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MCI 102-C3 coach to RV - Water System
- Thread starter JNHEscher
- Start date
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Java said:
Sweet! Change all the orings now while they are not crammed together!!
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Yup! They don't look too shabby, but better to do it now. And I have the shopping list posted! I'll be trimming and bending the liquid dip tubes so that they're all at drawing from the lowest point with the tanks horizontally mounted. Gas tubes might get pointed as high as I can get them. Gonna order a pile of the CM Becker fittings and see if I can get 1/4" flare water supply hoses from Lowe's or something. If not, Summit will have all kinds of AN braided hoses to choose from. Teflon vs. PVC lining probably doesn't matter much. The household supply hoses are just a lot cheaper and can be purchased locally by the bundle.Sweet! Change all the orings now while they are not crammed together!!
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I'll need to parallel all the liquid lines to some kind of manifold of sorts so that there's enough total flow. 1/4" line is good for one faucet, but we'll have two sinks, one washer, and one shower. All low-flow/high efficiency.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
About to order air tanks, fittings, O-rings, etc. Might even order the Shurflo if there's enough funds left. Now that I think about it, I could use one or both of the spare Pepsi kegs for the pump pressure tank. Kinda need to test the system out. I'm guessing the water pressure between the pump and RO filters won't drop very quickly, but a pressure tank helps a ton with pump cycling.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Whisler for the post and tube rings. Old West Homebrew Supply for the rest. Dug through all the supply lines at Home Depot. They're all compression, so to Summit I'll go for all the -4 interconnect lines.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Reordered the Airlift tanks. Had to rush to cancel last nights order because it had the wrong address. Hopefully those will be on their way by later today and arrive early next week so that I can determine where to set tubes and such. Did a little measuring to see where the tanks could sit and it looks like the 1/4" drain ports will hang over the pit so that the air lines can clear everything. I may mount the tanks so that the face ports point downward instead so that I can access the foot mounting hardware easier.
I'll probably finish grinding the beam tops tomorrow. Acid worked some. There's still a lot of rust pits that I'll have to weld over and rust convert later on once everything is burned in. Looked over the subframe some more today and noticed that the heavy wall beams don't actually extend all the way to the firewall. They stop and some 11 gauge sheet that the front uprights are formed with that has gotten pretty rusty. I'll have to address that after I restructure to top of the subrame to restore strength.
Maybe some test fitting of water tanks tomorrow. Until then. Off to bed.
I'll probably finish grinding the beam tops tomorrow. Acid worked some. There's still a lot of rust pits that I'll have to weld over and rust convert later on once everything is burned in. Looked over the subframe some more today and noticed that the heavy wall beams don't actually extend all the way to the firewall. They stop and some 11 gauge sheet that the front uprights are formed with that has gotten pretty rusty. I'll have to address that after I restructure to top of the subrame to restore strength.
Maybe some test fitting of water tanks tomorrow. Until then. Off to bed.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Working on planning line routes. The tanks do nest nicely. I measured them at 33.25" when perpendicular. Not a problem because there's plenty of extra foot material that I can cut off to get them down to 32.5" I was thinking that the posts were splayed a bit, but they are parallel to the tank sides. There will be 1.5" of headroom above the tanks and in between the 1.5" tubes to work in and none of the ball lock couplers land directly underneath any of the tubes.
I've been wracking my brain over the lines and fittings. Have to wait for the air tanks to get here before I can figure anything out for sure. I want the lines to enter bottom tank ports so that if water does ever reach the expansion tanks, it can drain right back out. A ball float check valve would be handy, not particularly necessary, though I would be wise to T the air lines to a single port for check valve installation. I don't think changes in temperature or elevation will really be of any bother - especially with 10 gallons of expansion, thus I'm going without valve for now.
Water lines, on the other hand, need to manifold in parallel to something closer to 5/8"/-10 or 3/4"/-12 before branching off to the 3/8" PE-RT(newer PEX) home runs. I've been browsing various AN fitting and weld-on bung options to make some kind of manifold run. Might have to see what I can come up with for a PEX tube turned into manifold with T fittings. There's not a whole lot of room where the liquid fittings reside.
