Here is our guide on how to build a DIY water system in a camper van conversion. Having running water and a hot shower draw the line between “van camping” and “van life”, so it’s well worth the efforts. To design a van’s water system is much more simpler than an electrical system, a few items will do the tricks: a water pump, fresh & grey water tanks, a sink and some plumbing hardware. Let’s build stuff!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click a product link and buy anything from the merchant (Amazon, eBay, etc.) we will receive a commission fee. The price you pay remains the same, affiliate link or not.
1- Campervan Water System In A Nutshell
The role of the water pump is to create and maintain the pressure in the system at all time. As a result, opening one (or multiple) faucet(s) will get you water immediately. But taking water out of the system lowers the pressure… that’s OK because the water pump is pressure-activated; there is no ON/OFF switch. When the pressure drop because a faucet is opened, the pump senses it and starts pumping to bring back the pressure and will continue pumping until the full pressure is restored.
The accumulator creates a pressure buffer. A larger volume of water has to be taken out of the system in order to lower the pressure. As a result, the water pump starts less often and the pressure is more constant. Note that the accumulator is optional.
The grey water tank collects water from the sink. We opted for a relatively small, portable grey water tank (there’s a handle on it) that is connected to the system via a quick-disconnect; so it’s very easy to dump it. Note that we also have the option to dump grey water through the floor, depending on where we’re parked.
We do not need a black water tank, because we have a composting toilet. At last, we added a propane instant hot shower and a bike wash to the system. The final result looks like this:
1.1- Water System Diagram
1.2- Items List
| Component | Description | Quantity | Buy Link |
| MAIN | |||
| Fresh Water Tank | 25 Gallons | 1 | Amazon |
| Test Plug | To plug the fill hole of the water tank | 1 | Amazon |
| Water Tank Filler with valve | To fill the water tank | 1 | Amazon |
| Fitting: 1/2″ MPT to 3/8″ Barb | To install the vent hose | 1 | Amazon |
| Hose: 3/8″ I.D. clear | That’s the vent hose | 1 | Amazon |
| Fitting: 1/2″ MPT to 1/2″ PEX | To install the drain valve | 1 | eBay |
| Valve: 1/2″ PEX | To drain the fresh water tank | 1 | eBay |
| Fitting: Shurflo 1/2″ MPT to 1/2″ Hose Barb | To install the vinyl tubing for the drain | 1 | Amazon |
| Tubing: 1/2″ Braided Vinyl Clear | Flexible drain that can be folded away | 1 | Amazon |
| Shurflo Water Pump | Diaphragm Pump, 3 gallons per minute, 55 PSI | 1 | Amazon |
| Shurflo Accumulator | To reduce cycling | 1 | Amazon |
| Shurflo Strainer | Prevent damaging the pump if crap enters the system… | 1 | Amazon |
| Shurflo Silencer Kit | Reduce noise from pump vibration | 1 | Amazon |
| ON/OFF switch | “Emergency” water pump switch | 1 | Amazon |
| Fitting, “Tee”: 1/2″ PEX to 1/2″ PEX to 1/2″ PEX | To split the PEX pipe for sink & shower | 1 | eBay |
| Valve: 1/2″ PEX | We turn this valve off in winter and drain to prevent freezing (we don’t use the shower or bike wash in winter) | 1 | eBay |
| SINK AND GREY WATER | |||
| Dometic VA7306AC Sink | The sink… | Campervan-HQ | |
| Swivel Fitting: 1/2″ FPT to 1/2″ PEX | To connect the PEX pipe to the sink | 1 | eBay |
| End Cap: 1/2″ FPT | To cap the unused hot water sink fitting (essential!) | 1 | Amazon |
| Drain | The sink does not include the drain, so make sure to order this! | 1 | Amazon |
| Camco Flexible Drain | 1 | Amazon | |
| Wye & Valves | To direct grey water into aqua-tainer or through-floor | 1 | Amazon |
| Quick-Connect | To easily detach the aqua-tainer for dumping | 1 | Amazon |
| Garden Hose | 1 | Amazon | |
