Bypass Whale Aquasource water filter - How?

[Mark31415]

[UPDATE] To bypass the Whale in-line filter, simply get a short section of semi-rigid 12mm pipe. It's the same size as the tails on the Whale filter so will drop into the same push fit fitting as the filter. If your collars are too tight to release the filter, use a 13mm open-ended spacer to push against. 5 minute job. [END of UPDATE]

Hi, New to this caravanning lark but can turn my hand to most things practical. I'm looking to remove and bypass the Whale water filter. It's a green in-line cartridge affair. I want to flush and sterilise the entire fresh water system and then probably run it without the filter to make future flushing and cleaning easier and not to have to pay out for cartridges to filter water that we don't drink anyway.

The van is a 2014 Elddis Xplore. it has semi-rigid blue internal freshwater pipework. The ends of this terminates on some sort of push-fit adapter which in turn connect directly onto the filter under the front seats. I assume I just push the collars away from the filter to allow the black bits to be slipped off of the filter.

If my assumption is correct I should then end up with two female push-fit ends with a 12 inch gap between them and a filter out of the system.

To bridge the gap, will I
a) Be able to fit a section of caravan pipework into the female sockets
b) I need to get some adapters to convert from Whale filter to pipe size
c) I need to take the adapters off the end of the in-situ pipe-work and replace them with straight-through adapters and a bit of pipe
d) Take all the adapters off and push a bit of decent hosepipe over the ends of the fixed pipework and secure with a jubilee clip

Problem is I don't know what fits and what doesn't and the caravan storage place is in the opposite direction to the caravan bits and bobs shop and I don't live in easy reach of either so ideally want to go fore-armed buy not end up with loads of expensive plastic adapters I do not need.

Also is there a standard sort of semi-rigid pipe for that vintage van?

Cheers.

 

[otherclive]

Is it not possible to remove the filtration element and just run the system without it? We do that on our domestic system and did it on our 2005 Series 5 Bailey. The current van doesn’t have a filter so it’s not an issue.

 

[Mark31415]

Pretty sure if I remove the filter I have a 12 inch gap to get the water across.

 

[otherclive]

Pretty sure if I remove the filter I have a 12 inch gap to get the water across.

Sorry now I’ve looked at your unit I see what you mean. My earlier one was a Vyair or something like that which had an outer case and a replaceable cartridge. Not a mainstream caravan/RV unit

 

[otherclive]

Try this site for Whake fittings. Or John Guest for 12 or 15 mm push fittings depending on your size of filter.

https://www.propexleisure.co.uk/cat/whale/plumbing

 

[Mark31415]

I've updated the original post but basically, the tails on the filter are exactly the same size as standard pipe-work so just needed to replace the filter with a short section of blue pipe. All the fittings work perfectly. Total cost about £1.50 from the excellent Chichester Caravans while we were camped next door.

 

[Matt007]

I've updated the original post but basically, the tails on the filter are exactly the same size as standard pipe-work so just needed to replace the filter with a short section of blue pipe. All the fittings work perfectly. Total cost about £1.50 from the excellent Chichester Caravans while we were camped next door.

Hi all, I appreciate this is an old post, but I'm essentially doing the same thing and my van is also an Eldiss Explore. My question is, do I have to use those 12mm JG pipe inserts into each end of the 12mm blue pipe?

 

[otherclive]

Hi all, I appreciate this is an old post, but I'm essentially doing the same thing and my van is also an Eldiss Explore. My question is, do I have to use those 12mm JG pipe inserts into each end of the 12mm blue pipe?

I tend to use the inserts irrespective in any plumbing jobs where I use push fit fittings.

Now diving out before I’m told that it’s a very old thread, which you recognised 😱

 

[Matt007]

thanks @otherclive. I appreciate you replying after all this time

 

[Mel]

It is an old thread, so I have locked it before there are any more replies. Please read forum rules about resurrecting old threads. Feel free to start a new one to discuss the topic further.
Mel