Anyone use a water meter?

[Sjm9911]

Ok, so recomend to me a garden hose style water meter. My TT does not have a gravity fill or overflow and i can not tell how much water is in the freash water tank. If you fill it up too much it can pressurize, wich is bad. Normally not a problem but when i was sanitizing it i forgot to swap over the valve, so i had no idea how nuch water i had in the tank. Then i forgot to switch the other valve over to shut down the siphon hose because i didnt see it. The controlls and pump are under the couch inside and its a pita to see or feel to open and close the right levers. They should make it easier! Lol. Or i should mark them one day.........

[Cummins12V98]

DrewE wrote:
Having the overflow go to the black or gray tank would be a violation of sanitation codes, as it would also allow sewage (under some conditions) to get back into the potable water system.

Not if it had a check valve. Basically a BAD idea.

[Cummins12V98]

Grit dog wrote:
Haven't read all 3 pages, but appears you found some vent tubes.

You don't need a water meter. Fire up the hose, see how long it takes to fill a 5 gal bucket. Time your fill based on that fill rate.

I suggested the same but maybe you didn't see it ORRR I could be on a time delay. :B

[DrewE]

Having the overflow go to the black or gray tank would be a violation of sanitation codes, as it would also allow sewage (under some conditions) to get back into the potable water system.

[Grit_dog]

Haven't read all 3 pages, but appears you found some vent tubes.

You don't need a water meter. Fire up the hose, see how long it takes to fill a 5 gal bucket. Time your fill based on that fill rate.

[ajriding]

I plumbed my RV like this:
City water comes in to a T in the pipe leaving the pump. Water cannot flow backwards through the pump, so no water enters the water tank. City water pressurizes your entire post-pump water system and everything works fine. There should be a T in the pipe between the pump and the camper's faucets and water appliances. The T has a shut-off valve. The valve opens the pressurized city water pipe to be able to fill the water tank. From your description this is the only way to fill the tank. When the tank is full you turn off the valve. As long as city water is connected the pump will never turn on because it always senses enough water pressure "downstream", so the RV uses only city water pressure. When u disconnect city water (a have pump on) then pump will operate normally.
#1 you have to have a cut-off valve.
#2 there has to be a vent.
#3 the vent has to exit the camper. It will not dump water into the enclosed under belly of the camper. It will exit outside of the camper. Just look for a hose or an opening where water can exit. There has to be water pouring out somewhere when it overflows. Possible it could dump into your gray tank or into the drain (leads to gray tank), but if so this would be a horrible design and needs to be corrected so the water drains to the ground. There is really no other possibility I know of. The water sould drain to the outside, plain n simple...

[Cummins12V98]

Vw triker wrote:
I thought the vent would go out the roof?

That's for the black and grey tanks.

[Cummins12V98]

Timer and a 5 gallon bucket will get you very close.

Think about it.

[DrewE]

Vw triker wrote:
I thought the vent would go out the roof?

For the gray and black tanks, yes, so that sewer gasses and smells are vented away from people. Plumbing codes generally require this.

For the fresh water tank, it's usually not going through the roof--and the overflow line pretty much never is, since having water run out onto the ground is much less annoying than having it spurt up onto the roof and drip down. Downwards requires less piping and fewer holes in the roof.

[Seon]

Wife and I usually camp for two-three days but she insist to fill the water tank before each trip. We don't use that much water, so IMO a half tank is plenty and as mentioned, "How can one tell how much is in the tank?"
I'm thinking in the following weeks of adding a 12v water sensor and gauge kit that cost less than $90.

[Lynnmor]

Your KZ should have two vent pipes out the bottom. It will not pressurize unless a previous owner did something stupid like adding valves to the vents. Add water till it flows out the vents, done.

[Vw_triker]

I thought the vent would go out the roof?

[dedmiston]

Bumpyroad wrote:
Every RV I have owned had a translucent tank where the fill level was visible .
bumpy

Zero of mine have had a window, except for the Tiltin Hilton TC we had back in the 70s. Different strokes.

[wopachop]

Time how long it takes to fill a 1 gallon water bottle really slow. You can use that to have a rough estimate how long it should take to fill an empty tank. Im sure everyone who fills up at home has come outside to realize they forgot the water was on. Could set yourself a timer alarm on your phone.

[Sjm9911]

No, there both blue overflows , no shut off on them. My low water drains are elseware. I may see, later in the week, if they vent. I will cover them with a bag and see if air exits them while filling the tank, then blow them out. No easy way to trace or replace them as i said, its a closed bottom camper, thats insulated and spray foamed. So to take it apart would be doable but time consuming, especially if not needed. And ive had the line clogged on the pup before, but as stated, if its not a gravity fill it should blow out. But we will see. I did get everything sanatized today, so that good. And if i remember the valves, and mark them ill be good. Just not a great system. The city water comes in from the wall and hits a line attached to the pump, then there are 2 shut offs, so you have to turn on the tank fill, and it goes through the floor to the tank. You also have to shut off the other valve, i think to isolate the pump. Then , to use the pump reverse the process. So its a pain. The diagram in the manual is , as you guessed almost useless. It lists a silver shut off, that i dont have.