Holding up plastic 20 liter containers full of water to fill the van's water tanks is hard work. I need to find a small 12 volt pump that can pump the water up. If I put a hose each side of a normal caravan water 'pressure pump', will it suck up firstly the air then the water through the inlet hose without the pump being primed? then continue to pump water till I turn off the power? No one yet in any caravan shops so far know if it will work.
Cheers, John.
Dougwe said
07:38 PM Apr 21, 2017
I use one of these. No priming needed. I pump from 20/10lt plastic containers into van tank fill inlet.
I have rigged up a funnel wif a long-ish piece of plastic tubing that goes into the van's tank filler hole.
I then decant from the 20litre water 'jerry can' into a 9litre bucket - one with a nice little pointed spout.
I then hold the bucket - hardly any weight - and pour it gently into the funnel. Then repeat the decanting from the 20litre 'jerry'.
I am not in a hurry for things these days ... and saves a lot of mucking about trying to figure out a 'pump.
cheers - John
Peter_n_Margaret said
07:56 PM Apr 21, 2017
meetoo wrote:
If I put a hose each side of a normal caravan water 'pressure pump', will it suck up firstly the air then the water through the inlet hose without the pump being primed? then continue to pump water till I turn off the power?
Yes, it will work. I have used one like this for many years to fill from rivers and such like.
It would also be possible with the addition of some Ts and taps to rig your existing van pump to do that same job, if you can plumb it to be convenient to use.
Cheers,
Peter
dazz49 said
07:58 PM Apr 21, 2017
A 12 volt bilge pump as used in boats are ideal cheers daz
Peter_n_Margaret said
08:00 PM Apr 21, 2017
Bilge pumps will not self prime, so need to be below the waterline of the source water.
Cheers,
Peter
Radar said
07:53 AM Apr 22, 2017
Only the other month we were camped over a week down the South Coast of NSW where there was a large tank of good water for the campers to use, so every so often I would go over with a 20 litre drum in the car fill it up and drive back, on reaching the camp I would use my normal water hose to syphon the water into our caravan water tank.
I have since then cut my good water hose into 2 lengths (1/3, 2/3) making it a little easier to syphon the water though.
Heaviest lift was from the water tape to the tailgate of the ute, parking near the fill point of caravan was very easy job.
Just an idea.
jules47 said
11:01 AM Apr 22, 2017
We sometimes use a small portable shower pump, with the shower rose removed, to pump water from a bucket into the water tank of our MH - bit slow, but works well. Possibly the slowness is good, because we don't get any air bubbles. Usually available under $30.
Baz421 said
11:18 AM Apr 22, 2017
Plenty of 12V marine pumps will simply drop into container and prime and pump.
Used them for years. Here's an example John,, most marine shops have other brands, but Whale is reliable, had my current on 10 years.
Any 12 volt camp shower will do what you want just cut off shower rose. www.bing.com/images/search
Less than $20 outlay.
OutbackMK said
05:09 PM Apr 22, 2017
I have a small centrifugal pump that runs off a portable electric drill got it from Aldi for a song also available from Bunnings. For long lengths to a river you will need a foot valve but from a 20Lt jerry it works fine.
Thinking about permanently mounting on rear bar to save holding it while pumping.
Brian
meetoo said
06:27 PM Apr 22, 2017
Thanks for all your replies, some good ideas there. By the way I just posted in the for sale section, that I have 2 new 110 amp batteries for sale, going cheap.
Cheers, John.
Jaahn said
06:22 PM Apr 23, 2017
Hi
I have a shower pump that I purchased off ebay for a reasonable price. I took the shower head off the hose and use that for filling the tank. Just plug it into a ciggy type socket and it pumps a 20 ltr drum in a couple of minutes. I just drop it into the drum through the hole for the lid. The hoses and wires are included in the deal too. Easssy !
Jaahn
Bass said
08:01 PM Apr 23, 2017
Buy the sound of it you guys can fill your caravan water tanks quite quickly from normal hose. I have to almost drip feed the water into the tanks ( rear not so bad ) but forward tank wow.... just crack tap and leave for 2hrs. I've pulled the system apart and buggered if I can see the problem. (Yes its a crusader) unless more than 12 hrs of daylight could not empty from 20lt container straight into tank. ( ha ha.
Cheers bass
Baz421 said
08:12 PM Apr 23, 2017
Bass wrote:
Buy the sound of it you guys can fill your caravan water tanks quite quickly from normal hose. I have to almost drip feed the water into the tanks ( rear not so bad ) but forward tank wow.... just crack tap and leave for 2hrs. I've pulled the system apart and buggered if I can see the problem. (Yes its a crusader) unless more than 12 hrs of daylight could not empty from 20lt container straight into tank. ( ha ha.
Cheers bass
I ran 2 hoses from tank breathers (on top of tanks) up to gas cylinder area (about 1100mm off ground) so tanks can breath while being filled. Fitted snap on connectors and can fill from the front with click on hose connections as well.
If you fill from hoses to tank direct (as I'm doing) be careful NOT to over pressurise tanks as they approach full. Reason 90% of filler hoses in skin of van are non pressure rated ie thin walled and often convoluted hoses not designed for pressure use.
Hope this helps.
Bass said
08:21 PM Apr 23, 2017
Thanks mate, from what I understand you can / do fill from the breathers i'll give that a try.
