Grab some popcorn, this is a long one.
I’ve just completed the plumbing system in the 2022 Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 I’ve been converting. Turns out I have a lot to say about plumbing.
The start of the video mostly concerns designing a system that won’t hinder future travels. The second part of the video covers details about what I consider a “perfect compromise” for how I like to camp.
If you found this entertaining, educational or even enraging, consider buying me a coffee...or a beer;). Please use the link:
www.buymeacoffee.com/projecto...
Thank you for your support!
0:00 Intro
2:00 Designing the Right System for How You’ll Use the Van
8:22 System Overview
9:41 Water Tanks
12:00 Foot Pump
14:42 Sinks and Faucets
17:07 Rear Spray Station
19:14 Water Fill
20:51 Monitoring Water Level
21:58 Grey Water System
24:35 Freeze Prevention
26:37 Winterizing and System Shutdown
28:53 Tubing Choices
31:12 Hose Clamps
32:06 Leak Detection Methods
Product Links (Amazon Links Help Me Out, Thank you!!)
Foot Pump Left Side Pedal amzn.to/3Vb6CwJ
Foot Pump Right Side Pedal amzn.to/3VaUa01
Note: It is possible to swap the sides if you buy the wrong one.
Rebuild Kit amzn.to/3LzkRIz
Faucet
Ebay Sink www.ebay.com/itm/184778351385
Kingston Sink amzn.to/3LiTAsq
Sink Drain amzn.to/3Nl8qkN
Noico Sound Deadening amzn.to/4243ox9
Electric Water Pump amzn.to/3Lc7HQl
Disconnect Fittings www.usplastic.com/catalog/ite...
Spray Nozzle amzn.to/3ne6hg4
Water Fill pantherrvproducts.com/94715-005/
Water Level Sensor kus-usa.com/product/sss-ssl-s...
Note: 15” version works well with the NW Conversions Water Tank.
Grey Water Tank Custom Roto W-49 (www.customroto.com)
Remote Valve Kit amzn.to/3LBHGLC
Note: you also need two fittings to mate with the rest of your system. Here are two options (you can use two of the same depending on how you set your system up):
1.5" Spigot Fitting amzn.to/40PpaDK
1" Slip Fitting amzn.to/44gKa9J
12V Heat Tape oemheaters.com/category/983/f...
Tank Heater Pad amzn.to/3Nma06a
Velcro Ties amzn.to/3oO3ISs
3-Way Valves www.specialtymfg.com/catalog/...
Nylobrade Tubing www.usplastic.com/catalog/ite...
Tigerflex Tubing amzn.to/426c6ew
Flexzilla Hose amzn.to/3LC9saU
Note: This hose is available without end fittings in bulk…but then you have to buy 250’
Oetiker 2-Ear Clamps amzn.to/41JjxIx
Breeze Hose Clamps Variety Pack amzn.to/3LdhwgL
I seem to use the following sizes most often for plumbing and heater ducting:
SAE 6 amzn.to/3HITCJp
SAE 12 amzn.to/3Vcg5Uu
SAE 16 amzn.to/422v8Co
SAE 20 amzn.to/3HITJVl
SAE 32 amzn.to/423eORZ
Smarter builder on the net. Period
you sold me on the foot pump because we are so far to the left on the maintenance/hassle scale. thanks again as always
I really enjoy watching your simplicity in a van build. I always overthink stuff too much and it’s always bothered me. So I go camping and say to myself I like this and I don’t like that and go back home and change it. Now after watching you I’m going to change things up again, lol. With my van I am never done. But that’s the fun of it.
Wow! thanks so much for this exhaustively detailed video. The points that you make are very sound and you also give great perspective for every consideration with the chart that you shared. Definitely the best plumbing video I’ve seen yet for the last five years I’ve been checking out similar videos on KZhead. This will absolutely be the basis of my plumbing system moving forward.
Just when I think I've found all the great van/camper-build KZheadrs because I've been looking for them for many years, I find an absolute gem I never knew existed. C'mon KZhead! Why didn't your algorithm serve this guy up to me before?
Exactly! for years, I’ve been looking for the best plumbing videos, and then this gem pops up.
Great video! I've been eyeing those foot pumps for a while. I'm designing the water system for my Vanagon around a 24x36 stainless steel shower pan that I made from a discarded photo developing sink. A stall will sit behind the driver seat and serve as a wet bathroom, with a removable composting toilet and a single wet wall serving the shower and a sink on the other side of the wall facing the rear of the van. This will be geared towards winter camping, so the stall will also serve as secure storage for skis, snowboards, and other expensive gear that gets wet. I'm playing around with ideas, but I'm leaning towards a freshwater tank immediately behind the driver seat pedestal. I'm planning on having nearly every fitting exposed or easily accessible inside of the stall so that service and troubleshooting will be easy, and any leaks will drip noisily into the shower pan. It's an exciting challenge, but I have to take breaks periodically to not drive myself nuts. The van is getting an engine swap fitted, so I have some time.
