Platypus 1L Bottle - Funny Taste?

[Nightwalker]

Having trouble with funny tasting Platypus...
As a teenager I had a 1L Platypus water bottle that accompanied me on camping trips.

Transparent and supposedly very durable, although I wouldn't say I've put mine to great strain so couldn't confirm that. If my memory serves me, supposedly you could even freeze water within it and even boil water outside & in it, where at first sight you would have thought the thing would have melted. However, I had the mistake after 1 trip to leave the thing half full with some ribena for a good few weeks I remember complaining to mother about how I couldn't clear the smell or funny taste out of it and then left it on the drainer. Without telling me she took it upon herself to try wash the insides with dilute of disinfectant from that point on no matter how much I washed it you could always taste disinfectant! I threw that away and a year or two later I bought another on its merits of good design & durability. My existing one must be a couple of years old now, I have only ever used clean water in it and have not left it filled for long durations, made a real effort not to let anything get stingy in it, yet it seems to have slowly developed a pungent plasticy taste & smell. Im not one to usualy complain at the taste of different water's but this bothers me. It also bothers me for numerous reasons, for some reason I prefer my water in a transparent container and so far I believe the design of this bottle to be good and durable, its just a seemingly strange taste with age that im not liking! Anyone else experience similar? Any explanations? Any alternatives of similar design? Thanks for your time.

 

[Toddy]

I've never had a funny taste/ smell coming from mine and it's ancient. I am inclined to keep it in the dark though since algae can grow if there's any light at all.

How about trying the stuff used to sterilise babies bottles? Milton fluid/ tablets. Any chemist ought to stock them and they won't break the bank.
Failing that maybe contact Platypus and ask their advice if it's really a plasticy problem.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[fred gordon]

Just an idea but try rinsing it out with bicarbonate of soda solution. This might neutralise anything thats still in there. However, it may be that whatever you put in it might have bonded with the plastic inside and you'll be stuck with it.

 

[Nightwalker]

Thanks, I will try the bicarbonate soda trick and failing that baby sterilising chemicals. Would like to stick with it if I could only stop the taste, I like the design etc. I am pondering getting my first 58 pattern NATO bottle though

 

[exped.equip.]

Try warm water and add a quarter of a mug of vinegar leave over night rinse with clean water a couple of times and the job is done!!

 

[Nightwalker]

Try warm water and add a quarter of a mug of vinegar leave over night rinse with clean water a couple of times and the job is done!!

Are you sure thats wise? Going off my first one anything with a strong taste seems to almost taint the bottle for good. Will the vinegar not perminatly taint the bottle with a taste? I dont know what happens chemically, I just dont want to screw the thing more! Thanks for input.

 

[exped.equip.]

Thats the best thing for removing the plastic smell/taste out of of drinking containers---have used this methed around most horrible places in the world and on your make of bladder!!!!

 

[Nightwalker]

Superb, thanks for the info!

 

[exped.equip.]

Don`t forget to get the mixture down the drinking tube and check that the mouth piece isn`t perished.You will be surprised of the results!!

 

[Nightwalker]

I have no fancy drinking tube or mouth-piece to worry about, just the normal bottle & cap. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[Cairodel]

To get rid of bad tastes from plastic.....
Add vanilla powder, fill to the top with water and shake well.
Leave to stand for at least 24hrs....

 

[Nightwalker]

Thanks for these multiple tips, with a arsenal of tricks to try I shouldn't fail!

 

[Bodge]

Try warm water and add a quarter of a mug of vinegar leave over night rinse with clean water a couple of times and the job is done!!

I use white distilled malt vinegar for loads of stuff at home including your problem.
I buy it by the 5l container for about £3.50. I use regular brown vinegar for my fish and chips though.

Bodge

 

[gregorach]

I use my platypus bottles for all sorts - including beer and whisky. I clean 'em out using a homebrewer's sterilising product called VWP.

I can certainly attest that they'll hold a decent amount of pressure - half a gallon of homebrew has a lot of dissolved CO2, so my big platy has been pretty well pressure-tested.

 

[Aragorn]

i would stick with the bicarb, have used this myself and works good and is also recommended by platypus themselves http://www.platypushydration.com/about_us/faqs.aspx?Inside=2#clean

have also used milton tablets the night before just to be safe.

 

[nicodiemus]

Gonna jump in and be a bit contradictory here. Although Milton is reccomended for babies, i don't suggest using it here. It contains cling agents that will stick to the plastics (i convince mums i know not to use it for their babies either!).
Standard cheap thin bleach(edit: unscented!) will work fine for sanitizing or water purification, but ideally to remove the scent i'd suggest bicarb as someone else did. Its a fantastic odor neutralize. It even neutralizes mildew's odor.

If you really really can't get the gunk out, fill with warm water, and use a small funnel or paper to spoon in a tablepoon of plain unscented oxyclean. I think Wilkinsons sell some, in a blue tub. Leave that for 20 minutes or so (lid off), then rinse well with warm water again. If it leaves a deposit, distilled vinegar or anything acidic will remove it.

The foam will lift out the rubbish and make it easy to clean.

If it lifts a month of brewing sediement and yeast lipids from a fermentor, it will do the same for your platypus.

 

[FGYT]

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25940

or use one of these free 2ltr versions and recycle it every now and again

ATB

Duncan

 

[Shewie]

I`m another one for bicarb or white vinegar, seems to work everytime.


Rich

 

[Philbert]

I have had my 2ltr platy for about 7 years and have had no problems at all and it has had some abuse over those years. I have boiled it in a pot to sterilize it and have filled it with hot water to make a hot water bottle on numerous occasions. They're great!

I have used a solution of bicarb and lemon juice to take any gunk out and have added uncooked rice to the solution and shaken it when it was really nasty. The tube is the hardest to clean and i used to use a piece of knotted string as a pull through but have recently bought a proper cleaning brush.

A nice bit of kit and i wouldn't do with out it now although i know its not everyones cup of tea.

Phil.

 

[Dingle]

As mentioned & recommended by Platypus, Bicarb & lemon juice to clean their products, I have got a few of the bottles in 1L & 3L for a good number of years.

When 1 developed a leak, I contacted the distributor here in the UK & they said send it back, they replaced it with a new one the next day.

They used to sell the bottle & pipe cleaner dunno if you can still get them but just place a drop of Fairy liquid in the bottle for a quick once over. Bicarb & lemon for the occasional clean.

BTW been lurking on this forum for a few weeks. Great Forum.