Water pressure

[Myrrh&Gez]

Hi Everyone, can any one tell me if there is a way of getting better water flow through my taps please?
I have an Elddis Avante 840 2018, I have a whale water master mains hook up directly fed to van no barrel,
I hope this makes sense as I’m new to caravaning, I have to say I’m loving it and can’t wait until the weather gets better as iv only had it since last November, would appreciate any advice.
Cheers

 

[Jcloughie]

Hi Everyone, can any one tell me if there is a way of getting better water flow through my taps please?
I have an Elddis Avante 840 2018, I have a whale water master mains hook up directly fed to van no barrel,
I hope this makes sense as I’m new to caravaning, I have to say I’m loving it and can’t wait until the weather gets better as iv only had it since last November, would appreciate any advice.
Cheers

Do you mean Whale Aquasource? You should get 1.5 bar unless the mains input was less than this.

A Whale on- boared pump only gives 1 bar, which I found more than enough.

So I would think you have low mains pressure or a fault somewhere.

John

 

[otherclive]

Hi Everyone, can any one tell me if there is a way of getting better water flow through my taps please?
I have an Elddis Avante 840 2018, I have a whale water master mains hook up directly fed to van no barrel,
I hope this makes sense as I’m new to caravaning, I have to say I’m loving it and can’t wait until the weather gets better as iv only had it since last November, would appreciate any advice.
Cheers

The taps may be clogged to a degree. Remove the very end cap on the tap spouts. They have fine strainers that can block. Clean them and replace. They end caps remove by unscrewing and generally have a couple of flats to put a spanner on.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi,

The first thing to point out if your not used to caravanning, then your expectations may bigger than the system is able to provide. Domestic water systems may see water pressure of up to 6Bar, but caravans have to be limited to no more than about 1.5Bar, and whilst domestic pipework uses 15mm thin wall pipe with an internal diameter of about 12.5mm, caravan pipes internal diameter is only 8 to 10mm.

At best you might get a maximum flow rate at a tap in a caravan of about 4L per meanwhile at home you could get 8 to 10 /min

But there are other factors which might also affect the delivery in a caravan whilst using a direct to mains hose system.

Obviously if the flow and pressure at the mains tap to which you connect is inadequate then it will affect the flow in the caravan. Also don't forget if there are several caravan pitches all using water that may also affect your tap.

The hose system uses a special pressure reducing valve. Ultimately to reduce the pressure it has to add some restriction, and that could affect the flow rate into the caravan, and it might not be able to match the performance of the water pump.

One solution might be to use the caravans water pump and an external barrel of water, just like not having mains water, but to have the barrel fitted with float valve and to use that with a hose pipe which keeps the barrel topped up. These are available... This is an example

This way you get the convenience of mains water, but you are also protected from any weakness of flow or pressure from the sites system.

 

[Mel]

Having used a direct feed then I can confidently say that water pressure is consistently much less than the pump into the Aquaroll method. I am not technical but as far as I understand it, the pressure reducing system is there to protect the caravan pipe innards and therefore the water enters by forcing its way ( gently) into the van. You don’t need to switch the caravan pump on for it to work.
in my experience it has very little to do with the water pressure from the site tap. You can have it blasting out from the tap and still have little pressure in the van. Trust me, tried it.
When on a fully serviced pitch Have gone back to using the pump but into a Colapz fresh mini ( saves space on a small van). Float system into Aquaroll equally good.
mel

 

[RogerL]

Having used a direct feed then I can confidently say that water pressure is consistently much less than the pump into the Aquaroll method. I am not technical but as far as I understand it, the pressure reducing system is there to protect the caravan pipe innards and therefore the water enters by forcing its way ( gently) into the van. You don’t need to switch the caravan pump on for it to work.
in my experience it has very little to do with the water pressure from the site tap. You can have it blasting out from the tap and still have little pressure in the van. Trust me, tried it.
When on a fully serviced pitch Have gone back to using the pump but into a Colapz fresh mini ( saves space on a small van). Float system into Aquaroll equally good.
mel

On a fully serviced pitch, I use the Aquaroll with the submersible pump - and top the Aquaroll up every morning - the water flow from direct connection is definitely inferior to the submersible pump.