Your build is truly amazing. I'm always so surprised at your attention to detail.
Thank you!
Lots of great tips. Love the stuff like mechanics towels
Really enjoy your thought process. Thanks for sharing!
This is all so unbelievably useful, you’ve given me more to think about than the last 10 van building videos that Ive picked out little tips from. Truly respect your work, it’s what I’d love to do one day. This is van number two for me now, if I can include even a handful of the simple but meticulously engineered and designed features you use I’ll be chuffed. Thank you, and I’m sure your channel will soon get a lot more recognition
We are back from our winter escapade, and of course, the hot water heater died (again) due to not having a proper drain system in the original build. Thanks for the details... as I contemplate how to yank my whole water system out and completely re-build it.
Pro tip on the pumps, you can disassemble and reverse both right and left to become the other. They are identical, just assembled to be one or the other. Comes in handy when your configuration of choice is sold out, or when Scamazon is charging twice as much for the one you need because of low supply.
Totally agree and end up doing this almost ever time it feels like. I do remember the first time having a customer's van and having a slight panic when I thought I ordered the wrong one...
Thank you for the excellent presentation. This video is packed with useful plumbing information.
ctrl-C : your bus plumbing / ctrl-V : my van plumbing ! 😄
Using this data for my van project! I'm very impressed with how well-thought this all is!
Inspirational thanks. The best part is no part 😊
That's a great way to say it. Thank you!
Unbelievably insightful and helpful. Love your work man.
This series is helping me so much. Thanks for sharing!
Such a helpful video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
nice tip on the sink! I also did that on the bottom of my fridge to dampen the compressor noise!
That's a good idea, thanks!
@@projectofscience I don't think this will work, but I'm gonna try adding it to my hitch, tongue and see if it can help with the clunking any... That noise isn't so much from a resonation, but it might help a little?
When drawing water from the top tank fitting do you use a solid or flexible standpipe, and do you use a check valve? Thanks
The best van plumbing setup on KZhead! The reason I think it’s the best is because it offers optimal trade offs and is extremely well thought out. I am so glad I saw this before I build out my water system! The only thing I would add for my build is a hot water heater for the outside shower. Would you possibly offer your thoughts on what water heater I should use? Currently I am thinking the Isotemp Spa. Also thank you for the parts list! Keep up the great content!
I have a lot of hot water thoughts. I've installed a few shower systems out the back doors and I've always done the camping style propane tankless heaters (Camplux is a popular brand). With the back doors open there is no worry about venting, etc. And being tankless there is no preheat time, and no limit to the shower length (well, except how much water you have). That said, you do have to have propane and the Spa unit is electric? If I was building a van with an Isotemp unit (which from what I've seen work great if installed properly) I would probably just plumb it to the sink as well (and I guess I'm assuming you have an electric water pump for the sink too I guess). Hot water is nice, and at that point you'd be one hose away from having it to use in the sink. I'd try to have a layout where the distance between the sink and heater is as short as possible though. The 2-5 seconds of waiting for hot water to arrive is really inefficient I've found, and tankless heaters at a kitchen I think are even worse for this as everytime you turn on the faucet it has to restart the heating process so a bit of cold water arrives first. At least with a tanked heater once the hot water arrives for something like washing dishes it will stay warm in the plumbing run for a decent amount of time. And sure, you can collect that water in a bottle at start up, or I've even seen systems where you can recycle the faucet outflow back to the tank but it can be cumbersome and tricky to set up. Hope that helps? Thanks for the support!
Thank you so much for the detailed reply! Somehow I did not get an email notification. I only saw your reply as I came back to rewatch the video. I like your suggestions. I plan to have the exact same setup as you do, with the addition of a camplux for back door shower. When I do vanlife full time, I will consider adding the isotemp. One awesome tip is your sink choice. Original I selected my sink based on weight and size. Your sink selection is better because it freed up more room in the cabinet below! That is brilliant! Thanks!
I like the way you think. Thanks for all the info
Great point on the gravity feed and cut for water level
Two HUGE details for me that I have not really seen anyone cover but were must have's for me as well - the foot pump & undermounting sink. Excellent video!
You have such great ideas. Thank you for taking the time to film and edit and upload.
What an awesome video!! Thank you! Those over-wheel tanks are interesting, but I often wonder about bacteria growth. Is that ever an issue? Do you do any filtration for drinking water?
Great video! Thank you
Very useful and insightful information! Thank you!
This is really good, great design and clever solutions
Great advice, thanks.
How did you arrange the fresh water outlet fitting on the top of the tank such that the shower draws water from the bottom of the tank? Thank you! Great video
Be very careful when filling the drinking water tank from an auxiliary tank by either pouring it in or through that shower pump. Don't use a river water tank to fill the drinking water tank. You really should not be using river water anyway through that system because the entire system should now be considered contaminated.
