Under trailer water tank ideas/fittings

[dancam]

Hey, so i havent been able to get motivated to work on my trailer for over a month, everything seems too hard to figure out... wondering if anyone could help me with my water tank?
I will put a link to the tank i plan to buy and a photo of the underside of my trailer.
Im at a loss for what to use for a strap and how to secure it to the trailer so that it can be tight, not move around, but still be removable later.
Also what size of fittings are normal for the fill port?
What do you use for a neck or fill hose or caps to go from the side of the tank to the side of the trailer?
If anyone has photos of what they did or a link to somewhere on this forum where someone did a water tank that would be appreciated too, thanks.

The water tank: http://dmplastics.ca/products/drawings/RFW1052.pdf
They will put 2 fittings in included with the cost anywhere from 3/8 to 4in npt. I was thinking a drain in one bottom corner and the fill on the side near the top maybe 2in npt? Then a bit of a neck to get to the side of the trailer?
Going with this tank because its the only one i can find local (3 1/2hr drive) that isnt too deep and fits the other dimensions.

This is the bottom of my trailer. Just thinner angle iron for crossbraces.


This is my build thread if that means anything: http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=66816
And i plan to put the water tank right behind the axle.

Again, thanks in advance for any help.



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[MtnDon]

The drain or exit does not have to be any bigger than 1/2" or maybe 3/4". For the fill I'd use the same size that is used for those RV water fill ports... maybe 1 1/4" but I am not sure. Plus you should have a vent which can be small like 3/8".

Have a look at Uni-seal for some easy to use rubber fittings that can be used to add ports to tanks. I have used a lot of them in assorted projects.

[MtnDon]

Just a thought... with a low height tank like that I would use as small a fitting as possible for the lower fitting that will be used to draw the water out. When the water level gets low too large a fitting runs the risk of being only partially submerged. A pump will start to draw air when that happens. That the only thing I do not like about shallow height tanks. Or run the exit out the bottom and armor it well.

How to mount...? All I can think of is straps underneath. How many gallons is that tank? 8.33 lbs per US gallon

[Esteban]

Just a thought... with a low height tank like that I would use as small a fitting as possible for the lower fitting that will be used to draw the water out. When the water level gets low too large a fitting runs the risk of being only partially submerged. A pump will start to draw air when that happens. That the only thing I do not like about shallow height tanks. Or run the exit out the bottom and armor it well.

How to mount...? All I can think of is straps underneath. How many gallons is that tank? 8.33 lbs per US gallon

The pdf tank drawing shows that it has a 72 liter capacity. 72 liters converts to 15.83 gallons. 15.83 x 8.33 = 131.86 lbs. weight of the water at the full capacity.
Would the water tank need a rock guard or skid plate to protect the tank and/or the plumbing fittings?

[MtnDon]

Doh! I was in "gallons mode" and the liters just did not compute.

Rock shield? Unless the tank is very thin walled I would not think so. I've scrapped poly tanks over rocks with no punctures. Depends on how severe the bashing gets.

[dancam]

The drain or exit does not have to be any bigger than 1/2" or maybe 3/4". For the fill I'd use the same size that is used for those RV water fill ports... maybe 1 1/4" but I am not sure. Plus you should have a vent which can be small like 3/8".

Have a look at Uni-seal for some easy to use rubber fittings that can be used to add ports to tanks. I have used a lot of them in assorted projects.

Just a thought... with a low height tank like that I would use as small a fitting as possible for the lower fitting that will be used to draw the water out. When the water level gets low too large a fitting runs the risk of being only partially submerged. A pump will start to draw air when that happens. That the only thing I do not like about shallow height tanks. Or run the exit out the bottom and armor it well.

How to mount...? All I can think of is straps underneath. How many gallons is that tank? 8.33 lbs per US gallon

Just a thought... with a low height tank like that I would use as small a fitting as possible for the lower fitting that will be used to draw the water out. When the water level gets low too large a fitting runs the risk of being only partially submerged. A pump will start to draw air when that happens. That the only thing I do not like about shallow height tanks. Or run the exit out the bottom and armor it well.

How to mount...? All I can think of is straps underneath. How many gallons is that tank? 8.33 lbs per US gallon

The pdf tank drawing shows that it has a 72 liter capacity. 72 liters converts to 15.83 gallons. 15.83 x 8.33 = 131.86 lbs. weight of the water at the full capacity.
Would the water tank need a rock guard or skid plate to protect the tank and/or the plumbing fittings?

Doh! I was in "gallons mode" and the liters just did not compute.

