dwells
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'72 Shasta Compact
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Post by dwells on Aug 14, 2014 14:15:40 GMT -8
So starting to poke around with this Dutch Craft and the water fill seems more complex than usual. The top screws off for gravity feeding, has a hose hookup and a bike tire style air valve behind that. The camper instructions (the PO still had most documentation) says it can be pressurized from inside or outside. He also installed an on demand pressure pump inside. The top looks like it had a pressure guage on the cap. So question: Do I need to find and exact match or will any gravity fed fitting work? Considering there was a pressure guage and it looks to just go staight to the tank wouldn't I need one that can take pressure? Mentioned this to the guy at the local camping world when I went for some butyle tape and he said I don't need it but I think he's missing the point.  |
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Post by bigbill on Aug 14, 2014 14:36:41 GMT -8
If you have a pump the tank has to be vented so that air can enter to replace the water that is pumped out or you will create a negative air pressure that will defeat the pump. So you need a vented cap or you will have to supply an interior vent to the tank.
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dwells
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'72 Shasta Compact
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Post by dwells on Aug 14, 2014 14:59:37 GMT -8
I'll take a closer look in the morning and see what I've got. Nothing has changed since it was working last so I assume it's vented in some way already. Maybe that guage actually also acted as a vent when it reached the right low pressure point? The systems in this one are much more complex than the little Compact was so I'll be full of questions for you old pros.
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cheri
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1967 Vanbrook Trunkback
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Post by cheri on Aug 14, 2014 17:13:13 GMT -8
Hi, My trailer has one of these caps. Mine still works, I do not have an electric pump of any kind on the system, and there is no vent. I have a round metal tank that I gravity fill and then add about 30lbs of pressure. A compressor fills it really fast, but when the tank is full of water a hand held bicycle pump easily adds the pressure. You do have to keep adding pressure occasionally as the water goes down, and I can only do this from outside. I got lucky and found a cap still in the box on ebay. Please excuse the mess around the inlet. It doesn't look like this anymore   |
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dwells
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'72 Shasta Compact
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Post by dwells on Aug 14, 2014 18:24:45 GMT -8
do you happen to know exactly what it's called? I'd love to find a replacement.
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Post by vikx on Aug 14, 2014 21:43:39 GMT -8
If you have a true pressurized system, the pump would be an air pump. The tank operates with air pressure, around 100 PSI. It's a cool set up.
If it's an on demand water pump, I doubt the original system will work any longer. An on demand pump works by pulling water from the tank and sending it to the faucet. The tank must be vented, so the tank can no longer be pressurized. Also, the pump will only tolerate 45PSI.
I'm guessing the cap has to be at least loosened for the pump to work and maybe off all together. Big Bill is right, the pump will be defeated if there's no vent.
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Ten
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70 Shasta 16SC + 1964 Airflyte
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Post by Ten on Aug 15, 2014 3:10:07 GMT -8
Pretty sure you may have an air compressor and not a demand pump. The compressor was set up to run "On-demand" as well, in some of the more deluxe setups. The system with the pressurized tank was never originally meant to be vented. If it has been there is a good chance it will not work with the air pressure.
There shoudl be a tire-valve on the outside somewhere near the gauge part of the cap. It was meant to use a hand pump to pressurize the system.
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cheri
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Post by cheri on Aug 15, 2014 4:29:13 GMT -8
Sorry, I didn't save the box. I just got lucky with a google search. The seller didn't even know what it was.
Vikx, can I add a female hose fitting to the nipple on the bottom and use to attach to city water. If not, any suggestions on how to add city water to the system.
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dwells
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Post by dwells on Aug 15, 2014 5:21:54 GMT -8
Yeah, it seems to be an air pump and is connected to the tank on the air valve fitting (bike tire type). So basically I can get a cap to cover this and not worry about the gauge part I guess (unless I get lucky and find one). It was an either/or setup with an option to add an air pump, which the PO did. Thanks guys.
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Post by bigbill on Aug 15, 2014 8:35:35 GMT -8
Sorry, I didn't save the box. I just got lucky with a google search. The seller didn't even know what it was. Vikx, can I add a female hose fitting to the nipple on the bottom and use to attach to city water. If not, any suggestions on how to add city water to the system. You should be able to buy a screw on cap with a hose fitting built into the cap. Also if you are using the original pressure system I would limit pressure to 40 or so pound as your faucets will be less likely to leak and you will use by far less water if I had an adjustable automatic air pressure system I would set the pressure at 25 pound. |
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dwells
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Post by dwells on Aug 15, 2014 9:46:18 GMT -8
Thanks. I'll google around the interwebs for something that will work.
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Post by vikx on Aug 15, 2014 9:46:58 GMT -8
Dwells, on the cap, you'll need a new rubber gasket. Plumbers grease helps a lot. Clean the threads very well, a little grease on them and also the gasket. It will help your system hold air pressure.  Cheri, not sure what nipple you're talking about. A pressure tank is usually filled by a hose; at the same time, the displaced space creates pressure. When the hose quits running, the tank is pressurized. There should be a shut off of some sort to prevent back flow. (either a check valve or an On/Off valve)You'll have water flow until the tank pressure is depleted; either an air pump or hand pump will re-pressurize. Many trailers with this system have an on board hand pump rather than the air pump:  Most pressure tanks have a drain faucet and an inlet under the trailer. If you add the shut off along with a swivel female hose connection, it should allow you to pressurize the system. Be sure to check all fittings, air and water! Here is an excellent thread at RYT: repairingyesterdaystrailers.yuku.com/topic/852/Pressurized-Water-System |
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dwells
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Post by dwells on Aug 15, 2014 11:17:35 GMT -8
Thanks, Vikx. I'm nowhere near the point of actually working with the plumbing but starting to think about the parts of this monstrosity that I'm unfamiliar with. 21ft self contained is way more to consider than a little 10ft with the bare necessities. I get to learn about water heaters, propane fridge, heating unit, etc. The Compact was just a stove and a sink (PO didn't know where the fridge went).
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cheri
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Post by cheri on Aug 15, 2014 12:26:57 GMT -8
Thanks for the info Vikx. I did follow the link at the other web site, but lots of the discussion was about pumps. My system is about as simple as it gets. There is a tank under the drivers side dinette seat. It has a drain on the bottom.  On the outside there is a gravity fill with the gauge and schrader valve. On the bottom of the filler is a short piece of threaded pipe. You can see it in this picture. It does absolutely nothing at the moment and is simply capped. You can look into the gravity fill and see straight down the pipe. (The pipe leading to the tank is kind of at an angle.)   What has got me wondering is that at the RV museum there was a Fan trailer about the same age as mine with a similar inlet. The difference is that it had, in addition to the big gravity fill opening, a female hose fitting sticking out from the fitting. I thought it might be a city water connection. (I forgot my camera  so no picture) I was wondering if I added a hose fitting to the pipe coming out the bottom of mine, hooked up to city water (using a regulator to keep pressure down), and opened the faucet to let out the air, could I just run water through the system. The tank wouldn't really do anything when hooked up that way at a site that has water hook up. |
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Post by bigbill on Aug 15, 2014 18:53:43 GMT -8
From the looks of things in your picture if you saw the inside of that old tank you would probably throw it away I have even found dead rats in them before. Might I suggest that you purchase a new tank and start over with what ever type of system you desire. "IF" you are only going to use the trailer where there is a hose connection do away with the tank and all then plumb in a line to hook hose to and go from it to the faucet.
Plastic tanks are not very expensive. A pressure tank system was used for when you were camping with no electric which forty years ago was usually the case.
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so no picture)