Water Inlet Ideas Help

Shawn182

Well-known member
Next phase of the build is the water system. Fresh water tank is under the van on drivers side, right behind drivers seat running down the length of that cavity.

While certainly not "stealth" I do not want any of the traditional RV water inlets or hatches visible on the side of the van (I mounted my shore power under the van for example). Trying to keep a clean look but will cut and drill wherever needed.

Currently thinking just putting an inlet inside the van back in the garage on that side but looking for other creative low profile fresh water fill ideas with the tank being opposite of the slider door and forward of the rear door that could work.

Want a gravity fill, not a pressurized city hookup.

Anyone done anything inside the fuel fill door?
 
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hein

Van Guru
We do have pressure fill using a three way valve in the suction line going to the pump. I welded the top of a Nalgene bottle to the top of our tank. The lid is easy to reach and remove for venting while filling. I would not recommend an inside gravity fill. It takes some time to fill a large water tank so quite tempting to leave it run while getting other things done. Very easy to forget until you see it over flowing which would not be good inside the van. With the Nalgene lid removed the water just spills on the ground when the the tank is full. This allows me to sort of purge the tank as well. I am very happy with how the system functions. And not a lot of extra plumbing or holes in the side of the van.

All the best,
Hein
DIYvan
541 490 5098

Link to our build showing nalgene lid setup. https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=282187&postcount=325

3-way valve for filling.
 
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Wrinkledpants

2017 144WB 4x4
Next phase of the build is the water system. Fresh water tank is under the van on drivers side, right behind drivers seat running down the length of that cavity.

While certainly not "stealth" I do not want any of the traditional RV water inlets or hatches visible on the side of the van (I mounted my shore power under the van for example). Trying to keep a clean look but will cut and drill wherever needed.

Currently thinking just putting an inlet inside the van back in the garage on that side but looking for other creative low profile fresh water fill ideas with the tank being opposite of the slider door and forward of the rear door that could work.

Want a gravity fill, not a pressurized city hookup.

Anyone done anything inside the fuel fill door?
We have our fill in the back of the garage. Our water tank simply vents to the ground when full. Like you, we didn't want any holes in the van, but I also didn't want ports or plugs under the van as it's dirty, and could be iced over in the winter. Our water tank is inside the van, though.

Thus far, the only downside to our setup is that the rear door needs to be open to fill the tank. If it's raining, snowing, bugs, etc - this can be an issue. So far, it's rare that this has happened.

Our shore power plug is on the front of the bumper. It's cleaner up there vs under the van.
 

GeorgeRa

2013 Sprinter DIY 144WB, Portland OR
My shore water connection with fresh water vent (protected by SS strainer) is under the hood near the cabin filter. The water tank is behind the right front wheel below the sliding door. Pressure filling is controlled by 2 solenoid valves.
 

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elemental

Wherever you go, there you are.
Our shore power plug is on the front of the bumper. It's cleaner up there vs under the van.
Are pictures of your installation available? I'm deciding where to mount mine; I was going to follow GeorgeRa's example, but I already have some departure angle clearance issues and didn't want to have anything else at risk there. I'd prefer a spot closer to the driver seat base since that is where my charge controller is AND it makes it harder for me to forget the shore power cord is attached when its near the driver's door, but I'm not big on cutting holes in the side of the van. Hein's location under the van is tempting but I would like to see your alternative first if possible?
 

Wrinkledpants

2017 144WB 4x4
Are pictures of your installation available? I'm deciding where to mount mine; I was going to follow GeorgeRa's example, but I already have some departure angle clearance issues and didn't want to have anything else at risk there. I'd prefer a spot closer to the driver seat base since that is where my charge controller is AND it makes it harder for me to forget the shore power cord is attached when its near the driver's door, but I'm not big on cutting holes in the side of the van. Hein's location under the van is tempting but I would like to see your alternative first if possible?
Here you go. Fresh water fill on top, switches for the garage lights and water pump (also a switch inside to control water pump), quick disconnect for the shower with hot water control.

