Fresh water tank access ports —- yes or no

[Ramdough]

I added an inspection port in my Tiger RV's 30 gal. tank after a couple years of ownership. I now would not have a tank without. Why, IMHO clear slime on the walls was/is gross. Yes, I always filled with filter purified H2O. After the first season my Domestic Go Hydration Jug had slime. haha, I purchased it because it's fill hole was large enough to get my hand in and wipe. To each his own.

I am curious what chemicals did or would do to the slime….


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Herbie]

For scale, if I took my fully loaded Tacoma and scaled that tank down based on truck weight, it would be the same as 24 gallons sloshing around.

In that truck, I probably would barely notice it is there.

Baffles would be nice, but I don’t see it as that big of a problem. The tank will be mounted low and lengthwise also, so any sloshing is front to rear.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

First, I could definitely feel when the 12g unbaffled tank in my 6400lb Astro was sloshing the wrong way. Second, it isn't just a matter of "scaling by weight". Unless the truck is sprung so stiffly that 1000lbs doesn't compress the springs to the least degree (and I pity your backside if that is the case), it is definitely possible that 1000lbs moving at the right frequency can setup a pretty severe handling problem.

There's a reason why CDL holders are required to get a separate endorsement for hauling liquid (and hanging meat, BTW) - that kind of weight moving around poses it's own special challenges. Separate written and skills test required.

BTW, if this were a commercial vehicle, a single 125gallon tank would absolutely put you in the category of needing that endorsement.

 

[carterd]

You can insert baffle balls into tanks to prevent surges. The Surge Buster example shown below can be squeezed down to a smaller size and inserted through an inspection port.

 

[J!m]

I have a much smaller (about 11 gallons) custom stainless tank and I fill it from inside the truck. That is a 3” (I think) PVC plug that threads into the stainless. I have reasonable inspection/cleaning access in there.

But the cool bit is that there is a stainless pickup tube, and I had it installed such that it aligns with the 1/2” drain plug. Pull the plug to drain and now you can run a bottle brush up the pickup tube for cleaning.

 

[Ramdough]

You can insert baffle balls into tanks to prevent surges. The Surge Buster example shown below can be squeezed down to a smaller size and inserted through an inspection port.

Wow….. they are proud of those things.

Less than a dollar in plastic but they want $50 each.

I would definitely need a port for installing them.

Anyone have a recommended access port that they have had good luck with?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ramdough]

I might try to make my own drop in plastic baffles….. the design looks simple enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[carterd]

Some people use regular Whiffle Balls. Much cheaper, but the plastic is thicker and takes up volume. They are not FDA approved, so you would need to understand what type of plastic they are made of.

 

[Kess]

I also added a small watertight hatch to my Tiger's 30-gallon tank which was already installed in the camper. The tank is plastic, and I used a hole saw to make a clean hole. I used a food grade sealant and stainless screws. I put the hatch on the top of the tank so I was not really worried about leaks as that would likely only come from sloshing water if the tank was completely full so far it has not happened in many miles driven. The hatches come in many sizes. The one I installed is just large enough that I can reach in and wipe the entire inside the of the tank. The port also allowed me to better direct water I have sprayed into the tank to help clean it out. I purchased the camper used and the tank had never been cleaned. I do drink the water from the tank and after cleaning and disinfecting the system it has worked great. I have attached a photo of the port installed. My Tiger had the standard one speed water pump. I did not like the water hammer effect and the sound of the pump. While I was doing this upgrade, I added an intelligent RV water pump controller from a company in Canada. It was less than $200 and it has made the water system much more pleasant to use. The pump runs like a variable speed pump, is much quieter with no hammer no matter how little flow I have at the faucet. It also has a bunch of adjustable safeties to prevent the pump from burning out or flooding the camper. For me this was a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[DiploStrat]

I also added a small watertight hatch to my Tiger's 30-gallon tank which was already installed in the camper. The tank is plastic, and I used a hole saw to make a clean hole. I used a food grade sealant and stainless screws. I put the hatch on the top of the tank so I was not really worried about leaks as that would likely only come from sloshing water if the tank was completely full so far it has not happened in many miles driven. The hatches come in many sizes. The one I installed is just large enough that I can reach in and wipe the entire inside the of the tank. The port also allowed me to better direct water I have sprayed into the tank to help clean it out. I purchased the camper used and the tank had never been cleaned. I do drink the water from the tank and after cleaning and disinfecting the system it has worked great. I have attached a photo of the port installed. My Tiger had the standard one speed water pump. I did not like the water hammer effect and the sound of the pump. While I was doing this upgrade, I added an intelligent RV water pump controller from a company in Canada. It was less than $200 and it has made the water system much more pleasant to use. The pump runs like a variable speed pump, is much quieter with no hammer no matter how little flow I have at the faucet. It also has a bunch of adjustable safeties to prevent the pump from burning out or flooding the camper. For me this was a worthwhile upgrade.

Pretty wiring on your Victron toys. You, or did Provan do that?

 

[Ramdough]

No doubts they work..
But things like this add more surface area for bacteria muck to grow on.

I thought about that. Sort of how bio-balls are used in aquariums.

I guess the concern is that if you have a large tank, surge is an issue. If you have an access port, surge can blow them out some times. You need an access port to install surge busters. But, if you have an access port, you can put in surge busters so you don’t get that huge surge that may blow your access port.

It sounds like, if I want to have this large of a tank, then I need the surge busters and access port. Then I can pull the surge busters out and clean everything.

I still think I may choose to make something similar to the surge busters. They look like just flat strips of food grade polyethylene that is cut to shape and snapped together.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ramdough]

Update,

I ordered my 125 gallon fresh and 40 gallon grey tank (don’t have a black).

Right now the plan is to put in an access port for the fresh tank in the center, then put in surge busters. This tank has pre welded bungs on the corners. Unfortunately there is one 1/2” bung open in a lower corner. My preference would be to not have any threaded fittings below the water line. Since I can’t seal the MDPE hole up easily, I probably will make that the pickup.

For the grey tank, I am deciding where to put the access port. The tank has no holes yet. I prefer the front top for accessing all of my fittings that I need to install, but that is the worst spot for surge. I am also considering wiffle balls as I do not need food grade plastic there. Any thoughts?