| Hose Clamps, Worm-type | To ensure the garden hose doesn’t slip out of the aqua-tainer | 1 | Amazon |
| Aqua-Tainer | 4 gallons grey water tank | 1 | Amazon |
| SHOWER | |||
| EccoTemp L5 | On-demand propane shower | 1 | Amazon |
| Swivel Elbow Fitting: 1/2″ FPT to 1/2″ PEX | To install the water valve | 1 | eBay |
| Valve: 1/2″ PEX | Water Valve | 1 | eBay |
| Valve: 1/2″ FPT to 3/8″ Flare | Propane Valve. See our Propane System article for more. | 1 | |
| BIKE WASH | |||
| Spray Faucet with coil hose | 1 | Amazon | |
| Swivel Fitting: 1/2″ FPT to 1/2″ PEX | To connect the PEX pipe | 1 | eBay |
| End Cap: 1/2″ FPT | To cap the unused hot water sink fitting (essential!) | 1 | Amazon |
| OTHERS | |||
| Fitting, “Tee”: 1/2″ PEX | This is required if, like us, installing both the shower & the bike wash | 1 | Buy on eBay |
| Fitting, Elbow: 1/2″ PEX | The PEX pipe can bend 5″ radius max. For tighter turns, use this elbow. | As Required | eBay |
| Bend Support | This has less restriction than an elbow | As Required | eBay |
| PEX Tubing, 1/2″ | a.k.a. pipe, hose… | As Required | Amazon |
| Fitting, MISC | We can’t possibly list all the fittings you might need for your installation! Here is the complete SharkBite catalog. | SharkBite Catalog | |
| PEX Cutter | PEX tubing can be cut with a carpenter knife, but this tool will make your life easier | 1 | Amazon |
2.1- Fresh Tank Anatomy
2.1.1- Fill Port
You guessed it, the fill port is used to to fill the tank. While motorhomes and most pro-built campervans have a port outside the van to fill the tank, we don’t because we don’t want the van to look like a RV; we like our van to look like a normal cargo van from the outside (people refer to that as being “stealth”). So here’s how we fill:
Because the hose end may be too large to fit in the fill port of the water tank, the use of this neat “Water Tank Filler” from Camco is handy. Plus, the Water Tank Filler has an integrated shut off valve, so the pressure can be turned off instantly when the tank is almost full (no spill), nice:
The tanks we recommend (see “Water Tank Links” table above) have 15/16″ inner diameter fill hole (no threads). We plug it using this test plug:
2.1.2- Water Pump Port
The tanks we recommend (see “Water Tank Links” table above) have 1/2″ NPT female outlet port (so a 1/2″ NPT male fitting is required).
2.1.3- Drain Port
The tanks we recommend (see “Water Tank Links” table above) have 1/2″ NPT female outlet port (so a 1/2″ NPT male fitting is required).
2.1.4- Vent Port
When pumping water out of the tank (or filling the tank), the water volume has to be replaced with air. That’s the role of the vent port. To prevent water coming out of the vent port (when braking or on steep or rough roads, for example), a hose is connected to the vent port and we installed it about 15 inches higher than the tank.
The tanks we recommend (see “Water Tank Links” table above) have 1/2″ NPT female vent port (so a 1/2″ NPT male fitting is required).
See section 1.3.1 for picture.
2.2- What Size?
It totally depends on your usage and how many days autonomy (without having to fill) you want. As a rough guideline and to help you make your calculations, here is our usage living full-time in the van:
- One shower (one person) uses a little less than 3 gallons of water. (that’s being very careful not wasting water, i.e. turning shower off when soaping, etc.)
- We dump between 2-4 gallons of grey water from the sink every day. (we cook a lot, so we wash a lot of dishes; you might dump less than that)
That being said, we fill our 25 gallons tank every 4-5 days in summer (depending on showers). Every 7-10 days in winter (we shower in aquatic centers or gyms and try to fill our 1L water bottles as often as we can in public places).
When choosing the size of your tank, remember that water is not a luxury it’s essential! Having to search for water frequently is no fun, so make sure to select a tank that gives you plenty of autonomy!
