Water supply and distribution system on-board an aircraft and method for operating such system with low maintenance effort

An on-board water supply and distribution system of an aircraft for supplying water, the system comprising:

• a central water tank;
• a plurality of consumer assemblies, each consumer assembly comprising a supply device and a buffer tank and each consumer assembly being configured to supply water from the buffer tank via the supply device;
• a pump having an upstream side and a downstream side and being configured to operate in a supply mode and a reverse mode;
• a filter device;
• a high-pressure conduit system;
• and
• a control unit;
• wherein the central water tank is connected to the upstream side of the pump with the filter device being arranged between the central water tank and the upstream side,
• wherein the conduit system connects the downstream side with the plurality of consumer assemblies, with the conduit system being configured such for the pump, when operating in the supply mode, to deliver water from the downstream side to the buffer tank of each of the consumer assemblies,
• wherein, when the pump is operating in the reverse mode, the pump can convey water from the downstream side to the upstream side,
• the control unit being connected to the pump and being configured such that it:
• operates the pump in the supply mode in a first time interval so that water from the central tank is delivered to at least one of the consumer assemblies wherein the buffer tank of the at least one consumer assembly is filled;
• and
• operates the pump in the reverse mode in a second time interval different from the first time interval so that water from the buffer tank of at least one of the consumer assemblies passes through the filter device.