How to fill water without gravity fill?

This is a little late late, but I took pix of the major pieces over the weekend.

HERE IS THE WATER JUG NEXT TO THE WINTERIZE HOSE. I EXTENDED THIS HOSE TO REACH THE GROUND SINCE THE JUG IS A TAD HEAVY.


WINTERIZE VALVE IN "DRAW" POSITION


THIS IS THE HOSE I BUILT SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS JOB:


AND THIS IS HOW IT HOOKS UP: ONE SIDE ONTO THE OUTSIDE SHOWER VALVE, THE OTHER FEEDS THE EXTERNAL WATER INLET:


OPEN THE SHOWER VALVE, SET STREET VALVE TO "FILL", AND TURN ON THE PUMP. BAM.....

SCVJeff wrote:
Same theory, yes.
On mine I took the outside shower hose off and inserted a quick release at the faucet. That allowed me to build a short jumper with the same disconnect and feed it into the street inlet.

Outstanding!!

I ought to do the same so we can drycamp longer continuing to use from the refilled main fresh water tank. We even made your method even more convenient by installing a high flow rate water pump.

I should keep the outside shower head available, though - as your approach does - for maybe use in giving the dog a bath at campsites. ;)

Same theory, yes.
On mine I took the outside shower hose off and inserted a quick release at the faucet. That allowed me to build a short jumper with the same disconnect and feed it into the street inlet.

Salvo and SCVJeff,

I assume that same approach could be used drycamping to draw from an extra water storage container kept inside the RV (i.e. kept under a dinette seat) and then top up your main water tank using your outside shower head aimed down into the outside gravity fill opening?

Our outside shower is in an outside cabinet right next to the gravity feed freshwater inlet on the outside wall. If this works for drycamping to conveniently add water capacity ... then Winnebago designers get a super A++ for elegantly simple thinking outside the coach-box!

That's how Winnebago does it for years now. Very elegant. It's so much better than gravity fill.

I can also stick the winterize tube into a solar shower bag to take a solar shower inside.

SCVJeff wrote:
I use the winterizing draw tube and the coach pump:
- Hose in water jug
- Valve in Winterized position
- Custom hose from the outside shower valve back into the shore water fill
- Fill valve to Fill
- Turn on pump
Sounds complicated but it's not.
It'll empty a 7gal tank in a tad over a minute

(Edit: iphone spelling)

You know a gravity fill is topped off when it overflows and backfills onto your shoes. Most of them have an overflow vent that starts spitting a bit of water back at you when you get close to topped off, your sign to slow down the rate of feed of water to fill the tank up.

Dave, as long as there are two separate controls on the water system you can just put one in the winterize position and the other in the fill position, then use the hose for sucking antifreeze to suck fresh water from jugs. Most motorhomes are set up this way but I suppose there are exceptions. I have a gravity fill but installed the valving to make this happen many years ago and have never used the gravity fill while boondocking. It is so much easier to use the pump then trying to empty jugs into the fill hole.

Sam

Can you add a gravity fill next to the city water fill by putting in a T for it? How do you know it's topped off, by the gauge only?

Mine does not have a gravity fill either. What I do is remove one of the overflow tubes and insert a connector from my 5 gal out door shower bag which I hang from my awning strap tie down and let it drain into the tank which takes about 3 mins for 5 gals or water. I also have a extra Sureflow water pump setup but by the time I get it out and set it up I can have 10 gals in the FW tank.

Thanks, so it's not a issue then. Still looking for the right MH. Going out again today to look at the same ones from last weekend. Can't find one with all the things we want, mostly floor plan issues.