2.3- Inside or Outside the Van?
By installing our tank and plumbing inside the van, we can use our system even during skiing season, nice! We tested it in temperatures as low as -24F (-31C). Of course, having the tank inside occupies precious space in the garage but that’s a compromise we are happy to make.
If we were to use the van exclusively in summer, we might consider installing our tank outside the van, underfloor. Installing the tank underfloor frees garage space AND improves the van handling because it lowers the center of gravity.
If we were to start over, now that we know that we use much less water in winter, we would consider installing a tank inside AND a tank outside the van. The idea is to maximize water capacity without occupying too much space in the garage:
- In summer, we would use both tanks (extra capacity for showers)
- In winter, we would winterize the outside tank and use only the inside tank
- Remember, this extra precaution is because we use the van below freezing temperatures! If that’s not your case, there’s probably no point on doing this.
- That’s food for thoughts, we don’t have any installation layout/details for that…
3- Grey Water Tank
Grey water is what comes out of the sink drain (and shower, if we had one): water from washing dishes, washing our hands, brushing our teeth, etc. There are no excrement or chemicals in grey water.
3.1- What Size?
That depends on how often you don’t mind having to empty it. As a guideline, we empty our 4 gallons grey water tank almost everyday:
- Washing dishes is what uses the most water. We cook a lot, so we wash a lot of dishes! You might get less grey water than we do.
- If we use our hole-in-the-floor, we don’t have to empty our grey water tank everyday…
3.2- Inside or Outside?
Because we use the van for skiing in winter, we had to install our grey water tank inside the van so it doesn’t freeze. It uses some space under the sink, but we’re happy that we can use our sink during winter!
The lower temperature we experienced so far is -31C (-24F) and we could still use the water system! 🙂
4- Black Water Tank
We don’t have a black water tank and we don’t need to go after RV Dump Stations. Neat! How is that? Because we installed a Nature’s Head composting toilet 🙂 And we’re SO GLAD we did! We talk about our composting toilet here (how it works, how it’s emptied, what frequency, etc):
5.1- Diaphragm Pump
A diaphragm pump keeps the water system pressurized at all time. It’s like having running water, just like at home in a house.
The pump has no on/off switch. It starts automatically when the pressure drops and shut-off automatically when the appropriate pressure is reached. For example, using the sink (or shower or whatever) creates a pressure drop; the pump senses it and runs until the pressure goes up again.
One of the most common and reliable diaphragm pump out there is made by Shurflo:
Shurflo Revolution 4008
- Shut-Off Pressure: 55 PSI
- Re-Start Pressure: 40 PSI
- Recommended Fuse: 10 amps
- Flow: 3 Gallons Per Minute
5.1.1- Connecting The Pump
The Shurflo Revolution 4008 has one 1/2″ NPS male inlet and one 1/2″ NPS male outlet. Because the pump produce quite a lot of vibration, it’s better to connect the pump using flexible pipes. We recommend using the Silencer Kit from Shurflo:
It’s also a good idea to install a strainer at the inlet port of the pump, so debris can’t find their way through the pump and damage it:
5.1.1- Electrical Wiring
By now we understand that a diaphragm pump doesn't require an ON/OFF switch... However, we recommend adding one to manually shut the pump off. It'll prevent the pump from running indefinitely when the fresh water tank runs empty (it'll happen!).
The pump has to be connected to the electrical system. Don't worry, we also have a guide for that 🙂
5.2- Manual Pump
To keep things really simple and to save on electricity, a manual pump can be installed:
6- Accumulator
If installing a diaphragm pump (like the Shurflo we recommend), you might consider adding an accumulator. The accumulator contributes to longer pump life, less noise, less amperage draw, and reduced water pulsation. And also reduces cycling (the pump starts less often), nice.
Per manufacturer: “The most efficient use of the accumulator occurs with the accumulator pressure set at the same pressure as the pump’s re-start setting.” (Hint: it’s 40 PSI for the Shurflo Revolution 4008 pump). We tested different pressures and we prefer to set it to 30 PSI as the water volume capacity is greater at that pressure (therefore the pump cycle less).
