Fresh water under bed or in cargo bay opinions please

[Wax-um]

I found two very nice options for my fresh water tanks but thought I would get a few opinions before I order one. I can either go underneath the bed or in cargo bay. Link of both tanks below.

http://www.rvsurplus.net/catalog/display.php?product_id=2041


http://www.rvsurplus.net/catalog/display.php?product_id=2810

[bevans6]

Well, they can't BOTH be the most popular with bus converters!

Under bed - Pro - it's not in the bay but you lose handy under-bed storage.  Noisy pump if you mount it in the bedroom
In the bay - Pro - it's not under the bed but you lose handy luggage bay storage.  Quiet pump.

My decision would be in the bay, if only because we have twin beds.

Brian

[Mike in GA]

The only good reason I can think of to place the fresh water tank under the bed is if you plan to do a lot of cold weather camping (like skiing, etc.). Freezing is a bit more of a problem in the bays, but even there steps can be taken to minimize this possibility. Good luck!
Mike in GA

[kyle4501]

A few more things to consider:
Under the bed water will pick up heat from the engine - maybe a good thing, maybe not.

Where is the water going to go when (not if) it leaks?  

Wherever you locate your tank, do yourself a favor & slope ALL supply lines to a common low point drain to make winterizing the plumbing easy.

[bevans6]

I had another thought.  100 gallons of water weighs 835 lbs, add some for mounting stuff, I'm not sure I would put close to 900 lbs of load directly over the engine.  On my bus, MCI, and probably some others, the engine is to a great degree hung from the monocoque formed by the bus structure, roof, sides, etc, and the water would be a net load addition to the same structure.  I'm sure it can handle  it, but I would then feel constrained to not add things like a trailer hitch with some tongue weight, and so on.  The luggage bay is of course designed to carry exactly these loads, and in the best place for handling and stability.

Brian

[robertglines1]

in utility bay with other tanks...Friends bus tank was under bed,woke up one morning to wet carpet..hose clamp failed...you can inagine damage to his carpet but also the hardwood in the bath and kitchen..

[Wax-um]

Thanks, Cargo bay for sure!!!

[Kenny]

Putting it under the bed at the rear of the bus will cover up the access cover in the floor. I for one will always have this cover accessable for repairs and inspection.
Kenny

[ccbmster]

I had a travel trailer for YEARS with the water tank under the bed and it was never any problem at all.  That would seem a great option to me as with a bed (at  least the queen bed we have in ours) there is a LOT of space toward that back that is difficult to use for anything else.  Of course the bay mount makes it super easy for fill attachment and such.

[Len Silva]

If you (or anyone else) does decide to put it under the bed, I would suggest a plastic liner in the box before you install the tank.  You can buy a 10 x 10 45 mil pond liner for about fifty bucks.

[Jriddle]

Bay for me. The water under the bed would block access to engine and would heat up with engine. Then you have the engine and 100 gal of water keeping the bed room hot. I can think of better ways LOL.


IMO
John

[belfert]

I have a 105 gallon tank in my bay, but I've been thinking about possibly converting the fresh water tank to a second waste tank.  I would then put two tanks under the the bunks in the rear.  I've haven't done it yet because of the difficulty of plumbing everything up especially the fill and vent.  I also don't really want to lose what storage area is under the bunks.

We've done pretty good with 8 guys and just 105 gallons for 4 days.  We use the event supplied porta potties to cut down on toilet use.  We conserve so much water that we generally have 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank left at the end. 

I made the fresh water and waste tanks the same size, but the waste tank fills faster.  I did the combined waste tank because space constraints really didn't allow for a big enough black tank.