Tracker Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 When we got the van with this system it was painfully slow to fill with water but some simple modifications have worked wonders and as long as you do not want to leave it always connected to mains pressure but are happy to carry on with the well proven basic fool proof age old method of a hose pipe and a tap it should work OK. First, take apart the green water plug in block and remove the non return valve as this seriously obstructs flow and as water cannot run uphill seems a bit pointless anyway? The green block plug itself work well and provides an easy to fit and remove watertight connection. Second, remove the pressure reducing valve that lies somewhere between the filler inlet and the tank and this again helps to open up the water flow to a much more acceptable level. I used a short section of externally overlapping hose with two jubilee clips each end for security. Third get rid of the flat hose that needs to be fully extended in a straight line to work properly and also restricts the flow especially when water pressure is low and use a normal round hose instead. If I find that I need a greater flow I will replace the narrow hose that feeds from filler inlet to tank inlet with a hose of a greater internal diameter. The flat hose with a Hozelock fitting on each end then becomes a neatly stowed extension hose. Purely a personal opinion of course but it works for me! http://www.campingandcaravandirect.co.uk/Whale-Water-Pumps-And-Accessories/Whale-Aquasource-Mains-Water-Hook-up-EM9401/p-180-889/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I have the same system and hated it at first but, as you say, a few simple modifications can make an enormous improvement. I have already done your first and third points but haven't as yet found a pressure reducing valve in the system. That flat hose was an abomination - worst bit of kit I've ever used. I did a timed fill the other day and can fill from empty to overflowing, a measured 94 litres, in just under 7.5 minutes which is fine by me. I should be able to get my money's worth at most timed taps on aires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 Steve928 - 2015-04-13 3:43 PM I have already done your first and third points but haven't as yet found a pressure reducing valve in the system. That flat hose was an abomination - worst bit of kit I've ever used. I did a timed fill the other day and can fill from empty to overflowing, a measured 94 litres, in just under 7.5 minutes which is fine by me. I should be able to get my money's worth at most timed taps on aires. Yours may not have a pressure reducer maybe? It looks like this - http://www.whalepumps.com/rv/product-application-items.aspx?Category_ID=10028&FriendlyID=In-Line-Pressure-Switch Quite why it on the inlet side I don't know unless to limit mains pressure when always connected, and I guess there is one on the pressure side too to control the pump but I have yet to locate that! Maybe it's in the tank with the pump? There is hope yet that I may yet get 100 litres in 10 minutes then as long as the supply pressure is good enough! Just long enough to do the loo while I wait! I've kept all the bits with photos so I can revert it to 'abnormal' when I sell it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I think most Auto-Sleeper owners who have become fed up with this filling system have simply fitted the normal straight-through gravity filling inlet that most motorhomes have. It's fast, simple, fullproof and takes a 30mm hose which speeds things up no end. After all if gravity fails then we are all up the creek. Despite countless complaints Auto-Sleepers refuse to drop this daft system. I think that they probably make to much money out of refitting a decent system that it wouldn't pay. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 If a hose pipe is 1/2" or 5/8" bore then there is nothing to be gained by having a wider filler neck other than you can poke the hose in t'ole and let the gravity of it all take over from where the pressurised hose ends, so my thinking is to replace the thin Whale 12 mm pipe that is inside the van from filler to tank with 5/8" hose and continue to use the plug in block thingy as I too see no point in spending any more money than I need to make it work satisfactorily!! There are several other weird bits of poorly thought out design in the van and one by one I am getting them sorted and soon it will be as practical as an older one is before A/S lost their way and were seduced by Inspector Gadget!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Out of interest what size hole does the plug in thingy have Tracker? Before I dumped mine I seem to recall that it was pretty narrow and therefore would still provide a restriction. Another advantage of a wider fill inlet is that filling from say a 10L container is also twice as fast. I wholeheartedly agree with your last paragraph. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 The hole in the plug in block is quite small, probably under a cm at the inlet but as it is only a very short duration at that diameter it does not appear to impeded the flow too much, indeed it may even help to regulate the pressure going into the almost as narrow 12mm tube from the inlet to the tank. I'll measure it tomorrow out of interest and let you know if you like? I'll see how we get on with it in the real world before I butcher it further but I reckon changing to a wider bore tube from the plug in socket (that in isolation does seem to work quite well at securing the hose end in place) down through the floor and into the tank will be fairly easy and a lot easier than fitting a normal wide bore filler tube and locking cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 When tweaking an Aquasource system for faster filling it's also worth considering the tank breather; clearly air cannot escape back up the pressurized filling hose so an adequate escape via the tank's breather is needed. On my van this was as much of a restriction as was the Aquasource filler itself and I had to add a decent breather tube to replace the manufacturer's rubbish arrangement which couldn't even keep up with using the shower for more than a couple of minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 Thanks for that Steve, and you are absolutely right. I still need to get under the van to look at the breather and if I need to, making a new hole and attaching an external fitting and tube to take the breather higher than the tank to allow 100% filling and water retention whilst on the road. Using my renowned collection of re-cycled plumbing bits should this not be too demanding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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