I was wondering how you handled the venting the tank. With the gravity fill do you just wait for it to come back out the fill port to know it's full.
Awesome design! Will most likely be copying in our small trailer. I like the faucet style as well, how much space do you need behind the wall to mount and run the supply line? And do you need access to both sides of the wall to install? Thanks!
Thanks for sharing. Icredible information and nice presentation from which I lear a lot. I would like to know the manufacturer of the quick connectors in the back whith the green hose.
Check out that new haircut !!!
Ha, I DIY that too;)
Great summary! Agree, too many uber-features being marketed. Great when it works, but massive pain to fix and maintain. One the water tank, totally agree on minimizing below water line fittings. Any thoughts on using a top-mounted water supply fitting with a pick-up tube that extends to the bottom of the tank? With pumps that are self-priming, this would allow all tank fittings to be mounted above the water line. Thoughts?
I was curious about something like this as well.
Yeah, I have debated it for a true "fail safe" tank. And I do try to avoid catering a build for some hypothetical fear-induced scenario, but I do think having a drain point is essential to me. Two reasons: Primarily, when I've seen freeze damage that has destroyed the pump, you'd now not be able to remove the water in the tank, and although unless it was almost entirely full even if the tank froze it should be alright, I'd prefer to get the water out. And second, although I've avoided ever getting a bad case of "tank funk" when I've seen people with it it seems like having a gravity drain would make the clean easier? Perhaps not...but hopefully I won't find out. Thanks for watching!
You said best some people have endless money and buy the 1 to 200 thousands van which is ok but i like the fixer upper projects that you build, not everyone needs a 4x4 van & shower in van which takes up space but water most important when going off grid and power system i bought a 2017 170 Mercedes Benz sprinter cargo van 3.0 with 300k on odometer, runs good & diesel engine are designed to run forever with proper maintenance, off of copart 4300. Front left fender damage from hitting a deer , for me i was concerned boby had no dents and body rust i got lucky sense this van was used for commercial use i was able to find & contact previous owner, he said he bought it new well taken care of no mechanical issues other tthan hit a deer, im ready to begin my build i will probably will end up dropping around 15k to 20k on build the front no protection bumper gone for an aluminum bumper rear bumber too , i already bought my 12v dometic ac , max air fan and many other components but before I begin to build i watch all the van build out to learn if the ideal works for me anyway nice educational viedo 😊
Great analysis and helpful video. One question - I agree that fittings at the bottom of the tank create a risk of leak or failure point, so they should be minimized. So why not have your water outlet come from the top - with a feeder hose leading down into the bottom of the tank? That way, there would be zero fittings below the water line.
I've debated going this route quite a bit and do agree it is the best failure proof method. For me I like having a method to gravity drain the tank so when shutting things down or winterizing I just flip the nozzle. And if I ever have any funk or mold that starts growing in the tank I feel like a bottom drain would make disinfecting and rinsing a lot more effective without having to pull the tank. So I've settled on the single lower fitting. Thank you!
The more I watch your building techniques. The simpler my build gets I have nearly cut my kitchen in half. You didn’t mention any filter systems does that mean you don’t use one or is that another video?
Yep, no water filter. I'm not sure if you're asking about the "large particle" filters that come with the pumps or a true drinking water filter like get installed in homes, but neither is used. Hasn't caused me problems yet (as I knock on wood).
Question. I’m cobbling together a remotely controlled gate valve to do what your under van gate valve does. What is it and where did you get the electric gate valve?
Here is the valve I used: amzn.to/3LBHGLC It isn't electric but has a handle you push and pull. I did not install it as recommended as they repeatedly tell you to make the cable run a lot straighter, but I did end up shortening it to about a quarter of the original length so I hope that helps me.
What about partial strokes of that water pump for less water? Is that possible? Does it get annoying that there’s a pause and then more water comes out on the upstroke of the pump instead of just one stream until you let off the foot pump? I’m curious about being able to pump out just the right amount of water and to do that quickly.
You can do really tiny pumps. You learn pretty quickly how to meter it for what you are doing. I’ve used the whale gusher now in two of my personal vans.
Yep, what Noah said. I feel for rinsing dishes or washing hands we do a "flutter foot" and only take full strokes to fill water bottles or the coffee pot.
What relay do you use to control from the cerbo, anything special on it ?
If I don't need a Normally Open contact I've used dozens of these: amzn.to/4275bBB Super cheap, but Bosch brand makes me hope whatever Chinese factory is making them has slightly higher quality control...
Does the ambassador drain have a trap like other brands?
They have both versions. I like the one with the trap, but the one without is about an inch shorter so in some installs that may be necessary.
... Thought through to the least detail ... so reduced to the essentials: hard to match ...
It's this and Greg Virgoe.