Water System

[danlott]

You need some way to isolate the city water connection when the pump is on. Another shutoff valve, check valve or your original idea of a 3-way valve would all work.



Dan

[Forrest747]

something like this

[danlott]

That looks like it should work.

Dan

[Forrest747]

Oldest girl looked at the drawing and said dad if there is no city water hooked up and the pump is turned on will the water just go out the side of the trailer. Explained the check valve.

Smart girl.

[Dale M.]

You are getting too carried away with all the sketches....There is a saying "KISS" (Keep it Simple Stupid).....

Why go to all the complicated hook ups just install a tank (gravity fill), a pump, a faucet... Tadaa.....

As for camouflage for water filler.... Why not after market "fuel door"....



http://www.solidbydesign.com/sbd/FuelDoors.aspx

Dale

[Trackstriper]

I am planning on running a hose hook up while at the campsite to bipass the water pump to save the battery.

I maybe be leaning with Dale on the KISS theory too. For as little as you will use the faucet I don't think you have any worry about running the battery down.

But if you go as last diagrammed you might find that the 3/8" magenta colored line from the top of tank will be redundant...the 1-1/4" overflow tube will provide PLENTY of vent. Also, do you foresee a need to drain the tank without pumping the water through the faucet?

[Forrest747]

Great suggestion and some common sense. Thought about it alot last night at work and went to home depot first thing this morning. Also with an afternoon trip to State Trailer, i got most of the parts for the plumbing.

I configure the shutoff valve and working on the bracket to secure it just underneath the cabinet. the lower 3/8 line is the drain with the 1-1/4 as the vent, i did buy a fill from the trailer store to mount under the cabinet to use as a backup. I also upsized the fill and drain line to 1/2", simple black vinyl tubing. The shutoff for the drain and the tank fill are quarter turn 1/2" valves.

Also the city water connection i bought has a built in check valve.
Having fun.

After i CPES and paint i will install the city water connection. Thanks for the idea of using the fuel door.

[Dale M.]

I also have to think the 3/8 fill and 1-1/4 inch vent theory is hooey....

IF you are filling tank, remember water is 800 times more dense than air and it takes very little opening for air to escape....

Years ago I had a Ford van with 12 gallon water tank under it.... Always filled it (form city water) and drained it with hose adapter and valve at bottom of tank... Only had 3/8 vent fitting at top... when water came out of vent I tuned fill/drain valve off.... NEVER had a problem with blowing out tank and it was poly type.... Come to think about it, it did not have anything BUT 3/8 fitting in tank for fill and vent...

Dale

[eamarquardt]

I also have to think the 3/8 fill and 1-1/4 inch vent theory is hooey....

IF you are filling tank, remember water is 800 times more dense than air and it takes very little opening for air to escape....

Years ago I had a Ford van with 12 gallon water tank under it.... Always filled it (form city water) and drained it with hose adapter and valve at bottom of tank... Only had 3/8 vent fitting at top... when water came out of vent I tuned fill/drain valve off.... NEVER had a problem with blowing out tank and it was poly type.... Come to think about it, it did not have anything BUT 3/8 fitting in tank for fill and vent...

Dale

Your setup worked OK because you may have been sticking a garden hose in a filler hose/neck with room to spare for venting in addition to the 3/8 inch vent or if it was hard plumbed there was enough of a restriction in the filler line to prevent a sudden buildup of pressure when the poly tank was full. Forrest747 showed that he was going to hard plumb (a water/air tight connection that won't serve as a vent) a 5/8 or maybe 3/4 garden hose with 40 to maybe 100 psi pressure, into a plastic tank (that is not designed to withstand much pressure at all) with a 3/8 vent. The plastic tank may take the surge of pressure when it fills and the vent becomed filled with water (that is, as you state, 800 times more dense than air) a few times, but my money is on a major failure at some point in time. Using the 3/8 line to fill will take a bit longer but with virtually no chance of blowing up the water tank. Why risk it? Plumbing stores sell special doo dads to absorb the shock I'm descibing when a valve suddenly closes causing a spike in pressure (as the kinetic energy of the moving water is changed to a much higher static pressure than is normally present).

Cheers,

Gus

[Shadow Catcher]

Parts left out don't go wrong, or leak. Having two inlets is much simpler and a lot less plumbing.

[Forrest747]

taking this over to my build journal.