The plastic ball locks may be fine, though I am going to both fill a tank with water and hook up my compressor to an unconnected and connected fitting and run it to 100 psi to be sure that the fittings won't blow apart as soon as I open the gates to the installed system. Don't know until I try because the kegging articles I pulled up never mentioned anything above 20 psi.
Expanding on the SketchUp model of the tanks in the pit, I added the rusty walls/beams I have to work within along with the 1.5" cross tubes. I'm starting on the wheels tubs next so that I can figure in weight with functionality.
I've been wracking my brain over the lines and fittings. Have to wait for the air tanks to get here before I can figure anything out for sure. I want the lines to enter bottom tank ports so that if water does ever reach the expansion tanks, it can drain right back out. A ball float check valve would be handy, not particularly necessary, though I would be wise to T the air lines to a single port for check valve installation. I don't think changes in temperature or elevation will really be of any bother - especially with 10 gallons of expansion, thus I'm going without valve for now.
Water lines, on the other hand, need to manifold in parallel to something closer to 5/8"/-10 or 3/4"/-12 before branching off to the 3/8" PE-RT(newer PEX) home runs. I've been browsing various AN fitting and weld-on bung options to make some kind of manifold run. Might have to see what I can come up with for a PEX tube turned into manifold with T fittings. There's not a whole lot of room where the liquid fittings reside.
The plastic ball locks may be fine, though I am going to both fill a tank with water and hook up my compressor to an unconnected and connected fitting and run it to 100 psi to be sure that the fittings won't blow apart as soon as I open the gates to the installed system. Don't know until I try because the kegging articles I pulled up never mentioned anything above 20 psi.
Expanding on the SketchUp model of the tanks in the pit, I added the rusty walls/beams I have to work within along with the 1.5" cross tubes. I'm starting on the wheels tubs next so that I can figure in weight with functionality.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
FirstRam said,
I have a few Pepsi kegs that I use as sprayers that routinely see 100 psi (ball locks) and I've never had a problem. I also have 4 that I machined the fitting on top of the tank down and welded 1/4" SS couplings with ball valves to make them a little more user friendly.
The modified tanks flow better without the stock check valves restricting the flow. You could use 90° push to lock swivel fittings to keep good flow and cheap repair parts.
McMaster 51055K53 They're plastic but so are the ball locks. SS fittings are available but $$$.
I have a few Pepsi kegs that I use as sprayers that routinely see 100 psi (ball locks) and I've never had a problem. I also have 4 that I machined the fitting on top of the tank down and welded 1/4" SS couplings with ball valves to make them a little more user friendly.
The modified tanks flow better without the stock check valves restricting the flow. You could use 90° push to lock swivel fittings to keep good flow and cheap repair parts.
McMaster 51055K53 They're plastic but so are the ball locks. SS fittings are available but $$$.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
FirstRam said:
I have a few Pepsi kegs that I use as sprayers that routinely see 100 psi (ball locks) and I've never had a problem. I also have 4 that I machined the fitting on top of the tank down and welded 1/4" SS couplings with ball valves to make them a little more user friendly.
The modified tanks flow better without the stock check valves restricting the flow. You could use 90° push to lock swivel fittings to keep good flow and cheap repair parts.
McMaster 51055K53 They're plastic but so are the ball locks. SS fittings are available but $$$.
Good news. Saves me some time and trouble. I wasn't planning to modify the ball locks in any way. Figure having the check valves is a nice feature for any time I want to pull tanks for any reason and be able to leave a few in to keep the system running.I have a few Pepsi kegs that I use as sprayers that routinely see 100 psi (ball locks) and I've never had a problem. I also have 4 that I machined the fitting on top of the tank down and welded 1/4" SS couplings with ball valves to make them a little more user friendly.
