Fresh water pumps used in factory conversions?

[Scott & Heather]

Tom does build his buses on redundancy and I like that. He runs two rv freshwater pumps in series I think, and he has two electric water heaters also run together. If one dies, he can still get by until he replaces it. Sound advice. I just have had bad luck with anything labeled RV use. But maybe their water pumps are better now


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[Oonrahnjay]

Good Idea Dave.  Had that on my 4x4 Sportsmobile.  Guy before me used to go camping somewhere in the AZ desert with a nice clean spring and he would fill his tanks when he passed by there and he also spent a lot of time roaming around Mexico where he found some clean waterholes too. 

You can also use it to pump water from another unsuspected bus if you park close enuf to them in the night. :-)

      Now, boys and girls, everyone gather around, take a comfortable seat, and come to your quiet place.  Today, we're going to talk about some very interesting things that you'll all want to know about.  Can anyone say "Typhoid"?  How about "ameobic and parasitic infection"?  OK, well, we'll all be thrilled to know about blowing your brains out of your bowels!   Right, everyone ready?   Now, we'll begin ....

[B_K]

Good Idea Dave.  Had that on my 4x4 Sportsmobile.  Guy before me used to go camping somewhere in the AZ desert with a nice clean spring and he would fill his tanks when he passed by there and he also spent a lot of time roaming around Mexico where he found some clean waterholes too. 
You can also use it to pump water from another unsuspected bus if you park close enuf to them in the night. :-)

When I get to that point I'm going to pipe my vent for my black tank with a fairly straight run of 2" pipe up to one of the filler cup deals like the sticks and staples use with a "Fresh Potable Water Only" sticker above it.

Won't be hard to tell who siphoned my "fresh water" the next morning Gary!
  BK 

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

      Now, boys and girls, everyone gather around, take a comfortable seat, and come to your quiet place.  Today, we're going to talk about some very interesting things that you'll all want to know about.  Can anyone say "Typhoid"?  How about "ameobic and parasitic infection"?  OK, well, we'll all be thrilled to know about blowing your brains out of your bowels!   Right, everyone ready?   Now, we'll begin ....

I grew up in New Hampshire and worked in the woods a good part of my life. We also got our household water supply from a stream about a quarter of a mile up from the house and it was gravity fed thru a lead pipe to a well under our house built in 1860.  I drank this water from the faucet as did my dad when he was born in the same house and the water came directly from the stream with no filtering whatsoever.  I also drank directly out of many streams my entire life. I never remember getting sick from drinking natural water.  Maybe in warmer states it may be a problem, but we all drank out of the brooks in the summer even during fishing season in New England.  Maybe we built up an immunity because I never got sick drinking the water in Mexico either.

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Won't be hard to tell who siphoned my "fresh water" the next morning Gary!
  BK 

Maybe I will use a Charcoal filter just to be sure. 

[Oonrahnjay]

I grew up in New Hampshire and worked in the woods a good part of my life. We also got our household water supply from a stream about a quarter of a mile up from the house and it was gravity fed thru a lead pipe to a well under our house built in 1860.  I drank this water from the faucet as did my dad when he was born in the same house and the water came directly from the stream with no filtering whatsoever.  I also drank directly out of many streams my entire life. I never remember getting sick from drinking natural water.  Maybe in warmer states it may be a problem, but we all drank out of the brooks in the summer even during fishing season in New England.  Maybe we built up an immunity because I never got sick drinking the water in Mexico either. 

     You're right, it's not really a problem.  Just don't tell my great grandmother and her son who died from Typhoid!

[Dave5Cs]

Ya got me started now on paying for water. I agree with Gary when we were kids we went fishing and just dipped a cup in the stream or lake and took a drink.
Now they set up these big  Bottled water plants at some Lakes and then tell them the water now should not be drank from said lake because chemical from plastics have poisoned it and use so much water that the residence no longer have enough pressure from that lake or capacity. Gee guess who is putting chemicals in the lake of which I won't say the name of...Then there is the Plastic bottles themselves they say are bad for you and sell you Metal bottles or Glass....... Its a cryin shame I tell ya, a cryin Shame....... Wo is me.....
They have people trained build a problem and sell you something to fix it. OK off soap box now.
Yes copper and lead pipes, streams, lake etc.

