Fresh water tank

[vtraudt]

We are just a bit short on freshwater for our typical weekend trip.
I have a small wheeld 5 gal (or 8?) tank. Even that one is cumbersome to lift up, hold while slowly draining into the campers fresh water tank.

Thinking about a larger one, but with a PUMP.

Any suggestions/ideas how to incoroprate a pump into a wheeled tote like this to fill the camper's fresh water tank?

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61GDNUsjZvL._AC_SL1000_.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61GDNUsjZvL._AC_SL1000_.jpg

[Grit_dog]

Wakeboat ballast bag and pump is an easy, reliable solution that doesn't require any additional "work" to use. May look into that. Can haul and pump a lot more water quickly as well.

[vtraudt]

vtraudt wrote:
Just received a 'fountain' pump (submerge style).
Will check today if I can get it through the LID of the 7 gal jug.
Has barb adapter for 1/2" (?) hose.

The pump BARELY (I ground off some edges) through the large lid, but then need to put the barbed adapter on the outlet and push the hose on. Doable, but a bit combersome.

Will look into 'plumbing' up teh pump inside and bring the 110V wire/plug and the hose (garden hose connection) to the outside (small hole for wired and larger hole for the garden hose connection).

Not sure if large blobs of silicon (inside as good as possible, plus from the outside) will seal AND hold. I think I have seen srew on conenctions for fresh water tanks, but nut sure how they work (and if they work with the really thin walled 8 gal roller jug I want to use).

Then tried my "spare" sureflow (self sucker supposedly). Bought adapter from home depot (plumbing expert) from sureflow thread (had pump with me) to garden hose. Screwed on a few threads, but then started to go crooked. NOT sure if they gave me the correct thread, but forced it on with teflon tape.

Turns out that pump is shot (have to suck water in only then will it pump; gravity alone NOT enough). Ordered repair kit for the pump, see if it works.

Benefit: short suction hose (garden hose connection), stuck through top of jug. existing fresh water hose (or another short 8 ft section) from pump into fresh water tank fill. Run 12V with connectors to near the fill and plug in the pump.

[mobeewan]

The spigots and caps on the aquatainer's have an NPT thread. Long ago I screwed a plastic hose barb with matching NPT thread and left it permanently connected to an extra cap that I had. I use the cap with a piece of tubing connected to it when I sanitize. I have different size aquatainers that all used the same size threaded caps. When I sanitize I use my 2-1/2 gallon aquatainer with the cap and hose to add 1 cup of bleach and 2 gallons of water to the FW tank, then top off the tank with water.

I can also use that cap and hose on a 7 gallon container to add water to the FW tank or in freezing weather I can bring the 7 gallon tank inside and connect it to the winterizing hose using the hose barb on the cap. Then I can lay the container on its side. I can then open the vent cap when I 1st start running the pump. After enough water has run from the container I can leave the vent cap open.

I have used the trailer in cold enough weather the lightly insulated FW tank intake started freezing up. I was able to get by for a couple of days using a 7 gallon container. Then it warmed up enough the FW tank started flowing again.

[vtraudt]

Just received a 'fountain' pump (submerge style).
Will check today if I can get it through the LID of the 7 gal jug.
Has barb adapter for 1/2" (?) hose.
If that works, I think I am all set. Wouldn't mind a couple short trips to the water source to fill the small (wheeled, nice handle, large enough yet small enough to stow) to make it to the end of the stay.
Last trip, we actually made it on one fill (2 person this time, lot less dishes).

[Vinman02]

When I ran out of water earlier this year a buddy gave me a full 7 gallon jug. No spout or funnel to pour it into my FW tank and after a few minutes of thinking I just used the winterizing hose to draw the water from the 7 gallon jug instead of the onboard FW tank. Worked like a charm and no need for any extra parts or fiddling around.

[Bobbo]

kfp673 wrote:
Just a thought as I am thinking of a solution for us as well... Most water pumps have a bypass already installed for winterization with a short cut hose designed for pumping antifreeze. If one carried an extra 40+ gallon bladder, could you not use a full length hose off that typically short hose connection and run it to the bladder? Then just flip your valve from the internal tank to the external tank when needed? Anyone see any downside to that concept?

Also, anyone have recommendations for fairly rugged portable bladders? My concern is placing in the bed of the truck puts it next to the rest of my "stuff" and I'd be scared to have something roll or land on it and easily puncture. I would even consider a solid water tank similar to what is in the camper but would obviously want it designed for potable water. Also need to remember to disinfect.

1 more question for everyone... Are the flexible bladder type containers (ideally 50-60 gallons) durable enough to fill at home and travel full fora few hours in the bed of a truck? Where we boondock there are no water fills near bye, so what we bring is what we have. Thanks

Water pumps do not have that feature. If you have it, it is because your RV manufacturer added it. If he did not, YOU can easily add it, cheaply.

That said, I don't think it would be practical. First of all, it is usually not anywhere near where you could get the water source. You would need a LONG hose to reach it.

Secondly, it doesn't have a connection on its end to connect to a hose. You would have to add a hose connector to it, which would interfere with your ability to put that hose down into an antifreeze jug to use it for its original purpose.

Third, while RV water pumps can pull water a reasonable distance to self prime, I am not sure they are strong enough to pull water 8 or 10 feet through the long hose mentioned in my first point.

As to your second question, when I deploy my water bladder, I remove everything else from the truck bed. There is nothing in there but the water bladder.

As to your third question, yes, a quality water bladder is strong enough to fill at home and carry.

