XLR Thunderbolt water tank?

[bulldog4949]

We are going to go dry camping in 4 weeks. We have to haul our own water by 5 gallon buckets. Will the no vent cause it to be slow as heck or does it go quickly like just a hole to fill in the older trailers?

I worry since it is a connection to a water hose fitting to fill that it will be slow.

Thanks.

[wrsmsgt]

A pump attached to a battery operated drill

[bulldog4949]

Yea seen that. From the fill point the lines go up to the under belly. So I guess a 12v pump will be in order for this.

[Homebrew]

I purchased one of those 45gallon bags to put on the roof or bed of the truck.
I did not realize there was no vent.

You sure do learn a lot on this forum !

Any suggestions on brand of pump?



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[bulldog4949]

KULAs I looked at mine today and from where the water fill is, the lines go up to the tank from there.

The underbelly is blocking my view when they go up, but I am betting filling with a bag or bucket will not work as gravity will not let it go UP through the lines.

I guess I am in the market for a pump also, that will allow a water hose connection on one end for trailer and another size line to the water supply.

[Taranwanderer]

Wait, back up a sec: there's no vent for your FW tank? I find that hard to believe. How is that even possible? Is there a chance you're missing it somewhere? Is it a factory defect? More info...

[bulldog4949]

I am not saying it doesn't have a vent. This was a question.

I see where I add water to fill the water tank (dry camping) and then the hoses in back of fill hole (under the trailer) run UP into the under belly.

I am asking if I fill the tank through a funnel and 5 gallon bucket if it will go SLOWLY or will it even fill due to the lines going up?

I am thinking I will have to have a pump (pressure) to fill tank and make water travel UPHILL.

Anyone have experience with this? XLR Thunderbolt 300x12hp

[Taranwanderer]

Is the garden hose hooked to the fill fitting an option?

[bulldog4949]

I can fill tank when I pull into the camp with water hose method, but throughout the week I will have to haul water by hand as we use it.

I will haul in 5 gallon buckets from water faucet to trailer and I need a way to fill FW tank back up.

So this is when I will need a pump to fill from 5 gallon bucket into FW tank with some pressure.

[Taranwanderer]

Ok, gotcha. Didn't realize that you wouldn't have a spigot nearby to use. THAT was the piece of the puzzle I was missing.

I have a marine bilge pump stowed under my bed just for this purpose. 12v, can be alligator clipped to your battery, no permanent mounting or wiring needed. Good luck!

[bulldog4949]

Yea just gotta find a good pump.

[WolfWhistle]

I would get and RV water pump that delivers somewhere around 2 gpm and wire it for how you are going to power it. I have a 12v water proof cigarette type plug on the utility side that is protected with a 10amp fuse, so that would be the deciding criteria, for me. I would probably spring for one of the larger bladder tanks that someone has mentioned. Yep, just shop around. With just a quick look I see a pump at HF that is claimed to pump 260 gph, which is probably bunk. But has clips and might last you all you need it to.

12 Volt Marine Utility Water Pump

If I did this alot, I would consider one of the better brands... shurflo or flojet.

[bulldog4949]

Thanks. I think I am going to get the Little Giant pump with 3/4" ends. It says 5 gpm, and comes with battery cable connections with lots of wire.

I will just string the cables across when needed or wire a plug on that side when I get time.

This should work good enough. We don't do a lot of dry camping so this will suffice.

[stevejd235]

Don't get the "driil" type. They don't work (at least not for me...). I got this model from Menards - Sumer 1/12[IMG][/IMG]
I made my own hoses and it worked great on our "test trip" pumping 50gl

[stevejd235]

Sorry the model did not paste - HP Mini Vac® - Multi-purpose Portable Utility Pump

[bulldog4949]

Thanks Steve. I will look into it.

[dieselbobcat]

I have used this with good results...$35 from Harbor Freight....

12v Marine Utility Water Pump

It has garden hose thread on both sides... depending on application you might need a washing machine hose (female x female) to hook it to a bladder.

[bulldog4949]

Thanks diesel. How long does it take to pump say 5 gallons?

[dieselbobcat]

It is rated at 200GPH... about a minute and a half...

[dieselbobcat]

I use the 45 gal bladder as well for filling...

Question: Does your rig have the winterization port? If so, switch inlet to winterization, use a male x male hose adaptor and draw water right out of the bladder using the onboard pump.