How To Fill The Water Tank

Joe-T6

New Member
Hi, I’ve just got my first VW T6 campervan and wanted to ask how best to fill the water tank? It’s got a shurflo water pump so the question is can just fill with a clean hose? (Not using for drinking water!)
 
I'd wondered about getting a hoselock flowmeter for filling up as otherwise the only way to tell how much is in there is when it overflows!
I use an ordinary garden hose, the same one I use to wash the van, and I have no hangups about drinking it. My own personal view is that these days we're getting so hung up on hygene that our immune systems are becoming redundant and this makes us more prone to infection.
As my old Dad used to say, "You've got t'eyt a peck o' muck afore yer die" - but I'm not a doctor so dont take my advice! :)
Our family business is a large Boarding Kennels - so theres a lot of 'business' to give the immune systems a good workout!

On a serious note though, one thing you should do is to switch on the water pump and run the hot taps to get all the air out of the hot water tank, otherwise the element could be damaged if its heating fresh air :(
Cheers
Phil
PS What's that, your Cali has no hot water system?
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We use our tank for drinking so keep our tank spotless and "Miltoned" between use, I use our home hose to fill but fill it and use bottled water and a small funnel when abroad.

If you have a sureflow with decent pressure you also fit a nature pure water filter and then you could drink water from you tank without worry.
 
I
I'd wondered about getting a hoselock flowmeter for filling up as otherwise the only way to tell how much is in there is when it overflows!
I use an ordinary garden hose, the same one I use to wash the van, and I have no hangups about drinking it. My own personal view is that these days we're getting so hung up on hygene that our immune systems are becoming redundant and this makes us more prone to infection.
As my old Dad used to say, "You've got t'eyt a peck o' muck afore yer die" - but I'm not a doctor so dont take my advice! :)
Our family business is a large Boarding Kennels - so theres a lot of 'business' to give the immune systems a good workout!

On a serious note though, one thing you should do is to switch on the water pump and run the hot taps to get all the air out of the hot water tank, otherwise the element could be damaged if its heating fresh air :(
Cheers
Phil
PS What's that, your Cali has no hot water system?
whistling.gif
wink.gif
I like that flowmeter, would be better if it would auto shut off when it had passed a given volume. I always run the water through the hot water tap when filling, not only to stop element damage but also so you get the volume of water in the tank plus the hot water cylinder
 
Thanks all. I've filled up the tank from the hose and now the tap has stopped working... the pump seems to make a noise but no water is coming out of the tap, I've tried leaving the tap running for ages and also starting the engine but no joy. Has anyone else experienced this with a brand new system?
 
Are you able to get any suction on the tap end when the flow is open, sounds like an air block?

Not meaning to be euphemistic - it’s a bit like bleeding a hose. If you fancy trying it, pop your chops around the end and suck whilst it’s open, doesn’t take much.
 
Hi, in a word no because most converters test it works before they hand it over but here are a few things you can try.
Turn everything off, open the tap so it is on (obviously nothing should happen) put your mouth around the tap spout and blow, as if inflating a lilo. Keep blowing and you should hear the air bubbling up into the water tank.
If you don’t hear it bubbling then something isn’t connected along the way.
If it does bubble but when powered on still nothing flows then it could be that the pipe has come disconnected from the pump.
 
I have a short (2m) section of dedicated ‘food grade’ hose that I use if I can get close enough to the tap, but have used the standard garden hose. I make sure I run all of the standing water out of the reel before filling the tank. We’ve been drinking it both boiled, and straight from the tank.

I have noticed that if I put only a few litres in the tank, the pump struggles to get enough suction when the pipes are empty. When there’s more in the tank, it works fine.
 
great thanks will try this evening!
Just a quick but horrible thought, if the pipe has split or become disconnected at the tap end you will have been pumping water into the vehicle.....please just open the draws/ doors in the cabinets to check - unlikely but best to check.
 
Excellent managed to get it fixed, it seemed that I over filled it, and had an air lock, then whilst I was out this afternoon all the water drained out the tank overflow??, so I refilled the tank and cleared the air lock and now works great. Thanks for all the help.
 
Hello again, I’ve just checked and from a full water tank / green light yesterday it’s now a red light / one dot. It appears I have a leak somewhere, but all inside is dry. Also the battery has drained from full to empty, both without taking it anywhere or any usage! Is it possible the recording unit is faulty?
 
Well the water is going somewhere, you really need to find where it has gone. If the battery has gone flat please check the leak isn’t anywhere near the battery causing a short.
On my camper the water storage tank is above and wrapped around the rear wheel arch on the drivers side and the leisure battery right next to it.
I once overfilled mine and the water ‘disappeared’ remember that you have a floor laid on top of the vehicle base - on mine the water went into this gap, ran towards the front and left through a hole the converter had made for the sink waste pipe to run through. So everywhere looked dry but........

I have just thought of something....on mine, hidden behind a panel is a drain tap which enables you to empty the water tank completely for winterising. My ‘leak’ was when I filled the tank for the new season and I forgot to close the drain tap - do you have one and if so is it closed?
 
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I'd wondered about getting a hoselock flowmeter for filling up as otherwise the only way to tell how much is in there is when it overflows!
I use an ordinary garden hose, the same one I use to wash the van, and I have no hangups about drinking it. My own personal view is that these days we're getting so hung up on hygene that our immune systems are becoming redundant and this makes us more prone to infection.
As my old Dad used to say, "You've got t'eyt a peck o' muck afore yer die" - but I'm not a doctor so dont take my advice! :)
Our family business is a large Boarding Kennels - so theres a lot of 'business' to give the immune systems a good workout!

On a serious note though, one thing you should do is to switch on the water pump and run the hot taps to get all the air out of the hot water tank, otherwise the element could be damaged if its heating fresh air :(
Cheers
Phil
PS What's that, your Cali has no hot water system?
whistling.gif
wink.gif
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
 
Hi, I have a new camper too and no garden hose! Guessing having read the comments that I'll be filling with a funnel and water bottles?!
 
We carry a 3-metre hose and a small 5Lt plastic watering can. Use the watering can most of the time. Have been drinking from the onboard tank now for 10+ years without problem across EU.

We never travel with more than 10Lt in tank - cannot see the point of carrying all that weight. Saves a few miles/km on a long run out.
 
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