IMG_1870 by Reid, on Flickr
 

gltrimble

2017 170 4x4
My gravity water fill and tank vent are located just inside the slider door. Shore power connections located below rear bumper and under hood. No penetrations in van sides.





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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Graphite Dave

Dave Orton
Are pictures of your installation available? I'm deciding where to mount mine; I was going to follow GeorgeRa's example, but I already have some departure angle clearance issues and didn't want to have anything else at risk there. I'd prefer a spot closer to the driver seat base since that is where my charge controller is AND it makes it harder for me to forget the shore power cord is attached when its near the driver's door, but I'm not big on cutting holes in the side of the van. Hein's location under the van is tempting but I would like to see your alternative first if possible?
For the Transit build I located the shore power connection below the driver door. Wanted it in that location so I can see the connection before I drive off connected. In my case it is a 15 amp service but could have been 30 amp if that was required. Male end of an extension cord hooks on a clip out of sight. When connected the plug can be hooked back up under van out of the weather.

https://www.ortontransit.info/shore-power
 

elemental

Wherever you go, there you are.
Here you go. On the opposite side of this is the remote solar hookup.
Thanks! Not what I was expecting, which is why pictures are worth 1000 words. Looks good, though, and that location should work to keep me from forgetting about it and driving away...
 

BigDC

Active member
I’m commencing my install of plumbing and intend to do an inside-the-van gravity fill for my wheel well tank’s fresh supply. As others have pointed out, it’s important to monitor the fill closely to avoid flooding the interior. There’s also he potential for sloshing depending on the fill port utilized.

My question to the forum is, could I just use a Colder quick disconnect for this? See attached photo of Live Like Pete’s build. It would eliminate the possibility of overflowing into the van and, when full, the water would come out the vent line I’ll have emerging under the van. Am I missing a critical detail? Pressure problem?
 

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GeorgeRa

2013 Sprinter DIY 144WB, Portland OR
Water fed from the cold outlet into the cold-water tank would have to pass through the water pump, not really possible as pump has one-way check valves.

If you build a water pump bypass you could get high pressure in the cold tank which will depend on coming in water pressure and pressure relief capacity of your vent line once water would reach it. If this pressure would exceed water tank maximum pressure the tank would burst. Happen to me once just by loosely inserting water hose into the gravity water inlet. I have gravity fill system with ¾” NPT 0.5 PSI pressure relief valve.

If you expose the water tank to 50 PSI water the force generated on 12” x 24” side wall will be 14,400 lbs, most tank will burst.

Plumbing fresh water tank.jpg
 

marklg

Well-known member
I'm not a fan of inside fillers for a few reasons.

Every plumbing connection, including every quick disconnect eventually leaks. When you disconnect it, any pressure has to release. If you disconnect the other end of the hose, and it happens to be higher than the quick disconnect end, it will still leak there due to pressure from the weight of the water in the hose.

If you don't have a quick disconnect, and maybe even if you do, then it takes two people to fill and you have to do gyrations with the hose to not have water leaking from the end that you have inside. It will really annoy your significant other: "Turn it off" "What?" Turn if off now. Oh crap it got water all over the floor. I told you to turn it off" "No you didn't".....

I have had to hook up when there were clouds of bugs around. You don't want the doors open while you wait.

No one is fooled by stealth. They know what a 9 foot tall van that has the windows covered is. As suggested by others, maybe put "Joe's Diaper Service" on the side so no one tries to break in and steal stuff.

All that being said, putting the fillers just inside the rear or side doors, so any leaks fall outside is not as terrible an idea.

I'm not sure how they do it, but there are check valves in commercial RV installations to bypass the pump and keep the pressure out of the tank when shore pressure is used. Get a pressure reducer for the fill hose because you never know what the pressure you will find is.

Regards,

Mark
 

BigDC

Active member
Water fed from the cold outlet into the cold-water tank would have to pass through the water pump, not really possible as pump has one-way check valves.

If you build a water pump bypass you could get high pressure in the cold tank which will depend on coming in water pressure and pressure relief capacity of your vent line once water would reach it. If this pressure would exceed water tank maximum pressure the tank would burst. Happen to me once just by loosely inserting water hose into the gravity water inlet. I have gravity fill system with ¾” NPT 0.5 PSI pressure relief valve.

