Filling Fresh Water Tank with No Gravity Fill

[canesfan]

Throwing this out there, thinking about pumps, anyone have any inkling how much water pressure is needed to open the city water check valve?

[bitten]

Originally Posted by canesfan

Docking station? Whatever you want to call the compartment where all the connections are. It's not really convenient. It's more of a hassle trying to get your hands in there to tighten and loosen connections.

What is the outside blue hose connected to?

[canesfan]

Originally Posted by Bugbitten

What is the outside blue hose connected to?

Oh, disregard that hookup in the picture. I had read in another thread someone filling their tank that way, but it doesn't, and can't, work. It since turned out, after I questioned it, that they actually had a gravity fill, which I don't. So if you had a gravity fill the outdoor shower hose would be going into it, not the city water inlet.

[Lawdog]

Originally Posted by canesfan

Docking station? Whatever you want to call the compartment where all the connections are. It's not really convenient. It's more of a hassle trying to get your hands in there to tighten and loosen connections.

Ah, gotcha. When you said it was posted on the center, I was all confused.

I too want to know the type and model # of the Harbor Freight pump and whether it will overcome the inlet check valve. I suspect it will.

Thanks for the insight, Canes. Good luck on finding a solution--I'm still looking into it too.

[Desert185]

http://t.harborfreight.com/portable-....google.com%2F

[mpgtow]

This issue only pertains to those of us with units that DO Not have a separate water fill.... Only A shared connection with the city valve....
Ok, per keystone: It's ok to use the air vent ( pull the screen off) to water fill the tank. Go slow and use a smaller diameter hose so air can escape as you fill.
And per my recommendation, Make sure this air vent hose is clamped on tight on the inside of the docking station (see my earlier posting about leak!).

Problem:
I'm currently at a campsite and can only add about 10 gallons of water via this method before it comes back out as if it was full. The tank is 43 gallons. Apparently I have an air lock.... Again, filling thru the air vent ( I'm pumping it in slowly with a 12v pencil type pump in a 8 gallon water jug)
Anybody have an idea for a quick, at camp site fix?
Gee, I've got to say this method, (per Keystone - phone call and email confirmation) Is an asinine method for a dry camping water fill! I'm currently stuck with very little water.

[Lawdog]

Well, as an update, thanks to the geniuses who decided a camper used in the woods needed no gravity fill, and finding no good alternative, I decided to try the Harbor Freight pump route. I went down and bought pump #94639 for $32 after the 20% off coupon.

I also picked up two of the Camco 4 foot drinking water safe hoses to hook to my water container --> HF pump --> city water inlet on the camper. I tested the pump out with water container and it pumped a hard stream of water out. Good start. I hooked it up to inlet, turned the lever to 'fill tank' and started a stopwatch and turned it on. I turned on the stopwatch so I would know how fast it emptied a 10 gallon container.

90 seconds later, the pump up and quit.

I tried to exchange it tonight at my local Harbor Freight and they refused to exchange it. Evidently, a lot of these are coming back. Well, if they go Tango Uniform after 90 seconds, yep, a lot of them are going to come back. I will call the 800 number the store told me to call and report back.

At this point, it's back to the drawing board. First boondock trip in about two weeks. Not a happy camper at this point.

[Jgkopp]

I think there is a drain line hanging underneath with a cap, valve or both for draining this domestic water tank. This drain line is connected directly to the bottom of the tank, and the vent line is also connected to the top of the tank. So what would happen if you made a positive connection to this drain line and made it a fill line? You could then gravity feed water via a water tank that is higher in elevation than the tank in the trailer? As long as the water source tank can drain water (must be vented), water will flow into the trailer water tank that is also vented. When the source tank is empty, water will level out with the water line elevation of the trailer tank. Fill it this way and you don't need a pump. You can fill the trailer tank this way till it is completely full. Then close valve to disconnect.

I guess you could also fill it this way with pressurized domestic water, but then again the factory already set the rig up for that method.

Thoughts?

