Day: August 19, 2023

Using Water From Fresh Water Sources as a Van Lifer The overland community is demanding more from modern adventure vans, and the latest is the ability to filter and fill your van water tank from fresh water sources water fully off grid. This means pulling water from a non-potable lake or stream, filtering it, and pumping it into your water tank.  This has taken the form of several similar and expensive van life gadgets ranging $700 to ~$1,200+ (discussed below). But, leave it to us, The Engineers who Van Life, to design a way to build these directly into you van’s plumbing system for a fraction of the cost.  Not to mention the space and weight savings you’ll experience! Here’s how we did it: What does this guide include? This guide is DIY design for pulling, and filtering water from a fresh water source and dumping it in your camper van water tank. It adds on to any existing camper van water system. It includes the following: “Out of Box” alternatives  Parts List Ball Valve Discussion Wiring Diagram Port Interface Cost Analysis What problem are we solving? This DIY Water System Add-On allows you to stay off grid longer by pumping and filtering fresh water sources (streams, lakes, etc) into your camper van water system.  You no longer need to rely on potable water spigots that are only in cities, and are often winterized when it is too cold.  This system is how we filled our water system through the winter. DIY “Off Grid Filter and Fill” Design Overview We know the problem we are solving. But, how are we going to do this?  We are going to create an add-on to your existing water system that results in TWO fill options: In Standard operation mode you fill your potable water tank using fill port #1 from any pressurized water source.  This is a “normal van life water fill”.  In this mode, your water pump is is pressurizing your water system as usual. In filter and fill mode, you use fill port #2 and flip the reverse polarity switch will trigger all three motorized ball valves.  This forces your on board water pump to pull water into your tank from a non-pressurized water source.  At this point your onboard faucets will lose pressure.  Ensure you have your hose connected to the fill port before you press the switch as you want to minimize the amount of time your 12V water pump is priming itself for. Out Of Box Alternatives If you’d rather not DIY this system, you could purchase an out out box system for somewhere between $700 and $1,200.  The best options are currently: Guzzle H2O Stream Blu Tech ARX+ 4 Stage Off Grid Water System These systems provide the same capability of pulling water from a stream, or lake, and filtering it before it hits your water tank. The Blu Tech ARX+ outcompetes the Guzzle H20 Stream on filtration particle size, flow rate, and cost.  However, the Blu Tech MRX+ is slightly