Onboard Air and Hot Water Build

spressomon

Expedition Leader
If you hate dust on your rig at the end of a big dusty trail day, all things rear hatch/gate related, and in addition to pneumatic tool use its nice to be able to blow the dust off the rig . Of course in addition to the obvious of being able to use the same compressed air system for airing up tires.
 

jeegro

Adventurer
If you hate dust on your rig at the end of a big dusty trail day, all things rear hatch/gate related, and in addition to pneumatic tool use its nice to be able to blow the dust off the rig . Of course in addition to the obvious of being able to use the same compressed air system for airing up tires.

Exactly. I bought one of these : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EAQUR2...d=1501874461&sr=sr-1&keywords=air+suction+gun
Nearly any 12v vacuum I've tried has sucked. This one is pretty good, but it sucks the tank dry in a few seconds. I will try it out on regulated pressure once i finish the panel I'm building.

I also picked up an air operated grease gun. Hoping the OBA system can handle it.

I am a huge fan of cordless 12-18v tools, it's all I use. Impact, drill, angle grinder, jigsaw, etc

I'll assume since no one is commenting on the actual build... then I am doing a good job!
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
Reconsider your decision about non-potable water. Going to such lengths for a tank and NOT having it potable, especially when you are in the desert southwest just doesn't seem very smart / efficient. It's a lot of volume and weight to carry, just to have to carry potable water too.

It wouldn't be pretty, but you could readily nest some large diameter PVC pipes in a honeycomb pattern to fill your desired tank space and plumb their ends together to create a single volume. Sched40 3"-5" dia PVC has a burst pressure of ~200psi. More than adequate to apply a moderate pressure to the tank for your shower.

Also consider aluminum tanks. You could have one made to fit your space for not a lot of money. There are also cylindrical tanks that may serve.

5gal 8"x24" is $130

91076253_L.jpg


Lots of options for cylinder tanks in the racing / offroad buggy world, which woul dfit in your space. And they are pretty affordable.
 

jeegro

Adventurer
Well there's no reason why my system can't be used for drinking, it's simply my preference not to. I have a 65 liter fridge and like my drinking water cold and very clean.

Thanks for the tank ideas. For now I think the front runner tank will work well. Going to finish up the project and take her out on a few trips
 

jeegro

Adventurer
Baby steps..

Afsupply.com sent me the union sweat version of the Honeywell mixing valve by mistake. So I had to re-order the NPT version somewhere else. I need to have it in hand in order to mount the water spigot and valve, because there won't be a way to panel mount the valve, so I'm hoping I can use some solid brass pipe and elbows to connect the outlet to the water spigot, therefore "suspending" the valve just right on the panel.

IMG_1172.jpgIMG_1175.jpgIMG_1174.jpg
 

jeegro

Adventurer
Here's where I'm thinking to put the heat exchanger - on the frame rail using aluminum plate and square u-bolts. I'm concerned that it's too low? 2ft drop to the exchanger + 2 feet back up to the heater core.
I have no idea if that's a problem, it just sounds like adding a lot more work on the water pump.

IMG_1168.jpgIMG_1170.jpg
 

jeegro

Adventurer
Project is done. Everything works perfect. Water temp is a solid 110+ degrees. Shower head is a low flow model, with 3 settings: 0.5/1/1.5 gpm.

Garden hose quick connects are great.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=lnvdPkDScAw[/video]

IMG_1259.jpgIMG_1260.jpgIMG_1252.jpg
 

Borrego60

Rendezvous Conspiracy
Looks good, one thing I would change is the brass fitting. The spring inside will rust!! Change over to SS and you will be fine. I know form which I speak. I could not for the life of me figure out where the rusty colored water was coming from. I took apart the brass fitting and it was loaded and corroded, the spring was the problem. Check out this Peabody tanks in Corona.http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/63643-03-Tundra-helton-heater-install/page5
 
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jeegro

Adventurer
Looks good, one thing I would change is the brass fitting. The spring inside will rust!! Change over to SS and you will be fine. I know form which I speak. I could not for the life of me figure out where the rusty colored water was coming from. I took apart the brass fitting and it was loaded and corroded, the spring was the problem. Check out this Peabody tanks in Corona.http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/63643-03-Tundra-helton-heater-install/page5

Thanks for the tip... mcmaster doesn't even sell a stainless version of the universal quick connect coupler. I think I'll have to learn this lesson from experience. Can't stomach a 12th order for fittings at this time :)
 

Borrego60

Rendezvous Conspiracy
Ebay Carpet cleaning HP quick disconnects. Good luck on your system. I love hot showers in the boonies.
 

jeegro

Adventurer
the only quirk I'm dealing with so far is the garden hose quick connect socket for the water input side. It's a single flow valve, aka closed, but I discovered that it requires substantial water pressure to actually stay closed. So when I pack up the hoses, the fitting starts to leak some water. I'm thinking my options are

1) put a ball valve behind the panel. Pros: will definitely work. Cons: another thing to do
2) check valve. They require 1-2 psi to prevent backflow. Do you think this would work?
3. Epoxy a QD plug fitting shut and keep it inserted.
 

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