My Campervan
Plumbing.
My campervan has a 80 litre water tank located at the back of the bus under the passenger side. The water travels through food quality 15 mm diameter pipes to a pressure sensitive sure-flo pump. The pump detects water pressure changes and automatically switches on when I turn on the taps.
Water pump during installation.
Hot water service.
The hot water service was the biggest one I could get to fit under the floor of the campervan. It is an Atwood 23 litre gas powered hot water service. It cost me about $780, which was still a bargain. I'd been researching prices for ages so it was the cheapest I could get that almost anywhere. It is one that does not have a sacrificial anode. I want a large hot water service so that I can have a small bath installed in the campervan
I asked my mechanic to install it for me and cut a hole in the side of the bus for it. Instead I got an ingenious set up where he mounted the whole thing under the floor. On it's end. With the access door almost unopenable. Which was well pretty much the worst way of installing it. I can't use it because it is supposed to be mounted on the side. Although I have not connected it up to gas yet, even if it was, I don't think the flame is supposed to burn sideways. I will have to get a panel beater or some one cut a proper hole in the side of the bus for it, remove the mechanic's work and properly install it. This time I'll stand there and watch them. And maybe offer not so subtle hints if they are stuffing up.
The hot water service as installed incorrectly on it's end under the bus. Despite clear instructions that a hole needed to be cut in the side of the bus and an install guide this is what I got. I can't use it in this state as it is supposed to be mounted on its side and it must have the door in the side of the bus to let out hot air.
While this is a strongly engineered mount, it will require modification to allow the hot water service to be functional.
Toilet and bath area.
The toilet was purchased at the same time as the hot water service. It is a Thetford (pronounced tet-ford) cassette type toilet. It has a large container underneath to catch your crap in. It also has a water tank and a water pump to pump water from when you flush. It is electrically powered.
When I was thinking about installing a shower cubicle and toilet in the bus I wanted a way of installing them so that I could still see out the side of the passenger door to my blind spot. Now that I have a reversing camera that is not so much of an issue. But it would still be nice for the toilet and shower area not to take up all of my space. I eventually came up with the concept of a sort of toilet / bath combination in a box with a hinged lid which could be used as a sort of bench seat above. This plan was enhanced when I came across some aqua-tile product in a hardware store. This looks like tile but really is some sort of wooden board. The almost finished design came out quite well.
When not in use the area can be used a a sort of bench seat. Not for carrying passengers as there is no seat belts. But handy when stationary as somewhere to sit besides the bed. When in use I can take off the little mattress, cover and pillows then lift up the hinged lid. I can do my business or (once I have one made) I can take a bath. The gas hot water service is installed under this area.
The main reason why I decided to go for a bath instead of shower like almost every single campervan out there. This is because I like to sit and soak in a bath. Oh yeah I realised that it would be a little bath. One that I could barely sit in cross legged. That would be fine though. It would match up with the sort of hot water services that are available for campervans 23 liters of hot water mixed with the same amounts of cold water would probably produce enough water to sit in and relax. If not I can still have a shower. Of course if I can plug in to an external water tap I can fill up more water.
The bath area almost fully assembled. I moved the walls slightly before drilling in screws to hold it in place on the floor.
This how the finished unit looks. I can sit on that as there is a plywood base.
The top hinges up to reveal the toilet and the area where I will get a fiberglass bath made. The shower head from the nearby sink reaches the bath area.
The lid will help to protect the bath from prying eyes.
Sink and shower head.
The sink was original and came with the bus. To my surprise the cabinet maker seems to have left a big space under the sink area which could have been used as a drawer. The plumbing is a bit awkward. When I first got the bus there was a hand pump installed. It was also for cold water only. I removed it and replaced all of the existing water pipe with new food quality pipe. I used a click together system that was supposed to be leak proof but in reality it leaked like a sieve. Huge amounts of silicon sealant has not yet sealed all of the leaks. :(
Future plans.
After I get back from overseas I intend to have the hot water service correctly mounted and connected up to gas. I also intend to purchase a Glind heat exchanger to allow me to use heat from the engine to create hot water. This will be a secondary system, and will allow me to have some built in redundancy to produce hot water. It could also be used together with the Atwood hot water service to either pre-heat the engine or to allow for extra cooling of the engine, depending on the state of the water in the hot water system. For example, while driving I could shunt hot water into the Atwood hot water service. Or in the morning I could run the Atwood hot water service and run water through the Glind heat exchanger to preheat the engine.
Also once I get back from overseas I'll get that fiberglass bath custom made.
I plan to get a water filter to filter the water coming from the water tank.
I also plan to fit an air / water piston into the system if it is required to avoid water hammer and add some efficiency to the pump.
I am also considering an extra water tank to be mounted at the rear of the bus. This would give me greater storage capacity and the ability to spend more time away from fixed sites. The problem is that water is heavy. Weight really is the enemy of the campervan. It slows it down, ups fuel consumption and adds to wear and tear on vehicle components.