Bass
Bill B said
08:58 PM Apr 23, 2017
Jaahn wrote:
Hi
I have a shower pump that I purchased off ebay for a reasonable price. I took the shower head off the hose and use that for filling the tank. Just plug it into a ciggy type socket and it pumps a 20 ltr drum in a couple of minutes. I just drop it into the drum through the hole for the lid. The hoses and wires are included in the deal too. Easssy !
Jaahn
+2
vanman said
11:03 PM Apr 23, 2017
Jaahn wrote:
Hi
I have a shower pump that I purchased off ebay for a reasonable price. I took the shower head off the hose and use that for filling the tank. Just plug it into a ciggy type socket and it pumps a 20 ltr drum in a couple of minutes. I just drop it into the drum through the hole for the lid. The hoses and wires are included in the deal too. Easssy !
Jaahn
What he said.
Too easy.
Chris
Dolly said
02:19 PM Apr 24, 2017
The old symphon method is the easiest by far,
as long as you have a vehicle with a tailgate.
I carry 3 x 25 ltr square plastic containers that never leave the vehicle. I fill up with a hose and then symphon into the van without lifting a thing.
Very good idea for saving the back.
So find a way to make your tug do all the work.
Happyjack said
11:51 PM Apr 25, 2017
I recently fitted a bracket to hold 2 x 15, 20, or 25 litre square containers (removable) in the A-frame. They have the large diameter openings through which I can drop a 12v submersible pump, much like the one Baz421 linked to. Drop it in with a length of hose fitted along to tank filler, plug in to 12v and transfer to main tank. Incidentally I have a 100l bladder I can set up so that I can fill it either from some water source using the same pump, or from some other source such as a tap. I have a 19,000l capacity Lifestraw to filter said water, if necessary, by gravity in to the tank or containers. Also a small personal one for drinking straight out of suspect or dirty sources.
Symo2540 said
08:35 PM Apr 30, 2017
I use my caravan pump to suck the water out of the jerry straight into the drain hole of the tank. A little bit of plumbing but saves the back.
Holding up plastic 20 liter containers full of water to fill the van's water tanks is hard work. I need to find a small 12 volt pump that can pump the water up. If I put a hose each side of a normal caravan water 'pressure pump', will it suck up firstly the air then the water through the inlet hose without the pump being primed? then continue to pump water till I turn off the power? No one yet in any caravan shops so far know if it will work.
Cheers, John.
I use one of these. No priming needed. I pump from 20/10lt plastic containers into van tank fill inlet.
Gday...
I have rigged up a funnel wif a long-ish piece of plastic tubing that goes into the van's tank filler hole.
I then decant from the 20litre water 'jerry can' into a 9litre bucket - one with a nice little pointed spout.
I then hold the bucket - hardly any weight - and pour it gently into the funnel. Then repeat the decanting from the 20litre 'jerry'.
I am not in a hurry for things these days ... and saves a lot of mucking about trying to figure out a 'pump.
cheers - John
Yes, it will work. I have used one like this for many years to fill from rivers and such like.
It would also be possible with the addition of some Ts and taps to rig your existing van pump to do that same job, if you can plumb it to be convenient to use.
Cheers,
Peter
Cheers,
Peter
Only the other month we were camped over a week down the South Coast of NSW where there was a large tank of good water for the campers to use, so every so often I would go over with a 20 litre drum in the car fill it up and drive back, on reaching the camp I would use my normal water hose to syphon the water into our caravan water tank.
I have since then cut my good water hose into 2 lengths (1/3, 2/3) making it a little easier to syphon the water though.
Heaviest lift was from the water tape to the tailgate of the ute, parking near the fill point of caravan was very easy job.
Just an idea.
Plenty of 12V marine pumps will simply drop into container and prime and pump.
Used them for years. Here's an example John,, most marine shops have other brands, but Whale is reliable, had my current on 10 years.
https://www.ebay.com.au/p/?iid=221655553264&&&chn=ps
Less than $20 outlay.
Thinking about permanently mounting on rear bar to save holding it while pumping.
Brian
Thanks for all your replies, some good ideas there. By the way I just posted in the for sale section, that I have 2 new 110 amp batteries for sale, going cheap.
Cheers, John.
Hi
I have a shower pump that I purchased off ebay for a reasonable price. I took the shower head off the hose and use that for filling the tank. Just plug it into a ciggy type socket and it pumps a 20 ltr drum in a couple of minutes. I just drop it into the drum through the hole for the lid. The hoses and wires are included in the deal too. Easssy !
Jaahn
Cheers bass
I ran 2 hoses from tank breathers (on top of tanks) up to gas cylinder area (about 1100mm off ground) so tanks can breath while being filled. Fitted snap on connectors and can fill from the front with click on hose connections as well.
If you fill from hoses to tank direct (as I'm doing) be careful NOT to over pressurise tanks as they approach full. Reason 90% of filler hoses in skin of van are non pressure rated ie thin walled and often convoluted hoses not designed for pressure use.
Hope this helps.
Bass
+2
What he said.
Too easy.
Chris
I recently fitted a bracket to hold 2 x 15, 20, or 25 litre square containers (removable) in the A-frame. They have the large diameter openings through which I can drop a 12v submersible pump, much like the one Baz421 linked to. Drop it in with a length of hose fitted along to tank filler, plug in to 12v and transfer to main tank.
Incidentally I have a 100l bladder I can set up so that I can fill it either from some water source using the same pump, or from some other source such as a tap.
I have a 19,000l capacity Lifestraw to filter said water, if necessary, by gravity in to the tank or containers.
Also a small personal one for drinking straight out of suspect or dirty sources.