Well the Whale GP1002 pump lasted 2 years, until it blew the fuse and refused to start again. These are sealed units, so I had no choice but to buy a new one. When
I smashed the old one up, and I could see that water had been leaking into the motor wired connections - in fact the wires were corroded right to the other end of the cable. It was probably due to the crack that I had caused and repaired when installing - must have been a hairline crack in the casing as well.
Anyway it was an opportunity to review the superseal connectors.
The reason for using these was because I wanted the ability to move the water container outside, which in turn would release some more room, to allow the passenger seat to rotate. In reality, we did not really need to turn both seats, so the water container stayed indoors. They are good connectors, but not really designed for easy connect/disconnect.
Since I use XLR for 12V elsewhere in the van, I chose the locking mini XLR for the job. It was a bit of a squeeze to get the cable into the strain relief, but the overall result feels more robust.
- end
Plumbing
We have previously owned a folding camper, which had a whale watermaster connect like this
It was horrible to use. The connector was difficult to attach and detach without scraping you knuckles, and the electrical connection was somewhat unreliable.
To make the connections as simple as possible, I permanently keep the pump in the water container, and use standard garden 15mm quick connect fittings. For the 12v supply I use Superseal waterproof connectors.
Note the male 15mm connector - these are not standard, but are used in irrigation systems. Search for Antelco Snap On Joiner x 13mm Barb
Water inlet and waste - inside
My plan was to be able to store the water inside or outside the van when parked up. So there is a water inlet connector under the van, beside the waste outlet
Water tank in position. In practice since we don't turn the passenger seat, the water tank usually stays inside.
No comments:
Post a Comment