Whale water filler bypass surgery.

Autosleepers in their infinite wisdom have installed a water input system more suited to a static caravan in my Broadway FB.  It takes ages to fill the 100 litre tank through a 5mm. dia. hole, an almost inaccessible water filter and a solenoid valve.
Here is a suggestion of how, should you wish to, to bypass the system when circumstances demand.



A: The components.   B:  Push fit together for easy storage,  C: Lower end pushed on to outlet, top trapped in window.  D: Detail of outlet valve adapted with a rubber spacer and short length of pipe.  E: In place.  F: connected and valve turned on. G: Hose inserted and prevented from kinking with flexible pipe.  
Turn on water and adjust flow so that level stays near but not over top.
More details on My Blog .

Nice bit of lateral thinking, and I love it.

What an awful lot of faff and faddle just to get water into the tank - because of (and I entirely agree with you) the caravan gadget fitted to a motorhome!!

You are obviously pretty handy, so I would suggest you consider fitting a Fiamma "Hole in the wall" filler cap. That system has worked perfectly well for generations of motorhomes, it wasn't busted, so why on earth did A/S (and others) feel the need to mend it!!

If it's of interest, the Fiamma filler on our Nuevo (which is almost identical to your Broadway) is on the other side, and enters the van just at the rear of the underbed box. A short length of convoluted pipe then exits through the floor, straight into the top of the water tank. It's a very simple fitting, and should be cheap and easy to achieve.

Then all you need is a trusty watering can and/or hose pipe. The fill from the hose is very fast, and the can is ideal for topping up if you don't want to move the van.

We shall never use the caravan filling gadget. Can't see the point, or any advantage - even though some people are very happy with it. (Ex tuggers I suspect, they love a bit of faffing!! )

Dave

Dave, summed it up concisely. We had a separate inlet fitted when we ordered the van. No faffing about and so much quicker so you can get on with life!
Bob

Bet you get some strange looks with that setup!  

Agree with Gromit... What an awful lot of faff and fadell 

Wouldn't work for me I'm afraid 

By the time you've assembled that & turned the tap on I'd have mine filled....

I guess the garden hose was just used to show how it was being filled. Maybe not important? but I have always used food grade blue hose to fill the tank

Enough has been said on this topic. There are those who can't make the newish water system work, and must resort to Heath Robinson devices as above and those of us who can make it work, find it fast and efficient and easy to use.

I must be in the minority. I like both systems and have both. I had a hole in the wall system added to the original so I have a choice. I do use the whale system if i am on a fully serviced pitch with an individual water tap. I can then connect the tap to that filling system and it just takes water as needed. No need to turn the tap on or off, I just have a permanently full water tank.

Quilter wrote:Enough has been said on this topic. There are those who can't make the newish water system work, and must resort to Heath Robinson devices as above and those of us who can make it work, find it fast and efficient and easy to use.

AGREED!
From an ex-tugger who used a 10l can to keep a 25l outside container topped up and then had 10 years experience of hole in the wall with my Hymer.

My solenoid valve on the system was not working and water could not get into the tank. My solution was to take it off and drill the valve part through and replace it as a connector. I put a filter in the inlet hose to keep it all clean and now I can fill up in no time at all.

Please could someone explain this topic? What is the whale thing?

Simple question from I guess a simple bloke me.
On the Whale Aquasource fill now have got used to it, But can some please tell me how to
get the  pipe off off the tap when the tank is full without getting wet through from the pressure build up in the pipe when the autostop comes when the van tank is full

David

Don't take it off the tap first! In the kit you have a rather odd shaped connector with some o-rings on either end. One end of that will plug into the blue box once it has been removed from the van socket.
SO - switch off the tap and remove the connector from the van. Plug in the double ended widget (it will only fit one way) and the pressure will be relieved. Then ask SWMBO to control the tap while you top up the toilet tank. When finished, leave the widget connected, remove the hose from the tap and coil it up. The widget will let air in so that the hose can flatten, assuming there are no kinks, as water leaks from the other end.. Job done without getting wet.

would a simpler way to make an adapter so the filler hose can be connected directly to the drain tap - would fill quicker under the water pressure of the water supply rather than by gravity using the plastic pipework arrangement - and easier to store?

inspiredron wrote:Don't take it off the tap first!  In the kit you have a rather odd shaped connector with some o-rings on either end. One end of that will plug into the blue box once it has been removed from the van socket.
SO - switch off the tap and remove the connector from the van. Plug in the double ended widget (it will only fit one way) and the pressure will be relieved. Then ask SWMBO to control the tap while you top up the toilet tank. When finished, leave the widget connected, remove the hose from the tap and coil it up. The widget will let air in so that the hose can flatten, assuming there are no kinks, as water leaks from the other end.. Job done without getting wet.

Thanks Ron will give it a try next time we are out

David

chudders wrote:I must be in the minority. I like both systems and have both. I had a hole in the wall system added to the original so I have a choice. I do use the whale system if i am on a fully serviced pitch with an individual water tap. I can then connect the tap to that filling system and it just takes water as needed. No need to turn the tap on or off, I just have a permanently full water tank.

A minority of two. I also use both systems and both have their time and place. My hole in the wall is on the same side as the whale system. This was at my request as I didn't want piping clogging up my main storage by the external hatch.

However I am dreading the day the pump packs up as I suspect it will require the tank to be dropped to gain access - great if you happen to be on holiday in southern Europe NOT. Unless someone can tell me different...?