 

[audiorob]

As already said worth checking the tap ends, mine are hand tight only and regularly checked during the season. Also if you have an inline filter in the cold feed it is generally dated on installation and may need replacement (at least once per season). I have successfuly used the float-in-barrel system so the aquaroll is refilled automatically as the water level within drops where a tap was available, but a generic food quality hose rather than an OEM kit.

 

[Buckman]

As you have the water pumped directly into the caravan using the water connection the pressure is regulated on the connection into the caravan and you should not try and bypass this. The pressure will never be the same as at home. If you try and increase the pressure you stand a chance of the water pipes inside the caravan coming apart. I assume that you do not have an onboard water tank?

 

[Pamplona]

This has been a very useful thread for me as I was contemplating buying the Aquasource mains hookup, I became uneasy after reading negative reviews of it on Amazon, around water pressure, and also general robustness and leaks. I did not even think about pressure reductions to protect pipework etc.
I have an inboard tank in addition to my barrel I am assuming that will not impact upon it if I go for the float option.

 

[Buckman]

This has been a very useful thread for me as I was contemplating buying the Aquasource mains hookup, I became uneasy after reading negative reviews of it on Amazon, around water pressure, and also general robustness and leaks. I did not even think about pressure reductions to protect pipework etc.
I have an inboard tank in addition to my barrel I am assuming that will not impact upon it if I go for the float option.

We have been using it for 10 years or more with no issues.

 

[Dustydog]

.The Watermaster and Aquasource are two different models. The Watwrmaster contains an inlet strainer which must be removed if connected via an onboard pump. Both are rated at 1.5 -1.8 bar. I have both direct and aquaroll but perhaps being over cautious and having a much older caravan I prefer not to stress the pipe work with direct mains. Granted the onboard pump is powerful .Emptying half an aquaroll is not so bad as full mains gushing in all night in the event something went wrong. There is no right or wrong, just personal preference

 

[Buckman]

.The Watermaster and Aquasource are two different models. The Watwrmaster contains an inlet strainer which must be removed if connected via an onboard pump. Both are rated at 1.5 -1.8 bar. I have both direct and aquaroll but perhaps being over cautious and having a much older caravan I prefer not to stress the pipe work with direct mains. Granted the onboard pump is powerful .Emptying half an aquaroll is not so bad as full mains gushing in all night in the event something went wrong. There is no right or wrong, just personal preference

I think where it goes wrong is when people turn on the tap full which creates loads of pressure on the regulator and it eventually fails. We turn on the tap so there is a gentle flow of water to fill the onboard tank and use the onboard tank.

If you do not have an onboard pump and require the correct pressure in the caravan for showering etc I would be wary of using either system whether done direct or via the aquaroll.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The maximum pressure the regulator sees is when the taps down stream taps are turned OFF - the static head pressure.

The pressure vs flow characteristic of the inline water regulator valves is rather different to the way a motorised pump delivers the water, and sadly many of the inline regulators cannot match the pumps performance.

 

[Pamplona]

Not sure now, I have an on-board tank, it has a submersible pump and I also have an external 12v pump controlled by a pressure switch. When the onboard tank is full it just runs out of the overflow to tell me it's full. As a novice I definitely do not want to stress the pipework creating any sort of flood.
I just thought the provision of fully serviced water was a natural progression, it does not sound like it is, my caravan 2018

 

[Dustydog]

Are you Pamplona because you have a Bailey?
Usually the on board tank has no pump. Nearby there should be a free standing on board pump. No need for another pump in the aqua roll.So you buy a mains water adapter kit. It contains parts that fit into the side of the aqua roll including a float mechanism. I use this method rather than direct mains .
The onboard tank contains a float that switches off the pump before the tank over flows. The pump switch is three way. Off, pump run, tank fill

 

[Buckman]

Not sure now, I have an on-board tank, it has a submersible pump and I also have an external 12v pump controlled by a pressure switch. When the onboard tank is full it just runs out of the overflow to tell me it's full. As a novice I definitely do not want to stress the pipework creating any sort of flood.
I just thought the provision of fully serviced water was a natural progression, it does not sound like it is, my caravan 2018

Surely there should be a float system inside the onboard tank to cut off the water supply when it is full? The overflow should be a secondary safety device in case the float fails.

