Fresh water filler

We have to use the hose with the pump thing attached to fill the tank on our county Hampshire. Is there any way of topping it up without driving to the tap? We can't see how to access the top of the tank and the filler point is a very small bore.

Have a look round and see how the Rienzas were set up. The Hampshire is a rebadged version but the Rienzas' had conventional filling on. (maybe last few didn't)
Not sure where you got  the van but Robsons at Wolsingham could help ( used to be a very good AS  Dealer  till they kicked AS  out and are a helpful company )

Watering can easy after filling initially and topping up as needed.

daisy mae wrote:Watering can easy after filling initially and topping up as needed.

Spot on Daisy, but not if it's one of those daft (in my opinion ) caravan systems which use a submersible pump to fill the tank from a portable container. What a tedious old fiddle.

I think that's what Marydot has, and if so he/she's stuffed, and can only use the dedicated hose or the submersible pump.

Dave

It is a daft system, but on our previous van, an Autocruise, we could lift a hatch in the floor in pour gallon containers into the tank easily and quickly.  We don't have the submersible pump to drop into a container, and the filler hole on the outside of the van seems tiny.  I was hoping there was another way to access the tank, like the Autocruise, but can't see anywhere. 
Marydot

Hi Marydot

Fortunately Messrs Autosleepers have done something half way sensible with the new Nuevos. They still fit the daft system, but on the other side of the van they now put a standard Fiamma "hole".

(Quite why they still fit the daft system I don't know. They penny-pinch in so many other ways (don't get me started!!!) and it must be a very expensive, and quite unnecessary item.)

Anyway, to help with your query the submersible pump they supply, and which I shall never use (in front of me as I type) is a bog standard Whale Exterior pump as used on most caravans.

Its label says, "Watermaster Premium pump and plug for Whale socket" The product code is EP1312

Hope this helps. They are available at every caravan accessory store.

Dave


P.S. If you get too hissed off with all the faff and hassle, I know a few people have had a Fiamma "hole" installed. I probably wouldn't suggest you get Autosleepers to do it as they are not exactly cheap, but any competent dealer or mobile motorhome engineer should be able to do it. It's fiddly no doubt, but not very difficult.

I have a Cotswold with the Whale system and coincidentally I have booked the van in to A-S to have the more conventional filler system fitted and which will ,  then give me the choice of fillers so they tell me
I did not think the price quoted by them was too bad. I will report back on here next week.
Dave.

Coincidence indeed Chudders. 

May I suggest you get the watering can ordered in readiness? From our experience, if you are on a campsite it only takes three or four cans full every day or two to keep the tank topped up. It's certainly a lot less hassle than either moving the van (off its levelling chocks??) or getting out all the Whale gubbins and a big water carrier, faffing around, then trying to drain it all and put it away.

A new and carefree life awaits!!

Dave

I have had two motorhomes before this one  but both had the conventional filling system. Yes I agree I have used a watering can type filler and I also have an Aquaroll and whale submersible pump. I tend to use one or other system depending on my mood and distance from a water point. I may feel to lazy to walk  several times.
Thanks, Dave

I'm going against the grain here. We have a Broadway with the Whale pump system. This is our second van with such a system and I've never found it a problem. We carry a 20 litre container with us. If the water is running low I attach it to a small trolley, fill it up, plug in the pump and drop the other end into the container and it fills up. It's  much bigger than a watering can, so less trips to the tap and I can walk away for and do something else a few minutes whilst it fills up. We tend to carry plenty of water when we go away and top up as we leave each site when touring. 
Richard

The vital factor is the size of the van I think Richard.

With our Nuevo we would be hard pressed to find room to carry a 20 litre container plus the trolley, specially on a long holiday when Mrs Gromit urgently needs to take 19 pairs of shoes - and two pairs of slippers!

I jest of course (though only slightly!) but with storage at a premium the collapsible watering can is the best option we have found so far. Always willing to listen to, and learn from alternatives though.

