Ok guys, it's time for a dumb question, I'm reworking my water system, we got a flojet pump and while installing it, I see an overflow line coming out the top of the tank that was hidden in the back area of the tank and goes down thru the floor. We hadn't used the old water system before because the pump was shot and now my question is, shouldn't the tank be sealed so the pump will maintain pressure or am I in desperate need of educating lol. My feeeble mind suggests to me that if the overflow line is open that the pump will run continually until it's shut off manually, that the pressure switch will be confused as much as I am. I'm thinking I need to put a shut off valve on the overflow line in order for the pump to run, the way I found the line was while filling the tank and hoping to be able to use the hose filler for a "city water" style hookup I saw the water running out, that's the way I found the overflow line. Quit laughing dallas lol.
Your supply tank is not under pressure. There is only pressure is in the lines downstream from the pump.
Ok, then my next question is on the tank filler, it's a garden hose type setup, and if I leave the hose attached it fills the tank and runs out the overflow hose, to set up a city water type of connection I then would need to set it up beyond the pump? with a checkvalve?
Very probably the overflow is on the main tank and is installed so that you can not pressurize it with the city water pressure.
I can assure you that if you do not have an overflow line the tank will swell up
really big with city water pressure and very possibly ruin the tank. Also the overflow needs to large enough to accommodate the full flow of the city water as it is very easy to connect up the water line and then forget it while doing some other task.
Richard
Quote from: cody on July 13, 2007, 07:10:35 AM
Ok, then my next question is on the tank filler, it's a garden hose type setup, and if I leave the hose attached it fills the tank and runs out the overflow hose, to set up a city water type of connection I then would need to set it up beyond the pump? with a checkvalve?
Thats exactly how I found it, I was filling the tank with the hose and got involved with some other things and looked back and the water was pouring out of the overflow line, it's the same size as the infeed. The tank is a heavy weight black fiberglass type of tank, sitting in a metal frame that wraps around it on all sides and over the top, the metal frame is bolted to the bay supports.
hahahahahaha! hehehehehehe! Gufaw! Chortle! Snicker! Giggle!
Cody, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you... yeah, that's it, I'm laughing with you!
The way yours is set up, the gravity fill from the city water fills the tank.
When it's full, the the overflow will pee all the excess wherever it can.
The pump sucks the water from the tank and distributes it to the sink, toilet, shower, dishwasher, washing machine, etc.
Oh, that's right, your using the 'Single Hole in the floor method" for waste, in that case, the water doesn't go to the hole. ;D (I told ya, mama's gonna want a real coffee can pretty soon, not just a hole in the floor!
In order to use city water directly, you need to plumb in another fill after the pump with a pressure regulator on it. (One campground we stayed at had 115 psi water pressure). Yes, you'll need a check valve or a ball valve so the city pressure doesn't backflow to the pump. The pump will hold back a certain amount of pressure, but I just feel better with a valve between the pressurized water and the pump.
I set up mine so I don't have an outside gravity fill, I can fill mine from the pressurized city water side or from a tube on the top of the counter which we can put a funnel on and fill with water jugs if we need too.
I also have a 5 gallon aux tank that sits under the counter and leads to the main tank through 2 valves. This way I can add bleach to the aux tank and fill it with water from the pressure side, then drain it to the main tank to clean out the bugs that grow in the water tank.
Dallas... BTW, I just went in to the C/R if you want to talk.
DF
Now I'm trouble, she thought all buses only had a hole in the floor, I suppose now I'll have to get her a new coffee can, I knew I'd get in trouble over this sooner or later, I was having a hard time explaining to her why the cars following us had their windshield wipers going.
Cody, I strongly recommend an in line pressure regulator set at about 35 pounds to be installed on your fresh water hose. Never connect full city water pressure to your plumbing system. As Dallas says it can be over 100 pounds.
Personally I like one external fresh water connection with a T and two shut off valves to direct water to either the internal plumbing system of the coach, or to the fresh water tank.
Richard
Cody, there's a diagram here on Shurflo's site that might help you visualize the city water connection. http://www.shurflo.com/pdf/rv/911_trouble_shooting/new/911-352-I.pdf
Once you do tap into city water, check all of your connections thoroughly, since the add'l. pressure might create leaks or cracks in your fittings. Try to keep your regulator setting at 35-40psi. Any more will lead to potential problems with your fittings.
Since we seldom camp at campgrounds, I actually removed the city water connection on our conversion and we just live off of "pump power" all of the time. It simplified a lot of things.
HTH,
Brian B.
Quote from: Buffalo SpaceShip on July 13, 2007, 07:53:33 AM
Since we seldom camp at campgrounds, I actually removed the city water connection on our conversion and we just live off of "pump power" all of the time. It simplified a lot of things.
HTH,
Brian B.
Brian, curious as to how you refill your fresh water tank? I liked the idea of a fresh water connection so that I could easily keep a cover on it.
