On board water

Another solution in search of a problem. Buy a case of water at your local store for less than $4.00. Hydration problems resolved

 

Buy rolls of postage stamps at your local post office. TW communications problems resolved...

 

Marine grade water tank with a 12v pump. 14 gallons of fresh water. Even have a heater I can connect in for hot water.

 

28 bottles in a Walmart $4 case
16.9oz x 28 = 473.2oz
473.2/128 = 3.69gal.

Enough to sustain an adult for about 3.5 days with no surplus for emergency.

To sustain two adults, two kids, and emergency surplus for a 6 day trip we would need 7.5-8 cases of water. This means we have 256 plastic bottles to haul around, 7-8 plastic bags, and storage for all that waste when the water is consumed.

You could run gallon or 2.5 gallon jugs... which have a tendency to explode in the back of your truck between opening and finishing consuming the water. Then you have 8 gallon jugs to dispose of.

Ignoring the convenience e aspect of not using bottled water for hygiene, cooking, etc.

But yeah, onboard water tanks are a solution looking for a problem.

 

OP wasn't only trying to resolve a simple hydration problem with his OBW solution.
How many 16.5 oz bottles of water to hose down the kids and the dog after a fun day at the beach? Or to take a short quick field shower, wash dishes, pots and pans at camp?

 

I'll bet there are a few people in East TX who would be glad to have 5-10gal of clean water in their truck today... WalMart is not always the answer.

 

Bottle water is for drinking and not for washing. I use mine for trail showers, clean up and not for drinking. Plus I don't like the water bottle waste, nowadays you see trash on the trail cause people have no respect for the land. Less bottles means less trash

 

Actually it's for a 110v kurig. I run mine off a 55kw generator I set next to the next guys tent and run all night. It's so my huge string of party lights and music are sure to be on all night long!

As for the foam cups, I double mine on the trail just to ensure I don't have too much conductive heat loss from the coffee.

 

... diesel generator, with twin straight stacks

 

Sick. Hot water was something I wished I could incoporate when setting up. How did you do it?

 

Considering I had all the components left over, your idea costs more than mine. Bet you look funny trying to take a shower with water bottles.

 

Yep and those id 10 t's are why more and more trails get closed every year. Nothing sucks as much as my 5 year old daughter picking up a used diaper out of a stream and saying how it makes her sad.

 

yeah I can get some pics when I get it out this weekend

 

Finally finished the skid for the tank. Welded some angle iron together and slapped a piece of 14gauge steel on the bottom. Wished I had 10g or something thicker but I just used what I had available in the garage. Can of truck bed liner and shes done. Hopefully if I do hit it with a rock that will give me a little more protection.

 

Even made a protector for the pump out of an old plastic 5 gallon jug from work. Just to keep some of the mud and crap from getting slung all over it.

 

I don't have kids to hose off or a beach nearby, but I do carry two one gallon jugs of drinking water, year round, in the bed of the truck next to the tool box. If not used then I change them out a couple of times each year to keep them fresh. They even hold up to the freeze/thaw cycle during the winter. When I know that I need water then I throw a couple of cases in the back of the access cab, but having a couple of gallons on board "just in case" seems a prudent thing to do.

 

Make sure you gotta way for a full drain, disinfection and air 'blow out' of all pump, tank and hoses lest it freeze w/ water in it and explode the pump guts/seals or you get some sort of slimy funkness growing in there... cycle a little bleachy water through every now and then too, or start working on your high-flow, on-board, dysentery-grade crapper...

 

Here are pics - I don't keep it in the truck all the time only when we off-road. I only connect the propane heater when I setup camp and want hot water.

 

Ah I see, tankless water heater. I wondered how the hell you incorporated a heater into a plastic tank. Good thinking though, I have been looking into getting one for the pup. If I did I could steal your idea and use it for either or.

 

That was a concern of mine as well. I dont necessarily need to worry about winterizing since we live in so cal but I do have a system I use to sanitize the tank on the pup which is the same setup as the truck. My father in law works for the dept. of water and power and got me a jug of the stuff the city uses to keep water safe. Basically its bleach on steroids. One teaspoon per 10 gal of h20. Drain, fill, circulate, drain, flush. Twice a year keeps the tank, pump, lines ect. in good condition.