Plumbing/Fresh water tank questions

[Branden]

I'm debating what type of plumbing system I'm going to put in--the bus will be mainly used for short recreational trips of camping, flyfishing, mountain biking and the like. So clean, easy, and simple are good for me. I haven't decided if I want a toilet--is that cassette system just kind of gross to deal with? Seems like it might be, but perhaps no more so than a tank of sewage riding along with you under the bus...ahh, tradeoffs. I'd be curious about people's experience with your toilet set up--do you like it/hate it/deal with it?

Second question: I know I want a sink and probably a shower, so a gray water tank is a must and I take it that I can mount such an animal underneath the bus, likely directly on the frame. Has anyone used food-grade barrels (the blue ones) or 55 gal steel drums for these? Would the steel ones rust out too quickly even if they're painted/coated? Are they too big for under the bus?

As for freshwater tanks, here's a dumb question: where do you put them? Could you use a food-grade blue barrel here? I would imagine it goes upright and in the bus (not underneath?). But I'm not entirely (read: at all) clear on this.

Alright, that's enough dumbness for one evening.

Thanks all, this is such a fun forum!

Branden

[Vern1]

Greetings,
Early in the project, I was comtemplating 55 gallon barrels.
I had 300 or more plastic ones at the time and it seemed like a good idea.
They were just a little too big around and stuck out the bottom of the skirt about a foot.
This killed my ground clearance and I wanted to be able to go on somewhat unimproved roads......
The other problem with barrels is mounting those round suckers securely.

I used one of the cassette toilets for a little while and simply hated it - it was just "nasty".
I found the thetford sitting over the black tank much "nicer" to deal with.
I also included a flush fitting in the back of the tank so I can simply hook up a hose and flush the tank from outside the bus and not have to carry a hose inside and flush thru the toilet.

You could use a barrel for freshwater on the inside, but it will take up a lot of space and the space around the round profile is wasted.

You might try here: http://www.tankdepot.com
That's where I got my tanks and they have tons of different shapes and sizes. Just measure your area and grab tanks that fit.
While not cheap, the finished product works and fits well and is proven.
I think I had about 650 in all three tanks and rubber grommets to fit them.
Add in another 75 for dump valves, etc.

Hope this helps!

[trx]

You might want to check out this thread: http://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=656

55 gallon barrels might work but you may not have room for connections on the top (to prevent it from haning down to low). You may loose a little capacity if you have to put them on the ends. What are the diameters of 55 gallon barrels? I'm building compartments that drop down 24" from the floor. That's slightly lower than the entry door.

Chad

[Vern1]

Greetings,
If you do hang them down that much, try to place them near the axles.
If you have one hanging down 2' in the center between the front and back axle, you will be surprised how easy it is to highcenter and not-so-gently leave your tank there.
Same thing if you put it near the back under the "overhang" - take a small ditch with the rear wheels and the tank may drag.

Hope this helps!

[trx]

I'd say the biggest danger area is the rear overhang. I've hit ground with the back of my bus before. To be safe imagine an invisible line from the bottom of the rear tires to the lowest point on the back of the bus. Anything hanging below that could be in danger. The muffler hangs down pretty far below the frame which is about in the center between the axles and so far I don't think it's ever hit the ground so I'm using that as a general guide. My 24" drop is towards the front of the bus, if I add anything towards the center I won't go down that far. You could also stop by an RV lot and see how much ground clearance they have on large motorhomes.

Chad

[captainkf]

Hello TRX. I was just looking at your photo's and the bus looks good. How difficult was it to replace the door? Do you have any photo's of your modified tank storage completed? I am planning on a similar idea. I salvaged two propane tank cabinets from vans, painted, reinforced and plan on mounting them beside the stock battery compartment. I was concerned that this would hand down too far, however your comment about the doorway already being very low was reasuring. Since there are already obstacles the compartments shouldn't be an issue. Thanks for the info and the great photo's. -Richard

[Les Lampman]

Hi Branden,

The problem in answering some of these questions is the wide range of options available and the even wider range of what each of us desires in the final conversion (driven to a large part by financial considerations and intended use for the conversion).

For anything other than a "weekender" I'd surely argue for permanent RV style tankage; you can bet that if there was an overall less expensive way to do things the RV industry would be using it. The system will last for years and years and give little if any trouble. On the other hand, for a weekender/camper with the least amount of money invested you could certainly find other ways to contain water. [I'm using 5-gallon potable water plastic "jerry cans" at the moment. I drilled a hole in one of the caps and then ran a food-grade clear vinyl hose through the hole to the bottom of the container; then hooked the hose to a small pump with a line feeding the sink faucet. The 'cap' part on my containers is separate from the screw-on sealing ring so when I need to switch containers I just unscrew the sealing ring, take the cap off the new container, put the hose in the new container and tighten down the sealing ring. This has the added advantage of letting me know where I stand on water capacity and the capability to haul the 5-gallon container to a hose or faucet for re-filling. I'll have a 100-gallon permanent water tank in the "final' conversion.]

I've used Porta-Potties (that's a brand name, there are lots of portable toilets available) aboard boats for years and they work just fine for weekend use, require little or no installation and are relatively inexpensive. I don't personally find dealing with the waste from the portable toilet any "nastier" than dumping the holding tank on our motorhome but that can certainly vary by person.

A cassette toilet is a slightly different beast; it consists of a molded assembly that has the toilet seat mounted to it and is permanently installed in the RV's interior; a removable "cassette" under it pulls out through an access hatch on the side of the RV for emptying purposes. They've been used in Europe for quite awhile and here in the U.S. more recently in tent trailers and the Earth Roamer among others (I believe conversion vans are starting to use them as well).

Check out Vern1's web site (http://www.pettypb.com/bus/; sheesh I'm starting to sound like a commercial for BruinGilda!); he did a really nice job on his tank install, took good photos and has a nice write up. That ought to give you some good ideas.

Gotta run for now...

Les