Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-16-2017, 02:25 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Iowa
Posts: 449
Need an Idea - Pumping Fresh Water from External Bladder

When dry camping. Looking for an idea. How best to pump water from a 30 gallon fresh water bladder in the auto trunk into the Berkshire XL's fresh water tank using the XL's water pump? Gravity feed most likely will not work, unless I place the bladder on the roof of the car.

Other than removing the outside shower head and hose and then finding a hose with the correct ends to mate with the outside shower hot/cold water valve and the fresh water tank inlet, cannot think of anything else. Would then use the existing antifreeze fill hose on the suction side of the installed water pump.
__________________
2017 Berkshire XL 40A & 2017 Ford Focus SE
I Built and Fly - Van's Aircraft RV-12
Ham Radio - W9EAA
MartyQ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2017, 02:40 PM   #2
Scoundrel
 
HangDiver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Montrose, Colorado
Posts: 2,786
12v portable water pump...
__________________
2024 Geo Pro 15TB, 400W Solar, 2 Golf Cart batteries
2015 F-150 5.0L V8 XLT Crew Cab, 4x4, Tow Package, 36 gal tank, 3.55 locker, 1891 payload, Integrated Brake Controller, Roadmaster Active Suspension

Wooden Spoon Survivor
HangDiver is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2017, 03:05 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Iowa
Posts: 449
Quote:
Originally Posted by HangDiver View Post
12v portable water pump...
Thanks, but, would prefer to use the installed pump.
__________________
2017 Berkshire XL 40A & 2017 Ford Focus SE
I Built and Fly - Van's Aircraft RV-12
Ham Radio - W9EAA
MartyQ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2017, 03:10 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
TimVWulp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: West Michigan
Posts: 641
Quote:
Originally Posted by MartyQ View Post
When dry camping. Looking for an idea. How best to pump water from a 30 gallon fresh water bladder in the auto trunk into the Berkshire XL's fresh water tank using the XL's water pump? Gravity feed most likely will not work, unless I place the bladder on the roof of the car.

Other than removing the outside shower head and hose and then finding a hose with the correct ends to mate with the outside shower hot/cold water valve and the fresh water tank inlet, cannot think of anything else. And using the existing antifreeze fill hose on the suction side of the water pump.
Do you have a an antifreeze hose hook up to the water pump? If you do you could add a ball valve with a garden hose fitting added to it to the cold water low drain point. Switch 3 way valve at pump to antifreeze draw. Use a fresh water hose from the bladder to the antifreeze hook up and a fresh water hose from the cold water drain point to the fresh water tank fill. If you go this rout make sure you put a hose cap on the cold water fitting to keep dirt out.

Hope This Helps Tim
TimVWulp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2017, 03:50 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Cypressloser's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Alberta - East of the Rockies, West of the Rest
Posts: 1,785
Using the on board water pump to transfer water is painstakingly slow.
I'd also suggest using an external pump, whether it be a 12 Volt rv water pump, a cheap 120 Volt pump or even an $10 drill pump if you have a drill that spins faster than 1500 rpm.
__________________
2018 RAM 5500 Laramie CC
Sold: Riverstone Legacy 38RE, 960 Watt Solar, 6x6 Volt AGM Battery Bank, Freedom SW 3012 Inv/Charger
Ordered: 2021....
Cypressloser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2017, 06:24 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
dan-nickie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Dallas TX
Posts: 1,675
[emoji1]
__________________
Dan
2014 Berkshire 390RB-60
dan-nickie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2017, 07:14 PM   #7
Always Learning
 
ependydad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Four Corners, FL
Posts: 21,888
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cypressloser View Post
Using the on board water pump to transfer water is painstakingly slow.
I'd also suggest using an external pump, whether it be a 12 Volt rv water pump, a cheap 120 Volt pump or even an $10 drill pump if you have a drill that spins faster than 1500 rpm.
I have a fifth wheel and a gravity fed freshwater intake. So I don’t know how helpful I am. But I recently went through this.


This. I’ve pumped 40 gallons of water using the antifreeze inlet to outside shower head to the freshwater gravity fill. It’s incredibly slow- like 1gpm. I imagine it’s also a power hog running the pump that long but I didn’t measure.

Here’s a picture of me filling my freshwater tank from city water. The only difference between this and the external bladder is where the input hose attaches.

Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_6122.jpg
Views:	143
Size:	218.9 KB
ID:	158473

I don’t think this will work with a non-gravity fresh water fill. The low point drains and hose connection is likely the next thing I do.
__________________
Officially a SOB with a 2022 Jayco Precept 36C
Checkout my site for RVing tips, tricks, and info | Was a Fulltime Family for 5 years, now we're part-timing on long trips
ependydad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2017, 08:16 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 3,290
I had this thought, too, when we were heading to Alaska, if I could possibly use my 100' water hose to drop into a river and bring water into the coach via the water pump and the 'winterizing' position on our Anderson 4-way valve. My thought was that the winterizing feature is simple a way to pump liquids into the water lines without having to pull water from the water tank, right? If so, you would lay the far end of the hose into the water(maybe a filter would be a good idea, right? a sock, if nothing else?), turn on the water pump, and then each time you used your sink it would cause the pump to come on, bringing in the water thru the hose from the river. BUT, I also thought that you would have to consider something else... all the AIR that is in the water hose since you are not 'gravity feeding' from the river, but expecting the water pump to do all the work.... SO, you would want to lay the WHOLE HOSE down into the river, allow the hose to completely fill with water, then add a CAP at the river end, while walking the coach end of the hose back to the rv, which is where you would connect it to the proper coach inlet. But, would gravity then allow all the water in the hose to then drain BACK into the river when you remove the cap, defeating the work you just did? Probably, OR, would the force of the river(if there is enough) keep the water within the water hose until your water pump needed it? Maybe not, SO, you would need a 'backflow' device on the 'river end' to keep the water within the water hose until needed and used by the water pump...

make sense?

this would NOT fill your water tank, at least no on my coach, as this is only available thru the 'city water'(pressurized water) valve connection, where the water pump is not involved, at least I don't think it is, though it seems that all of my water comes in thru the water pump regardless... wrong?
__________________
The Turners...
'07 Rockwood Signature Ultralight...
two Campers and two Electric cars : )
formerFR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2017, 08:28 PM   #9
Scoundrel
 
HangDiver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Montrose, Colorado
Posts: 2,786
Quote:
Originally Posted by formerFR View Post
I had this thought, too, when we were heading to Alaska, if I could possibly use my 100' water hose to drop into a river and bring water into the coach via the water pump and the 'winterizing' position on our Anderson 4-way valve. My thought was that the winterizing feature is simple a way to pump liquids into the water lines without having to pull water from the water tank, right? If so, you would lay the far end of the hose into the water(maybe a filter would be a good idea, right? a sock, if nothing else?), turn on the water pump, and then each time you used your sink it would cause the pump to come on, bringing in the water thru the hose from the river. BUT, I also thought that you would have to consider something else... all the AIR that is in the water hose since you are not 'gravity feeding' from the river, but expecting the water pump to do all the work.... SO, you would want to lay the WHOLE HOSE down into the river, allow the hose to completely fill with water, then add a CAP at the river end, while walking the coach end of the hose back to the rv, which is where you would connect it to the proper coach inlet. But, would gravity then allow all the water in the hose to then drain BACK into the river when you remove the cap, defeating the work you just did? Probably, OR, would the force of the river(if there is enough) keep the water within the water hose until your water pump needed it? Maybe not, SO, you would need a 'backflow' device on the 'river end' to keep the water within the water hose until needed and used by the water pump... make sense? this would NOT fill your water tank, at least no on my coach, as this is only available thru the 'city water'(pressurized water) valve connection, where the water pump is not involved, at least I don't think it is, though it seems that all of my water comes in thru the water pump regardless... wrong?
Or for $24 bones get a 12v water pump from Walmart and be done with it.
__________________
2024 Geo Pro 15TB, 400W Solar, 2 Golf Cart batteries
2015 F-150 5.0L V8 XLT Crew Cab, 4x4, Tow Package, 36 gal tank, 3.55 locker, 1891 payload, Integrated Brake Controller, Roadmaster Active Suspension

Wooden Spoon Survivor
HangDiver is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2017, 08:41 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Evereddie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Pfafftown NC
Posts: 2,353
Quote:
Originally Posted by HangDiver View Post
Or for $24 bones get a 12v water pump from Walmart and be done with it.
x2!
__________________
There are 10 types of people in the world.
Those that know binary, and those that don't.

2013:31 / 2014:51 / 2015:58 / 2016:37 / 2017:46
2018:16
Total 239
Evereddie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2017, 03:12 AM   #11
Dragonship Captain
 
Oscarvan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Eastern PA, USA
Posts: 1,335
Marty, I installed a cheap plastic three way valve in the outlet line of my water pump, that allows feed back into the tank. I use it to put some anti freeze into the tank without having to use an external pump and the tank fill connection.

You could very easily use it to pump water from an external tank into the on board tank.

https://dragonship.blog/winterizing/
__________________
2020 RAM 3500 DRW Long Horn. In the hunt for a Palomino TC, formerly a 2017 Berkshire 38A: https://dragonship.blog/
Oscarvan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2017, 06:16 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Homebrew's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,310
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oscarvan View Post
Marty, I installed a cheap plastic three way valve in the outlet line of my water pump, that allows feed back into the tank. I use it to put some anti freeze into the tank without having to use an external pump and the tank fill connection.



You could very easily use it to pump water from an external tank into the on board tank.



https://dragonship.blog/winterizing/


I also re- piped my system with a 3 way valve before and after the pump to pump water into my FW tank using the on board pump from my 5er. My FW tank does not have a gravity feed.

This system works very well.

