Builds indycole's 2016 200 Series Build and Retrospective

[Roy Park]

Since the tank is inside the vehicle I didn't want to mess with spillage so that's why I opted for the added complexity of running the water through the pump. I also wanted the ability to use an external source such as a stream or something for showering/washing. To your point, though, I may also t-off of the tank inlet for a gravity-based fill if that turns out to be something I need. I see what you're saying with the draining as well... I'll just stick a hose barb on the ball valve and then I can connect some tubing when needed.



Good point, I'll look into that. I'm planning to assemble the whole thing and do quite a bit of testing on the patio before installing in the truck. One of the things I'll test is the performance when lifting water from significant distances or heights. I saw something on YouTube where someone was using a higher flow rate Shurflo to pull water from ~100 ft length + 10 ft vertical from the pump. But, then again, I've seen a lot of stuff on YouTube.

On a different topic I received a small custom project from Adventure Tool Company today after a few months of anticipation. I'd originally reached out to them last summer to help make full use of the Trekboxx shelf. I wanted a simple bag that followed the contour of the shelf that would house lightweight, bulky items and also hide those items from prying eyes. They made a black zippered bag that uses some small loops to tie on to the dividers and the interior is lined using orange 1000 denier cordura to increase internal visibility.

I'm sure the contents will change over time and based on trips but at the moment it houses my Snow Peak fireplace, the new Joolca tankless water heater, a camp toilet, two camp chairs, a small camp table, a tow strap bag, and a tree protector. It's amazing how much gear fits in there.

View attachment 1811847 View attachment 1811848 View attachment 1811849

Dang I want that bag. Do you have a contact there that could reproduce the same bag for me?

 

[indycole]

Dang I want that bag. Do you have a contact there that could reproduce the same bag for me?

I'd just fill out this form on their website. You can reference me and I'm sure they'll make the connection. It may take a few months since they deliver custom stuff in a FIFO fashion.

More OBW updates... the new problem at hand is figuring out where to get the panel made.

 

[indycole]

More OBW Progress. Almost all the parts are in. I’ve probably placed 15 orders from McMaster-Carr in the past few weeks.

I tested the entire plumbing circuit prior to the tanks arriving and will replace elbow fittings with non-Pex since the Pex fittings just seem too small.

Testing the Plumbing Plan

It’s always cool seeing drawings turn into something tangible, even if it’s just a simple control panel.

Just waiting for a couple more parts and time to PC the panel above. Main tank on the right sans plumbing and second water tank on the left along with Drifta boot liner bag with tankless water heater.

 

[Markuson]

I thought I was somewhat smart...
...til I saw the first photo in the post above!

Whew! Amazing stuff, Cole.
Super interested to see this water setup completed.

 

[indycole]

I’ll eventually write up a full summary of the water build but am currently feeling like it’s going to take some more trial and error before I wrap it up.

The tanks and panel came in this week and we took the full setup on a quick trip this weekend.

We used the water for cooking, hand washing, and dousing the fire but it’s not potable yet as I haven’t sanitized the system. Why not? Well, I made a few mistakes and will likely need to replace some combination of fittings and tubing during reassembly. Here’s what I need to change / rethink along with some observations:

• The main issue is that I need to rework the plywood base. At a minimum, I need to apply a water resistant or waterproof coating. I also need to reposition a few of the components in order to recess the control panel a bit further in.
• I don’t think the accumulator is working... maybe just need to recheck the pressure.
• The tank manufacturer recommends silicone sealant on the tank hose barbs but I haven’t found a potable sealant, yet.
• The control of the flow rate valve is way too fine... it requires multiple revolutions to make much of a difference.
• I need to find some washers for the panel so I don’t grind away the coating. I also scratched up my existing coating from wrenching as I forgot to put tape down on the panel.
• There’s a thin line between leaking and not leaking on the Shurflo components. Need to take a closer look.
• It’d be nice to have a fitting on the rear of the vehicle as well.
• I'm leaning toward mounting the tank independently from the panel so that I have more flexibility in propping it up to get out the last little bit water.

 

[Sandroad]

DAP makes a food grade silicone sealant I know about from aquarium use. Available at Amazon or Lowes and maybe others.

https://www.amazon.com/DAP-70798086...ds=dap+08658&qid=1540752867&sr=8-1&ref=sr_1_1

I've not had any luck with the Shurflo accumulator doing very much and ended up removing it from my RV. I think it had a "conflict" of some sort with the Shurflo pump that had a sort of built in accumulator? YMMV and you might get yours working fine.

 

[linuxgod]

FWIW my Shurflo components don't leak, but I did tighten them down quite a bit. I only loosen them when changing the pump every few years though.

 

[Roy Park]

Hey Cole, what did you use to mount your first aid kit to the cage of your Trekboxx? I’m trying to attach a few quick fists and am trying to find the most stable fastener for that type of thing.

