Water - hot, cold and where it goes!

The Build Questions & Recommendations
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Hi Guys

I’m a new member and have spent some time searching through different threads in the hope of finding the answer to my questions, unfortunately I’m either using the search function really badly (not impossible) or the topic hasn’t been covered yet.

We are building our van with both hot and cold water as well as a kitchen sink and shower. the shower will be on the left side (passenger side here in the UK) and the shower will be almost directly opposite on the right.

My question is… Where is the best place to run the water pipes across the van

I really want a bed that isn’t fixed so I can easily slide my bike in on day trips so the pipes cant go under the bed.

We are only just at the stage of insulating the floor so I did think about building a false floor in the garage area that is 25mm higher and then running the pipes under that, my concern there is that they would then be lower than the water tank (also in the garage area) so couldn’t be drained and I would undoubtedly trip over the step.

My other idea is to send the pipes through the roof and clad over the top (this is the way im sending the electrics further down the van) I plan on having a truma ultrastore and a shurflo 30 psi water pump with accumulator. My concern is will this cause any kind of pressure related issues i.e will the water back fill or will it mean my pump is always running?

Sorry for the long post, i really would appreciate anyones help/ ideas on this one

Many Thanks

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Instead of pipes you might want to consider hose , lot easier to work with, it called red trace in the marine industry, it’s the clear hose with the nylon braid in it. The one with a red stripe in it is called red trace, it will handle any temp and pressure for a water system, you don’t have to worry about it breaking if flexed
You can get it at ACE, HD , Lowes, or marine parts catalogs. My pressurized water system is plumbed with a marine washdown pump and red trace. It’s how most boats are plumbed.

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This is a “low rent” hack idea but would a hot/cold water dispenser do for one side? I started out with that, though the electricity was a fairly big draw on my resourses.
Sounds like you have great skills! Bet you figure it out! :wink:
Welcome aboard Project VanLife! Hope to see updates around the forum! :smiley:

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Thanks guys, really appreciate the good advice!

I will definitely be using the plastic hose so I can use one length without having to use joints.

I thought about the water dispenser on one side but was also concerned about the power consumption.

Having thought about it for a while I’ve decided to put a step floor under the bed, I think by only lifting the centre walkway under the bed I can still position the pipes higher than my drain valve.

Fingers crossed!

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Thanks for sharing your solution! :+1::smile: