1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod - 8. Fresh Water
This Part 8. Fresh Water, begins at a stage in our game of rebuilding the left sidewall of the camper. It is here on that side where we run into the utility connections, much of which are fresh water ...
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Today: Fresh Water (hot/cold) connections and plumbing from the galley cabinet to the bathroom.
Here we are, on the final lap to the finish line - and here in fresh water that means supplying the bathroom with hot and cold water.
We have several things we're trying to accomplish here...
To get the short runs, through the living area, which can double as towel rods, we chose to run right out of the water heater area, over the entry door and directly into the bathroom, and from there - directly down to the faucet.
Today we'll get it all over to the bathroom, then stop and wait for the faucet before completion.
I remember my Dad's camper - a 12' 1972 on a '73 Ford. It had 3/8" flexible copper tubing lines. He missed winterizing one year during an early freeze and my introduction to a frozen copper line was there under the dinette cushion in the form of a 3" linear split.
Lil' Queeny has no basement, just insulated floor. Lil' Queeny has no cabinets from the water heater (left-rear of the camper) to the bathroom (right-rear corner of the camper), unless you take the long way 'round and Google some GPS directions. Lil' Queeny has no insulated attic, just a thin 1 by frame laid flat.
Like C.W. said, "However - there was a short cut, but unless you had drove the Black Bear Road before, you'd be better off to stay in bed and sleep late! Pay no attention to the guitar there".
So we locked in the hubs, and over the top we went! But let's start here.
Back and forth between the camper interior, and here at the bench, I started measuring (making exact area start and stops, or cutting just a little long for later fine-tunes).
Most often in 1/8" increments, but 1/16" shows up on fairly frequent occasion. Thus, the small steel rule.
I played with a clamp and some scrap wood, various angles for enough separation between hot and cold to obtain hook-ups maneuverability, and made the build. As I fine tuned, and re-fitted, over and over again, eventually I ended up with the two lines. Like this - after sweating and polishing.
Note the Sharkbite connectors in the foreground (just outside the water heater cabinet) and those in the background (just before entering the bathroom). Those are compression and allow for disassembly.
Also note there is a capped stub on the far end lower piece, which I used in bench testing for leaks. Both assemblies passed! Yeah Me! Don't laugh - I've had leaks before and it's no fun to try and re-do.
Next was installation.
Back at the main house water distribution manifold, the cold (bottom far left connection) has attached the steel braided hose which loops up and around then down to the cold copper 1/2" MPT adapter under the water heater.
And the hot (top far left connection) with it's steel braided hose straight out and down and under the water heater to the hot copper 1/2" MPT adapter.
Then under the water heater area, above the swing-out galley waste can.
Here's where it leaves the water heater cabinet (galley left side), right above the fire extinguisher, toward the rear, at the entry door.
And together, hot and cold rise along the door frame board.
The pipes are held in place first by the holes in the cabinet wood, and then by these two clamps. I flattened two 3/4" copper pipe clamps, then re-formed them for this use, attaching with the black construction screw and brass decorative washer treatment used elsewhere throughout the camper.
Then here at the upper reaches, they separate again so that you can drape towels over them with space in between. That also brings both runs into the bathroom at the same vertical height for specific purposes there (to be discussed later).
Note the removed flashlight brackets (evidenced by holes in the trim board). After installing the bathroom door, I had discovered the flashlight mount location was interfering with a full open swing of the door. So the flashlight is being relocated; I'll probably cover holes with two more brass hooks.
And at the bathroom end.
Note the pieces beyond the Sharbites are just place holders. When I get the faucet, I'll first mount it, then build plumbing backwards to meet this point.
We chose this unit, to keep it all on the camper warm side, and to provide for pipe runs from above, and to avoid too much shiny, instead attempting to gain more of an antique brass finish.
Central Brass laundry faucet.
It should be here Monday. And we think it looks vintage (basic).
That previous faucet (swinging spout, bright chrome, plumbed from below) we showed somewhere along the way? Back to the storage shelf until some future use. Hmmmmm, we're planning lots of chrome in Fairweather June! I bet it ends up there.
Here we are, on the final lap to the finish line - and here in fresh water that means supplying the bathroom with hot and cold water.
We have several things we're trying to accomplish here...
- Short Runs - at least for hot, so the bathroom gets hot water as soon as possible, with little waste down the drain
- Copper 1/2" pipes in the visible living areas
- Small holes in cabinetry (pipe diameter)
- Made in an assembly style, for dis-assembly due to repairs or removal
- Double duty - meaning pipes can also do something else, like being a towel rod
To get the short runs, through the living area, which can double as towel rods, we chose to run right out of the water heater area, over the entry door and directly into the bathroom, and from there - directly down to the faucet.
Today we'll get it all over to the bathroom, then stop and wait for the faucet before completion.
I remember my Dad's camper - a 12' 1972 on a '73 Ford. It had 3/8" flexible copper tubing lines. He missed winterizing one year during an early freeze and my introduction to a frozen copper line was there under the dinette cushion in the form of a 3" linear split.
Lil' Queeny has no basement, just insulated floor. Lil' Queeny has no cabinets from the water heater (left-rear of the camper) to the bathroom (right-rear corner of the camper), unless you take the long way 'round and Google some GPS directions. Lil' Queeny has no insulated attic, just a thin 1 by frame laid flat.
Like C.W. said, "However - there was a short cut, but unless you had drove the Black Bear Road before, you'd be better off to stay in bed and sleep late! Pay no attention to the guitar there".
So we locked in the hubs, and over the top we went! But let's start here.
Back and forth between the camper interior, and here at the bench, I started measuring (making exact area start and stops, or cutting just a little long for later fine-tunes).
Most often in 1/8" increments, but 1/16" shows up on fairly frequent occasion. Thus, the small steel rule.
I played with a clamp and some scrap wood, various angles for enough separation between hot and cold to obtain hook-ups maneuverability, and made the build. As I fine tuned, and re-fitted, over and over again, eventually I ended up with the two lines. Like this - after sweating and polishing.
Note the Sharkbite connectors in the foreground (just outside the water heater cabinet) and those in the background (just before entering the bathroom). Those are compression and allow for disassembly.
Also note there is a capped stub on the far end lower piece, which I used in bench testing for leaks. Both assemblies passed! Yeah Me! Don't laugh - I've had leaks before and it's no fun to try and re-do.
Next was installation.
Back at the main house water distribution manifold, the cold (bottom far left connection) has attached the steel braided hose which loops up and around then down to the cold copper 1/2" MPT adapter under the water heater.
And the hot (top far left connection) with it's steel braided hose straight out and down and under the water heater to the hot copper 1/2" MPT adapter.
Then under the water heater area, above the swing-out galley waste can.
Here's where it leaves the water heater cabinet (galley left side), right above the fire extinguisher, toward the rear, at the entry door.
And together, hot and cold rise along the door frame board.
The pipes are held in place first by the holes in the cabinet wood, and then by these two clamps. I flattened two 3/4" copper pipe clamps, then re-formed them for this use, attaching with the black construction screw and brass decorative washer treatment used elsewhere throughout the camper.
Then here at the upper reaches, they separate again so that you can drape towels over them with space in between. That also brings both runs into the bathroom at the same vertical height for specific purposes there (to be discussed later).
Note the removed flashlight brackets (evidenced by holes in the trim board). After installing the bathroom door, I had discovered the flashlight mount location was interfering with a full open swing of the door. So the flashlight is being relocated; I'll probably cover holes with two more brass hooks.
And at the bathroom end.
Note the pieces beyond the Sharbites are just place holders. When I get the faucet, I'll first mount it, then build plumbing backwards to meet this point.
We chose this unit, to keep it all on the camper warm side, and to provide for pipe runs from above, and to avoid too much shiny, instead attempting to gain more of an antique brass finish.
Central Brass laundry faucet.
It should be here Monday. And we think it looks vintage (basic).
That previous faucet (swinging spout, bright chrome, plumbed from below) we showed somewhere along the way? Back to the storage shelf until some future use. Hmmmmm, we're planning lots of chrome in Fairweather June! I bet it ends up there.