The modified tanks flow better without the stock check valves restricting the flow. You could use 90° push to lock swivel fittings to keep good flow and cheap repair parts.
McMaster 51055K53 They're plastic but so are the ball locks. SS fittings are available but $$$.
What sucks right now is interconnecting it all because these weren't built to flow as much as I need which requires that the liquid outputs be paralleled. Otherwise I'd just run all the tanks in series to get one air port and one liquid port. I'm a bit tempted to go series anyway to save a ton of coin in fittings and lines. I can't remember what the washing machine requires for flow, but the sinks will likely be 0.5 gpm each and the shower is 0.5-1.5 gpm.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Eh? https://www.freshwatersystems.com/pr...0aAtvMEALw_wcB
Whatever I searched showed this fitting in the shopping category and it happens to be the exact size on both ends. I know nothing of the brand or company. Braided AN lines and such would be dandy if it weren't for the cost of it all multiplied by eight tanks. The RO systems use the same type of plastic fittings and tubing with a max pressure of 85 psi as a whole system. The polyethylene tubing takes 150 psi. For the cost, I think it's safe for me to order a bag of the fittings to try out without much loss if they're no good.
I think this will end up being the water manifold of choice, albeit Chinese. I can't really justify spending double on the more prominent PEX brands with fewer parts for this particular system. https://www.pexuniverse.com/ssm204-s...-heat-manifold. Ends should be 1" npt and faces should be 1/2" npt.
The benefit of using a 4-loop radiant heating manifold setup is that it will accommodate all eight tanks and plenty of RO outputs on one tube, and the second tube can handle the lower pressure PE-RT fixture lines with a water pressure regulator between the tubes. Makes good sense and it seems most of these types of manifolds are good for 100 psi. The shut offs are a bonus that I will likely use. All compression and flow regulator port adapters will be swapped out for PTC and Sharkbite adapters.
Whatever I searched showed this fitting in the shopping category and it happens to be the exact size on both ends. I know nothing of the brand or company. Braided AN lines and such would be dandy if it weren't for the cost of it all multiplied by eight tanks. The RO systems use the same type of plastic fittings and tubing with a max pressure of 85 psi as a whole system. The polyethylene tubing takes 150 psi. For the cost, I think it's safe for me to order a bag of the fittings to try out without much loss if they're no good.
I think this will end up being the water manifold of choice, albeit Chinese. I can't really justify spending double on the more prominent PEX brands with fewer parts for this particular system. https://www.pexuniverse.com/ssm204-s...-heat-manifold. Ends should be 1" npt and faces should be 1/2" npt.
The benefit of using a 4-loop radiant heating manifold setup is that it will accommodate all eight tanks and plenty of RO outputs on one tube, and the second tube can handle the lower pressure PE-RT fixture lines with a water pressure regulator between the tubes. Makes good sense and it seems most of these types of manifolds are good for 100 psi. The shut offs are a bonus that I will likely use. All compression and flow regulator port adapters will be swapped out for PTC and Sharkbite adapters.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Just ordered six of these buggers for $26.93 shipped. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Radiant-Heating-Floor-Stainless-Steel-Manifold-3-circuit-for-PEX-Pipe/123042312271?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p20 57872.m2749.l2649
The three-star review was actually encouraging because I didn't need ports as large as claimed. They were so dirt cheap that I couldn't really pass up the chance to build the stainless manifolds for so little when compared to all the other options. I've search a bunch of PTC manifolds as well and couldn't come up with anything to suit that didn't require a multitude of assemblies because of port size differences.
The three-star review was actually encouraging because I didn't need ports as large as claimed. They were so dirt cheap that I couldn't really pass up the chance to build the stainless manifolds for so little when compared to all the other options. I've search a bunch of PTC manifolds as well and couldn't come up with anything to suit that didn't require a multitude of assemblies because of port size differences.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Picked up the eBay manifolds today. For as cheap as they were, I was a bit skeptical as to whether or not they were really stainless steel. No visible color difference in about 3/32" deep filing, but this is the softest "stainless" I've ever scratched. Didn't take any more than half a dozen strokes with a file to make a groove that deep. Perimeter of the face port is gold and OD has striations like this is extruded, nickel-plated brass. End ports are 1" NPT and face ports are 1/2" NPT. I can't find any data about these or any other pictures. Just some info about Unicor being bought by Uphonor.