 

[indycole]

Hey Cole, what did you use to mount your first aid kit to the cage of your Trekboxx? I’m trying to attach a few quick fists and am trying to find the most stable fastener for that type of thing.

It's a combination of the Outer Limits mount along with a couple pieces of aluminum flat bar that I drilled using the lattice to pinch between the Outer Limits mount and the aluminum bar. I think I also have some rubber/foam between the bar and the mount to minimize damage on the divider lattice. I get a bit of noise with this at times but it's not too bad. If I were doing 3-4 hours on corrugations I may set the first aid kit on the floor, though

 

[Roy Park]

It's a combination of the Outer Limits mount along with a couple pieces of aluminum flat bar that I drilled using the lattice to pinch between the Outer Limits mount and the aluminum bar. I think I also have some rubber/foam between the bar and the mount to minimize damage on the divider lattice. I get a bit of noise with this at times but it's not too bad. If I were doing 3-4 hours on corrugations I may set the first aid kit on the floor, though

Thanks!

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Looks like the panel worked out for you Cole.

J

 

[indycole]

Looks like the panel worked out for you Cole.

J

Yes it did! Thanks again! I'm looking forward to posting some final photos once I get the panel back from powder coating and finalize the tank and panel mounting. It's nice having so many components with double uses. If I ever get in a pinch I can use the OBW control panel as a skid plate or to weld my drive shaft back together

 

[indycole]

The OBW system is nearly ready for use. I sanitized the tanks, plumbing, accessories, etc. last night and am hoping to do the final install and mounting tonight. I've departed from the original plan a bit:

• I dropped the accumulator from the design. I can always work it in if needed and I just didn't think it was worth the space.
• I swapped out the needle valve for a ball valve on the output. It's not 100% needed but is enough flow control to provide a low / medium / high setting. The needle valve was just too much control.
• In terms of mounting I'm just going to strap-down the tank to the floor without the plywood because I need a little extra vertical clearance to put the tank on a slight decline to encourage more water to exit the tank. I'm also going to mount the control panel and pump to the underside of the Trekboxx platform so that there's a few inches between the floor and the controls to store a small bag of water gear.

I'll post some additional photos once it's all mounted though there won't be that much to see since the control panel will be recessed and the tank is housed under the platform. That said, what may make more sense is a short video showing the various modes and how some of the accessories work. Maybe I'll put that together at Surf and Turf. I'll also update the final parts list (so, so many orders from McMaster).

Also, this was mentioned above but I want to thank @TRAIL TAILOR for creating a custom control panel for the build. It's been a critical component to help cleanly manage the chaos of valves, switches, tubing, etc.

Note: I had it powder coated locally (not using J's powder coaters) and TBH I don't think they did a great job. I dropped a washer on the face and the PC chipped... doesn't seem like they pre-baked it or something. I'll touch it up for the time being but the next time the entire systems comes out of the truck I'll likely have it redone. I'll probably redo the labels or even do something more permanent. I was out of patience by time I applied the labels last night.

So, here's the OBW system minus all the accessories for actually using the water.

• ~25 gallons of total potable water between the two tanks (10 gallons in the black, 15 in the grey) with ~22-23 gallons usable without physically moving the tanks.
• 2.3 gpm pump that can move water between tanks, pull in water from an external source, and of course output water for drinking, cleaning, showering.
• I have a second switch in the rear that controls power to and from the setup so that both switches have to be on for water to flow. I did this to help prevent accidents.
• All accessories use brass quick disconnects (will be keeping an eye on the internal springs).
• In term of accessories (not shown) there's a.) a small flexible spout (1-2 ft) that will be the main fixture for filling water bottles, washing hands, and cooking, b.) a compact coiled hose with sprayer for cleaning, c.) a longer hose with suction filter for grabbing water from a jerry can, bucket, etc., d.) a short hose with quick connects to connect the black Frontrunner tank to the system otherwise it's isolated, and e.) a Joolca tankless hot water system for showering/cleaning.

 

[Markuson]

Amazing, Cole.

Someday I’d love to hear about cost. I know it’s a lot, but so know you’ll truly use it. What a great mod!

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

The OBW system is nearly ready for use. I sanitized the tanks, plumbing, accessories, etc. last night and am hoping to do the final install and mounting tonight. I've departed from the original plan a bit:

• I dropped the accumulator from the design. I can always work it in if needed and I just didn't think it was worth the space.
• I swapped out the needle valve for a ball valve on the output. It's not 100% needed but is enough flow control to provide a low / medium / high setting. The needle valve was just too much control.
• In terms of mounting I'm just going to strap-down the tank to the floor without the plywood because I need a little extra vertical clearance to put the tank on a slight decline to encourage more water to exit the tank. I'm also going to mount the control panel and pump to the underside of the Trekboxx platform so that there's a few inches between the floor and the controls to store a small bag of water gear.

