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Re Water & Water Tanks


wagon master

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Hi fellow motorhomers,

 

I am new to this forum lark so fogive any mistakes.

 

 

can I go back a little to the changing /draining of the fresh water tank any Swift owner will know that draining the tank is not as simple as it could be

having struggled to lift the cerpet and lifted that little hatch all that remains is to remove the tank cap and extend a hand down into all that cold water and pull out the rubber plug and wait for the tank to drain before putting it all back, no its not an old vehicle, this is a new van (Sept 2007)

 

Has any one come up with good idea plan to fit a drain tap I have some ideas but yours may be better.

 

 

 

 

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Guest Le Thou

Hi Wagonmaster,

Not very helpful Carol, couldn't see the point of that retort, I thought we were supposed to assist and be helpful, sarcasm doesn't help.

 

Anyway, many years ago we had a Swift and it is a bugger to drain the tank, I beleive the Autocruise system is the same, anyway, what I did was to drain the tank and fitted a screw bend to the outlet(can't remember the size) and extended it to the side of the vehicle with a tap .

If you pm me with your details I will try to explain better via mal or phone, it really is quite simple.

 

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Thanks Le Thou,

 

your solution is the sort of thing I had in mind can't come out of the bottom, the tank is so low there is the possability of knocking the pipe work off.

 

I think the way is drill and tap in to the side, glue in a spigot (can,t get my hand in to fit back nut) then pipe the water to the edge of the vehicle and fit a tap.

 

The tank is queer shape so the simple solution is not so simple. as usual swift has no comment to the question why continue with such a crude method of draining.

 

 

 

 

 

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Guest Tracker

If you plan ahead so that your fresh water tank is nearly empty when you head for home it is easier to just open all the sink taps and pump the water out via the sinks and waste tank.

 

This also helps keep the waste tank a bit less mucky.

 

When almost empty it is simple to remove the bung, if you need to, always remembering to put it back in to prevent insect and spiders entering the tank - and to ensure next time you fill the tank it don't all run straight out again!

 

Why do they fit this 'system'? Because it is cheap!

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Guest Le Thou

Hi WM,

what I did was to fit the small bore (about 25mm) pipe that is used on domestic wc overflows, it usually is supplied in white and it is solvent fixed ie, you have to glue the joints, you can also buy the elbows with backnuts that would normally fit on a header tank (domestic), it is worth using the backnut system , try doing it with someone else to assist you, one inside the vehicle hand in tank and the other underneath.

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wagon master - 2007-11-25 8:17 PM

 

Hi fellow motorhomers,

 

I am new to this forum lark so fogive any mistakes.

 

 

can I go back a little to the changing /draining of the fresh water tank any Swift owner will know that draining the tank is not as simple as it could be

having struggled to lift the cerpet and lifted that little hatch all that remains is to remove the tank cap and extend a hand down into all that cold water and pull out the rubber plug and wait for the tank to drain before putting it all back, no its not an old vehicle, this is a new van (Sept 2007)

 

Has any one come up with good idea plan to fit a drain tap I have some ideas but yours may be better.

 

 

 

i probably have a similar tank to you, ace milano sept 2007, iv,e thought about fitting a drain tap but the tank does not seem to have a place to put it,i,e, thicker material, also warranty if you have a problem with the tank it,s an excuse not to pay out. i use trackers method, empty the tank through the taps, also i don,t put the screws back in the panel the carpet holds it in place with a little blue tack for insurance, we don,t use the water for drinking so a couple of bottle stellarising tablets stop bacteria and algae. on another point it goes in tomorrow to have, hopefully,have the engine water ingress problem fixed
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Hi

Yes, thanks Your tank is the same as mine, warranty? try a claim it's like pulling hens teeth! I like Motorhomes but not the companies who make them.

 

water ingress into the engine bay, I have just had mine done It consisted of an anti corrosion spray an umbrella over those injectors and thier electrical connections and the removal and sealing of the front scuttle.

 

The Fiat Service manager at the N.E.C. in October talked about bigger drain holes on the near side end of the scuttle I have'nt found them as yet, watch also for the join in the middle of the scuttle I am told some dealers get right some do not. the good news is that if the work is done well, most of the problem is cured, water will still find its way in but in the volume that it was.