Richard
Like most things on my bus, I did it my way. Starting with the 130gal water tank, I have two outlets-one for each water pump (2)at the bottom and at top a 1 1/2" fitting for the vent that doesn't vent outside (only once did I forget-never again) that can double for unpressurized filling of the tank. The pressurized water from the two water pumps are teed back together into a large line (can't remember the exact size-know it was twice the area of the pump outlet). This single line from the pump has another T in it coming from the pressure hook up for city water and the city water has a T in it with a valve to be able to fill the water tank when hooked up. The pressurized water goes into a copper pipe manifold system that is a 2 inch copper pipe with six 1/2" ball valves coming off of it to individually control the toilet, bath sink, shower, outside shower, kit sink, washer dryer. At the end of the 2 inch manifold pipe is another 3/4" ball valve going to the 2-water 10gal elec water heaters. One feeds into the next with the final water heater powered through the inverter to have hot water during the day when driving. The hot water from the water heaters goes to the 2 inch copper hot water manifold that has six 1/2" ball valves for the bath sink, shower, outside shower, kit sink, wash dryer and one not used.
Since I have a transit, my water tank is mounted under my bed (along with the 2 water heaters and 2 water pumps) with the bed raised. This isn't a problem since a transit has wheel wells that protrude into the inside. I made platforms that cover the wheel wells with small trap doors for more storage. The platform height in relation to the raised bed over the water tank is the same height as a bed on the floor. Just have to step down off the platform. There is 5'5" of headroom when standing on the platform since my wife can stand straight up and that's her height. To see the level of water I cut 4 slits into the plywood front and have a halogen puck light above the tank that will illuminate the tank and see the water level through the slits. Thought you might like to know a different system. Good Luck, TomC
Richard, the P.O. put in a 1" flex line to an RV-style fresh water box that has gravity fill and city water connections. It works fine, other than he undersized the overflow/vent, so sometimes it creates problems if the fill side is not level (which is often the case with a crowned street). So... I just fill it slower until I get around to upsizing the vent/overflow.
My family gets a lot of days out of the 100gal. on-board, nonetheless. Some trips, I don't even have to re-fill it at all, nor dump, and I just dump the tanks at the last rest stop on the way home (usually Cheyenne or Sterling).
When we do visit a CG, all I do is plug in the 30A cord (will upgrade to 50A one of these days)... so we're done before the guy in the 5th wheel has even backed into his spot. An hour later, he's still hooking up and setting up, leveling, sliding-out, etc. while we've been fishing or playing horseshoes. :D
Cheers,
bb
Brian- I see you do what I do. Last month I went to San Diego for a Masters of Harmony concert (I sing with a 100 man Barbershop chorus) and stayed at Campland on the Bay. As is the case, I only need elec, so I got the last space available in the tent and camper area. I came in and as usual, many stuck their heads out to see me pull into a very tight space. After taking 5 minutes to unhook the car, I just backed in on the first try (helps being an ex truck driver with a transit that has a very sharp turning angle). Then took about one minute to level the bus with the air suspension system, and another 3 minutes to hook up electrical. Then brought out the BBQ, folding chairs, and green carpet for the front door. Total time-maybe as much as 15 minutes. I too have seen fifth wheelers take 30, 40, 45 minutes to back in (that's a show in itself) and set up. Let alone tenters that take over an hour. I'll stick to my drivable metal tent. Good Luck, TomC
My plumbing is all 3/4inch PVC piping with the glued fittings, it's household type so hopefully it'll handle the pressure we run into but I'll pick up a pressure regulator to add to the system, looks like I'll be cutting into the line after the pump with a "T' and adding valves between the pump and the city water and the city water and water line and it should work then, right? lol
Brian, great. My concern was that it was an open fitting of some kind. I did have a gravity fill like that on my first coach, but I really liked the ability to connect a water hose, although I seldom used the city water while at a campground. Mostly I was out in the boonies and with 3 seventy gallon fresh water tanks, I seldom needed to fill up until I got back home. That way I knew the quality of water I was getting. Even then, I never used the holding tank water for cooking or drinking.
Cody, be sure and get a pressure regulator and get it installed. Please do not ask how I know this. LOL
Richard
Quote from: DrivingMissLazy on July 13, 2007, 10:06:07 AM
Even then, I never used the holding tank water for cooking or drinking.
That is probably a wise policy ::)
Quote from: DrivingMissLazy on July 13, 2007, 10:06:07 AM
Even then, I never used the holding tank water for cooking or drinking.
Richard
Amen! We just carry gallon jugs of tap water or buy drinking water along the way. IMHO, it's entirely too much work to keep the fresh water tank potable and filtered... and too much risk for contamination when it sits out in the heat all Spring, Summer, and Fall.
-bb
Quote from: Buffalo SpaceShip
Amen! We just carry gallon jugs of tap water or buy drinking water along the way. IMHO, it's entirely too much work to keep the fresh water tank potable and filtered... and too much risk for contamination when it sits out in the heat all Spring, Summer, and Fall.
-bb
Now I know what happened too me! When I was grow'n up my folks had an S & S and we used it all the time! But we just filled the water tank with plain ol' city tap water and used it for everything cooking, cleaning, dishes, drinking, etc.!
I got contaminated!
;D BK ;D