ChrisK5 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Here's a good one for you all. I have a Swift Kontiki 669, it has a 120 litre fresh water tank which for a family of four isnt quite large enough, i have to fill it every day. I was wondering if it is possible to either A) replace it with a larger one, or B) and a second one linked to existing tank. I await your replies with anticipation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel64 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 120 Ltr is about 26/27 gallons this is a large water tank. If it only lasts a day are you sure you have not go a leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 120 litres in a day 8-) ........ 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK5 Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 mel64 - 2011-01-24 7:59 PM 120 Ltr is about 26/27 gallons this is a large water tank. If it only lasts a day are you sure you have not go a leak. No leaks i've checked many a time. We aren't careful with the amount we use though, showers, cooking, drinking and washing up etc it all adds up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 The only downside I can see is if you fit a larger Fresh water tank then you're going to need a correspondingly larger Waste water tank! We only use around 12 litres a day for tea/coffee and cooking (always use campsite showers) so really do wonder how you get through 120 litres. I think you need to look at your usage before fitting a bigger tank. Also think about the weight, your current 120 litre tank will hold 120 kg of water. Add another 120 kg and you're getting near a quarter of a tonne!!! Do you have that much payload spare? Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Are you sure you are using the water or losing it.There was a comment on a previous post where the water was being lost through the overflow during the journey.It could also be losing water if the top cap is not securely in place.Just a thought, as your consumption does appear high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 When we had the Scout the 80 litre tank would last a week. What the heck are you doing with the stuff? Drinking it? C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Just a thought............ are you one bloke with three women :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheer lunar-see Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Another thought, does your toilet flush draw water from your main tank ? if so, it might be an idea to fit just a small tank and pump to feed that only. Kids can use a lot of water flushing the loo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK5 Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 Its some thing that i have been thinking off and i wondered wether anybody has tried replacing their water tank with a bigger one !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 To get an idea if a larger or auxillary tank will fit your Kontiki, I suggest contacting CAK Tanks, http://www.caktanks.com/CAK_Water_Tanks.htmwho supply some of the manufacturers and have a large range available for various locations under the Van.Edit:- They also supply all the fittings you would require. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
How Much Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 As has been mentioned, doubling your water capacity is taking you up to a quarter of a ton. This will impact on fuel usage, handling, and not least your payload. IF you ended up fitting a second tank (id be looking where the water i was using was going first), you need to have the one tank with the filler, and the draw-off pipe coming from the second. This ensures a constant flow of fresh water in and out of them both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scramblers Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 We recently replaced our Burstner with a 120l tank with another Burstner with a 120l tank but found that the water only lasted as half as long. The culprit was the fashionable new style of shower head with large holes. Replacing the shower head solved our problem. Before altering your water tank I would take your fully laden motorhome to a weighbridge to check its weight before making any alterations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 ChrisK5 - 2011-01-24 10:33 PM Its some thing that i have been thinking off and i wondered wether anybody has tried replacing their water tank with a bigger one !!! What size is the waste tank? Most are a little smaller than the fresh water tank. That would seem to imply you'd still need to dispose of waste daily, even if you increase the existing 120 litres fresh water capacity. Since supply and disposal points are usually co-located, would you really save that much time/effort? 120 litres per day is a huge amount to use, are you quite sure it is not going elsewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophie Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I agree with the general theme of the others. There are far more disadvantages than advantages in replacing with a bigger tank. Assess your REAL daily needs and look to economise- 120L use a day is a heck of a lot. If you all shower daily a) do you really need to and even if you do b) don't use as you would at home- there's a skill in motorhome showering! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Sophie - 2011-01-25 10:40 AM Assess your REAL daily needs and look to economise- 120L use a day is a heck of a lot. If you all shower daily a) do you really need to and even if you do b) don't use as you would at home- there's a skill in motorhome showering! :-) 1/ Turn on shower wet yourself. 2/ turn off shower. 3/ soap yourself. / 4/ turn on shower and rinse. / 5/ turn off shower.. usage about 5ltrs and 5minutes max . Works for me.