 

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Hello again,

 

Yep, we're on the same track I had the solvent glue in mind not sure how it would work with the tank which looks as if it is a close cousin to nylon which is a bit greasy and may be resistant solvent, hence the drill and tap idea, 1/2" bsp thread plus solvent and the sort of nut one would find on cistern fittings one with a big flange to bond to the tank.

 

The back nut is a better bet. My main reason for not heading down that road is that if I am going to fit a drain I want the pipe as close to the bottom of the tank as poss. That way I have very little water left.

 

we use the M/H all year round so If I can do the job properly it will be a good help.

 

Thanks for your interest.

 

 

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wagon master:

 

A fresh-water tank draining system involving a 'bung' in the tank's base is common on Continental European-built motorhomes. It is reliable, simple, minimises the chance of water leakage and maximises the chance that the tank will drain completely. Given that the fresh-water tank is emptied relatively infrequently, why choose to alter such a system when the potential for problems relating to the modifications is clear? (If it ain't broke, etc. etc.)

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Guest Tracker

I had a problem with the tank bung on my Autocruise leaking although it was only a year old.

 

I simply rang Autocruise customer care (as was - now gone I believe?) and they sent me a new one FOC.

 

It comes attached to a chain but you need to ram the bung in so tight to make it seal that if you try and pull it out with the chain it breaks.

 

To convert to a pipe and tap I made a 4" disc of heavy aluminium sheet and fitted a 1/2" copper elbow tank fitting in the centre, bedding it in with silicone sealer and cutting the excess threaded tube on the inside flush with the securing nut. Note that you may need to grind the corners off the nut to get it to fit in the bung hole.

 

I then fitted the disc over the bung hole with the fitting just inside the tank and almost level with the tank floor and, using stainless steel self tappers, screwed the disc to the bottom of the tank - once again embedding the whole lot in silicone. I did not fully tighten the screws until the silicone had set by which time the whole thing was watertight.

 

Add a flexible hose and a side skirt mounted tap and hey presto - back to easy tank draining without having to faff around with carpets, hatches, covers and bungs!

 

Many purists will say it's a bodge, and so it may well be, but it is also cheap, simple and effective!

 

In all the years I had an external pipe and tap I never had a problem - so much for simplicity?

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We have the same bung system in our Hymer, we have to move the rear seat cushions, lift up flap, unscrew tank lid, reach in a pull out bung. We have fitted a long piece of string to the bung so we can pull it through the hatch and then screw the cover back so we don't have to reach into the cold water to our elbows as the cover is not over where the bung is.

 

The idea I had was that you replace the bung with a bung with integral pipe (our Hymer drain goes straight down and out) that would push in like a bung with a thread on the end for a tap to be fitted once the bung been positioned.

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Guest Tracker

You can buy, from a yacht chandler, a complete screw in bung and holder designed for use in either a dinghy bottom or for draining a water tight locker.

 

It should be simple enough to fit one of these in the bottom of the tank and either attach, or make a detachable slotted handle, long enough to be able to tighten and loosen said bung without getting dainty little fingers wet.

 

Alternatively fit it from the outside and go under the van to remove and replace - in which case I would opt for my first cure?

 

 

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wagon master - 2007-11-25 8:17 PM Hi fellow motorhomers, I am new to this forum lark so fogive any mistakes. can I go back a little to the changing /draining of the fresh water tank any Swift owner will know that draining the tank is not as simple as it could be having struggled to lift the cerpet and lifted that little hatch all that remains is to remove the tank cap and extend a hand down into all that cold water and pull out the rubber plug and wait for the tank to drain before putting it all back, no its not an old vehicle, this is a new van (Sept 2007) Has any one come up with good idea plan to fit a drain tap I have some ideas but yours may be better.

Our last van (Burstner) had the bung directly below the tank cap, and attached to it by a chain.  When you unscrewed the cap the chain came up with it, leaving enough slack to inspect without removing the bung.  However, if you needed to drain the tank you just lifted the bung about 6"-8" above the tank, when the chain pulled the bung up after it.  Replacing the bung was just a matter of allowing it to drop into place under its own weight, and as the tank filled the weight of the water did the rest.  Would this work for you?

