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02-23-2016, 04:17 PM
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#1
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New Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 9
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Water Supply
Hey everyone,
I've been thinking about the water supply for my skoolie, due to the fact thatd I'd like to live in the skoolie full time. How do you guys do it? Where do you get refills or do you have a well system? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
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02-23-2016, 04:32 PM
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#2
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Farmington Hills, Mi (Detroit area)
Posts: 1,968
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Eldorado Aerotech 24'
Chassis: Ford E-450 Cutaway Bus
Engine: 7.3L Powerstroke
Rated Cap: 19
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If you're going to park it and not move again you could go with city water, well water and/or rain water off the roof and drain into a septic field if city sewers aren't available. No need for clean, grey and black water tanks in that case. Just plumb it in like a house.
If you're going to be mobile you build an RV water system then fill up and drain wherever you can.
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02-23-2016, 04:33 PM
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#3
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Billings, MT
Posts: 1,269
Year: 2003
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: HDX
Engine: Cat C7
Rated Cap: 84 passenger
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Right now, I have a 7 gal container bought at Wally World. I fill it at any convenient spigot. Obviously, this isn't enough to run a shower, so I take PTA showers out of a basin.
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02-25-2016, 10:09 PM
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#4
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,208
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: 3800 International
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 72
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I have 35gal fresh water tank mounted under the bus, ill be changing it for a 60 gal, I fill up at home then when i'm on the road we spend I night in a rv park dump and fill tanks, we have filled at information centers, gas stations,
gbstewart
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02-26-2016, 08:37 AM
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#5
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Spring Valley AZ
Posts: 1,343
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Bluebird
Engine: 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 2 elderly children, 1 cat
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I lived in an RV for a few years and got pretty good at spotting faucets with handles (and some w/o). I was still working so work was one place. Gas stations were good with permission and purchase. Friend's houses. Some dump stations have potable water. Have filled from a spring with a 5 gal. bucket. Never ran out.
__________________
Don, Mary and Spooky the cat.
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02-26-2016, 08:40 AM
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#6
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
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Just a note...if you plan on ever spending time in colder climates...putting your fresh water tank(s) inside will save you a lot of frosty, frozen grief.
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02-26-2016, 04:28 PM
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#7
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Billings, MT
Posts: 1,269
Year: 2003
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: HDX
Engine: Cat C7
Rated Cap: 84 passenger
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But I LIKE cold water! Makes tasty iced tea and is very invigorating when you shower with cold water.
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02-26-2016, 08:46 PM
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#8
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
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I use a 55 gallon drum of spring water from home and I can go for quite a long time on that much water. It's good to be able to be picky about what water you put in your tanks.
Is anybody using filters while filling up?
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02-29-2016, 09:15 PM
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#9
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Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
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Would a shorter bus (like, say, one of those five window rigs with a Ford cab and a Bbird box on it) have a significantly lower capacity for cargo weight? In other words, would we need to be more concerned with the volume of our water supply?
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03-01-2016, 03:30 AM
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#10
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Erie, PA
Posts: 62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rjnye79
Would a shorter bus (like, say, one of those five window rigs with a Ford cab and a Bbird box on it) have a significantly lower capacity for cargo weight? In other words, would we need to be more concerned with the volume of our water supply?
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Not unless you plan to hold a ridiculous amount. a bigger concern is where you get the space for the tanks.
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03-01-2016, 09:25 AM
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#11
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Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by keiffith
Not unless you plan to hold a ridiculous amount. a bigger concern is where you get the space for the tanks.
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Thanks. I was hoping that would be the case. Not sure what size tank to look for yet, but (as is typical, I'm sure) wanna strike a balance between spacial efficiency and not having to fill up with water every three days or whatever... It seems like most folks are somewhere in the 30-60 gallon range.
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03-01-2016, 11:34 AM
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#12
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Farmington Hills, Mi (Detroit area)
Posts: 1,968
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Eldorado Aerotech 24'
Chassis: Ford E-450 Cutaway Bus
Engine: 7.3L Powerstroke
Rated Cap: 19
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I put our 35 gal tank under the bed in the center of the floor. There's room for an even larger tank there. You can see it under the right side of the bed. It's best to keep the weight balanced over both axle ends. There is some space under the bus but it's tight and you'll want to run drains down there somehow. I'm using a 15 gal plastic barrel as a grey tank.
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03-01-2016, 01:22 PM
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#13
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Cuyahoga Falls Ohio
Posts: 592
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Startrans
Chassis: Ford e-350 single wheel
Engine: 5.4 litre
Rated Cap: 12
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Roach, do have a pic of the barrel grey water tank.
Quote:
Originally Posted by roach711
I put our 35 gal tank under the bed in the center of the floor. There's room for an even larger tank there. You can see it under the right side of the bed. It's best to keep the weight balanced over both axle ends. There is some space under the bus but it's tight and you'll want to run drains down there somehow. I'm using a 15 gal plastic barrel as a grey tank.
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03-01-2016, 03:52 PM
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#14
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Farmington Hills, Mi (Detroit area)
Posts: 1,968
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Eldorado Aerotech 24'
Chassis: Ford E-450 Cutaway Bus
Engine: 7.3L Powerstroke
Rated Cap: 19
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Yes, I do....
I mounted my 15 gal barrel transversely behind the fuel tank. The drain line drops through the floor on the driver's side behind the wheel well then goes back around the bumper bracket before turning back toward the tank. With the frame rail in the way that was the only way to get enough drop on the drain line. Damn those frame rails!
I screwed the plywood box to the wood bus floor then used aluminum bar stock and all thread rods to cinch the tank up into the box. Used auto undercoat spray to waterproof the box before mounting it.
Here's the drain line coming in to the tank. The clear plastic tube is the tank vent.
There was room for the barrel between the frame rails and the body trim panels but if I mounted it there the shower drain wouldn't fit. Plumbing in tanks is a bugger in the short buses.
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03-02-2016, 09:34 AM
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#15
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Cuyahoga Falls Ohio
Posts: 592
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Startrans
Chassis: Ford e-350 single wheel
Engine: 5.4 litre
Rated Cap: 12
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Thanks roach.. OP sorry for the highjack.
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03-22-2016, 05:58 PM
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#16
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New Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 3
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how did u get it tittle if u didnt have a water tank?
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03-22-2016, 06:30 PM
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#17
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: EHT New Jersey
Posts: 1,134
Year: 2003
Coachwork: AmTran
Chassis: International 3000RE
Engine: T444E/AT545
Rated Cap: 75
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IraD
how did u get it tittle if u didnt have a water tank?
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Different states have different classifications to meet the requirement of "RV"
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03-22-2016, 10:10 PM
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#18
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
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I don't try to qualify this bus as an RV. I insure it just like anyone would insure a Chevy van or a pickup. It's a personally owned vehicle. It has plates just like a car or truck.
I do live in my bus, but I'm kind of a minimalist as far as remodeling it. I have had buses qualified as RVs in the past and it wasn't difficult. I frame mounted a propane tank under the bus and had basically camping gear inside the bus. I explained the propane and they took that as a conversion without even looking at it.
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