hot water faucet problem

I guess it isn't really a problem unless you don't know how to solve it. I know what to do when it happens, but it recurs. That is what I want to solve.

We camped in the Pod for 150 days last year with minimal problems. I winterized and de-wintered the R-Pod using the instructions in the manual developed on this site. I stored the anode for the water heater separately and re-inserted it this spring using Teflon tape to ensure it wasn't leaking.

We went camping this weekend for the first trip this year and had the hot water flow drop to zilch all of a sudden. I removed the aerator from the faucet and there was a small piece of plastic stuck in the aerator. I removed it and the flow returned. The next day the same thing happened again. This time I examined the plastic closely. It was about the width and texture of the Teflon tape but was dark gray in color. This seems to happen only with the hot water flow.

The Teflon tape I use is white in color but I am wondering if a piece of it could have broken off and somehow become discolored in the heating process. Has anyone else encountered something like this?Should I consider flushing just the hot water system?  If so, how do I do that?  What other causes/issues might I need to consider?

My wife reminds me that I used a brand new hose (garden variety) to fill the R-pod, and suggests that a piece of detritus from that could be the cause.  However, we were hooked to a "city water" system in a state park when this was happening.  I also was running the water through a sediment and then a carbon filter before it went into the pod.

The teflon tape won't discolor from the "heating process" or it wouldn't still be white on the anode threads.

When was the last time you sanitized the system? I have seen stuff show up from breaking loose from the inside of the hose.. the "stuff" was plastic feeling, but was organic. It was film from the hose.

I have also seen a water filter break down and send debris through the system.

While I grew up drinking from water hoses, now days, they are all made in China out of who knows what.. so I don't do it anymore. Your call. The book answer is to only use a certified drinking water safe hose, they aren't expensive, or hard to find.

The best way to flush the system would be to hook up to city water, pull the aerators from each faucet, and run water through each one, and each side cold/hot, until you feel it's clear and clean of any debris. It's just fresh water, so you can run it into a bucket and dump or send it out the window, or whatever.. 

I love this forum!  It is so helpful in solving problems.  I sanitized the Pod when I de-wintered.  However, I did not think of checking the hoses or replacing the filters.  I will do both and also flush out the system again.  The material is definitely plastic as it is stretchable.  It may well be a filter that is decomposing.

Originally posted by furpod While I grew up drinking from water hoses, now days, they are all made in China out of who knows what.. so I don't do it anymore.

Charlie's Third Law: China=Cheap=Crap. Think baby milk, wallboard, petfood, etc.

I have noticed that a lot of things made over there seem to end up with lead in them. I don't know if it's intentional or accidental, or a side effect of where things are made. I'm not judging, because they probably use a lot of the same things there, so there just may not be very good controls WRT lead.