I'll post some additional photos once it's all mounted though there won't be that much to see since the control panel will be recessed and the tank is housed under the platform. That said, what may make more sense is a short video showing the various modes and how some of the accessories work. Maybe I'll put that together at Surf and Turf. I'll also update the final parts list (so, so many orders from McMaster).

Also, this was mentioned above but I want to thank @TRAIL TAILOR for creating a custom control panel for the build. It's been a critical component to help cleanly manage the chaos of valves, switches, tubing, etc.

View attachment 1826998

Note: I had it powder coated locally (not using J's powder coaters) and TBH I don't think they did a great job. I dropped a washer on the face and the PC chipped... doesn't seem like they pre-baked it or something. I'll touch it up for the time being but the next time the entire systems comes out of the truck I'll likely have it redone. I'll probably redo the labels or even do something more permanent. I was out of patience by time I applied the labels last night.

So, here's the OBW system minus all the accessories for actually using the water.

View attachment 1826997

• ~25 gallons of total potable water between the two tanks (10 gallons in the black, 15 in the grey) with ~22-23 gallons usable without physically moving the tanks.
• 2.3 gpm pump that can move water between tanks, pull in water from an external source, and of course output water for drinking, cleaning, showering.
• I have a second switch in the rear that controls power to and from the setup so that both switches have to be on for water to flow. I did this to help prevent accidents.
• All accessories use brass quick disconnects (will be keeping an eye on the internal springs).
• In term of accessories (not shown) there's a.) a small flexible spout (1-2 ft) that will be the main fixture for filling water bottles, washing hands, and cooking, b.) a compact coiled hose with sprayer for cleaning, c.) a longer hose with suction filter for grabbing water from a jerry can, bucket, etc., d.) a short hose with quick connects to connect the black Frontrunner tank to the system otherwise it's isolated, and e.) a Joolca tankless hot water system for showering/cleaning.

Cole you are more than welcome! Thank you for giving me a small project to break the monotony of my normal days. I told @Markuson today that I like these little extras. I get bored easily and this type of project keeps me sane.

Jason

 

[indycole]

Mission accomplished — time for a beer.

Control Panel. Notice that it's slanted slightly as I have rubber strips on top of the plywood and it's pinched against a bracket on the left side of the photo.

View from the driver's side.

Vent

Control panel secured to the underside of the platform via 4 1/4-20 screws.

 

[Markuson]

In honor of Cole’s ingenuity...
...I recorded this special message from Colonel Klink:





Hehe...
Very slick work, Cole.
Looking forward to your demo video!

 

[TonyP]

Nicely done!
Maybe bring that panel to a laser engraving joint and have them fancy it up once everything is squared away the way you want it.

Definitely looking forward to the final parts list and plumbing schematic.

 

[indycole]

Thanks, folks. We had a fun-filled day at SNT and as always it was great to catch up with @ethernectar and to meet @mrburlingame in person. We don't do much wheeling on sand so it almost always feels like the first time. The dunes provided a lot of action for testing out the security of the water system. I haven't found any major leaks in the plumbing but one of the quick disconnects leaks profusely regardless of how much tape or tightening is applied. Upon closer inspection it seems like the pipe fitting is NPT but the quick disconnect is NPS which means I may need some pipe dope.

I'm also going to iterate on a few ideas regarding the water accessories before completely crossing OBW off the to-do list. I'll try to update the parts list and schematic this week before heading on vacation.

In the meantime here are some photos from SNT starting with a new comfort mod where we put a memory foam topper on top of the 4-inch Eezi-Awn mattress and paired it with goose down pillows, a heavy weight down quilt, and flannel quilt cover from Downworks in Santa Cruz. The RTT barely closes, now.

Lastly, here's a photo of the current set of water accessories starting from the top-left and going clockwise:

• D&W Spray-Away Coil Hose and Sprayer
• Joolca Hottap Shower Rose + Hot Water Hose(note: I think there's an updated shower rose that I should have received and have reached out to Drifta)
• D&W Spray-Away FlexSpout which is what essentially stays on the water system at all times and we use for filling water bottles
• DIY adapter to go from the water outlet to the Joolca shower inlet
• DIY hose with strainer for pumping water into the system from an external source
• Joolca Hottap Cold Water Hose

Some initial impressions...

• Water tastes fresh so far
• The pressure is more than enough for the sprayer, shower system, filling bottles
• Water inevitably gets inside the vehicle and the main drip points from swapping fittings are directly above the SRS wiring (which is plugged with a dummy load, of course, but I don't want water pooling in that area)
• I need to separate the drinking water hoses from the shower and sprayer because those hoses end up getting dirty

 

[Romer]

Nice Cole. You and Mark have really taken your trucks to the next level