The pressure can be checked with a normal tire gauge (you have one in your glove compartment, right?) and adjusted with a bike pump (it’s a shrader valve), it’s super easy. When checking or adjusting pressure, just remember to turn off the pump and to open the sink faucet (this is to read the static pressure). The accumulator comes unpressurized.
7.1- For Pressurized System
Pretty much any sink will do. We like the Dometic VA7306AC sink because it’s compact, foldable and looks great. If your counter space is limited, it’s a great way to optimize it. Be aware that it’s a high-quality product with a high price tag. The only downside we found is that the foldable faucet is in the way when washing/rinsing large items (such as full size plate or pot/pan); we wish it was located further back so we don’t have to swing it around.
Edit 2020: Looks like Dometic is now making this sink square (VA8000 model) instead of round (VA7306AC model):
7.2- For Manual Pump
If going for a manual pump, keep things simple!
8.1- Nope
We don’t have hot water in the sink and we’re totally OK with this: we just use our kettle to heat water. That’s the most economical way (water and gas) for sure! The most annoying part is that it’s not really practical to rinse the dishes using the kettle, so we rinse using cold water; that makes drying the dishes more difficult. For everything else, we don’t mind.
8.2- Propane
8.2.1- Tankless Water Heater (On-Demand)
As the name suggests, a tankless water heater has no tank. Water is heated instantly on-demand, so it can provide a continuous flow of hot water. It’s super efficient since it doesn’t have to keep water hot all day.
Mr. Heater BOSS
This is what we used for the first 10 months in our van. But then we realized we don't need to have a portable system. It is quite bulky and cannot be integrated to our water system. So we decided to try something else...
Eccotemp L5
We've been using the Eccotemp since 2018 and we're super happy with it. It's good, cheap and easy to install. It can be integrated to a pressurized system, it's not bulky and the water is surprisingly HOT.
8.2.2- Water Heater With Tank
Atwood have a wide range of water heater models, but the one that catches our attention is the G8A-6E model:
- Tank Capacity: 6 gallons
- Water Temperature: 100F to 150F
- Energy: Propane
- Recovery: 11.6 gallons per hour
- Dimensions: 16″ high x 12.5″ wide x 18″ deep
Make sure to check Atwood website for all their available models: http://www.atwoodmobile.com/water-heaters.asp
8.3- Diesel
If budget is not an issue, you might consider the Webasto Dual Top Evo. It’s an air heater (similar to ours: faroutride.com/air-heater-installation) AND water heater combined. It works with diesel and has a 11 liters water tank integrated. Fun fact: it’s over $3K…
9- Bike Wash
Washing a bike uses quite a lot of water, so we obviously don’t use it very frequently. But there are some occasions where the bike wash is a real life saver; removing a layer of mud from the down tube by hand is no fun!
Now, can someone explain why Antoine is CONSTANTLY walking in dog poo while Isabelle is not??! We’re thinking of renaming it for “Dog Poop Wash” as it has become the primary use…
10.1- Pipes
Let’s get straight to the point, PEX tubing is what you want.
- PEX tubing has become the standard for houses and RV.
- It’s cheap and readily available in any hardware or RV store.
- It comes in red/blue color to differentiate hot/cold side (both colors have the same properties).
- It resists freezing (but fittings might crack, don’t let it freeze!) and high-temperature.
- It’s easy to cut, easy to connect, easy to route (flexibility: 5″ minimum radius for 1/2″ diameter PEX).
- It won’t corrode.
- Note that PEX is NOT UV resistant and should not be installed under constant sun exposure.
PEX tubing can be cut with a carpenter knife, but a PEX cutter will make your life easier:
10.2- Fittings
10.2.1- Clamping
This is the method we recommend for permanent, leak free connections. It’s easy, fast, fun (yep!) and there is very little chance for error. It’s also good to know that a clamp tool can clamp any ring size (as opposed to crimp). Here is how it goes:
- Insert the clamp ring on the outside of the PEX tubing.
- Insert the barbed fitting into the PEX tubing.