Dave

[daveola]

In the 22 years I've been using the bus, I've replaced the two water pumps once. They are very reliable.

It certainly seems that I have bad luck - or else the fact that I am full-timing means that I am using my pumps much more.

I would definitely vote for redundancy, because I think I'm on something like my 5th or 6th pump since 2009.

Question for people who use pumps in parallel - does anyone know if the GPMs actually add?  I.e., does two 3GPMs in parallel actually pull off 6GPM?  It seems to me that they would shut down once they hit the pressure point that they were set for, and get more like 3GPM together.

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

If nothing else it never hurts to carry a backup water pump in your luggage bay. For $70 it is pretty cheap insurance and I have done that too. I can drive 5 miles to buy one and anyone can order them online and have them there in less than a week.  But if you are out in the middle of BFE in the desert and your water pump goes out, you will be glad you had a spare.  They can be switched out in about 10 minutes in most cases with just a screwdriver and carrying water for the potty gets old fast.

Also if you have to buy one at a RV Camp store, if you are lucky, that same $70 pump may cost you $100 because they know you need one.

So order a backup for yourself for Christmas from Pacific RV Parts and they will drop ship one to you so you will have it for your next trip.  888.600.4845 and ask for the Gary Hatt discount.

[Scott & Heather]

Daveola, this is why I am using flotec house pumps. Worked for 6 years of full timing. And we used ours a lot! Even parked at the park with water hookup, I had an auto shut off water fill to fill my fresh tank through a water filter and the pump supplied the bus water pressure. So even parked with full hookup we used the pump. Can't go wrong with those


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[Iceni John]

Like Tom C, I like redundancy.   I have two water pumps, and also have more than one way of heating water, producing electricity, filling tanks, etc.   (Heck, if I could have two engines I would.   Maybe I should buy an old Twin Coach?)  I have two SHURflo 2088 pumps, the tried-and-trusted simple old faithfulls that are, according to a SHURflo rep I spoke with, still the most reliable pumps they make.   Each pump is resiliently mounted to an aluminum plate that can be removed with two wing nuts, and the water and power connections are all quick-connects, so in less than a minute with no tools I can remove one and switch over to the other.

As with most things mobile, simple is always good.

John

[daveola]

Daveola, this is why I am using flotec house pumps.

Which model are you using?

I had an auto shut off water fill to fill my fresh tank through a water filter

Ooh... tell me more about that - I really wanted to hook up exactly the same thing.

[TomC]

I was at an RV rally and talked with the Shurflo factory rep. He said the most reliable pumps are the old fashion ones with a mechanical on/off switch. The new variable speed ones are nice, but are not as reliable. I have two in parallel so I can use either of them or turn on both for extra volume (not pressure).
I also use two 10 gal electric water heaters straight from Home Depot. One is plumbed into the next with the final one wired through the inverter for hot water going down the road. In the 22 years they have been in (other than draining yearly) I've done nothing to them. I'm using both systems again in my truck. Good Luck, TomC

[Dave5Cs]

We have 3 Shurflo Water pumps. One in use and 2 brand new ones in the box I got at an Estates Sale for 5.00. 

[Seangie]

I just changed my mind.  I am going to get one of these units so I never have to wait in line to take on fresh water  ever again. I will just get water out of the air from now on wherever I happen to be at the time.

https://youtu.be/s6w0-RkDnLA

Now all I need is a unit to get Chardonnay out of the air. 

Gary -

Up here in the PNW No need for a silly machine.  You can just put a funnel on the roof with a hose down to your water tank.  It'll stay full all fall. 

And Clifford would have a heck of a time getting any moisture out of the air down southwest there. 

-Sean