I also carry a 12v portable pump as a back up or helping others. Purchased before I re piped my system.
__________________
XLR Thunderbolt 300X12HP
2014 Ram 3500 DRW
Homebrew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2017, 10:12 AM   #13
Dragonship Captain
 
Oscarvan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Eastern PA, USA
Posts: 1,335
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebrew View Post
I also re- piped my system with a 3 way valve before and after the pump to pump water into my FW tank using the on board pump from my 5er. My FW tank does not have a gravity feed.
The Berkshire already has the three way valve before the pump. It's how we winterize.
__________________
2020 RAM 3500 DRW Long Horn. In the hunt for a Palomino TC, formerly a 2017 Berkshire 38A: https://dragonship.blog/
Oscarvan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2017, 11:52 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Iowa
Posts: 449
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oscarvan View Post
Marty, I installed a cheap plastic three way valve in the outlet line of my water pump, that allows feed back into the tank. I use it to put some anti freeze into the tank without having to use an external pump and the tank fill connection.

You could very easily use it to pump water from an external tank into the on board tank.

https://dragonship.blog/winterizing/
Like the idea. How about a 3-way valve in the pump outlet and another in the existing fresh water tank vent line. Maybe there is a reason for the two vent lines (for the condition where the fresh water tank is filled to the top, without overpressurizing it to failure).
__________________
2017 Berkshire XL 40A & 2017 Ford Focus SE
I Built and Fly - Van's Aircraft RV-12
Ham Radio - W9EAA
MartyQ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2017, 12:39 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
MNtraveler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,404
This is actually easily done - depending on your RV configuration. Use the winterizing bypass valve to pull the water from the storage bladder into the RV system, then use the outside sprayer (or outside sink plus fresh water hose attached) to direct the water into the FW tank fill port.

First make sure there is no leftover antifreeze (or dust) in the bypass line, so when you first use it, pump some water through the lines out onto the ground.

After filling, be sure to switch the bypass valve back to normal usage when done.

Some people have responded to this arrangement by saying they can't do itbecause their FW tank fill port is on the opposite side from the pump. It also depends on your outside sprayer/sink configuration and if you have enough FW hose to reach. In our case the FW fill is very close to the outside sprayer so the coiled blue hose reaches it easily.
__________________
2016 FR Forester 2401R
Towing 2014 Honda CR-V
MNtraveler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2017, 04:09 PM   #16
Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 49
Drill pump

Exactly - my $12 drill pump empties a 5 gal water can in under 30 seconds. However if you want to pump from a river or lake, don’t forget that a pump will only lift water so far. The best solution in this case is to put the pump at the level of the source. Also the water is probably contaminated by giardia so consumption is I’ll advised.
kirkwilliams2049 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2017, 04:20 PM   #17
Dragonship Captain
 
Oscarvan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Eastern PA, USA
Posts: 1,335
Marty.....Good point. I wondered about the dual vent when I "borrowed" one. I'm not sure why there are two. I've tried to blow the tank up already by hooking up a tank fill hose and forgetting about it. Water was coming out the two vents like crazy and the tank was almost spheric...... (It returned to it's original shape and I now consider it thoroughly "leak tested") Your idea of putting three way on the other side is a good one. They are cheap enough.
__________________
2020 RAM 3500 DRW Long Horn. In the hunt for a Palomino TC, formerly a 2017 Berkshire 38A: https://dragonship.blog/
Oscarvan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2017, 04:24 PM   #18
Dragonship Captain
 
Oscarvan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Eastern PA, USA
Posts: 1,335
Quote:
Originally Posted by MNtraveler View Post
Some people have responded to this arrangement by saying they can't do itbecause their FW tank fill port is on the opposite side from the pump. It also depends on your outside sprayer/sink configuration and if you have enough FW hose to reach. In our case the FW fill is very close to the outside sprayer so the coiled blue hose reaches it easily.
On the Berkshires (this is a Berkshire forum) The water manifold is in the compartment opposite the pump compartment on the other side of the tank. There is no sink. There is an outside shower, not a blue coiled hose. Problem is that the tank fill has a garden hose connection. So you would have to figure a lot of parts and pieces to get from the shower head/hose to garden hose.

It can be done, but it's a pain.

On edit, you could buy a short garden hose, attach the male end to the tank fill, and then cut off the female end and clamp it on to the cold water manifold low point drain which is naked 2/3" PEX there......
__________________
2020 RAM 3500 DRW Long Horn. In the hunt for a Palomino TC, formerly a 2017 Berkshire 38A: https://dragonship.blog/
Oscarvan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2017, 04:56 PM   #19
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 66
Run a line from your winterizing selector to the bladder and use it as you water holding tank. It would be same setup as winterizing your trailer.
RetiredAF1955-1981 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2017, 05:40 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Iowa
Posts: 449
Quote:
Originally Posted by RetiredAF1955-1981 View Post
Run a line from your winterizing selector to the bladder and use it as you water holding tank. It would be same setup as winterizing your trailer.
Do not have a winterizing selector on my "early" 2017 Berk XL.
__________________
2017 Berkshire XL 40A & 2017 Ford Focus SE
I Built and Fly - Van's Aircraft RV-12
Ham Radio - W9EAA
MartyQ is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
fresh water, pump, water

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:00 PM.