- Using the Clamp Tool, compress the clamp ring. The clamp tool will not release from the clamp ring unless a properly-secured connection has been made; therefore GO/NO-GO gauge is not required!
10.2.2- Crimping
Crimping is very similar to Clamping; a crimp ring is used instead of a clamp ring. Both methods give as good results, except a GO/NO-GO gauge has to be used for crimping to ensure the crimp ring was sufficiently deformed. Crimping is the cheapest method for large projects.
10.2.3- Compression Fittings
The disadvantage with clamp/crimp is that it might be impossible to operate the tool in tight spaces. In that case you could use Flair-it compression fittings as they require no tool for installation. We personally haven’t tried them, but they’re quite popular in the RV industry. Flair-It fittings come in a variety of shapes and functions:
10.2.4- Push-To-Connect Fittings
Push-to-Connect fittings are almost too good to be true. Just push the PEX tubing into the fitting and voilà! …In fact, maybe they are indeed too good to be true. We tried them and when we pressurized the system, many fittings had slow leak.
- Slow leak are the worst because they’re hard to notice and could create damage in the long run… Why had we a slow leak? The Sea Tech fittings rely on an O-ring that goes on the outside of the PEX tubing (not inside); the surface of the PEX tubing must be scratch and damage free. These fittings are “reusable”, but the action of disconnecting create scratches on the outside surface of the tubing…
- O-Ring dries and loose efficiency in the long run.
- Some people reported having no issue at all after many years, but we think they are too sensitive to installation, outside tubing surface condition and O-ring deterioration. We’re not 100% confident so we pass. (we would be OK with them for temporary repair or outside installation).
10.2.5- Threaded Fittings
For all threaded plastic fittings:
- Do not use Teflon tape or Teflon paste! These are lubricant, not sealant, and will promote over-tightening = cracks = leaks.
- Don’t over-tight: finger tighten plus one or two turns.
- Use plastic-safe thread sealant (not lubricant) such as LA-CO Plato-Joint. Don’t worry it’s not permanent; it’s a paste that does not dry and can be removed easily.
- We did not use thread sealant on the Shurflo fittings attached to Shurflo appliances (pump & accumulator).
11.1- To Winterize
When water turns from liquid into ice, its volume expands by approximately 9%; as a result, any water trapped into a component that freezes will crack the said component.
In an RV, it is almost impossible to completely drain the water from everything. The best way to achieve this would be to use an air compressor to blow the system, but it’s not guaranteed to work… That’s why most people winterize their water system with antifreeze.
Our water system, however, is quite simple; there are few components and these components are all accessible. So we believe it can be winterized by draining all the water and without adding antifreeze. Empty the water tank completely and, with the pump activated, open each faucet independently (sink, hot shower, bike wash) for a rough “pre-drain”. Then, disconnect the water pump, the accumulator, the hot shower (Eccotemp) and the bike wash. Water will come out, so have a large bowl and some towels ready! If you can, take all these appliances inside your house for the winter (hey, the removal should take a few minutes of your time it’s not that bad!). If removing them is not possible, blow compressed air to drain them well. Be extra careful with the hot shower (Eccotemp), it’s much more harder to drain because of the heat exchanger (we’d really take this one inside the house for the winter..).
11.2- Or To Not Winterize
Since we live full-time in the van and all our components (pipes, water heater, fresh water tank, etc) are located inside (warm-side), we can use our water system ALL-YEAR, sweet! We even used it when it was -24F (-30C). We only take the precaution of winterizing the bike wash / shower at the back of the van; this area can freeze occasionally (it’s far from any heat source) so we don’t take any risk and drain it.
12.1- Water Bandit
To increase our chance of finding water while we’re on the road, we carry a neat Water Bandit. It can be fitted on almost any tap (thanks to the rubber side), then a hose can be connected to it (thanks to the “garden-hose-fitting”) on the other side. We're using it occasionally.
12.2- Sillcock Key
Following this post, many of you recommended us to get a Sillcock Key. Apparently, this tool can open water supplies of several rest areas, campgrounds, corner stores, etc. After a few years on the road, we actually only used it once, and we're happy we had it!
