I want to carry a lot of water as I drink a gallon a day, let alone other daily tasks. I have multiple friends who are skilled welders and one who works in HVAC so he can help me bend the metal into shape. My biggest question is will I have to clean the tank, because the idea I have would be pretty sealed off and Im not sure if I would be able to clean it at all. Im worried about mold or mildew growing in the tank if the ability to clean it is not present. Thanks for any ideas and suggestions!!
Greetings!
Most RV’s and DIY builds use plastic. Advantages? I don’t know. Disinfecting of either should be the same, a gallon of bleach, fill tank to top, and wait 48 hours, then flush thoroughly. Driving to agitate water while disinfecting could be advantageous.
Good Luck & keep us posted.
Cheers!
“A smart man learns from his mistakes.
A wise man learns from others’ mistakes.”
~ Never_2_L8_2_Learn
A wise man learns from others’ mistakes.”
~ Never_2_L8_2_Learn
I was thinking about this the other day.
I would probably want to have drinking water in a separate container, it could very well simply be a water jug from the store. I would carry multiple of those with me and replace one when needed. That way I would always have fresh water to drink, not something that has sat in the main tank for days.
Water in the main tank would be used in cooking (boiled) and washing as usual.
My initial idea was pretty much having a water jug on it’s side in the overhead locker and a spigot attached to the cap. Can’t beat gravity.
Greetings!
While gravity is great to create running water, I’m more a believer of keeping the center of gravity as low as possible in vehicles.
I carry 2 portable 7 gallon jugs of water, usually filled for free from a spigot at the bottom of many drinking fountains.
Rather than running water for my sinks, I find trigger spray bottles from dollar stores to be much handier, and much more water conservative as well. I use several, in one I add a couple drops of dish soap, another is plain water, and a 3rd is vinegar for the really tough to clean stuff, or as a disinfectant, or even as a defense spray. My sink water can be heated by simply placing by window in the sun. I just use dollar store dish pans for sinks, which makes my entire kitchen portable so I can also use everything outside without duplication.
With trigger spray bottles, there is also force behind the water, much more than with a gravity feed system or a normal faucet. They allow for anything from a squirt gun type stream to a forceful spray, to a fine mist. Very versatile. The one with the dish soap can even bring down flying insects.
For showers, or even washing my van, I use a weed sprayer with the wand replaced with a kitchen sink sprayer with a trigger. Once again very frugal on water usage, while remaining quite handy to use, portable, and requiring no power. This also gives me an indoor or outdoor shower without duplication.
Cheers!
"I can live like a king because I work like a dog." ~ Anonymous vandweller
Personally, I use plastic (would prefer this because of the weight) what I do to clean it is I fill it and add a solution tabs for cleaning and let that solution stay then drain it.
That’s true. I was thinking more like 1/4 to 1/2 gallon (1-2L), essentially a soda bottle size as a replaceable drinking water supply. But I was thinking it more from my own perspective, as will carry fresh drinking water every day to my van (pretty much a mobile office instead of a full time live in type).
expensive but for me so far, worth it.
Greetings!
Wow… Spendy!!! I just use a couple of cheap 7 gallon plastic ones from Walmart.
Cheers!
"Gutting or stripping a rig is usually a very bad choice." ~ VanLife
yes definitely! hopefully fewer chemicals though.