Ready to get going with the plumbing! Need some help!

grantgoold · August 17, 2011, 01:25:06 PM

Thank you very much for your real world experiences. This is one of the many reasons I am addicted to reading almost everything posted. Various opinions and great stories.

Thanks again,

Grant

gumpy · August 17, 2011, 02:55:40 PM

Here's my story on the subject: http://www.gumpydog.com/Bus/MC9_WIP/Plumbing/Fresh_Water_Distribution/fresh_water_distribution.htm

Strongly suggest you not use crimp rings and use the removable fittings instead. You will have to take something apart sometime, and you'll find it much easier with the removable
fittings rather than crimp rings.

I have 2 pumps because one was given to me. I have never used it, but it's plumbed up so that all I would have to do is move a couple PEX lines (removable fittings) and install the ones
for the 2nd pump and I'd have water.

I have a variable speed pump, and I also installed 2 pressure tanks. I like having the tanks. The pumps run fast and furious when they run. The pressure tanks will get me though a
navy shower if I'm very conservative. Usually, though, the pumps run at least once during a shower.

One mistake I made on mine was not putting in a 3/4" line from the shore line to the tank for faster filling. However, I have a pressure regulator on my inlet, as well as a standard RV
inlet connector on the side of the bus, and I don't think I could have bought either in 3/4, so they would have restricted the inlet, anyway.

craig

Scott & Heather · August 17, 2011, 02:58:49 PM

QuoteStrongly suggest you not use crimp rings and use the removable fittings instead. You will have to take something apart sometime, and you'll find it much easier with the removable fittings rather than crimp rings.

I SUPER ditto this! Buy the little small blue plastic U-shaped remover tool (comes in a package of 5 I think). Cheap...5-6 Bucks. Easy to remove and redo your plumbing...crimp rings? Not so much...

mikelutestanski · August 17, 2011, 04:24:15 PM

Hello; Dont have much experience with pex only from a long time ago.
however if you are using pvc for the drain lines why not use cpvc for the water lines. It is cheap and easy to use and if you design properly you can have it all in one bay or at most part of a second bay. (Only for freezing considerations. My system has been in service since 99 and has performed well.
One problem I forgot to glue a joint, only used the cleaner on it. well it stayed together for 7 years and 40K miles before the joint popped oh well so much for the purple cleaner.. anyway I used pvc for cold and cpvc for hot but if I had to do it over it would all be cpvc.. simple, cheap, and durable.
Dont have any problems with pex or any other system but I believe this is cheaper than most.
Regards mike

belfert · August 17, 2011, 04:30:33 PM

Quote from: Scotty on August 17, 2011, 02:58:49 PM
I SUPER ditto this! Buy the little small blue plastic U-shaped remover tool (comes in a package of 5 I think). Cheap...5-6 Bucks. Easy to remove and redo your plumbing...crimp rings? Not so much...

The removal tool for Sharkbite fittings comes one at a time at Home Depot. They are maybe $1.25 or $1.50 for the 1/2" one.

I had two minor leaks with Sharkbite fittings. One wasn't clear if the faucet was leaking or the Sharkbite fitting. I replaced both. (Faucet was under warranty.) The other case I think was a bad install.

zubzub · August 19, 2011, 01:24:20 AM

I'm confused as to why folks are using a manifold then separate lines to the various appliances. Seems like a lot of extra pipe laying to have separate runs for each appliance. Would it not suffice to plumb it like a small house?

belfert · August 19, 2011, 05:08:14 AM

The manifold allows water to any particular item to be shut off if there is a problem. It really isn't much extra pipe at least in my case. My only run that is over 5 or 6 feet is to the water heater and back. The use of a manifold also allows direct runs with no tees or anything to leak.

It is becoming popular to use a manifold in new houses and run individual PEX lines to each item that needs water. The flexible PEX can be run a lot faster as there are no elbows or anything like that.

Scott & Heather · August 19, 2011, 06:56:33 AM

Quote from: belfert on August 19, 2011, 05:08:14 AM
The manifold allows water to any particular item to be shut off if there is a problem. It really isn't much extra pipe at least in my case. My only run that is over 5 or 6 feet is to the water heater and back. The use of a manifold also allows direct runs with no tees or anything to leak.

It is becoming popular to use a manifold in new houses and run individual PEX lines to each item that needs water. The flexible PEX can be run a lot faster as there are no elbows or anything like that.

I didn't use a manifold...but I will probably redo my plumbing and install one at some point. Just makes it cleaner. And since we are opening the bay doors and showing our plumbing job off to the world, clean is good.

Now, how do you run your pex from your manifold to your appliances without elbows? In order to keep the pex against the bay walls and floor and ceiling, I used several to keep things clean. That's a trick if you didn't have to use any elbows...

buswarrior · August 19, 2011, 07:43:21 AM

I'll emphasize the strong consideration for a pressure regulator to protect your plumbing connections from high water pressures from campgrounds or municipal water supplies.

