Drinking Water Hoses

Picking the right RV drinking water hose

The color code is the easy part. White or blue means it's certified for potable water; green means it's a garden hose that'll leave a plastic taste in your coffee. Beyond that, a few things separate a hose you'll fight with from one you won't:

• Diameter and flow. Most RV hoses are 1/2" ID (like the Zero-G) or 5/8" ID (the EVOFlex and NeverKink Pro). The larger 5/8" bore moves more water, which helps shower pressure on a long run; 1/2" is lighter and coils tighter.
• Length. Buy for the longest pull you'll actually face. Twenty-five feet handles most sites, but a back-in with the spigot up front can need 35 or 50. Too much hose just means more to drain and store.
• Lead-free and taste-free. Look for it stated on the label. Older or cheaper hoses can leach; the AquaFresh and Zero-G are built specifically to stay tasteless.
• Coiled vs straight. Self-coiling hoses like the EZ Coil-N-Store and Spray-Away store small and don't puddle in the dirt, handy for short pedestal-to-inlet runs. Straight commercial-duty hose like the NeverKink resists kinking on longer pulls.

Whatever you connect, put a pressure regulator between the pedestal and the hose so a high-pressure post doesn't balloon it, and an inline water filter on the outlet end for taste. Odd thread mismatches get sorted in hose fittings & adapters.