Starcraft Mains water inlet non-return valve on 17.58.3

[pauljygrant]

Yes, 12mm. Remember to buy the inserts to strengthen the ends of the pipes for use with the joiners etc.

 

[megcam]

As above 12mm. Here's a link to my local shop for ideas and price comparison http://www.caravanpro.com.au/search-results.aspx?search=John guest

They are expensive on some things and reasonable on others so pays to shop around.

 

[Hubble80]

Any chance of a pic of the inside of you water box please @Crusty181. Interested to see what fittings you have used.

 

[stan george]

I have connected my hose to the tap on the front of the drawbar. I put on a tap with a ball valve that means it doesn't have a tap washer like standard taps but has a ball in it which allows the water to flow in throught the tap. I have also fitted to the water hose a 100 psi pressure relief valve to ensure that not too much pressure goes into the van. The flow through the taps/ shower is much better. The original side hook up for ur water has a small strainer or pressure reducer which seems to block up all the time.Some people push it down with a biro but only lasts a short time and it blocks up again. The tap and the pressure relief valve I bought at Bunnings I think all was around $50-.

 

[Crusty181]

Any chance of a pic of the inside of you water box please @Crusty181. Interested to see what fittings you have used.

Sure. Think i have some, if not ill take some. Stay tuned

 

[Crusty181]

Any chance of a pic of the inside of you water box please @Crusty181. Interested to see what fittings you have used.

Hey Hubble. I ground out the filler holes slightly to fit std inner of the large grey screw on tap fittings through the reemed holes from outside

then screwed on 1 inch black plastic threaded bend at the rear, the box sandwich between those two.


Then just screwed in the black click on's.

My mod was for two reasons, the first the replace the fillers with click on's. The second was to recover the underseat storage by removing the large looping pipes, plating the floor penetration, run the new pipes along the wall into the couch wing area which is already full with Setec and HSW, and penetrate the pipes through the floor in that HWS area

30000km and going strong

The perspex plate is just siliconed to the rear of the box to strengthen it, and make it feel likes its got some structure to it

 

[Hubble80]

I replaced my tank fillers with 12mm click ons. Couldnt see the sense in needing 25mm van pipe to take water from a 12mm hose. Could easily do the same to mains if needed
View attachment 41492
I put an inline JG non return behind the mains filler. We were getting an annoying squealing from the mains fillers non return. Last week i dismantled it jettisoned its internal non return. They are cheap rubbish and more trouble than they are worth anyway

I have finally completed mine. Very happy with the result. I went a few steps further also. I made up a Whale submersible pump to an Anderson plug and mount a plug to the chassis rail near the water box. I put a switch in the water box and instead of using jerry cans and funnels I use the pump, click on the fittings, and push the switch. 2min later and 20L into the tank. Very happy.

I also removed the inlet from the water box and put it at the rear so I could mount a filter setup. For the inlet I used a brass Arco Grifo tap that has a mounting flange on the back. It has a 1/4 turn ball valve to isolate the water when the main pump is being used.

 

[Crusty181]

I have finally completed mine. Very happy with the result. I went a few steps further also. I made up a Whale submersible pump to an Anderson plug and mount a plug to the chassis rail near the water box. I put a switch in the water box and instead of using jerry cans and funnels I use the pump, click on the fittings, and push the switch. 2min later and 20L into the tank. Very happy.

I also removed the inlet from the water box and put it at the rear so I could mount a filter setup. For the inlet I used a brass Arco Grifo tap that has a mounting flange on the back. It has a 1/4 turn ball valve to isolate the water when the main pump is being used.

Photos? I have a Whale pump used similarly. I have a 12v socket I use just behind the rear drivers wheel i installed for my sullage sump pump.

 

[chartrock]

@Crusty181, is there enough depth on the thread of the grey connector to allow it to go through the Jayco plate and the acrylic piece you have behind it? I presume it is the top piece in the pic.

 

[Hubble80]

@chartrock there is plenty. I just made sure I used a bit of thread tape to hold the thread in place and seat it. It doen't really have a great deal of pressure as any excess is coming out the breather anyways.

 

[Hubble80]

Here is the pics of how I setup the pump. A bit of left over hose with a 12mm garden connector.

This is how the water box turned out. Still need to blank the hole from where the old plastic inlet was.

And the new water inlet.

I have two tek screws in the side of the body behind the black checkerplate for the twin filter housing to hang from .

 

[Drover]

I'm trying to to do a small pump in back of Ute so when free camping I just pump out of the Jerries into the van saves a struggle, last run used my drill pump with long hose from Jerries but looking at something streamlined so don't have to park next to van.......stick hose in can plug hose in van and flick switch, done.....................just have to get around to it.

 

[Crusty181]

@Crusty181, is there enough depth on the thread of the grey connector to allow it to go through the Jayco plate and the acrylic piece you have behind it? I presume it is the top piece in the pic.

@chartrock, yeah just the that top section. It only penetrates the rear of the plastic water filler box, the acrylic has bigger holes so the 1 Inch poly FF elbow screws up tight against the back of the water filler box. There's enough thread for that, but not much more.

After mulling over some options with @Bluey my next trick will likely be relocate the mains connector out of the water box and outside the van entirely possibly to a fabricated mount somewhere rearward, maybe on the rear bumper. Most park taps are at or toward the rear of the van anyway. I had a small (and thankfully very brief) leak behind the main connector inside the van. Taking all the screw fittings to the outside and only having the John Guest fittings inside the van makes me feel better.