On our system using direct mains we switch to external to fill the onboard tank and once full the pump shuts down. We switch to Internal at our leisure. Also if you are showering and the onboard runs out of water, the system should automatically switch to the direct mains supply. If not connected or using the aquaroll and it is empty, the pump should automatically shut down to prevent either pump being damaged.

 

[Jcloughie]

My Bailey Senator’s on-board tank simply overflowed to under the van to say it was full. Same as Pampola’s

I later fitted my own domestic float system with a hose connection in the gas box, which worked a treat when mains water was available.

But I hated how the on-board tank went green very quickly and was not practical to clean regularly.
John

 

[Dustydog]

My Bailey Senator’s on-board tank simply overflowed to under the van to say it was full. Same as Pampola’s

I later fitted my own domestic float system with a hose connection in the gas box, which worked a treat when mains water was available.

But I hated how the on-board tank went green very quickly and was not practical to clean regularly.
John

John That is very strange. My S6 Wyoming has the classic Bailey on board tank system used for a number of years. On the master control panel the pump switch has three positions.Off. Pump Fill. Pump Run. The oem float in the tank turned things off. Maybe some one has adapted yours?

 

[Jcloughie]

John That is very strange. My S6 Wyoming has the classic Bailey on board tank system used for a number of years. On the master control panel the pump switch has three positions.Off. Pump Fill. Pump Run. The oem float in the tank turned things off. Maybe some one has adapted yours?

I think my Arizona was an older version than yours. Mine had no switches for the water system, just an outside socket, and a filler cap. So I had two pumps, one inboard and one to fill the onboard tank. Under the seat was a three-way valve to switch between which water source to use.

I think that was an early 2000 model.

John

 

[Dustydog]

I think my Arizona was an older version than yours. Mine had no switches for the water system, just an outside socket, and a filler cap. So I had two pumps, one inboard and one to fill the onboard tank. Under the seat was a three-way valve to switch between which water source to use.

I think that was an early 2000 model.

John

John , That is old, mine has two 3 way valves not one so I guess the system was vastly updated over ten years.

 

[ProfJohnL]

It's easy to forget that not all systems will be like the one(s) you have experienced, so your systems may well be different to others.

Its far from unknown for a caravan manufacturer to make changes to details in the middle of a production run. so some tanks may have floats others may have overflow ports, some have nothing.

 

[Pamplona]

Are you Pamplona because you have a Bailey?
Usually the on board tank has no pump. Nearby there should be a free standing on board pump. No need for another pump in the aqua roll.So you buy a mains water adapter kit. It contains parts that fit into the side of the aqua roll including a float mechanism. I use this method rather than direct mains .
The onboard tank contains a float that switches off the pump before the tank over flows. The pump switch is three way. Off, pump run, tank fill

Yes, I have a Bailey Unicorn4 Pamplona, my tank does not contain an onboard float, and I have a submersible pump, (according to the Bailey manual), and there is a two-way valve that allows for filling the internal tank, from an outside source, there is no automatic cut off and my signal is water escaping from the overflow pipe to indicate that it is full.

Will the mains adapter kit work with my setup as described above, and will it also work with the waterhog variety barrel?

 

[Jcloughie]

Yes, I have a Bailey Unicorn4 Pamplona, my tank does not contain an onboard float, and I have a submersible pump, (according to the Bailey manual), and there is a two-way valve that allows for filling the internal tank, from an outside source, there is no automatic cut off and my signal is water escaping from the overflow pipe to indicate that it is full.

Will the mains adapter kit work with my setup as described above, and will it also work with the waterhog variety barrel?

Yours then is similar to my old Bailey.

If you are handy you can do this:

Remove the tank, drill a hole in one side near the top, and fit a bog standard float valve. A flexible hose from this is led to an accessible position. I fed mine into the gas locker. The hose is terminated with a hose lock fitting.

Where mains water is available, just plug it in and forget it.

If no mains water, just continue as you were.

John