Camco Premium Drinking Water Hose Review

Published Categorized as RVs

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A drinking water hose is essential in any RV. There are quite a few hoses on the market–some good and some not so good. I looked into the Camco 50ft Premium Drinking Water Hose, a prevalent option among RV owners.

The Details

The Camco Premium Drinking Water Hose is a non-toxic, thick hose with an anti-kink design. You can get it in sizes ranging from 4 feet to 50 feet with an inside diameter of 5/8″. If you want, you can also buy a metal coupling.

If you don’t already know, a coupling is a connector on the end of a hose that connects with another hose, tap, or hose appliance.

This heavy-duty hose is 20 percent thicker than the average drinking water hose and has strain-relief ends for added durability.

As advertised, the water that comes out of this hose is more than safe to drink. It is lead-free, phthalate-free, BPA-free, and does not leave a strong plastic taste in your mouth. In fact, Camco Premium Drinking Water Hose complies with California’s AB1953 and Vermont Act 193 Low Lead Laws.

Leave it out in the sun as long as you want as it is UV stabilized for longer life as it is NSF certified. NSF certification ensures that the products you use meet strict public health protection standards for those who don’t know.

Wonder if you can use it with hot water? The Camco Premium Drinking Water Hose can tolerate up to 180 degrees! Additionally, given the nylon-braid reinforced thick tubing, it can hold up under pressure.

Regarding the company that makes this hose, Camco has a longstanding history of excellence in the RV industry and how they treat their customers. It specializes in selling high-quality RV products at a reasonable price. Camco is also an American company headquartered in North Carolina, if that matters to you.

What I Liked

There are quite a few things I liked about the Camco 50ft Premium Drinking Water Hose:

  • It is a heavy-duty, stiff hose that is hard to kink. That is if you use it for its intended purpose.
  • It holds up under pressure. 50 PSI (pounds per square inch) to be exact. I recommend using a pressure regulator for water over 50psi. The burst strength of the hose is 300 PSI.
  • It is tangle-free and easily coils back to its original package size for storage. You won’t be struggling to wrangle this hose!
  • A good base metal is also essential for any hose. The metal on this hose is 3/4″ Nickel-plated brass, which is not cheap or dinky.
  • The hose comes in a pretty blue color. Some may not like it, but I do.
  • It was made particularly for handling drinking water and does not make water taste rubbery or plastic-y. It complies with all the laws and regulations regarding safe drinking water.
  • The weakest parts of the hose are where it is connected to fittings–as those parts tend to bend. I like that this hose has strain-relief ends designed to reduce the chance of bending near the fittings.
  • While it is ideal for RV use, you can also use it for camping and as a garden hose.
  • At six pounds, it is relatively lightweight compared to other rubber hoses. It probably won’t be a workout to move this hose around.

The Camco 50ft Premium Drinking Water Hose is one of my top picks for the best RV water hose.

Complaints

There are a few things I didn’t like about the Camco 50ft Premium Drinking Water Hose:

  • It is not good to drag this hose around sharp edges and concrete driveways as it will puncture. Maybe not so tough after all?
  • If you’re new to the world of hoses and RVing, you may want to ask someone for help with this hose as it does not come with an instruction manual.
  • This hose gets even stiffer in cold weather, which can make it challenging to handle.

Reviews From Other RVers

The general reviews on the Internet are mostly positive. Many people like that the Camco 50ft Premium Drinking Water Hose does not burst in harsh conditions, the connections at both ends are high quality, and the pretty blue hides dirt better than a white hose.

Some people claim that it never relaxes and always wants to bend. I suspect whoever packaged the hose wound it up too tight. Solution: lay the hose out in the sun for a couple of hours to loosen it up a bit.

Others note–perhaps obviously–that it doesn’t last very long if you mistreat your Camco. Seasonal users can get more out of this hose if they store it safely and avoid dragging it on rough surfaces.

Camco (22853) 50ft Premium Drinking Water Hose -...
  • Heavy duty hose is 20 percent thicker than standard drinking water hoses
  • Drinking water safe, lead free, BPA free, phthalate free and leaves no strong plastic taste in your...
  • Machined fittings and strain relief ends for added durability

Last update on 2024-03-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Final Thoughts

Overall, this is an inexpensive, heavy-duty, high-quality hose ideal for people who want safe drinking water in their RV. Treat this hose well, and it will treat you well–possibly for a lifetime!

By Mike

Mike leads research, writes, and keeps the site up and running. He's worked on upgrades to an old class A Winnebago, vans, and other homes - wherever they are.