Hobby water systems?

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

A simple question - is any forum-reader familiar with the water-system Hobby installs in current (or recent) motorhomes?

[Guest MockJock]

Not the current model Hobby's. But I did have a 2001 600FSD from new until last year. The water filler was always extremely slow. It seemed to work well only when the filler side of the 'van was elevated - on a kerb or levelling wedges, for instance. I eventually put it fown to a design fault. The breather was free and the filler pipe to the fresh water tank was unobstructed. And the drains from both sinks were extremely slow as well. All internal pipework was of the corrugated type, which cannot have helped matters. All this was not really acceptable in what purported to be a top class German 'van. And, as you might expect, the supplying dealer (the only official importer at the time) was of little help. But we continue to buy from these loons. We must be mad!!!

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

Thanks for the feedback - I'll provide some background on this. I'm in the process of buying a Ford-based Hobby T-600 FC from Germany and the only example of this model I've seen so far has been a 'prototype' owned by Brownhills (still the sole official Hobby UK agent I believe, unless you know differently). When I inspected the Brownhills 'van I noted that it was fitted with a Shur-Flo water-pump of the pressure-sensitive type. I like these pumps for their excellent reliability reputation and I prefer 'pressure-sensitive' water systems as the electrical wiring is much simplified compared to the submersible-pump/micro-switch-tap arrangement. A couple of days ago we visited Go European Ltd near Redditch (who import lots of LHD motorcaravans) and looked at a couple more Hobby T-Series (but not a T-600 FC). Imagine my surprise when I noticed that the taps had wired-up micro-switches! Doubting my memory, I mentioned that I had believed Shur-Flo pumps were fitted to these designs and was told this was correct. Now, I don't know how common it is for converters to activate pressure-sensitive water-pumps via micro-switch taps. On the face of it, it seems an odd ploy due to the extra wiring complexity, though there are potential advantages when one delves into it. When a Truma Combi heater is fitted with an frost-sensing electrical safety-valve (as with most motorhomes having this heater), the micro-switch-tap approach prevents the water-pump dumping the total contents of the water system should the safety-valve trigger while the water-pump is switched on. Also the water system (heater, hoses, etc.) will only be fully pressurised when water is being demanded and you won't get any midnight stuttering from the pump as the pressure reduces. Hobby fit the usual electric swivel-bowl Thetford C200 cassette toilet, taking rinse-water from the main fresh-water supply rather than having its own in-built reservoir. I've no working knowledge of this particular Thetford variant, but I presume it has its own water-pump and a separate feed from the fresh-water tank. Incidentally, Hobby continue to use relatively small-bore 'caravan standard' waste-water hoses. My experience of our Herald's water system, that also used such hoses, is that draining of sinks and showers can be perfectly acceptable as long as common sense has prevailed when the hoses were routed to the waste tank (short as possible hose-runs with plenty of 'fall'). I know John Wickersham and like-minded gurus wax lyrical about domestic plastic waste pipes in motorhomes, but I'd rather have something a bit less efficient but simple and accessible, rather than big-bore pipes that you have to strip half the 'van to get at if things go wrong. Having said that, I must admit to considerable trepidation over the bathroom waste-water draining arrangements on all the Hobby T-Series designs. Bathrooms are located right at the back of the vehicle (nothing unusual there), while the 100 litre waste-water tank is positioned just rearwards of the left cab door (now that is strange!) How water will manage to find its way several metres from shower-tray to waste tank remains a mystery, but taking a shower when the 'van is parked nose-up looks most unwise. Seems like I shall finally have to invest in a set of levelling wedges.