13.1- Keep it simple!
For a majority of people, monitoring the level of the tanks just by looking through them does the job. That’s what we did for the first year or so we lived full time in our van; it worked just fine and it’s the cheaper solution.
13.2- Simarine Pico
After a year or so living full time in our van, we decided to upgrade for a fancy monitoring system. The Simarine Pico is not only sexy, it is also packed with cool features: battery monitoring, tank level monitoring, temperature sensors, inclinometer, etc. We appreciate the tank level feature (fresh tank, grey tank & Nature’s Head liquid tank) and the low/high level alarm, it would be hard to go back after getting used to it…
14- How to sanitize the Water System
Because we live full time in our van, our water system is constantly refreshed (we fill our tank approximately every 4 days). Therefore, we sanitize our tank every six months. If you must leave your van alone for a week or two without draining the system, consider sanitizing before using it (especially in a hot climate!).
1- Prepare a bleach solution
- Use 1/4 cup of bleach for every 16 gallons of water in your fresh tank.
- Dilute the bleach in at least 1 gallon of water.
- Do NOT add the bleach in the tank without diluting it first!
2- Sanitize
- Add the bleach solution to the fresh tank and fill with potable water.
- Circulate water through the entire water system for about a minute (by opening the sink and other devices).
- Let it sit for at least 4 hours (overnight is better!)
3- Rinse
- Drain the fresh water tank and re-fill with potable water.
- Circulate fresh water through the entire water system for a few minutes.
- Repeat once more (drain, re-fill, circulate, drain).
- That's it!
15.1- Tank Installation
The tank is installed above the wheel arch:
The tank is secured with BoatBuckle Kwik-Lok Tie Down 2″x4′ (Buy on Amazon). They’re super strong and easy to install/remove. They are attached to Stainless Steel Tie-Down “D” Ring (Buy on Amazon):
When the tank is full, there is noticeable “bow” on the unsupported side of the tank; we therefore added a wood support to counterbalance the bow (the straps alone won’t help). Note that the wood support must go across the entire height of the tank (from bottom to top) to be effective (otherwise the strap will flex):
15.2- Water Pump, Accumulator & Plumbing Installation
Water pump & accumulator:
We build a “shield” for the pump and accumulator and installed the switch on it:
It looks like this with the “shield” on:
This is the tubing near the pump and the accumulator:
(Note that our tank has a water pump port at the back, but unfortunately this tank is not made anymore… The tanks we suggest have all ports on the same side)
And this is the tubing where it splits toward the bike wash / shower:
15.3- Sink and Grey Water Tank Installation
The sink installation into the cabinet in covered in our Sink & Stove Cabinet article: faroutride.com/sink-stove-cabinet
This is our grey water tank:
Meanwhile in China:
15.4- Bike Wash Installation
15.5- Hot Shower Installation
When not in use, the shower head is stored using a Quick Fist Clamp mini (Buy on Amazon):
The shower head holds in the window using a suction cup adapter (Buy on Amazon):
And that’s our exterior shower setup. We documented how we built it here: faroutride.com/exterior-shower
16- On Second Thought...
- October 2017 : One month living full-time in the van! We talk about the water system in our “First Month on the Road” article: faroutride.com/first-month/
- December 2017: We modified our grey water system so we can dump water directly through the floor (or in the grey water tank).
- June 2018: We traded the Mr Heater BOSS for an EccoTemp (see justifications above in this article). We also re-plumbed our system using PEX tubing instead of braided vinyl tubing (because that’s the proper way to do it).
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about us
Nice To Meet You.
Hello! We’re Isabelle and Antoine 
In 2017 we sold our house (and everything in it), quit our engineering careers and moved into our self built campervan. We’ve been on the road since then and every day is an opportunity for a new adventure; we’re chasing our dreams and hopefully it inspires others to do the same!
What measures do you have in place to make sure you’re getting decent water for your tank? I worry about the water from some spigots.