Edit: Took it in the bus to touch it with a drill. Bit sinks right in and the chips are bright gold. "Tis plated brass.
Edit: Took it in the bus to touch it with a drill. Bit sinks right in and the chips are bright gold. "Tis plated brass.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
There's quite a bit a room to maneuver around the underside of the pit now. Tons of grinding going on to clean up where I will soon be welding in a plate bottom for the tank pit. Going to check with all the local steel suppliers for a 3'x5' drop of plate and grab some 1" square tube. Dropping the plate down by 1" from the current level will make 9" of height for the corny tanks and the 1" tube will strengthen the sections of beams that are open plate. Pics to follow.
Mocked up the air tanks some more and got the idea to bolt them sideways to some unistrut uprights. I was planning to weld in some strut to clamp the flex conduit to anyway, so this doubles up the mounting duty. Grabbing some spring washers to make positioning the air tanks easy on the unistruts. Shot of one of the unistrut uprights - along with the nastiest welds I managed to lay down. Meh.
Since I had already cut some the 1.5" tube to the width to span over top of the beam, I fit in a third tube so that all four unistrut uprights would have horizontal and vertical welds holding them. This third tube also provides support for the air tanks. I wouldn't care to mount the air tanks sideways without some sort of stopper under the cylinders because I don't trust the aluminum tank feet to not develop stress cracks at some point with all the vibration that goes on in a bus.
With all that, the tanks are still able to be unbolted, clocked about ten degrees, and extracted from their caves after the floor is down.
Mocked up the air tanks some more and got the idea to bolt them sideways to some unistrut uprights. I was planning to weld in some strut to clamp the flex conduit to anyway, so this doubles up the mounting duty. Grabbing some spring washers to make positioning the air tanks easy on the unistruts. Shot of one of the unistrut uprights - along with the nastiest welds I managed to lay down. Meh.
Since I had already cut some the 1.5" tube to the width to span over top of the beam, I fit in a third tube so that all four unistrut uprights would have horizontal and vertical welds holding them. This third tube also provides support for the air tanks. I wouldn't care to mount the air tanks sideways without some sort of stopper under the cylinders because I don't trust the aluminum tank feet to not develop stress cracks at some point with all the vibration that goes on in a bus.
With all that, the tanks are still able to be unbolted, clocked about ten degrees, and extracted from their caves after the floor is down.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
First load of connection stuffs showed up today, too. All parts are John Guest aside from a 500-foot spool of LLDPE tubing. Spent the extra money on the brass flare because I don't like how easily plastic flare threads can strip. The second fitting order with manifold connections should be on the way. Got the shipping notification for a couple Sioux Chief copper manifolds. Went with the copper because all the other radiant heat manifolds were nickel-plated brass being passed off as stainless.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
One tank fully mocked with flex conduit and center cross tube in place. Got the tube welded in from above. Underside gets done tomorrow. The floor pitch got me. The front of the air tank sticks up too high by about 3/16", so I'll be notching the 1.5" tubes that it sits on. Might as well notch both to get some nice clearance between the tanks and underside of the floor. And my welds aren't THAT bad, I swear lol. Kinda hate that I was farting around with welds on the 2x5 tubing. It's all solid. I'll try to get all the welds finished up tomorrow, including the tank mounts.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Barely functioning on near zero sleep all day, bus work was doomed. Took my bloodshot eyes and a tape measure out to the water tank bay to glean more precise measurements so that I could do some acrylic sheet shopping. I do believe we have approached the finalization of the rain tank setup. Here it goes -
All panels are 1/4", 2'x4' being the largest. Seam gussets are 1/2"x1/2". Rods are 1", five rods per tank. A total of eight of these "suitcase" tanks will fit, with a capacity of 25.9 gallons each. The top plate will fasten on with 1/4" bolts with a gasket. All pieces with the exception of the top plate will be fused together with solvent.
