpole

19-Apr-2009
4:48:10 PM

use a hairdryer to warm the tube gently prior to taking it off and putting it back on. If the tube is mouldy it might be better to go to a hardware store and buy a new piece of clear plastic hose to replace it with. the best thing to clean camelbak bladders and hoses with is baby bottle steriliser, its cheaper than the camelbak brand tablets.

Chipbutty

19-Apr-2009
5:30:04 PM

Thanks racingtadpole I'll give it a try

Oberon

19-Apr-2009
6:48:34 PM

I've cleaned the tube of a camel back using wire with a bit of cloth wrapped into it, and sort of threaded it through the tube - scrubs it clean, and no need to remove from the bladder part of the camelback. As suggested above, something like "Miltons" baby bottle sterilising tablets are quite good as a general cleaning option.

tastybigmac

19-Apr-2009
6:50:25 PM

soft! just use it with the mould in there.

Paul

19-Apr-2009
7:41:38 PM

Just buy the camelback cleaning kit, they aren't that expensive and work really well.

harold

19-Apr-2009
9:05:55 PM

I just wash it and soak it overnight in bleach ( half a cup of white king with a liter of water). Make sure the bleach flushes right through the hose. Rinse it out the next day and no more mould. Easy.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

19-Apr-2009
10:01:47 PM

... easier to drink alcohol instead. No mould problems then!
Heh, heh, heh.

Seriously; a pull-through (action similar to the wire cloth treatment), works well also. If they are good enough to clean cartridge residue from a gun barrel then a plastic tube is lightweight by comparison, and no nasty chemical after residue taste either!

Teeds

20-Apr-2009
8:40:07 AM

I guy recently put me onto using baby bottle cleaning tablets (bleach effectively). They work well and can be picked up at any supermarket. Just dissolve over night and leave out to try on old coat hanger bent and stuck into bladder. Drying is the key to stop mold.

As for your current predicament, as suggested heat up the tube to make it soft and easy to remove and clean. Hot water or a lighter does the job.

Another tip I have picked up is soaking the bladder and tube in lime over night to help remove the plastic taste.

jkane

20-Apr-2009
1:25:13 PM

Agree with Teeds. Once it's clean, if you make sure it's dry before storing it and keep it in the dark, it won't get mildew in it so quickly.

I've also heard people say that they keep it in the freezer but haven't tried that myself.

JSB

20-Apr-2009
2:43:21 PM

I keep mine in the frezzer when not using it - no mould or problems for 7 years

widewetandslippery

20-Apr-2009
2:51:31 PM

On 19/04/2009 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>... easier to drink alcohol instead. No mould problems then!
>Heh, heh, heh.
>
>Seriously; a pull-through (action similar to the wire cloth treatment),
>works well also. If they are good enough to clean cartridge residue from
>a gun barrel then a plastic tube is lightweight by comparison, and no nasty
>chemical after residue taste either!

Seriously its far easier to just drink alcohol. 1.5L ice tea botttles emptied fit 2 standard bottles of vodka.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

20-Apr-2009
3:01:11 PM

On 20/04/2009 jkane wrote:
>Agree with Teeds. Once it's clean, if you make sure it's dry before storing
>it and keep it in the dark, it won't get mildew in it so quickly.

My m/cycle jacket has it's own 'camelback'. The camelback is almost never dry (but often 'empty'), stays in the dedicated jacket pocket, and the jacket lives in a cupboard when not in use. I have had very few issues with mould, and a simple nylon bristle pipe cleaner did the trick when I did. Hot water softened the tubing to get it off/on the connection. I suspect there is truth in darkness inhibiting the mould growth.

tmarsh

20-Apr-2009
10:55:05 PM

Mould becomes a much bigger issue when you start using electrolyte solutions in the bladder. Bad news...

One tip that might cross over from the gun world is this: get about a meter of nylon line from a whipper snipper. Heat up one end with a lighter and squash it into a knob. cut the other end at an angle to make a sharp point. Cut a patch of cotton or something and pierce it with the sharp end, feeding it down until it gets stuck on the knobby end. Then feed the whipper snipper line through the tubing and pull the patch through after it, cleaning the mould out as you go.

Make sense?

pmonks

21-Apr-2009
1:53:34 AM

On 20/04/2009 tmarsh wrote:
>One tip that might cross over from the gun world is this:

I thought you were going to suggest shooting the mould out of the tube!

IdratherbeclimbingM9

21-Apr-2009
8:12:17 AM

>On 20/04/2009 tmarsh wrote:
>>One tip that might cross over from the gun world is this:

...Otherwise known as a pull-through.

tmarsh

21-Apr-2009
7:09:45 PM

I didn't know it by that name, M9, but good to know we're on the same page. Easiest way to clean a .22, easiest way to clean a camelback.

There are 17 messages in this topic.