Also – I made the mistake of not washing out the inside of the tank with dish soap and rinsing before initially installing it. It made all the water taste like plastic at first 🙂
We’re not too picky about our water… but we met many folks that were using this filter: https://amzn.to/2KJjEBT
Yeah the tank will taste plastic at first, it needs a few rinses!
cheers
Your design is SO helpful, and I followed it almost completely. The only thing I did differently was use pex fittings from Home Depot instead of the Shur Flo. It saved me a lot of money and let me make mistakes then redo without it costing much.
Looking to convert a transit and been reading your conversion and it helps me trying to figure out what I need/want. So no need 2 way fridge anymore? A 12v fridge will run well 24/7 with a solar panel even in BC winter rain?
Solar alone won’t work in BC winter; you want to charge from the alternator as well (as per our wiring diagram): https://faroutride.com/b2b-review/
That’s our personal setup and it works for us in BC winter 🙂
Cheers!
I love your website so much!
My boyfriend and I are in the very beginning stages of planning our van adventure and I’ve learned so much from y’all!
I’m planning on pretty exactly copying your water set-up, except my tank will go above the wheel well on the driver’s side/left side of the van, which is the same side the sink will be on. We also aren’t planning on getting an extended van because we plan to go to some rather wild places and want the improved handling of a shorter base.
Do you think it would be possible to run a line from the water heater to the sink so we can have both hot & cold water in the sink? Thanks for reading!
You could, but I think it’ll waste a lot of water because of the distance (to warm up the pipe, like in a house where the hot water tank is located far away). On top of that, the tankless water heater performs better for long use (e.g. shower); for short burst it’s hard to get constant temps.
Do you have any sort of filtration system for your water to get out particles/bacteria when filling from random spots and to make it taste better?
We don’t use any filtration system when filling. We did tried the Camco RV Water Filter (amzn.to/3ovFyGL) and haven’t seen/tasted any change and thought it was bulky to use and stopped using it. If we have any doubt about the water not being safe, we simply don’t fill our water tank. Most of our water sources are listed on iOverlander or are official water filling stations.
However, a Drinking Water Hose (search as amzn.to/2VDVMl0) will make the whole difference for your water taste! Using a regular garden hose might give a weird taste as some people reported to us.
Very nice setup, Thanks for sharing all your ideas it will help alot of people make change to do what you are doing!
Your system has really set me back. Bought same pump and fittings. But I have added a 4 gallon water heater, filter and a UV light filter. Anyway it doesn’t work because the fittings are to small for the pump. It clearly states on the first page of the pump installation and preparation to use a minimum of 1/2 inch I.D. plumbing. It may be functioning for your basic system but probably poorly and the pump life will be short. I built a complete system that will now need to be torn out and replaced with the proper plumbing. My fault for not reading the instructions same as you. Maybe change the info here so no one else has to suffer the same pitfall.
We recommend 1/2″ tubing and the fittings we recommend are the Shurflo that comes with the pump… So our system is exactly as you describe it should be. Would you care to explain what’s wrong? Did you purchase 3/8 tubing?
All the fittings you recommend measure 3/8″ ID, the valve’s, t’s and elbows. . I’m sorry but 3/8 ID fittings make your system a 3/8″ and not 1/2″. I should have contacted Shurflow to verify what they mean by 1/2″ ID plumbing. The pump manufacturer should clarify this in their instructions because they caused a lot of confusion stating that this wasn’t sufficient. This was the only thing I could think that would of caused my problem, but after replacing all my tubing and fittings with 5/8″ ID fittings and 3/4″ tubing I had the same problem. After completely redoing ,disassembling and reassembling 3 or 4 times and losing my mind twice. I found the shower hot cold valve in the handle was completely not functioning on the hot side. Sorry I blame you for a lot of my heartache but in my eyes your information is wrong and you should still put some clarification somewhere about the discrepancy. Or Shurflow should change their instructions to include 3/8′ ID fittings.
While the information that was posted, it is your responsibility to always ensure you are putting the correct size tubing and correct items in place correctly. Blaming someone else for something you did, is not doing your due diligence. Any posted information you find should always be used as advice only and not as 100% correct set ups. This is a guide and should be treated as such.
Hi there,
You don’t seem to mention anything about water sanitation, maybe I missed that bit.