If you expose the water tank to 50 PSI water the force generated on 12” x 24” side wall will be 14,400 lbs, most tank will burst.

View attachment 143360
George, I wasn’t clear when using Pete’s image. I’d have a separate quick connect just for the fresh fill. It wouldn’t go through the cold water output as pictured. Still, both your points and Marks are appreciated and well taken.
My thought was to plumb it in with 1/2” and have my vent be in 3/4”.
 

BigDC

Active member
I'm not a fan of inside fillers for a few reasons.

Every plumbing connection, including every quick disconnect eventually leaks. When you disconnect it, any pressure has to release. If you disconnect the other end of the hose, and it happens to be higher than the quick disconnect end, it will still leak there due to pressure from the weight of the water in the hose.

If you don't have a quick disconnect, and maybe even if you do, then it takes two people to fill and you have to do gyrations with the hose to not have water leaking from the end that you have inside. It will really annoy your significant other: "Turn it off" "What?" Turn if off now. Oh crap it got water all over the floor. I told you to turn it off" "No you didn't".....

I have had to hook up when there were clouds of bugs around. You don't want the doors open while you wait.

No one is fooled by stealth. They know what a 9 foot tall van that has the windows covered is. As suggested by others, maybe put "Joe's Diaper Service" on the side so no one tries to break in and steal stuff.

All that being said, putting the fillers just inside the rear or side doors, so any leaks fall outside is not as terrible an idea.

I'm not sure how they do it, but there are check valves in commercial RV installations to bypass the pump and keep the pressure out of the tank when shore pressure is used. Get a pressure reducer for the fill hose because you never know what the pressure you will find is.

Regards,

Mark
I always have a small ball shutoff at the end of the hose when doing a gravity fill. That way I can shut it off myself and avoid having to yell at my wife and kids.
 

Wrinkledpants

2017 144WB 4x4
We didn't mount ours internally for stealth, we did it for freeze protection, corrosion protection, and because of design flexibility. Holes drilled in the sides of vans inevitably need to be sealed, are permanent, can leak behind walls, and could need replacing if damaged. We can move the fill anywhere we need to when it's internal. Filling with bugs would be a problem, but out here in the west, freeze issues are more prevalent than bugs. Our overflow vents through the floor, so we just fill until we see water pour out near the rear tire. Never had more than a few dribbles when disconnecting. We also never use shore water connections. If we did, external would be the only option. Dust blowing into the van can suck, but we tend to time our water fills with good weather. Our overflow is on the top of the tank with the fill on the upper side. We considered external near the rear bumper, but again, freeze problems and knocking ice chunks off in the winter are issues with anything mounted under the van. We use our van all winter with water inside, so this was a design consideration for us.
 

GJACK

2017 144 4x4
I did a gravity fill and didn't mind cutting a hole in the side of the van. Like markLG I preferred to keep all the water outside the van when filling. Vent and fill are in the outside hatch. Like a traditional RV but it works well. They do make higher quality fill hatches but am satisfied with the one I have. I added an internal ball valve on my fill line so water would not slosh back after filling. I kept plumbing (tank etc.) in van because of frigid eastern Oregon winters. I don't use shore water connections. I understand concerns about extra holes etc. but after cutting holes for windows, roof vents, hydronic plumbing, propane locker vents, etc. in my van I figured what are a few more (ha). If using an external fitting you like and it accomplishes your goal of gravity feed and is easy to use, then maybe the benefits may outweigh putting another hole in your van. Here are the pictures of the hatch and the gravity fill plumbing. gravity fill 2.JPGgravity fill.JPG
 

Graphite Dave

Dave Orton
My fresh water fill tube is inside the slider door. Filled with a 90 degree old fashioned radiator fill valve (Milton brand) so valve is at the end of the hose. The water system is never pressurized. Do not want leaks inside the van. A electrical switch turns the sink faucet on/off. Water pump is a small solar centrifugal pump located below the tank at back of the slider step. Pump installation requires 1/4 the space and is quiet.

 

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