 

[Crusty181]

Here is the pics of how I setup the pump. A bit of left over hose with a 12mm garden connector.View attachment 48977

This is how the water box turned out. Still need to blank the hole from where the old plastic inlet was.
View attachment 48978 And the new water inlet. View attachment 48980
I have two tek screws in the side of the body behind the black checkerplate for the twin filter housing to hang from .

I have almost an identical set up, my power for the pump comes from a 12v cig socket behind a chassis outrigger in the top left of the pic ... certainly beat standing there holding a 30litre water container

@chartrock there is plenty. I just made sure I used a bit of thread tape to hold the thread in place and seat it. It doen't really have a great deal of pressure as any excess is coming out the breather anyways.

Be a little mindful filling the water tanks, I've always watched it without much thought, but left it unattended once whilst I packed up stuff on the other side of the van breaking camp. The air escapes the breather very easily, but once the water hits that breather the water pressure builds in the tank relatively quickly. Not sure how long Id left it running after full, maybe a few minutes at worst. From other side of the van when I started to hear loud groaning, creaking and metal popping noises. I saw the water coming out the breather but the noise was loud and worrying enough to ignore that and hunt down that un-nerving noise, like the suspension was abut the collapse. I followed it to the rear of the van and it turn out to be the somewhere around the water tank. Oops, it was the water tank expanding from pressurization, stressing and popping the mounts and strapping.

I presume it would have blown the fitting off eventually, or popped some mounts. It sounded like Titanic moaning and creaking just before it sank. I actively watch it fill now with a great deal of thought, and with the first signs of water at the breather, controlling the flow by kinking the hose is the solution and Ive not had a repeat.

 

[Bellbirdweb]

I have almost an identical set up, my power for the pump comes from a 12v cig socket behind a chassis outrigger in the top left of the pic ... certainly beat standing there holding a 30litre water container
View attachment 49004



Be a little mindful filling the water tanks, I've always watched it without much thought, but left it unattended once whilst I packed up stuff on the other side of the van breaking camp. The air escapes the breather very easily, but once the water hits that breather the water pressure builds in the tank relatively quickly. Not sure how long Id left it running after full, maybe a few minutes at worst. From other side of the van when I started to hear loud groaning, creaking and metal popping noises. I saw the water coming out the breather but the noise was loud and worrying enough to ignore that and hunt down that un-nerving noise, like the suspension was abut the collapse. I followed it to the rear of the van and it turn out to be the somewhere around the water tank. Oops, it was the water tank expanding from pressurization, stressing and popping the mounts and strapping.

I presume it would have blown the fitting off eventually, or popped some mounts. It sounded like Titanic moaning and creaking just before it sank. I actively watch it fill now with a great deal of thought, and with the first signs of water at the breather, controlling the flow by kinking the hose is the solution and Ive not had a repeat.

Mine sounds like that every time I fill it

 

[Hubble80]

I'm trying to to do a small pump in back of Ute so when free camping I just pump out of the Jerries into the van saves a struggle, last run used my drill pump with long hose from Jerries but looking at something streamlined so don't have to park next to van.......stick hose in can plug hose in van and flick switch, done.....................just have to get around to it.

That's why I did mine the way I did, little fella loves the idea and can't wait to do it in the heat of battle!!!

 

[Smash]

I have almost an identical set up, my power for the pump comes from a 12v cig socket behind a chassis outrigger in the top left of the pic ... certainly beat standing there holding a 30litre water container
View attachment 49004



Be a little mindful filling the water tanks, I've always watched it without much thought, but left it unattended once whilst I packed up stuff on the other side of the van breaking camp. The air escapes the breather very easily, but once the water hits that breather the water pressure builds in the tank relatively quickly. Not sure how long Id left it running after full, maybe a few minutes at worst. From other side of the van when I started to hear loud groaning, creaking and metal popping noises. I saw the water coming out the breather but the noise was loud and worrying enough to ignore that and hunt down that un-nerving noise, like the suspension was abut the collapse. I followed it to the rear of the van and it turn out to be the somewhere around the water tank. Oops, it was the water tank expanding from pressurization, stressing and popping the mounts and strapping.

I presume it would have blown the fitting off eventually, or popped some mounts. It sounded like Titanic moaning and creaking just before it sank. I actively watch it fill now with a great deal of thought, and with the first signs of water at the breather, controlling the flow by kinking the hose is the solution and Ive not had a repeat.

Someone one I know done a similar set up but forgotten to turn tap off and pressurised the tank and the tank split and no it wasn't on full pressure on the tap.

 

[Crusty181]

Someone one I know done a similar set up but forgotten to turn tap off and pressurised the tank and the tank split and no it wasn't on full pressure on the tap.

Yup, there's a trap. Pressure has not much to do with how much you turn the tap. It still explodes ... just a bit later on

 

[chartrock]

What stops the water pouring out of those snap fittings when driving along, is there a non return valve or something else in the line The reason I ask is that when I fitted something similar and the little door was open while towing, my daughter was following us and reckoned the way the water poured out "it was like a little boy seeing how high he could pee."

 

[Crusty181]

In short, nothing; and no non rtn. I fill until waters coming out the breathers. I get a bit of leakage as the hose is disconnected, and some dribbling if i do a few Bathurst corners. (I'm seeing a Dr for that dribbling) Otherwise not too much. The fillers are significantly higher than the tanks