The suitcase idea came from the desire to pull any single tank or combination of tanks out for service/repair/cleaning while leaving others in to continue operating. As drawn, there is 5.4375" between the inside faces of the 2x4 panels which will help keep longitudinal sloshing to a minimum. I haven't decided if I want to add any baffling for side-to-side motion or consider the 1" rods enough to disrupt flow. I do have the gussets drawn as being mounted inboard of the panels, but could flip them outboard. These seem like they will be considerably stouter than your typical acrylic aquarium made of thinner material and holding more weight, though I may need to get a rough calculation of force if the water gets a good running start in any direction.
As far as my material of choice, DIY acrylic comes in much cheaper than any poly or PVC tank arrangement of comparable capacity, is far lighter than any metal tanks, the translucency is paramount for water cleanliness inspection since we will be collecting precipitation from the roof, and I can size these to be an exact fit to our available space where they can be placed for the best weight distribution. I've gone over every option I could think of, always considering the most efficient use of real estate. Couldn't top the acrylic. I'll still research any other suggestions, though.
All panels are 1/4", 2'x4' being the largest. Seam gussets are 1/2"x1/2". Rods are 1", five rods per tank. A total of eight of these "suitcase" tanks will fit, with a capacity of 25.9 gallons each. The top plate will fasten on with 1/4" bolts with a gasket. All pieces with the exception of the top plate will be fused together with solvent.
The suitcase idea came from the desire to pull any single tank or combination of tanks out for service/repair/cleaning while leaving others in to continue operating. As drawn, there is 5.4375" between the inside faces of the 2x4 panels which will help keep longitudinal sloshing to a minimum. I haven't decided if I want to add any baffling for side-to-side motion or consider the 1" rods enough to disrupt flow. I do have the gussets drawn as being mounted inboard of the panels, but could flip them outboard. These seem like they will be considerably stouter than your typical acrylic aquarium made of thinner material and holding more weight, though I may need to get a rough calculation of force if the water gets a good running start in any direction.
As far as my material of choice, DIY acrylic comes in much cheaper than any poly or PVC tank arrangement of comparable capacity, is far lighter than any metal tanks, the translucency is paramount for water cleanliness inspection since we will be collecting precipitation from the roof, and I can size these to be an exact fit to our available space where they can be placed for the best weight distribution. I've gone over every option I could think of, always considering the most efficient use of real estate. Couldn't top the acrylic. I'll still research any other suggestions, though.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Pt_Ranger_V8 said,
I'm assuming this is rainwater capture from the roof? Any way to put a filter on the output, as well as some sort of auto treat with bleach?
You're attention to details is really getting my brain juices flowing.
I'm assuming this is rainwater capture from the roof? Any way to put a filter on the output, as well as some sort of auto treat with bleach?
You're attention to details is really getting my brain juices flowing.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Pt_Ranger_V8 said:
I'm assuming this is rainwater capture from the roof? Any way to put a filter on the output, as well as some sort of auto treat with bleach?
You're attention to details is really getting my brain juices flowing.
Rainwater from the roof is correct. This setup is going to be filter city. Stainless screen at the gutters, then a gauze and/or carbon filter before the collection tanks. From the tanks, the water gets slowly pumped through a 24-volt Outback UV filter and then through a 5-stage reverse osmosis setup. Kinda wanted to avoid chlorine because we will be running the grey water through gardens. Auto chlorine is a possibility, though. I do still wonder about algae growth. Never know what could come off our roof. Bird shit, tree pitch, diesel soot, etc.I'm assuming this is rainwater capture from the roof? Any way to put a filter on the output, as well as some sort of auto treat with bleach?
You're attention to details is really getting my brain juices flowing.
87manche said:
I would do at least one baffle right up the middle.
