Water system upgrade
I final decided to upgrade my water system. My whole van is set up for winter activities and backcountry skiing, so there are more stringent requirements. Sometimes it will sit for a week unattended at way below freezing. Most often, I might be gone during the day and back in the evening. I do not leave the Espar/heat on when I am away, not sure why, would be OK for a day. Anyway, have not left heat on.
Thus far, I have made due with 5 gal military water cans. They are indestructible and not damaged by freezing. I have a system with a submersible pump in the water can that can be used to pump water out. The pump (IL200) is in the can, and water flows back into the tank when off thus minimizing freezing in the lines or pump. The pump is not damaged by freezing. Overall, this system works pretty well but does result in a number of water jugs in the van on longer trips. Also, it can be a pain to switch jugs every 5 gallons…..mostly in the summer when you can go through more water.
A larger capacity insulated removable modular system
I decided to get a larger tank and insulate it. I made the whole tank easily removable for circumstances when I would be leaving the van in subfreezing temps for extended periods of time. This is usually a once a year thing when we go for ~ a week on these heli in ski hut trips in Canada. In these cases, I can swap in my 5 gal military water can system, which can plug into the same tubing and electrical. The 5 gallon system can handle freezing no problem.
Minimize freezing in lines
To minimize/eliminate freezing, the flow is set up to pump fluid up over a high point in the middle of the tubing run. The water will either run out the spout or back into the tank.
Spout above the footwell
The spout is above the footwell in case of spills, which off course do happen. I have not really wanted to use space on a sink that would likely be too small to really wash many dishes. Instead, I use a foldable dual water basin system. It is flexible to allow in large items and easy to move out to the picnic table too.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009PUQVY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I looked around for a bit for the perfect spout. In the end, I just used stuff laying around the garage. The spout is just a bent piece of copper tubing mounted through some clear fir with a hole in it. The plasitic tubing slides into the tubing and can be removed if I want to direct flow differently.
The tank
I got a 13 gallon tank (13TK-FS 13 Gallon Fresh / Gray Water Holding Tank, from Class A Customs, $37.95 including shipping) with all the connections already installed. Amazing how inexpensive this was. I was not setting out to spend so little but my friend got this one and was happy enough with it.
https://www.classacustoms.com/13-Gallon-Fresh-Gray-Water-Holding-Tank_p_31.html
Insulation
I insulated it with ½ in closed cell foam. With multiple wraps adhered with M77 spray adhesive, I have 1 in of insulation on the sides/top and 1.5 in on the bottom. I left a viewing slot in the middle where I can pull out some strips of foam and look at the level. The insulation cost more than the tank.
Attachment
I used some large pieces of angle aluminum attached to L-track on the wall to restrain the tank and prevent forward backward movement. Some straps that go through rings in the L-track hold the tank in. More aluminum angle distributes the load on the insulation at the edge of the tank.