Differently from a house that draws sanitized water from the mains, in a van you have a lot of water that can stand still for days, especially with a big tank. This could become a problem even if the water you put in is potable water.
What do you do to keep bacteria from growing in your freshwater tank and pipework?
Good point, we don’t have anything about that, we will add something.
What we’ve been doing is sanitizing our tank/pipe every 6 months or so. We should probably do it more often though… But because we constantly use / refill our tank (because we live full time in the van), we feel like it’s all clean.
For reference: https://blog.campingworld.com/rv-basics/sanitize-your-rvs-freshwater-system-in-5-simple-steps/
Cheers!
Hiya! First off, let me just say you guys were a HUGE help with my initial van build last summer. I couldn’t have gotten through the electrical without your diagram. I hired someone to double check my work so I didn’t catch on fire in the middle of the night and he was seriously impressed. He only made a few tweaks that were specific to my setup. Anyhoo, I thought I’d stop by again since I’ve ripped out everything to insulate and put up proper walls. I normally live at the beach in SoCal and I just didn’t need to do it before because we don’t get extreme temperatures there . But I have my own woodworking shop now so I’m able to make some serious upgrades. My question is about the grey water drainage hose. I’ve done everything possible to keep critters out of my van and I’m wondering if anything has ever been able to enter through this hose. I thought about putting a screen on it but that would trap food particles. Thanks so so much! ~Sasha
We never had any issue with that and we don’t have anything to protect 🙂
I used the Reliance 5.5 gallon container for the freshwater, with the gray water going into a 7 gallon Reliance Aqua-tainer. The trick part though, was how to connect the Camco Drain to the water container lid. In other van builds, it looks like they were able to mate the threads and thread it into the lid. This did not work at all, and I sat around scratching my head for a while before coming up with an alternate solution. Then it came to me. Since the drain hose wouldn t thread to the water container lid, I d route the hose through the lid itself. There was one more modification I had to do to make it work though the end of the drain piece needed to be resized so the lid could thread over it. Out came the Dremel, and some time later I was able to attach the two pieces.
What was the overall approximate cost for this project?
Hi, we have a cost breakdown here: https://faroutride.com/cost-and-labor/
cheers
Hi! I have a question about your quick connection fitting to your grey water tank. I bought all the parts you have and the quickconnect fits on to my y valve well. but the other side doesnt fit on that blue grey water tank. Am i missing something here? Tell me what ever else i need 🙂
Hi Antoine,
Great site and thank you for all the help. Does the grey hose to “China” hurt your insulation during winter time? Any recommendations or things you’d do differently on your next build?
We didn’t notice anything, I feel like the heat loss is neglectable.
Hi Antoine,
Did you guys consider running a hot water line from your shower to your sink? Do you think that would be a feasible solution?
Thanks.
The instant hot water system takes a few seconds to get hot, and the pipe would increase the time for the water to get hot… It’s fine for showers, but for the sink I feel like that’s a lot of wasted water. I’d probably consider a water heater with a mini tank if I wanted hot water in the sink.
Hi Antoine,
Awesome site and information. Very much appreciate all the work and organization. Quick question. Did you drill the hole for the gray water hose to “China” before or after you installed the floor? If you drilled the hole after the floor was installed how did you treat both sides of the hole to protect from rust?
We did it after. If I recall correctly, we used primer + paint + coat. Or maybe just an all-in-one rust protection because it would be too difficult to access?
Hi! How much did it cost you total to build both the water/plumbing and stove components?
Hi, thank you. You noted you did not use sealant on the Shurflo stuff. I DID (oops?). I put LACO’s Slic-tite sealant paste, recommended by the company-LACO. Is this ok? And, also, for the water hose connector to the sink faucet (we got the same one you use), I used this same LACO product and hand-tightened only (since there are two “O” rings on the connector. Is that OK?
Hi there! Your diagrams have been extremely helpful in understanding how to build my van water systems. One question I have is regarding the vent for the water tank – on your page there is a reference to section 1.3.1 – do you have any pictures of this set up? Can you explain any further why this is necessary?