If it's half full and you take a sharp turn, you're gong to slam 80 lbs of water against the side.
I assume you're solvent welding?
Would be wise. Throw in a baffle during assembly so it's a done deal. They will be solvent welded. Mechanical tensioners could be added for extra assurance, but solvent welded is pretty damn strong. Especially when you add gussets at seams. The 1/2" square rods at all the seams triple the connection.I would do at least one baffle right up the middle.
If it's half full and you take a sharp turn, you're gong to slam 80 lbs of water against the side.
I assume you're solvent welding?
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Java said:
Many Many Many thousand plus gallon fish tanks are just solvent welded.
Yup. Think I'm safe. I do want to go ahead with the gussets just because our water will be in motion. Abrupt stops or turns can make for some wicked dynamic forces. 1/2" of material also gives me a strong base for fasteners if I want. Omitting the gussets would drop about 3 pounds in acrylic and add 0.32 (2.7 pounds of water) in gallons per tank. Got some time to think it over. Each tank as seen above sits at just under 37 pounds in acrylic. A blank poly tank of equivalent capacity is 30 pounds.Many Many Many thousand plus gallon fish tanks are just solvent welded.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
For variety, the runner up. Two of these, taking up the same real estate as the eight suitcases. 89 pounds of acrylic and 110 gallon capacity per tank. The gap between the tanks is where a stainless cross tube is welded which I am leaving in place.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
FirstRam said,
I worked in an Acrylic fab shop for a few years, I can't imagine those tanks holding up long term. The vibration and water sloshing will be hard on the bonds. Even with backer rods and Weld-On 40 Acrylic tanks won't last as long as steel.
Build that stainless tank you were considering with a 1/2" poycarbonate window and removable top. Durability has been on the top of your list throughout the entire build, Acrylic tanks will let you down.
I worked in an Acrylic fab shop for a few years, I can't imagine those tanks holding up long term. The vibration and water sloshing will be hard on the bonds. Even with backer rods and Weld-On 40 Acrylic tanks won't last as long as steel.
Build that stainless tank you were considering with a 1/2" poycarbonate window and removable top. Durability has been on the top of your list throughout the entire build, Acrylic tanks will let you down.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
FirstRam said:
I worked in an Acrylic fab shop for a few years, I can't imagine those tanks holding up long term. The vibration and water sloshing will be hard on the bonds. Even with backer rods and Weld-On 40 Acrylic tanks won't last as long as steel.
Build that stainless tank you were considering with a 1/2" poycarbonate window and removable top. Durability has been on the top of your list throughout the entire build, Acrylic tanks will let you down.
Noted. That stainless tank was for the pressurized section of the system that got the stainless corny tanks instead. I did set the suitcase tanks up for bolt-together help and ease of removal and repair. Stainless is still a strong consideration if I can get some affordable sheet and the weight doesn't get crazy.I worked in an Acrylic fab shop for a few years, I can't imagine those tanks holding up long term. The vibration and water sloshing will be hard on the bonds. Even with backer rods and Weld-On 40 Acrylic tanks won't last as long as steel.
Build that stainless tank you were considering with a 1/2" poycarbonate window and removable top. Durability has been on the top of your list throughout the entire build, Acrylic tanks will let you down.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
The copper mani's came in. A bit disappointed. They aren't quite the assembly that was pictured. I could have bought the manifolds without the valves and saved about $100 because it appears I have to take their valves off and sweat others on anyway in the exact same way they did. I'll check out their return policy. If, by chance, I can figure what brand these valves are and find the other ball seat half that has female NPT threads instead of the barb, I'll see about ordering those.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Unistrut posts are in. Have to crawl underneath to mark for notches in the cross tubes so that I can lower the tanks a bit.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Scored a bit. Pondering the tube notch for the expansion tanks, I checked my steel stash for the tube sections I had left and they were too large. Walked around my trailer and saw the emergency tank that I pulled out of the bus and remembered that I was 7" OD. Cut a 1.5" ring out of it to use for the notches and made my cut marks.
