Increasing our fresh water supply

[jetzi]

10 minutes ago, Lysander said:

A swimming pool filter?! ? You jest surely. Here is just one of the filters from the main pool where I once worked - and there were three of them.

Wow! That looks effective but I might have to upgrade to a widebeam!! I was thinking more along the lines of...

 

 

This is 0.75hp, 19" in diameter and costs 350 quid.

 

 

[Lysander]

10 minutes ago, ivan&alice said:

Wow! That looks effective but I might have to upgrade to a widebeam!! I was thinking more along the lines of...

 

 

This is 0.75hp, 19" in diameter and costs 350 quid.

 

 

Not sure about a little modern filter like that but we had to backwash ours every week, losing huge amounts of water in the process - not really what you want when trying to conserve water!

[ditchcrawler]

Here is some info on water filters

 

http://noproblem.org.uk/blog/all-plumbed-in-and-ready-to-go/

http://noproblem.org.uk/blog/fun-day-as-we-pass-through-wargrave-and-shiplake-regatta/

[WotEver]

11 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

The charge pressure should be roughly the same as the switch-off pressure of the pump. Typically 1 bar or a little higher, and measured with the pump OFF and the taps open.

Not according to Jabsco. They say 2-3psi below the cut-in pressure according to that link in post #45. 

[MtB]

35 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Not according to Jabsco. They say 2-3psi below the cut-in pressure according to that link in post #45. 

 Correct. My mistake. “switch on pressure” is what I had in my head but my fingers typed summink else... 

[Clodi]

I'm in the process of 'fitting-out' our NB ad I'm installing a second water-tank which will be going under the 'spare-bed'. I've not definitely decided on the capacity yet but there are loads of options for extra tanks including flexi  and custom made.

[MtB]

On 24/11/2018 at 11:14, Onewheeler said:

I fitted a water meter this year to keep an eye on consumption. Actually, I fitted one to our UK narrowboat and one to our shared boat on the mainland waterways, the latter having no ready means of determining the tank level. Two of us average about 35 L per day, which includes two showers each per day, washing up and general odds and ends. Our NB has a tank volume of a bit over 300 L and our other boat about 800 L.

 

A shower averages less than 5 L, and the missus uses less than me as she's smaller. The big consumption on the mainland boat is the washing machine at 75 L.

 

Suggest putting a meter in. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it!

 

The one I fitted following another thread was this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bradas-digital-water-meter-grey/dp/B007WMHZQ6/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1543057857&sr=8-13&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=water+meter

 

Connected it on the feed to the pump with hose fittings.

 

Martin

 

I suggest buying two of these actually. 

 

Install one in the output from the tank to measure how much water you can draw from the tank between fills.

 

 Fit the other in your hosepipe to measure how much water you are putting in the tank. The two results should be the same. If much different, you have a water leak. 

 

 

[Chewbacka]

13 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I suggest buying two of these actually. 

 

Install one in the output from the tank to measure how much water you can draw from the tank between fills.

 

 Fit the other in your hosepipe to measure how much water you are putting in the tank. The two results should be the same. If much different, you have a water leak. 

 

 

If much different then after a month or two you will have wet feet.............

[David Mack]

On 24/11/2018 at 11:25, ivan&alice said:

Any ideas how much a custom built 500 litre stainless steel tank would cost, and where I'd go to have this made? 

 

Folk generally use welded plastic tanks these days, rather than stainless steel. There are a number of manufacturers out there who have standard sizes, or will do made to measure, including non-standard shapes. Thre are previous threads on the forum covering this.

 

On 24/11/2018 at 12:04, ivan&alice said:

Unfortunately there is no access hatch into the freshwater tank so I'm not able to inspect it. We were recommended to cut such a hatch in the fore deck to get in and clean it.

 

There are two different types of under-deck tank arrangement which you may have.

 

In the older arrangement the tank is formed by the baseplate, hull sides, cabin bulkhead and foredeck plate. This type has a large access hatch in the foredeck floor, so you can get inside to clean, derust and paint the tank from time to time. The advantage of this type is that it maximises the water storage capacity. The downsides are the need to clean and paint - a messy job at the best of times and requires you to contort yourself to get into all the awkward corners. The other disadvantage is that if the access hatch seal isn't completely watertight then dirt from the foredeck, including whatever you may have walked in, and water splash from leaking gates and locksides, may find its way into your water supply.

 

The alternative is that the cabin front bulkhead extends only down as far as the foredeck level. A separate welded stainless steel or plastic tank is slid under the deck from inside the cabin before the boat is fitted out. Once the fitout is complete, this tank is all but inaccessible.  This tank will have a much smaller volume than the full under-deck space, and I suspect is the reason why you are finding your capacity limited.  Cleaning such a tank is best done by draining, bleaching and refilling, more than once if necessary, and there would be no point in cutting an access hatch through the foredeck floor in this case.

[MtB]

23 minutes ago, Chewbacka said:

If much different then after a month or two you will have wet feet.............

 

Not if there is a bulge pump...

 

[Onewheeler]

I forgot to mention: those cheap water meters from Amazon work happily in both directions. Fitting them 'backwards' can make the plumbing easier.

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

I forgot to mention: those cheap water meters from Amazon work happily in both directions. Fitting them 'backwards' can make the plumbing easier.

Its amazing how the more water you use. the less the meter reads.

I remember the tales of the old 'gas meters - connect it up backwards and the Gas Board owed you money.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Its amazing how the more water you use. the less the meter reads.

I remember the tales of the old 'gas meters - connect it up backwards and the Gas Board owed you money.

 

Although curiously the meter reader seemed to notice EVERY time you did this, as the dials face the wall!

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Although curiously the meter reader seemed to notice EVERY time you did this, as the dials face the wall!

Ours didn't - it was in the cellar mounted on a wall and faced towards you. (Old Victorian house)

That was the only time we lived within 'civilisation' and had 'piped gas', both before and after was 'in the country' with the nearest neighbours 'miles away' and LPG as the only possible gas supply.

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Ours didn't - it was in the cellar mounted on a wall and faced towards you. (Old Victorian house)

That was the only time we lived within 'civilisation' and had 'piped gas', both before and after was 'in the country' with the nearest neighbours 'miles away' and LPG as the only possible gas supply.

So did you twist the lead pipes to get them on the wrong connections

 

Edited November 26, 2018 by ditchcrawler

[Alan de Enfield]

47 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

So did you twist the lead pipes to get them on the wrong connections

 

I didn't but a know a man that did (somehow connect it up backwards).

(I am not a bad person but I do know some who are.)