Fresh Water Transfer Methods - What we use

[httyuwma]

Just had to log in to answer this one:

The easiest and cheapest system we found is using a Colman Camp Shower.  Just remove the shower head, drop the pump in a jug, put the outlet into your water inlet and within two minutes you are finished.  Runs on D batteries.

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-827b500t-Battery-Powered-Shower/dp/B0009PUT0C

[Agcflash]

Thanks guys!!!!!  Lots of good ideas.

[AZNighthiker]

Thanks for the info and links. My brother has a Casita Camper and he uses a D cell battery powered pump to transfer water. I also use one for a "faucet' for the water jugs.

[gaditchdoc]

We use a battery powered transfer pump made for getting cooking oil out of a turkey fryer. It is about 30 in long and sticks into the water totes, the other end goes in the tank fill. I found it at Dicks sporting goods, but the same pump is sold to fill kerosene heaters. The big cage on the bottom snaps off, so it will go into the containers. Just open, stick, and fill.


Here is the link on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Eastman-Outdoors-38285-Battery-Powered-Cooking-Oil/dp/B0000CAQ1J

Hope this helps

[jbrown20bei]

I haven't actually done this, but my gears are turning and I thought I would throw this out there.

I already have one of these installed on my pup outside, just in front of the fresh water tank and it seems to work great:

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/pump-converter-winterizer-kit/6279

it is a two way valve for winterizing the water system so that you can either draw from the fresh water tank or from a bottle of antifreeze.  There is no reason I wouldn't be able to run the winterizing line into a jug of fresh water instead of antifreeze.  from there I thought of two options:
1. install another 2 way valve on the output of your pump that would either go to the faucet or back to the fresh water storage tank. this could be permanently installed.
2. use a water thief or something similar from the faucet to the fill spout of the fresh water tank.

This gives the advantage of not having to buy a seperate pump that I'm sure I would forget every time I'm drycamping and also not having to worry about having good D cell batteries.  in my case, since the winterizing valve is already installed on my pup, all I would need to purchase is about 10 feet of 1/2" hose and find some way to attach it to my faucet.  Then I would run the line through the corner of the canvas at the bunk end and into the water tank.  Actually, if the 1/2" hose was soft enough, I could probably just press fit it onto the faucet. 


UPDATE:
I just noticed today while winterizing that there is a plugged line coming through the floor of the pup right at the outlet of the pump.  I assume this is a low point drain. it has a 1/2' NPT fitting on it.  running from this point to the tank is less than 6 feet and it already has a readily available fitting on it.

[navyync]

Great job and thank you very much for the post.  I always enjoy ideas for new weekend projects. 

R,
Mark 
97 Jayco 1206KB
6" Lift w/13" tires 

[caver]

My tank is a bit small on my trailer and the manufacturer said he has tried to come up with a larger capacity for this trailer. Apparently I'm not the only one who has griped about this. He also suggested using the winterizing bypass to pull out of another container.

[Kamp4Fun]

As we have always enjoyed primitive camping, a buddy came up with a great solution.
TSC 35gal tank, a Harbor Freight pump and a couple lengths of hose.
Spent 7 days last summer in Yellowstone without a hitch.

[n6nvr]

Just a note, but when I was at San Simeon State Park last week they actually had a dedicated water hose arrangement down by the camp host.  If you knew about it, (there weren't many signs) you could have driven in on arrival, filled right then and there and then moved on in and parked.  Would have saved your first several trips to fill the blue boxes.  I don't know if it was new, or how many other CA State Parks have them, but this is the 6th time I've been there and I've never seen it before.  I never saw anybody using it either.

[beacher]

WOW! some very complex systems.  i prefer the easy solutions.  Similar to the Coleman battery powered shower pump concept I used off-the shelf items ans kept the fabrication to a bare minimum.

I use a tiny submersible 12v bilge pump from WallyWorld $8.50, four feet of clear tubing from Home Depot, $5.00, an 8 gallon Reliance Hydroller $30.00, and a 25' long 12v wire with a 1/4" phono jack to plug into the porch light $3.00.

When I need to fill the PopUp tank with fresh water, and the nearest hose bib is over 100' away, (I carry 50' of flat hose and two 25' regular water safe water hookup hoses), I use the setup.

The Hydroller gets filled and rolled over to the PopUp.  The bilge pump fits right into the opening of the Hydroller.  The clear hose is fed into the PopUp's  water inlet.  And I ask my willing and ernest DS, or DD assistant to plug in the 1/4" phono jack into the 12v porch light jack for about 45 seconds, (the time it takes for the bilge pump to do it's thing with 8 gallons of water).  I repeat this simple process until the PopUp's tank is full, (20 gallons + 5 gallons in the water heater).

At some point I might get fancy and install a power switch in the wiring, but my DS, or DD work for now!

[bearman512]

I like the electric pumps but a 6'x5/8" garden hose will siphon 5 gallons of water in 1 minute so I carry 15 gal of extra water in mil spec jerry cans. It helps that I have a 35 gal tank in the pup. I am going to TSC and pic up a 35 gallon legged water tank and the pressure of the water in the tank will rapidly fill the pup's tank. Gotta learn the DW to use less water LOL.

[n6nvr]

How long does it take using the Shur-Flo to transfer 1 7 gal jug?

[Oz and Us]

How long does it take using the Shur-Flo to transfer 1 7 gal jug?

About 3 minutes or so ... long enough to sit down an quaff a few chugs of while the pump does all the work.

[TIDE-HSV]

I haven't actually done this, but my gears are turning and I thought I would throw this out there.

I already have one of these installed on my pup outside, just in front of the fresh water tank and it seems to work great:

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/pump-converter-winterizer-kit/6279

it is a two way valve for winterizing the water system so that you can either draw from the fresh water tank or from a bottle of antifreeze.  There is no reason I wouldn't be able to run the winterizing line into a jug of fresh water instead of antifreeze.  from there I thought of two options:
1. install another 2 way valve on the output of your pump that would either go to the faucet or back to the fresh water storage tank. this could be permanently installed.
2. use a water thief or something similar from the faucet to the fill spout of the fresh water tank.

This gives the advantage of not having to buy a seperate pump that I'm sure I would forget every time I'm drycamping and also not having to worry about having good D cell batteries.  in my case, since the winterizing valve is already installed on my pup, all I would need to purchase is about 10 feet of 1/2" hose and find some way to attach it to my faucet.  Then I would run the line through the corner of the canvas at the bunk end and into the water tank.  Actually, if the 1/2" hose was soft enough, I could probably just press fit it onto the faucet. 


UPDATE:
I just noticed today while winterizing that there is a plugged line coming through the floor of the pup right at the outlet of the pump.  I assume this is a low point drain. it has a 1/2' NPT fitting on it.  running from this point to the tank is less than 6 feet and it already has a readily available fitting on it.

Wow!  Hadn't thought of it, but I have exactly the same unit...

[Oz and Us]

Well im still very new to this but my weapon of choice is a few aquatainers on reserve and a 4 dollar hand pump. Set the tank on Yer tailgate and let physics do its thing.

If you're using a pump, be it manual or electric, then you're not using physics as you're mechanically forcing the water to move ... a Simple Siphon does rely on the principles of physics to move water.