I may freehand plasma cut the notches tomorrow. If I really feel like making the notches clean, I'll slice a thin ring off the 7" tank to guide the torch cup. Everything else lined up quite well.
I may freehand plasma cut the notches tomorrow. If I really feel like making the notches clean, I'll slice a thin ring off the 7" tank to guide the torch cup. Everything else lined up quite well.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Ran some numbers for 304 stainless suitcase tanks. All steel panels are 20 gauge (0.037") and the two windows would be 1/4" acrylic. I did get crazy and drew out the fully perforated sheet for a center baffle which takes quite a while and is a fawkload of geometry for SketchUp to handle.
Outside dimensions are identical to the acrylic suitcases, but with the thinner material, capacity is increased to 29.26 gallons minus what the acrylic windows would displace. Raw materials weigh 41.6 lbs. and cost about $163. The closest match in poly tanks is 24 gallons and $250 with no baffle.
I should mention that the loose reason for these suitcase style tanks has a lot to do with being able to remove any one of them and tote one wherever needed. Sort of an emergency response thing. My wife being an ultrasound tech that is awaiting our finished bus conversion so she can be a travelling tech and my nearly lifelong desire to be a roadside repair/emergency response type of dude has had me subconsciously thinking about how to set stuff up similar to a Red Cross bus or something. Since beginning this travelling idea, we've watched several RV communities work to help out others in need and often weren't really prepared for such stuff. Dunno. This is just what runs through my head because I've always had a tendency to lay out every scenario I can think of.
Outside dimensions are identical to the acrylic suitcases, but with the thinner material, capacity is increased to 29.26 gallons minus what the acrylic windows would displace. Raw materials weigh 41.6 lbs. and cost about $163. The closest match in poly tanks is 24 gallons and $250 with no baffle.
I should mention that the loose reason for these suitcase style tanks has a lot to do with being able to remove any one of them and tote one wherever needed. Sort of an emergency response thing. My wife being an ultrasound tech that is awaiting our finished bus conversion so she can be a travelling tech and my nearly lifelong desire to be a roadside repair/emergency response type of dude has had me subconsciously thinking about how to set stuff up similar to a Red Cross bus or something. Since beginning this travelling idea, we've watched several RV communities work to help out others in need and often weren't really prepared for such stuff. Dunno. This is just what runs through my head because I've always had a tendency to lay out every scenario I can think of.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
It verks. I'll figure out some kind of bumper to stick between the notches and tanks so the tanks have support again.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Pt_Ranger_V8 said,
Ford used a material similar to a tow strap on a lot of their 80-90's F-series.
I would think they would hold up damn near forever in a dry (ish) location like you've got their.
JNHEscher said:
It verks. I'll figure out some kind of bumper to stick between the notches and tanks so the tanks have support again.
If you're just looking for some cushion for the tanks, try either some 1/8" rubber mat, or an old tow strap.It verks. I'll figure out some kind of bumper to stick between the notches and tanks so the tanks have support again.
Ford used a material similar to a tow strap on a lot of their 80-90's F-series.
I would think they would hold up damn near forever in a dry (ish) location like you've got their.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Pt_Ranger_V8 said:
If you're just looking for some cushion for the tanks, try either some 1/8" rubber mat, or an old tow strap.
Ford used a material similar to a tow strap on a lot of their 80-90's F-series.
I would think they would hold up damn near forever in a dry (ish) location like you've got their.
That's about as fancy as I'm going. I haven't measured the gap between the notches and tanks yet, but there's plenty of cheap materials that will suffice. Just need something tucked in there to keep the weight of the tanks from yanking on their feet and inevitably work hardening them to the point of fracture.If you're just looking for some cushion for the tanks, try either some 1/8" rubber mat, or an old tow strap.
Ford used a material similar to a tow strap on a lot of their 80-90's F-series.
I would think they would hold up damn near forever in a dry (ish) location like you've got their.