Water advice

[DCosmc]

I am converting my 2001 chevy express conversion van int a vandwelling campervan. In the long run I'd like to remove some of the conversion van upholstery taken outand put in some wood paneling but I leave for 6 weeks on the road and must just do the conversions I need to. On such addition is installing a sink.

I plan to have a single bay sink resting on a small box with my clean and grey water tanks below. While I would love to install back up power this will have to happen when I have more time and the knowledge to do so. For now I am looking at two options:

A) a manual hand pump and no shower
B) the above option with an additional power pump that runs while the engine is going (just for one quick shower per week).

Any advice? I am also reading up on how to have an aux battery that is charged when the van is running. I know that this could
Drain the starting battery but it seems like there is a work around. This would be great since I'll drive a few hours almost everyday.

Any advice would be great, I am new and not mechanically inclined!

See you on the road!

 

[Lucky mike]

pressure pump sprayer found at any garden shop for starters......pump it up and spray yourself clean....half hot water half cold!!!.....nice shower on the go.....great for dishes or just squirting yourself in the face in the morning to wake up!!!

 

[decodancer]

I regularly go to NY to groom a bunch of dogs. My pump runs solely off the starting battery and I've bathed as many as 8 dogs (2 fillups of my 20 gallon water tank) without starting my van. You'd be fine for a shower.

 

[Bdog1]

Or... A jump box for aux. power? Some even include a small 110v inverter. Can be recharged driving through a lighter socket.

 

[DCosmc]

Thanks everyone! All very helpful. I plan to charge phone and iPad, rechargeable van etc while driving and that will get me through the night. I had planned to get a jump box for emergency situations incase the van battery dies when I'm off grid camping. I hadn't realized I could also run electronics off this, nor did I know you could recharge them while driving. Never seen that before. Where would I find this. Local auto store didn't know.

Thanks!

 

[Willy]

You should be able to pick up a solid state battery isolator at a auto parts place. Also, Amazon has them Amazon I have the Sure Power one, and have had one for decades.. it works well, metering the charge to both the starter and storage batteries and disconnecting the batteries from each other when the engine is turned off. ..Willy.

 

[highdesertranger]

you need a battery isolator. then you can run 2 batts. they will both charge when the engine is running but will "isolate" so your engine batt will not drain when the engine is off. I have not heard good things about manual rv water pumps lately. better to use a regular rv pump or gravity. a regular rv pump hardly uses any power because of the short run times and low amp draw. highdesertranger

 

[Donedirtcheap]

I would forget about pumping water. I think you could do better by having a sprayer or gravity system as others mentioned. if you can securely fasten a square 5 gallon container a little higher up over the sink it would have a twist valve for on and off. Then have a waste jug under the sink. If you set up camp during the warmer months you can buy a cheap shower enclosure and use the solar hanging water bag.
You are going to want to conserve battery as much as possible. You can charge the battery from the van but it may never FULLY charge it depending on use and driving times. Its a issue that you need to be aware of and its another discussion as there is much more to batteries than people sometimes realize. Water and electric conservation will be an issue in this lifestyle.
You can add 4 or 5 or 50 batteries but you still have to charge all of them.

http://www.target.com/p/coleman-wat...rodSlot=medium_1_1&tempterm=coleman+5+gal+jug

http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm

 

[MrNoodly]

I've always been very particular about my shower experience. I want a big, high-pressure spray of very hot water. That's very hard to accomplish in a van without tanks, water heaters and pumps -- big ones.

So rather than subject myself to depressing little drizzles that can't even rinse me properly, I go with sponge baths and wet wipes. Then I get a real shower every week or so at truck stops, state parks or building-dwellers I visit.

 

[MrNoodly]

However, there are ways to wash yourself and your laundry at the same time.

 

[Iggy]

Lol. I immediately thought of that huge man-sized wash machine in Earnest Goes to Jail. The spin cycle looked fun.

 

[highdesertranger]

Mr noodly I am speechless. highdesertranger

 

[Willy]

Looks like they outta lay offa the bean burritos. ..Willy.

 

[LughTheBard]

Oooh myyyy!