John

[Lawdog]

Originally Posted by Lawdog

I tried to exchange it tonight at my local Harbor Freight and they refused to exchange it. Evidently, a lot of these are coming back. Well, if they go Tango Uniform after 90 seconds, yep, a lot of them are going to come back. I will call the 800 number the store told me to call and report back.

Harbor Freight did good and is taking care of the broken pump. I will give it another try in the next couple weeks and post up.

[canesfan]

Originally Posted by Jgkopp

I think there is a drain line hanging underneath with a cap, valve or both for draining this domestic water tank. This drain line is connected directly to the bottom of the tank, and the vent line is also connected to the top of the tank. So what would happen if you made a positive connection to this drain line and made it a fill line? You could then gravity feed water via a water tank that is higher in elevation than the tank in the trailer? As long as the water source tank can drain water (must be vented), water will flow into the trailer water tank that is also vented. When the source tank is empty, water will level out with the water line elevation of the trailer tank. Fill it this way and you don't need a pump. You can fill the trailer tank this way till it is completely full. Then close valve to disconnect.

I guess you could also fill it this way with pressurized domestic water, but then again the factory already set the rig up for that method.

Thoughts?

John

That's a very interesting theory. I have no idea if it would actually work, but may be worth a try. It shouldn't be hard to hook up a tube to the drain spigot, if I'm thinking right it has a somewhat barbed end on it. I've got some plastic tubing and vented water jugs, I may just have try that...if it ever stops raining for a day.

[bobbecky]

If you get a small line long enough to reach into the tank, and there is even just a little room around the hose inside the vent hose, you will be able to add water without water coming back out the vent, and this can be done using gravity or a pump, just will take longer using gravity.

[canesfan]

Originally Posted by bobbecky

If you get a small line long enough to reach into the tank, and there is even just a little room around the hose inside the vent hose, you will be able to add water without water coming back out the vent, and this can be done using gravity or a pump, just will take longer using gravity.

This is worth a try also. The tube I have now is probably too big OD and too stiff. It will go into the vent about a foot or so and stops. I know, since I can see the vent line behind the cabinets, that it would need to go in farther than that to be in the tank. A smaller, more flexible tube might work. It would also avoid water pressure on the vent line and the connection to the wall and/or tank, which weren't really designed for water pressure. The only thing would be something high enough to support a water jug above the level of the vent, which is somewhere around waist high. I'd prefer not to stand there awkwardly holding a ~55lb water jug high enough to let the water drain, which with a small diameter tube would take several minutes.

[Jgkopp]

We were out in our rig the last few days. Looked underneath and our water tank has a drain hose with a 1/2" threaded MIP adapter with a 1/2" threaded FIP cap. This cap is removed to drain the tank. Notice this hose is not clear tubing. Very important of any hose that is added that is not be clear tubing.

If you are going to use this line to fill I would add an extension hose and route it over to the side of the rig so it is more readily accessible. Should use an RV marine grade water hose for this extension and not clear tubing. You don't want any sunlight to get to the water. Over a period of time, UV light will contaminate the stored water. Add a ball valve and adapter so you can install the 1/2" cap when finished. The 1/2 ID hose is a good size for filling the tank without a pump. The water jug is going to have to be strapped up high on the ladder (if you have one) or something that elevates the water supply tank. Vent the tank and it will drain into the rigs domestic water storage tank rather quickly. The higher the tank the quicker it will flow.

[canesfan]

My drain is a piece of PEX with a ball valve on the end. The ball valve has what I would call 3 ribs on the end, very similar to barbs. I figure I can attach a tube to that if I decide to go that route. I have never heard not to use clear tubing, I've been doing it that way forever with various different trailers and water system setups.

[Jgkopp]

Clear is fine for short term and temporary use. If water is going to be sitting for a long time in a hose it is better to keep it out of the sun. If you notice, a RV water storage tank is not a clear tank for many reasons.

[canesfan]

Ok, I never leave water sitting in clear tubing, I pour the water in the tank and I'm done. Nothing is permanent. And I rinse the tubing out with bleach solution from time to time and it gets stored in a covered tote with my other water items. Thanks for that info.