Dave

ricknsue wrote:I'm going against the grain here. We have a Broadway with the Whale pump system. This is our second van with such a system and I've never found it a problem. We carry a 20 litre container with us. If the water is running low I attach it to a small trolley, fill it up, plug in the pump and drop the other end into the container and it fills up. It's  much bigger than a watering can, so less trips to the tap and I can walk away for and do something else a few minutes whilst it fills up. We tend to carry plenty of water when we go away and top up as we leave each site when touring. 
Richard

 I do see from the forum that there for's and against the whale system
It seems to be a 'Marmite' sort of thing, you either love it or otherwise. I have not had a whale system long enough to really know what its like but as I was going to Broadway club site I thought I would get A-S to install the other system as well whilst I was in the area. Then I have a choice. Perhaps I will feel that I wasted money but as I said the price was not prohibitive and would ake a couple of hours.
Thanks, Dave

We have the Whale system and would not swap it. We carry a bucket for refills ( which, from experience with previous vans, is easier than a watering can and holds more water per trip ). The bucket has umpteen other uses and travels in the loo holding drinking water bottles.

I suspect that those who don' t like the Whale system and complain about it being slow are not using it properly. We met someone who did not even know they had to have the 12 v on first !

The beauty of the system is how much it speeds up using an aire: faster and stops automatically when the tank is full so you can multi- task without fear of overfilling.
You can even use the watering can instead of a bucket but, advantageously, you don' t have to risk a hernia or strained shoulder by lifting the heavy can up to filler height.

What's not to like ?

Gromit wrote:The vital factor is the size of the van I think Richard.

With our Nuevo we would be hard pressed to find room to carry a 20 litre container plus the trolley, specially on a long holiday when Mrs Gromit urgently needs to take 19 pairs of shoes - and two pairs of slippers!

Dave

That sounds really familiar

You're right about the limitations of space in the Neuvo of course, if I put a largish water container in the shower, where would my beer coolbox live .  I'm going to persist with watering can top-ups for now but I'm keeping an open mind.

Quilter wrote:We have the Whale system and would not swap it. We carry a bucket for refills ( which, from experience with previous vans, is easier than a watering can and holds more water per trip ). The bucket has umpteen other uses and travels in the loo holding drinking water bottles.

I suspect that those who don' t like the Whale system and complain about it being slow are not using it properly. We met someone who did not even know they had to have the 12 v on first !

The beauty of the system is how much it speeds up using an aire: faster and stops automatically when the tank is full so you can multi- task without fear of overfilling.
You can even use the watering can instead of a bucket but, advantageously, you don' t have to risk a hernia or strained shoulder by lifting the heavy can up to filler height.

What's not to like ?

Yep, do agree. We dont normally stay stationary (is that the correct spelling   ) too long and fill up when we pass a tap. We get through quite a bit of fresh water as normally use the onboard shower etc as well. Also carry a ten litre container for the odd top up and for drinking water if we don't use the tank water for some reason.

chudders wrote:I have a Cotswold with the Whale system and coincidentally I have booked the van in to A-S to have the more conventional filler system fitted and which will ,  then give me the choice of fillers so they tell me
I did not think the price quoted by them was too bad. I will report back on here next week.
Dave.

Went to Broadway C C site and Auto Sleepers last Monday and had a Fiamma water filler installed. Now I have both systems.
Neat job and took a couple of hours. Went to the pub just up the road and all done on our return.
Also had a couple of queries explained by Mark the manager and the chap who did the job. 
All very helpful and I would certainly go there again.
Thanks, Dave

I hope it was not the chap that fitted mine, my Bourton has a double tank, one inboard which feeds into the external tank the fiamma fitting takes a 38mm pipe but the inlet to the internal tank is 32mm, the idiot that fitted mine [at the build stage] fitted a 38mm pipe without a reducer and tried to make it fit a 32mm inlet without leaking by just fitting a jubilee clip!! result a flooded under bed area the first time we used the fiamma fitting, I had to buy a 38mm to32mm reducer off eBay and a short length of 32mm pipe to fix it, not exactly rocket science, just a pity A/S did not think of it.
Don

Another vote for quite liking the system and like jaytee we carry extra water in containers so are never short but do accept we have masses of storage space.

