Is it rare to find storage?

[Kirbee]

Hey everyone! I'm a newbie when it comes to forums. So I apologize if this is in the wrong area. My fiance and I are trying to narrow down the specifications we would like in our bus. We're planning on starting the build from scratch and I'm using Sketchup to help put the design into perspective. We're wanting to carry 150 to 200 gal of fresh water. Being mindful of weight distribution we figured having a bus with pass thru under storage would be a great option since the tanks are quite long. Fiance is 6ft so we planning on a roof raise and wanted to save inches on the interior by not having the tanks under the floor. We're searching for a 35 to 40 ft RE bus. We prefer bluebird to Thomas based on the forums we've read. My question was are there any specific models that have the pass thru storage or is it just hit or miss. Trying to google such things gets me nowhere. Any response is appreciated! Thanks!

[Danjo]

How does having tanks under the floor reduce interior height?

[rossvtaylor]

Hi Kirbee, "activity buses" (used for team transport and such) are much more likely to have ready-made storage spaces than school kid transport buses. But in any RE bus it's pretty easy to add storage down below. If you're installing tanks, you don't really need to pay the premium for storage bays...you can tuck the tanks down below, behind the siding/skirting. If you really want tons of storage in "basement" bays, you might also look at coaches like retired Greyhound or Trailways or such buses. Some of those have bays big enough to put an ATV in...but then you're in a different world than the skoolie world.

[Kirbee]

Well the tanks are normally about a foot high. We would have to build a step up to go over that height I would imagine. Unless there is something im missing completely ��

[Kirbee]

Thanks for the reply! I'll start searching for activity buses. I've seen a few school buses with side storage but bot pass through. I was just concerned with the weight bc that is a lot of lbs going from fresh to grey and having each tank on either side would throw off the weight distribution I would think. So that's a no go. With installing the tanks underneath would there be a hazard if they aren't confined? I would be worried about punctures due to road debris. Maybe I'm looking too much into this. Lol

[musigenesis]

You'll only find pass-through storage on RE buses - the drive shaft in an FE or CE prevents this otherwise.

Now that I'm planning my own underbody storage, the value of existing such storage is a lot more apparentl to me. I'd think it would be worth a grand or two.

[Bert06840]

I'm not going to comment on your storage related questions as I am only into low floor buses, but 200 gallons is a lot. Why so much? You need equivalent grey water storage, too.

In some cases it may be worth to (literally) carry a metric ton of water, but I can't think of too many.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Kirbee

I was just concerned with the weight bc that is a lot of lbs going from fresh to grey and having each tank on either side would throw off the weight distribution I would think.

A 100-pound water tank will weigh about 800 pounds, but each bench in a school bus can potentially be carrying 500 pounds of children (or more - this is America after all) and not evenly distributed at all. Weight and weight distribution are not the problems that people think they are (at least in a full-sized bus; van-chassis buses are more of a concern).

[rossvtaylor]

As far as the tanks go, I like the ones from Class A Customs and we've used quite a few of this 125-gallon version. It's a good size for storage bays or underneath the floor, in buses without built-in bays. We use the same tank for both fresh water and gray/black. Now that I wrote that, it looks wrong...that would be gross! We use one of these for fresh water and another, of the exact same part number, for gray and black (combined). We use a macerator pump on the pre-installed threaded fitting to empty the gray/black tank.

https://www.classacustoms.com/125-Ga...ank_p_469.html

[Bert06840]

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

As far as the tanks go, I like the ones from Class A Customs and we've used quite a few of this 125-gallon version.

That is good to know, we just ordered one a few days ago!

Also a 65 gallon one for grey.

[Kirbee]

Oh great! Thanks!!!

[Kirbee]

I'm sure this is somewhere else I the forum buy how long does the 125 last normally? We're going to be off grid the majority of the time. I was aiming for 200 just to be safe having it last 2.5 weeks atleast.

[Bert06840]

Last winter, in the van, we carried six 4.5 gallon jugs for household use, and we bathed, daily, using water from creeks. Those are everywhere here in the northeast. We never even had to fill up once in a 10 day period.

Last summer we used the same jugs, but showered from them as well. You can manage rather easily with 3-4 gallons per person per day. Including a shower, including rinsing dishes.

Drinking water was separate, we didn’t want to jinx it.

[Bert06840]

Sump pump in creek, 150’ extension cord and hose.

[Bert06840]

Since we left the water behind in nature, only mild biodegradable soap could be used. That turned out to be not an issue and we kept using it afterwards.

[Bert06840]

Running water? All it took was a case from the wine store, a $20 faucet, and a bucket.

[Bus'n it]

I know people are on a dime on some of these builds, but I looked at the Class A customs tanks and was not impressed with the wall thickness of the tank. I ordered my tanks from Tank Mart made to my specs as far as inlets/outlets and size. The tanks I ordered are a minimum of 3/8" thick. I feel confident these won't billow out or take a leak! 115 gallon grey water along with an 18 gallon piss tank. (keeping them separate). Both tanks are made in black. I drilled in water level senders and have the gauges that actually show empty to full much like a fuel gauge.

[rossvtaylor]

While I am happy with the tanks we've used from Class A, they certainly aren't as hefty/thick as the ones Simon got. I'll have to check those out, thanks!

[Bert06840]

I hadn’t heard about these guys before. At about double the price, I probably would have gone for the Class A ones anyway, especially because I’m going to box them in nicely. I prefer paying for quality but, well, it’s double the money... That said, even one crack would be catastrophic - I have a low floor and the water tank is under the bed, behind the rear axle.

[musigenesis]

What do you guys make of this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/143918024516 ? I've had it on my eBay watchlist forever.