Making Progress on Galley

[MeTrO]

Tony,

Where did you get the shurflo water pump and bladder and how much did they cost??

Thank you.

[TonyCooper]

Hey Tony,
Great job. Was wondering did you bend the aluminum straps that hold your tank in place. Was thinking on the same lines to carry my spare underneath the trailer so's I could slide it out when needed instead of bolting and unbolting it to the underside of the floor. Was concerned that bending the aluminum strap might compromise its strength or crack it where it was bent. Did you heat the aluminum. Have never bent any aluminum strapping but thought it might work. I figure the tire would weigh less than the tank and water. Thanks

Thanks,

The straps are 2" wide x 1/8" thick. I bought the aluminum stock at Lowes in an 8' length. I simply cut it, put it in a vise and "formed it " with a rubber mallet. No annealing... I doubt I could have straightened it back without weakening it. I looked very closely for stress cracks and found none after the first bend. Once I was confident, I made them all.

Depending on my final tongue weight, I may follow your lead and put my spare up under the front section of my tear. I think I 'd used soft malleable steel instead of aluminum. It is moderately heavier but also much stronger.

Good idea!

[TonyCooper]

Tony,

Where did you get the shurflo water pump and bladder and how much did they cost??

Thank you.

I picked up the pump off ebay for $35.
3 gpm, ondemand with integrated pressure cutoff switch. Nice pump. There are pretty good buys for shurflo pumps there all the time.

A quick check found this one currently at $15 with only a day to go!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... gory=50073

I bought the accumulator tank from JC Whitney.

Item: 481953 ACCUMULATOR TANK
Quantity: 1 @ Total Price:$39.99 USD

JC Whitney typically offers 10% discounts all the time. Final price for it was $35.99.

[MeTrO]

Tony,

That is a great water set-up, and the most detailed description I've seen yet for a TD water system.

[TonyCooper]

Thanks

Once I get the sides skinned I'll finish the water system install by routing the fill and vent lines to the outside. A few simple inexpensive mods left to make on the vent line which I will detail later in the build. Then test the whole system, cleanup loose ends and install the dust cover.

Hopefully this week!

[Woody]

Tony,
I was curious why you installed an accumulator when the pump has a demand swicth which shuts off the pump after it repressurizes the line when the facuet is shut off? I have a similiar shurflo pump and I didn't seem to need it. What is your reasoning for it?. Maybe I overlooked something?.

[TonyCooper]

It simply keeps the pump from running contantly when the faucet is on. If I turn on the faucet for a glass of water the pump won't start. It will start after a liter of water is drawn. It will run longer but less frequently with the accumulator installed.

In theory, the pump and battery will last longer. I'll need to tune both the pump cutoff/on and accumulator pressure to maximize the cycle.

[IraRat]

Okay, I'm a new builder, so illuminate me:

Water will seek its level, and obviously drop from a high point to a low point because of gravity.

So has anyone ever installed a water tank high in the galley, with a simple spigot to flow it to the faucet/sink below? If high pressure isn't an issue, and if trailering it with the weight of that water so high isn't an issue either (because you can always fill it on site), can't you get away without a pump?

I guess I answered my own question. You can do ANYTHING with a treadrop. And I guess I also gave myself an idea:

My wife and I are VERY short, so the Cubby's standard "plan" for an open top shelf might not be for us anyway--because it might be hard for us to reach it.

We're not Wizard of Oz Munchkin short or anything (although wouldn't THAT be hysterical), but short enough to be at the bottom of the height curve. Not counting those Munchkins.

So maybe I'll just find or custmoze a low profile water container that will take up most if not all of that top shelf space, run a hose to a faucet, and figure out a cheap, easy solution.

And Tony--getting a drink of water is the LAST thing I'll be doing. That's what the icebox with all of that Budweiser is for.

[mikeschn]

Gravity fed water has been discussed before...



The two biggest downsides to gravity fed water are:

1) Getting the water jug up there in the first place...

2) Towing a trailer with water that high up raises the center of gravity, increasing the chance that the trailer will roll over...

The best compromise was to put the blue poly bottle on the lower shelf of the galley, similar to what Dave over at Camp ADK does. I sent a CAD rendering of that to Jim in Sav almost a year ago, and I can't find it now. Jim, do you still have that rendering?

Mike...

[Woody]

Ask Ross Wade on his water setup, I believe it is gravity feed with a movable spigot. You have to see his site for details are contact him and have him explain it to you. It is kinda of neat how he did his. I saw it at the Little Talbot Gathering

[TonyCooper]

Okay, I'm a new builder, so illuminate me:
snip...
So has anyone ever installed a water tank high in the galley, with a simple spigot to flow it to the faucet/sink below?
snip...

So maybe I'll just find or custmoze a low profile water container that will take up most if not all of that top shelf space, run a hose to a faucet, and figure out a cheap, easy solution.

And Tony--getting a drink of water is the LAST thing I'll be doing. That's what the icebox with all of that Budweiser is for.

The only issue I can think of is that of high center of gravity. 100 lbs of water sloshing around up high might make for a little instability... other than that completely do-able.

[IraRat]

Everyone fails my reading comprehension test except Woody:

I'm NOT going to tow this with water in that tank. Just going to fill the tank when I get to my location

Hell, I'm not going the Sahara. Plus, this is America, and water is STILL free. (Of course, the way things are going, who knows.)

Second, getting the water up there is the easiest part of all. The container/tank is a constant up there, designed just for that spot. I'm not going to lift store-bought containers of agua up there--because any simple water pressure bulb and hosing will pump gallons up there in no time at all.

Finally, it will be a freestanding, easily removable unit for cleaning.

When I leave my campsite, just drain the water.

[TonyCooper]

Sounds like you have it all figured out... sorry for failing the exam.
Maybe I'll do better next time.

[IraRat]

Sounds like you have it all figured out... sorry for failing the exam.
Maybe I'll do better next time.

Sorry, Tony. Didn't mean anything by that.

I just have a weird sense of humor that 's only funny to ME sometimes.

[TonyCooper]

I obviously need to start using more emoticons... No harm intended

Another thought,

Where are you going to get water if you are not in a campground... I mean really going out in the outback. Carry a jug in the car?

We used to carry a 5 gallon water cooler ala construction crews used and would fill it full of ice. It would last for days on end and stayed cold.