Another ex autocruise owner, it was great being able to lift the hatch in the floor and pump water straight in to the tank..

Ideally I would have both systems!!

Hi Hog

We have both, but I don't think we'll ever use the Whale pumping system. (Wish I had thought in time to ask A/S not to fit it.)

With the trusty watering can you get it out, and if on a campsite each of you takes it with them for a wee, shower or whatever, and comes back with a full can. 5 or 6 cans every two days is plenty to keep topped up. The fill point is not much above knee height so no problem there, and when finished just give the can a shake and put it away.

With the Whale system you need first of all to carry a large water container. (In a Nuevo - where to store it?) Then you have to go and fill it, using the trolley (more storage problems) unless you are built like a brick outhouse! Get the pump out, immerse it in the water and plug into the side of the van - very carefully or it won't work properly. Go inside and firtle around with the control panel to switch to the external pump. When finished, go inside again to switch back to the internal pump. Disconnect the external pump and try to get all the water out. Empty what's left in the large container. Stow away the pump and the container, and possibly the trolley.

Have I forgotten anything?

Apart from the problem of storage, it's just too much hassle. If I enjoyed messing around all day I would have a cara , but one of the main advantages of a motorhome (to me anyway) is the convenience and general simplicity of operation, and minimum of fiddling with bits and pieces. Extend that philosophy to water filling, and the watering can wins every time.

BUT - I'm always open minded if anyone can persuade me otherwise. That's why forums are so valuable - to learn from the experience of others.

Dave


P.S. Could have topped up the tank in the time spent typing this!

Gromit wrote:

With the Whale system you need first of all to carry a large water container. (

Why ? We don' t have one. Just a bucket. We could carry a watering can as well but a bucket serves several other purposes and saves space over bucket and watering can.

Our van, a Broadway, has only one 12 V system and that is switched on all the time so no need to switch on a separate external 12 V system as per your Nuevo presumably.

The pump sits and drains itself in the bike basket or sometimes, the bucket under the van when finished so no hassle there. 

As to being careful about plugging the pump in: lift water inlet flap and insert pump. Dead easy and takes no time or thought at all. Much much less time than it used to take me to fiddle with opening the awkward lock on the last van, not to mention having to find the keys and put them back safely...or find them again when they had not been put back safely. This system is keyless.

When you really score though is whipping up to the borne, refilling and leaving while the non- pumpers are still coiling up their hoses and leaving their filler caps behind ! Much faster to fill.

I can see the biggest problem with a smaller van is storage.The control panel on our van allows internal/external/both so just leave it on both no faffing around.

Met a chap last year who had run out of water and none was available, your watering can isn't much use then. Lucky for him I gave him some of ours but we had to pour it from the container into his can then pour it in to his tank.

We just drop the pump in the spare container and pump away - even in the middle of the desert I can do that but as I said before you need the capacity to carry the water in the first place.

Whale system is the way forward 20 ltr collapsible container ebay about £5 folds flat takes about as much room as a thin magazine

I also like the whale system as it suits our camping style as I tow a trailer with wife's mobility scooter, recliners, Electric bike, 25 litre water drum, 25 litre grey water drum folding trolley etc.

John.

H

chudders wrote:

Went to Broadway C C site and Auto Sleepers last Monday and had a Fiamma water filler installed. Now I have both systems.

Neat job and took a couple of hours. Went to the pub just up the road and all done on our return.
Also had a couple of queries explained by Mark the manager and the chap who did the job. 
All very helpful and I would certainly go there again.
Thanks, Dave

Broadway or the pub Chudders:snigger:

Good for you, if this is what suits your way of operating. I'm glad that we have been given both option from new. Surely it's not that one way is right and another wrong, it's down to personal choice and how folk travel. My whale equipment has been nearly stored, in my basement at home and probably won't see the light of day until the van goes (but never say never:content:). I'm happy with the garden hose/cheap watering can option for now. Works for me, if something else works for you, great:smile!:

Askit: I have to ask as it niggles otherwise !

I have no beef about your preference for one system over another but what is it about the Whale system that does not suit your way of travelling ?