So I have long been planning a serious on board water system, more than the gravity-feed spigot I had before. I want my water tank low and my spigot higher, so I had been designing ideas for pumps. I had a recent idea that I want feedback on.
So after daydreaming and sketching plumbing schematics, for using water pumps, an idea hit me during another day dream. I was thinking about making sliders that will act as small air tanks on each side of the rig. The primary outer bar would be welded tight and everything else welded off of it. I thought this idea would lighting my school bus a bit by not having to add an additional air tank i was planning (killing two birds with one stone). Then i got thinking about killing multiple birds with one stone. Here's the idea.
-Continuously powered and ready dual air compressors
-Plumbed to regulator that maintains 120 psi in the "system" (both sliders, possible another tank and associated pipes)
-outlet from 120 psi air system
-to a regulator that reduces air pressure to 30 psi
-to an in line air filter
-30 psi line plumbed to the top of the 10 gallon water tank
-one water line plumbed out of tank at the bottom
-water line splits outside of tank
-one line goes to cold water spigot
-the other line goes to an engine coolant heat exchanger (available commercially for this exact application)
-the hot line is plumbed from the heat exchanger to the hot water spigot next to the col
-hot water faucet will be kitchen sink sprayer. sprayer can be pulled low to fill dish, or magneted to door hatch to hold in place as shower.
This describes my primary question for the design at this point. What do you think about using the on board air system I had already planned to build and integrating it as a means to pressurize my water system. This will eliminate the need to kick on a battery draw to a water pump every time I use water. It eliminates additional devices in the rig (water pumps). I think it also would ultimately use less amperage comparatively. I like my rocks to kill many, many birds, as even with a 100 LC space is limited (3 kids, dog, camping). If the tanks were always held at 120 psi, then once you turn the truck off at camp at night you can use your water system with "stored energy". because until the whole air system reduces to 30 psi, the water will still come out without using any energy with the engine off at camp. The idea of stored energy is huge in the "green world". Making "energy" (in physics terms, not electrical terms), when it is available cheap and using it later when it is expensive. i.e. making 120 psi pressure when the engine is already running to use 30 psi when the engine is not. I have to say...I think this idea is frigging genius, but that's why I brought it to you guys...to crush my little hopes, dreams and ego! lol!
Issues I see:
Dirty air mixing and touching my water. I have not yet researched for air filtering products that would work in this application, so I need to do work on this issue. I could put a breather on the intake to the air compressors. I will have those in the engine, so I could run a line on the intake that goes outside the engine bay. As a friend said to me though, "that's doesn't do anything for the slider air tank air mixing with your water". This is where a filter before the water would come into play.
I still have to have a pump to pump water into the tank from a creek. I don't mind that though, it will be used rarely and I can keep the engine running while it's filling the tank. No worries about that.
Okay, what about that?
So after daydreaming and sketching plumbing schematics, for using water pumps, an idea hit me during another day dream. I was thinking about making sliders that will act as small air tanks on each side of the rig. The primary outer bar would be welded tight and everything else welded off of it. I thought this idea would lighting my school bus a bit by not having to add an additional air tank i was planning (killing two birds with one stone). Then i got thinking about killing multiple birds with one stone. Here's the idea.
-Continuously powered and ready dual air compressors
-Plumbed to regulator that maintains 120 psi in the "system" (both sliders, possible another tank and associated pipes)
-outlet from 120 psi air system
-to a regulator that reduces air pressure to 30 psi
-to an in line air filter
-30 psi line plumbed to the top of the 10 gallon water tank
-one water line plumbed out of tank at the bottom
-water line splits outside of tank
-one line goes to cold water spigot
-the other line goes to an engine coolant heat exchanger (available commercially for this exact application)
-the hot line is plumbed from the heat exchanger to the hot water spigot next to the col
-hot water faucet will be kitchen sink sprayer. sprayer can be pulled low to fill dish, or magneted to door hatch to hold in place as shower.
This describes my primary question for the design at this point. What do you think about using the on board air system I had already planned to build and integrating it as a means to pressurize my water system. This will eliminate the need to kick on a battery draw to a water pump every time I use water. It eliminates additional devices in the rig (water pumps). I think it also would ultimately use less amperage comparatively. I like my rocks to kill many, many birds, as even with a 100 LC space is limited (3 kids, dog, camping). If the tanks were always held at 120 psi, then once you turn the truck off at camp at night you can use your water system with "stored energy". because until the whole air system reduces to 30 psi, the water will still come out without using any energy with the engine off at camp. The idea of stored energy is huge in the "green world". Making "energy" (in physics terms, not electrical terms), when it is available cheap and using it later when it is expensive. i.e. making 120 psi pressure when the engine is already running to use 30 psi when the engine is not. I have to say...I think this idea is frigging genius, but that's why I brought it to you guys...to crush my little hopes, dreams and ego! lol!
Issues I see:
Dirty air mixing and touching my water. I have not yet researched for air filtering products that would work in this application, so I need to do work on this issue. I could put a breather on the intake to the air compressors. I will have those in the engine, so I could run a line on the intake that goes outside the engine bay. As a friend said to me though, "that's doesn't do anything for the slider air tank air mixing with your water". This is where a filter before the water would come into play.
I still have to have a pump to pump water into the tank from a creek. I don't mind that though, it will be used rarely and I can keep the engine running while it's filling the tank. No worries about that.
Okay, what about that?
Shaken up soda water.