Too many stories of waking to the sounds of water running down the steps during the night after a connection was forced apart and flooded the place.

And, a high volume/high pressure method to fill the tanks that bypasses your protected plumbing.
With a vent in the tank that can keep up to a fast/strong fill. Rectangular tanks don't look too good blown out to oval...

Remember, there's others in line behind you.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

belfert · August 19, 2011, 08:08:31 AM

I used Flex-Pex tubing that is made with a different process that makes it more flexible. Most of my plumbing runs go through the floor above the tanks where there was room for the tubing to bend without elbows. For my bathroom sink the tubing runs through the fuel tank bay and I used preformed metal pieces that bend the PEX into a 90 to go up to the sink.

Iceni John · August 19, 2011, 08:10:07 AM

Quote from: buswarrior on August 19, 2011, 07:43:21 AM
I'll emphasize the strong consideration for a pressure regulator to protect your plumbing connections from high water pressures from campgrounds or municipal water supplies.

Too many stories of waking to the sounds of water running down the steps during the night after a connection was forced apart and flooded the place.

And, a high volume/high pressure method to fill the tanks that bypasses your protected plumbing.
With a vent in the tank that can keep up to a fast/strong fill. Rectangular tanks don't look too good blown out to oval...

Remember, there's others in line behind you.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

I have a Watts 263A pressure regulator set at 45 PSI, the same pressure as the two SHURflo 2088 pumps. Upstream of the regulator is a Banjo strainer, and this feeds into a G.E. whole-house sediment filter before going to a home-made 8-branch manifold. The pumps are mounted on a pull-out tray for easy access, and each pump can be disconnected and removed in less than a minute without any tools. Above the pumps is a Watts 2-gallon accumulator tank. There is also a valve to fill the tank(s) from the city water. (All this in a space 12" wide and 28" deep, next to one tank.) Each of my fresh water tanks has a Whitecap 6033 stainless-steel deck fill (designed for boats) which cost no more than a cheezy plastic RV fill, and these allow me to fill either or both tanks through 1-1/4" feeds. I use GatorBite fittings from Lowes (cheaper than SharkBites from Home Despot) for the 1/2" PEX to each appliance. So far so good.

John

robertglines1 · August 19, 2011, 06:33:49 PM

On the location of fresh water runs: all my fresh water is above the floor. Tank 75gal located under bed. pump under 1/2 bath sink-water heater under kit sink. all plumbing sloped to gravity drain with a valve at lowest point to drain outside. After doing the in bay way three times I decided to try this way. Found no difficulty keeping a slight slope running behind cabinets and crossing from one side of bus to the other all above floor line. new build includes master bath plus half bath(butt hutt) and washer. using 5 gal per minute pump(required for my particular washer). FWIW Bob

TomC · August 19, 2011, 10:10:10 PM

I have a 130gal water tank, two 10gal electric water heaters, and two Whisper Quiet Shurflo water pumps under my bed. The bed is raised since the tanks and such are in between the wheel wells. I made my own manifold system out of copper pipe and brass ball valves. One valve per individual water appliance. I also have Qest piping and fittings (GASP!). Haven't had a failure in the 17 years it has been in the bus. BUT-I imagine I will eventually have to replace all the piping with PEX fittings. Not a big deal since all my plumbing is easily accessible-as is my electrical and sewage-but that's why it took me 6 years to build-building in the engineering to be able to remove and repair items easily. Good Luck, TomC

Bill B /bus · August 20, 2011, 05:43:11 PM

CVPC works, first bus, but PEX is easier to work with. I mused crimp because the new fittings, Sharkbite etc, were just into the market.
Manifolds are wonderful. One for cold supply. One for hot supply. The reasoning behind the home run system is in case, when. you have a problem you can isolate the problem for fixing without shutting down the whole system. And yes red for hot and blue for cold.
Pumps are good for about a year of run time. So if you plan to do a lot of boondocking then carry a spare pump.
Plan in your drains for both hot and cold. Plan in an ability to suck in antifreeze/disinfectant etc.
I don't have room in the tank bay so filters are outside when connected to city water.

Bill

Sean · August 20, 2011, 06:08:59 PM

Quote from: Bill B /bus on August 20, 2011, 05:43:11 PM
... Pumps are good for about a year of run time. So if you plan to do a lot of boondocking then carry a spare pump.

Wow, what pumps are you using?

My pumps have been running 24/7/365 for seven straight years... In that time, the main fresh water pump (as opposed to the dedicated separate pump for our drinking water) has pumped over 25,000 gallons of water.

Maybe a year or so ago the pump started to lose its ability to draw from the tank (the pump is above the tank and must lift the water three and a half feet through a dip tube) when the tank was very low, and I had to rebuild the head. I did use a rebuild kit but have since discovered that reconditioning the diaphragm with WD40 works equally well if the diaphragm is not ruptured. Both motors are still running strong and have not even needed so much as brushes in that time.

FWIW. YMMV.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com