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Brian Kirby - 2007-11-27 5:20 PM
wagon master - 2007-11-25 8:17 PM Hi fellow motorhomers, I am new to this forum lark so fogive any mistakes. can I go back a little to the changing /draining of the fresh water tank any Swift owner will know that draining the tank is not as simple as it could be having struggled to lift the cerpet and lifted that little hatch all that remains is to remove the tank cap and extend a hand down into all that cold water and pull out the rubber plug and wait for the tank to drain before putting it all back, no its not an old vehicle, this is a new van (Sept 2007) Has any one come up with good idea plan to fit a drain tap I have some ideas but yours may be better.

Our last van (Burstner) had the bung directly below the tank cap, and attached to it by a chain. When you unscrewed the cap the chain came up with it, leaving enough slack to inspect without removing the bung. However, if you needed to drain the tank you just lifted the bung about 6"-8" above the tank, when the chain pulled the bung up after it. Replacing the bung was just a matter of allowing it to drop into place under its own weight, and as the tank filled the weight of the water did the rest. Would this work for you?

brian, swifts etal have the bung on a chain,but you have to lift the carpet, unscrew the floor panel, unscrew the tank cap then remove the plug, then do the reverse. wagonmaster, i wonder if it would be possible to fit a plug/screwcap to the outlet of the tank, i know it would mean lying under the van to remove it but would save drilling the tank, personally i prefer the emptying by tap method but being a tinkerer i will crawl underneath this weekend
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Hi bigal55,

 

My first m/h was a Swift (Bessacarr) that had a toggle effort thingy in the tank. then I bought a new Auto-Trail about the only good thing that had was an 'easy to get at' drain tap (the fact the original tap was too stiff to turn is another matter) for the water tank. Come to think of it the ONLY good thing that pile of cxxp had was a drain tap!!

 

we use the m/h all year round and for one reason and another I like to drain that water tank when we get home, just to open a tap was ideal.

 

The current Swift (Bessacarr) system is just to much hassle. I will fit a drain tap, just which method to employ is still to be decided, ideally I want to come out of the near side to a tap just below the edge of the skirt, all work is on hold at the moment, I have been informed that Grandchildren and Christmas have priority over tinkering with water tanks!!

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wagon master - 2007-11-27 10:53 PM

 

Hi bigal55,

 

My first m/h was a Swift (Bessacarr) that had a toggle effort thingy in the tank. then I bought a new Auto-Trail about the only good thing that had was an 'easy to get at' drain tap (the fact the original tap was too stiff to turn is another matter) for the water tank. Come to think of it the ONLY good thing that pile of cxxp had was a drain tap!!

 

we use the m/h all year round and for one reason and another I like to drain that water tank when we get home, just to open a tap was ideal.

 

The current Swift (Bessacarr) system is just to much hassle. I will fit a drain tap, just which method to employ is still to be decided, ideally I want to come out of the near side to a tap just below the edge of the skirt, all work is on hold at the moment, I have been informed that Grandchildren and Christmas have priority over tinkering with water tanks!!

i think your right, something to look forward to in the new year, had the scuttle sealed today,waxoyl on the injectors plus engine cover,already had covers on wiper motor and abs unit but no drain on the nearside as i park on a camber means water will still overflow onto the fuse box, also at the ends of the scuttle they opened up the 6mm holes to 10mm thus allowing more water to flow on the back of the headlights (?) also they uprated the fuse at the battery,i,ve not had a problem with this but others have, so i hope hope it is the fuse that is the problem and not the electrics. so far i have found 15 screws, nuts, washers etc in the fiat part, the swift part excellent, everything works and the furniture is screwed together correctly
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Derek Uzzell.

 

Hi and thanks, I know of CAK I collected some components from them while at the NEC in October, the point in posting the question was that some one may have done the mod and there was no point in reinventing the wheel.

 

I can only repeat my thanks to all who have replied I will set to work once the festive season is over.

 

W.M.

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Hi bigal,

 

Yep, trhats sounds about right, but I did not get a cover for my ABS unit.

 

when parked I use a cab cover from Taylor-made their latest extends over the scuttle and air intake so my engine bay and the components within are nice and dry, I also have a set of covers again from Taylor which cover the bottom half of the cab, these were part of the set I had for that dreadful Auto-Trail and by a stroke of luck they fit the new cab.

 

The only down side to not having the bonnet cover is the dreaded black streaks down the bonnet.

 

While on the suject I note the comments re condesation I have used Edward Taylor's covers on all my MHs and no matter how cold it is outside we have never had any condesation problems. I would recommend Talor -Made to any one.

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