Rock shield? Unless the tank is very thin walled I would not think so. I've scrapped poly tanks over rocks with no punctures. Depends on how severe the bashing gets.

yes, I planned for the drain to just be small. My idea was to use this tank for shower water and jugs inside the trailer for drinking water. Our shower unit has a small 12v submersible pump which i planned to shove down the fill hole. I should measure it to see how wide that is. But now im wondering at what point it will start to draw air like that... :/
Also I was not planning on having a separate vent, just to shove a short piece of hose down the fill tube if needed. Not sure how i would rig up a vent, is it necessary if the fill tube is large? We are going to be on a road trip and I have no idea how and where we will be filling this tank, that was part of the reason I wanted the fill a bit bigger.
I was not planning to make a skid plate. This tank is 6in deep and the bottom of my axle will be at the 5inch mark. 10inches of ground clearance to the bottom of the axle. So the tank will stick about 1inch below the axle, directly behind the axle and have 9inches of ground clearance. I hope thats ok.
For straps, what kind of strapping would you need to buy to handle 150 pounds?

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[dancam]

Have a look at Uni-seal for some easy to use rubber fittings that can be used to add ports to tanks. I have used a lot of them in assorted projects.

I had a look on their site. Looks a little sketchy they are waterproof and dont let the piping slide out? Or do you have to clamp the pipe that your sliding in?

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[Kaz]

Hey, so i havent been able to get motivated to work on my trailer for over a month, everything seems too hard to figure out... wondering if anyone could help me with my water tank?
I will put a link to the tank i plan to buy and a photo of the underside of my trailer.
Im at a loss for what to use for a strap and how to secure it to the trailer so that it can be tight, not move around, but still be removable later.
Also what size of fittings are normal for the fill port?
What do you use for a neck or fill hose or caps to go from the side of the tank to the side of the trailer?
If anyone has photos of what they did or a link to somewhere on this forum where someone did a water tank that would be appreciated too, thanks.

The water tank: http://dmplastics.ca/products/drawings/RFW1052.pdf
They will put 2 fittings in included with the cost anywhere from 3/8 to 4in npt. I was thinking a drain in one bottom corner and the fill on the side near the top maybe 2in npt? Then a bit of a neck to get to the side of the trailer?
Going with this tank because its the only one i can find local (3 1/2hr drive) that isnt too deep and fits the other dimensions.

This is the bottom of my trailer. Just thinner angle iron for crossbraces.


This is my build thread if that means anything: http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=66816
And i plan to put the water tank right behind the axle.

Again, thanks in advance for any help.



Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

I have a 9 gallon tank in the belly of my build. It came with standard location of fittings, fill vent and pick up. I found that when water is in the tank the tank bulges to the center. I added a pickup in the lowest point on the bottom of the tank and when the faucet run dry the tank is really empty. with the factory fitting on the end of the tank there was always water in the tank that the pump couldn'd pick up.

[dancam]

I have a 9 gallon tank in the belly of my build. It came with standard location of fittings, fill vent and pick up. I found that when water is in the tank the tank bulges to the center. I added a pickup in the lowest point on the bottom of the tank and when the faucet run dry the tank is really empty. with the factory fitting on the end of the tank there was always water in the tank that the pump couldn'd pick up.

interesting. How is yours strapped in?

[Kaz]

I have a 9 gallon tank in the belly of my build. It came with standard location of fittings, fill vent and pick up. I found that when water is in the tank the tank bulges to the center. I added a pickup in the lowest point on the bottom of the tank and when the faucet run dry the tank is really empty. with the factory fitting on the end of the tank there was always water in the tank that the pump couldn'd pick up.

interesting. How is yours strapped in?

just held in with three 20ga galvanized straps. I try not to fill the tank until I get to my destination. 9 gallons of water is like an earthquake when in motion. I really need to upload some current photos.

[GPW]

Do you really NEED a tank … ?

[dancam]

Do you really NEED a tank … ?

Yes. Were going to be constantly driving and have limited space in the trailer. We will have 60 litres in the trailer already and there isnt feasibly room for another 70 or 80 in there. Its also nice to keep the weight lower and over the axle.

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[HotRod1]

If your tank is lower than your axle, you could put a piece of angle iron welded or bolted to the frame in front of the tank to act as a guard. And also as a place for you strapping to mount to. You can get fuel tank straps for older cars and trucks. They will have a hook on one end and a bolt on the other. Like the ones for a 67 Impala, or the straps for a cab mounted tank like a 68 Chevy or ford truck. If you weld, you can make your own. The RV shops sell ones too. You can also just use strapping and bolt on both sides. The fill opening on most RV's is just big enough to put a hose in.


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[HotRod1]

Just make sure your bolts do not rub against the tank. You can also go to the auto parts store and buy a can of truck bedliner. Paint the bottom of the tank and never worry about rocks or road debris. It will also seal the bottom of your floor.


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