Whale system

[kelly58]

 or easier still buy a caravan :D :D :D 

No bad language here on the Motorhome forum page please.!!

[Derek Uzzell]

snowie - 2012-09-01 3:37 PM

 

Thanks Derek,

We've had our "bespoke" PVC for a couple of years now, and I based some aspects of capacity and configuration on La Stradas, and after two years we find that our freshwater use is quite low, as we use sites and their shower facilities ( we have a shower in the van but it's only beeen used a couple of times). We also use a couple of 5 Litre bottled water bottles, filling them from the tap on site. We also use a watering can to top up for flushing and sink use.

 

I hasten to add; this suits our way of using OUR van.

 

So, I have a large space taken up with a water tank, as it's inside the van not underneath it. Looking at storage in a lot of PVCs, I'd have thought that someone would have taken a radical look at a water system that was more space effective. We have plenty of storage space, but I hate to waste space just because that's how things are generally done.

A practical collapsible say 30-40 litre tank might be very useable for my situation, but haven't seen one anywhere.

regards

alan b

 

I occasionally wonder about the practicability of having a motorhome interior layout based around inflatable, rather than rigid, seating/bedding. The potential space-gaining benefits are obvious, but people are (quite rightly) wary of radical innovation and I'm pretty sure the idea would not 'sell'.

 

I'm not aware of the availability of large-ish capacity collapsible water containers that would be suitable (or sufficiently trustworthy) for installing in a motorhome instead of a rigid tank.

 

In your case, as you know that you don't use much water, I guess you might consider removing your present large rigid tank and replacing it with several smaller (say 10 litre) linked-together containers. You could then adjust the number of containers you carried according to your probable water demands. Doing this would raise questions regarding filling the containers however, so it would probably be better just to fit a smaller capacity conventional rigid tank in the original space. Whatever you did, unless you plan never to sell your motorhome, it's a racing certainty that any potential buyer would dislike the water-system changes you had made!

 

[snowie]

Derek Uzzell - 2012-09-02 10:12 AM

 

snowie - 2012-09-01 3:37 P

 

So, I have a large space taken up with a water tank, as it's inside the van not underneath it. Looking at storage in a lot of PVCs, I'd have thought that someone would have taken a radical look at a water system that was more space effective. We have plenty of storage space, but I hate to waste space just because that's how things are generally done.

A practical collapsible say 30-40 litre tank might be very useable for my situation, but haven't seen one anywhere.

regards

alan b

 

I occasionally wonder about the practicability of having a motorhome interior layout based around inflatable, rather than rigid, seating/bedding. The potential space-gaining benefits are obvious, but people are (quite rightly) wary of radical innovation and I'm pretty sure the idea would not 'sell'.

 

I'm not aware of the availability of large-ish capacity collapsible water containers that would be suitable (or sufficiently trustworthy) for installing in a motorhome instead of a rigid tank.

 

In your case, as you know that you don't use much water, I guess you might consider removing your present large rigid tank and replacing it with several smaller (say 10 litre) linked-together containers. You could then adjust the number of containers you carried according to your probable water demands. Doing this would raise questions regarding filling the containers however, so it would probably be better just to fit a smaller capacity conventional rigid tank in the original space. Whatever you did, unless you plan never to sell your motorhome, it's a racing certainty that any potential buyer would dislike the water-system changes you had made!

I don't want to hijack this thread but;

 

I'm all in favour of a radical van.

 

Ours has a fixed longitudinal double bed, with wardrobes adjacent, over an "underbed shed" it's not a garage, but gives us loads of storage.

We use the bed like a Roman lounge, and like it like that. So we don't entertain indoors.

If we have to sell; which is not my plan, then we'll have to find someone with a similar mindset; may be tricky, maybe not. If we keep it until I can't drive it any more then it won't owe us much.

I'm 64 this October; so if I'm lucky that could be quite a while yet.

 

If I designed the van now, I'd maybe use a caravan approach, with a freshwater tank outside; like an Aquaroll, so having the water tank outside, and not sticking a high pressure hose inside it is quite sensible. A collapsible Aquaroll would be easier to store, and I could organize the space better.

I'm not that bothered about masses of payload; but being able to organise it better does appeal.

regards

alan b

[Colin Leake]

Retread24800 - 2012-09-01 7:59 PMSorry but I'm on my second glass of rouge ATM and thought that it must be the fifth :-)

Do people seriously carry a water container to fill up the water tank? and a pump? Why not short circuit the problem and do away with the tank? Carry en route water in the water carrier or easier still buy a caravan :D :D :D 

If they've been landed with a stupid Whale type filler system what else can they do? Most don't want to do it it's just that they have no choice.

[Colin Leake]

I've just had another of my brilliant ideas. Why not do away with fixed ridged tanks and replace them flexible flat ones. We could call them water beds!

[Derek Uzzell]

snowie - 2012-09-02 12:23 PM

 

...I'm all in favour of a radical van...

 

I'm not against radical motorhomes either, though I'd feel more confident of them if designers of motorcaravans with traditional, non-controversial, layouts and systems currently showed evidence of commonsence and logic at the design stage.

 

There have been plenty of unusual motorhomes, but few motorcaravan radical design innovations have stood the test of time. For example, on Page 15 of MMM September 20122 there is a "Design Idea" letter about market-stall vehicles with a secondary sliding body-shell and how this concept might be applied to motorhomes. In fact, a few years ago a French company began to market 'expanding' motorhomes based on this very idea. The vehicles were expensive, heavy and it took very little thought to appreciate that a concept that worked for market-stall vans failed to translate successfully to motorhomes.

[Derek Uzzell]

Colin Leake - 2012-09-02 6:28 PM

 

I've just had another of my brilliant ideas. Why not do away with fixed ridged tanks and replace them flexible flat ones. We could call them water beds!

 

See last paragraph of 26 February 2008 9:44 AM posting here

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=10837&posts=27

[Iain Strachan]

Hi All, I,m glad I started some discussion on the Whale! I can confirm that on this van there is no way at all to put waater into the system other than by using the Whale absolutely no chance of reaching the tank without going under the van. However I can tell you that the people at Whale came up trumps and air freighted parts to us that arrived in two days, very well done to them. After fitting the first part supplied a new solenoid the system still did not work. However on inspecting the entry through the wall of the van I discovered that the rear plate was loose and that there was a retaining screw missing. Inside the rear plate is a micro switch, which with the plate loose was continuously shut thus closing all valves. I replaced the screw, took a guess at the pressure setting, and the system know works as it should. Pictures were taken for future battle with the dealer on our return. We can live without water, just give us French bread, cheese and wine! Now in Dordogne, heading further south.

Cheers Iain