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 kelly58 - 2011-01-25 10:55 AMSophie - 2011-01-25 10:40 AM Assess your REAL daily needs and look to economise- 120L use a day is a heck of a lot. If you all shower daily a) do you really need to and even if you do b) don't use as you would at home- there's a skill in motorhome showering! :-) 1/ Turn on shower wet yourself. 2/ turn off shower. 3/ soap yourself. / 4/ turn on shower and rinse. / 5/ turn off shower.. usage about 5ltrs and 5minutes max . Works for me..I agree, we have 120 litres capacity and when full lasts the two of us almost a week. The toilet in our van would if you use the flush take water from the single tank. Remember a van toilet is just a version of a long drop toilet, not a water closet, ie it does not require water to empty the toilet pan. Using the "flush" facility will consume significant quantities of water. We never use the "flush"we simply sanitise the pan after use with a disinfectant hand spray. Simples.We free camp whenever possible and we couldn't do that if we used 120 litres of water in two let alone one day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Like others say I think you need to control your usage before considering fitting another tank. We have a 120 lt two of us can last 4/5 days with both of us having a shower every day, we use a spray bottle to flush the loo that saves a lot of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter lambert Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 You sure someone's not watering a garden behind your van?? Our 120L tank will last us a good weekend, with both of us showering TWICE a day, all the washing up, and toilet flushing. As has been suggested, I would check where it is all going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I think you need to do some talking to offspring ;-) they arent at home now! and camping! which you are now doing even though in luxury you have to compromise somewhere. If not a better solution might be a couple of aquarolls and an external pump! better than a fixture that might add considerably to your weight! even a couple of the white slimline bottles, we do take one of these and it fits in inder the back seat beside the fixed tank, we can fill that when we fill the big tank leave it in the bathroom or even outside then top up your tank with an electric pump plugged in from the back locker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Thinking about your usage I am assuming it must mean that you use campsites as opposed to wild camping, which would mean you would not have access for filling the Water Tank on a daily basis.So do you need full tank when travelling or just whilst sited ?If only whilst on site, the large Aquaroll/Waterhog option with a submersible pump would be a solution. A 2nd unit for waste water would also help.Then get the other party members to do the fetch & carrying of the refills /empting. This will enable them to appreciate how much water they are consuming. (or wasting) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I assume it is like this one: http://www.lincolnmotorhomehire.co.uk/motorhome-hire-swift-kontiki-669.htm I'm afraid I'm with the others on this, you are simply using waaaaaaaaaay too much water! :-S Showers - taking them every day (never understood the need but hey-ho, each to their own! :D ) and keeping the water running, will get through a lot of water. Same goes for your morning ablutions, don't leave the tap running for teeth brushing etc. Washing up - use a bowl, rather than the sink, as that will save a fair bit of water too, and only wash up when you have sufficient dirty pots to warrant it and don't use more water than you really need to to get the job done. Toilet - a 1 second press (absolute maximum) on the button should be sufficient to freshen the bowl - if you/kids are keeping fingers pressed on the button for a few seconds, it will get through a fair bit over a day. Drinks - don't let the tap run to get 'cooler' water as that again will waste loads, instead put a bottle in the fridge with water in and top it up throughout the day as water for drinks is taken out. Food preparation - don't 'rinse' salads allowing the water to go straight down the drain, put them in small bowl with some water in instead, same goes for vegetable preping. We may be teaching you to suck eggs, but if you are sensible you should be able to last a couple of days at least. If you venture abroad you'll be in for a nasty shock as many places charge for water so you could easily spend anywhere up to 5 euros a day at this rate! 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK5 Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 It looks like the general census is that we are using too much water, perhaps we will have to moniter our usage next time we go away. Good topic though eeh !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Chris, As asked by Flicka do you use campsites? If so why not pick ones with facilities and then you can use their showers rather than your own and thus save a lot of fetching and carrying water. And the offspring can then shower for as long as they want :-D You could also make use of dishwashing facilities if they have them, saving even more water. Or, how about sending the kids to do the dishes while you sit back and enjoy a nice glass of wine in peace? Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
How Much Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 ChrisK5 - 2011-01-25 6:59 PM It looks like the general census is that we are using too much water, perhaps we will have to moniter our usage next time we go away. Good topic though eeh !!!If you are using this amount of water, you must by default be emptying it away at the other end as well. Are you tipping 120l away down the drain every day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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