[vtraudt]

kfp673 wrote:
Just a thought as I am thinking of a solution for us as well... Most water pumps have a bypass already installed for winterization with a short cut hose designed for pumping antifreeze. If one carried an extra 40+ gallon bladder, could you not use a full length hose off that typically short hose connection and run it to the bladder? Then just flip your valve from the internal tank to the external tank when needed? Anyone see any downside to that concept?

My class C had the 2 way valve on the pump inlet: 1 = get water from fresh water tank 2 = suck in antifreeze. Unfortuantely, my cheap Forest River Sales travel trailer does NOT have it. Otherwise (if connections on the suction side can be made, and more so if spare water is not substantially lower (can only suck up that much), that would allow to USE the spare tank, but NOT to FILL the fresh water tank, unless you now also connect a trailer faucet and run the line back into your freshwater fill connection.

[kfp673]

Just a thought as I am thinking of a solution for us as well... Most water pumps have a bypass already installed for winterization with a short cut hose designed for pumping antifreeze. If one carried an extra 40+ gallon bladder, could you not use a full length hose off that typically short hose connection and run it to the bladder? Then just flip your valve from the internal tank to the external tank when needed? Anyone see any downside to that concept?

Also, anyone have recommendations for fairly rugged portable bladders? My concern is placing in the bed of the truck puts it next to the rest of my "stuff" and I'd be scared to have something roll or land on it and easily puncture. I would even consider a solid water tank similar to what is in the camper but would obviously want it designed for potable water. Also need to remember to disinfect.

1 more question for everyone... Are the flexible bladder type containers (ideally 50-60 gallons) durable enough to fill at home and travel full fora few hours in the bed of a truck? Where we boondock there are no water fills near bye, so what we bring is what we have. Thanks

[vtraudt]

Thanks. Will get 1/2"-14 NPT male to 'garden hose' female and male (different for suction side and output side.

[mobeewan]

X

[mobeewan]

vtraudt wrote:

mobeewan wrote:

I also took a spare pump and added garden hose connections.

Can someone point me towards the adapter I need to connect 'garden hose' to the inlet/outlet of the typical RV pump (sure flow or similar)?

Something like this? Anderson Metals 57480-1208 Brass Garden Hose Fitting, Connector, read ¾” Male GHT x ½” Female NPT

https://www.amazon.com/Anderson-Metals-Garden-Fitting-Connector/dp/B000FPAPM8/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=3%2F4+to+1%2F2+ght+plastic&qid=1629810635&s=industrial&sr=1-7


Since I have the (old, but working) pump still in my 'wet box' in teh trailer, may as well put the correct adapters on, cut up an old garden hose (one end syphon hose, one and to stick into the fresh water fill port) and run some 12V to the area.

I used 2 of these Shurflo adapters and 1 brass male garden hose adapter and 1 female garden hose adapter both with 1/2" NPT female threads on them.

The threads on a Sureflo pump are actually 1/2" NPT, but I preferred to be able to swivel the fittings if I needed to since you can loosen and tighten the Sureflo fittings by hand. I also didn't want to connect metal threads directly to the plastic threads on the pump in case I had to swap out the trailer pump if it went bad.

I also added a plastic male garden hose quick connects to the inlet and a female garden hose quick connect with built in ball valve to the outlet. I use plastic garden hose quick connects on all my garden hoses.

[mobeewan]

X

[ktmrfs]

dieseltruckdriver wrote:

Bobbo wrote:

dieseltruckdriver wrote:
The one of the differences is my pump hoses fit in the tote also. The other difference is my hose fittings fit standard garden hoses, female in male out.

My hoses ride in the trailer anyway, in case I need to fill the tank at my site. (I don't use shore water. Even with full connections, I use the tank.)

The reason I went with double males is that when I connect a hose to the faucet, it connects to a male fitting. When the bladder is full, I close a hose shut-off valve and leave the hose attached to the bladder. I take it to the trailer and that hose, still connected to the bladder, now connects to the male fitting on the pump. The other male fitting on the pump now connects to the normal tank filling hose.

My 5er still has a gravity fill port, and we also only use our fresh tank. I just got done with a spot with electric and water for 9 days, and never pulled a hose out, since our fresh tank was full was full when we got there.

I only mentioned it because some think they HAVE to use the city hookup instead of using their fresh water tank. I don't understand why.

I don't worry about my tank sensors because I know two full fresh tanks fit in our 2 grey and 1 black tanks. In 9 days, we didn't use 1 fresh tank, much less two.

Agree. We always leave home with a full fresh tank, and even with places with hookups it's easy for us to go 5 days before needing to fill. It's nice to pull into a site, unhook, and relax. Unless it is hot out and we need the AC, I usually don't hook up to electric till after dinner. And more than once we have pulled into a campground with water problems and no fresh water. Others are scrambling because they don't want to travel for whatever reason with water in the fresh tank.

Many times if I need more water I'll pull out my empty 7.5 gallon can and fill it up at the spigot and then use my pump to fill rather than dig out a fresh water hose, hook it up and then mess with putting it away again.

[CavemanCharlie]

Grit dog wrote:
Never seems to gather any traction or commentary, but a wakeboat ballast bag and pump is a literally plug n play option with a 12V cig plug and a long extension cord on the pump.
Can get bags or package deals with pumps in many different sizes and shapes of bags. Alot of times can get a good price on a package deal on a generic size bag and pump combo that aren't the latest and greatest.

And,,, it didn't get much traction again. lol A quick check seems to put the price in the several hundred dollar range. I can build something my self cheaper.