Boondocking pump to fill fresh tank.

[jaudet71]

Hello all. After reading a post about filling your fresh water tank without pressure.... such as when boondocking. I think it was Titan Mike that described his set up and inspired me to go this route.

First I got an RV pump that is identical to my current RV pump. That way I have a spare if needed.
I put on adapters to use garden hose fittings with quick connects.
I installed an automotive style outlet in my water/sewer bay.
I also have the option of clamping to a battery if needed.
I mounted everything on a plaque with an on/off switch.
I got a 30 gallon bladder for the back of my jeep toad.


Below are the pictures of a test out of a 5 gallon jug. Worked like a charm. This keeps more boondocking options open. The bladder folds up to the size of a couple magazines.


Hopes this helps somebody out. Let me know if you have questions.
thanks Titan Mike.

[ependydad]

Very nice!

[jbflag21ds]

Nice. I have been considering building something similar

[robo44]

Looks very similar to mine, All in all looks great!

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by jaudet71

thanks Titan Mike.

You're entirely welcome. I can't really say the idea was mine originally as I think I read about using the same pump as in the RV on another forum.

Glad to see that others are benefitting.

[glen1971]

Mine is similar, except I have installed a female cord end off the batteries. Then since our solar panel, from our last trailer, has a male cord end on it, I built a male cord end to a quick disconnect for a spare pump. This way I can use a regular extension cord to get my pump to the back of the trailer, where our water connection is, or if we're using the solar panel, it can be moved out of the trees into the sun.
I also built a set of clamps for the same style of quick disconnect. That way I can lend the pump set-up to another camper to help them out.

[gooiebob]

When we went to state parks alot I just bought a spray tank from Harbor Freight and changed the hose, then used my onboard battery to run it. Worked great. I think it was a 15 gallon and I could fill the tank in two trips.
Bob

[mlmay12]

Very nice job. I did something similar with an old pump from a camping shower. I like the idea of using the same pump as your RV as that gives you a spare. Think I will look at that : )

[Paulie1138]

While I did get an upgraded pump for my RV, I have yet to install that. I am currently using the onboard pump with a diverter valve. Valve is on the suction side of the pump. It switches between the main tank and an additional hose that I can put into whatever water jug I happen to have. I then wired in an additional power switch to the pump in the water bay. I put the outside shower hose into the water fill port if I need to fill the onboard tank, or shut off the pump and use the inside pump switch as normal, and draw the water from the outside water jug. My plan is to put the upgraded pump into the camper, and use the old one for water duty. Setup I have works so far! Sounds more complicated than it actually is. The best thing i did, was to add some split air conditioning pipe foam over the water lines wherever they pass thru the floors and walls. Put the pump on a piece of plywood with a rubber mat. Cut down the pump noise a bunch. Some have added the accumulator tank, which is going to be one of my next mods. I should change out the pump while I have everything apart!

[jaudet71]

I did consider of that kind of set up using the outside shower. My next trip is going to be about 19 months and liked the idea of an extra pump on hand. I also decided to keep everything involved to one side(the water bay side). I also use the electrical outlet for my compressor as my air tank is two doors down.
A lot of good ideas here.

[quicky06]

We carry a 20 gallon stainless steel stock put with a ball valve on the bottom. It’s sold for beer brewing but we use it for doing large boils, boiling water for dishes and such.

I thought about the 12v pump but I couldn’t justify the costs of the pump vs a 120v bilge pump.

I need shore power or generator. Never leave home without the generator anyway.

This allows me to put the stock pot in the back of the truck and bring about 10 gallons of water to the trailer., granted we aren’t going off-roading to get from the water to the trailer. Just some gravel roads at worse.

Pot never leaves the truck when full.

[zipmart]

This was my solution. Purchased an inexpensive 12v water pump and mounted it close to the Fresh Tank Fill port. Clear tubing from the hardware store and appropriate adapters enables me to monitor the transfer process. Tapped into the wiring for the LED light in the bay to provide electrical power. Not necessarily high volume, but works well enough.

[IsleDog]

Originally Posted by gooiebob

When we went to state parks alot I just bought a spray tank from Harbor Freight and changed the hose, then used my onboard battery to run it. Worked great. I think it was a 15 gallon and I could fill the tank in two trips.
Bob

we bought a 25 gallon sprayer tank with pump just for this purpose. fills our tank in one trip and either clips to a battery or plugs into the 12v socket. it gets sanitized and winterized just like the campers tank and pump. we adapted the hose to use garden hose connections. at just over 2 GPM it takes about 10 minutes to transfer.

[jaudet71]

Zipmart.
I like the mounting. Maybe if I take off the top cover piece like you have I would have room. Thanks.

[Chuck_S]

The onboard freshwater pump was extremely noisy so I replaced it with a "whisper" type and mounted the OEM pump in a spare 12v battery box for use to pump water from the 35 gallon freshwater tank (from Tractor Supply) I put in the back of my Expedition when we camp without onsite water. Pump was "free" since the old pump was coming out regardless.

I put a female Bargman connector on the side of the battery box and plug the trailer's umbilical cord into it to power the pump. Toggle switch and some short hoses and it's done. Been working 15 years now although used less frequently as onsite water is getting more common at the state parks we frequent.

-- Chuck

[jaudet71]

I now mounted the pump on the side wall of the water bay. I now need to get or make a very short section of drinking hose to go to the fresh intake. Also I used my 90 degree elbow from my city water so I need a couple more of those.
Thanks all for helping me improve my design. Every idea helps form our decisions whether we use it or not.