Hot and Cold Running Water

The first picture shows the Surecal 10 liter calorifier, which is an insulated copper water tank with 120vac heating element, 12dc heating element, and a copper pipe coil that coolant is circulated through from the Eberspacher Hydronic S3 D5E CS 12V water / engine heater. The water is heated to 187 degrees Fahrenheit in the tank. It uses around a tablespoon of diesel to heat a shower for 2 people. It is a fantastic way to get hot water! The black box in the lower right of the photo below is a radiator that can be either in the hot water coolant circulation system or out of it, depending on which way the valves are turned. So no heat in summer, and heat in the winter. The radiator has its own 2 speed fans that are wired to their own breaker. In operation, the Espar diesel heater would be turned on to heat water, the radiator would be placed into the circulation path with valves, the blower would be turned on and voila, Colorado becomes Brazil! The wooden box in the picture is a container for 6 BattleBorn LiFePo4 batteries. The details of the batteries will be in a separate post. You also may notice the large yellow 3000 watt inverter. It can provide lots of ac power for a while, but will drain the batteries if not used judiciously. The Alu-Cab water tank can be seen in the upper right corner of the picture.

This is just some of the plumbing that I put in for water heating, shower, cooking & drinking water sprayer, and water filtration. The Dometic CF3 fridge/freezer covers this when its installed. My idea was to be able to filter water from springs, creeks, and any clear water source while camping. I have been using ceramic filters and 12 volt pumps for 30+ years to supply my drinking water. The filters have improved in that time, and my latest filter is from Royal Doulton in Phoenix Arizona. It has 6 ceramic 'candles' each with a carbon core. This filter will remove all but the smallest virus, all bacteria, algae, & dirt. The carbon core will remove many common pollutants. All the things that are removed, collect on the outside or just inside of the outer layer of ceramic. They can be cleaned by scraping off the outer layer and will filter fast again. The dirtier the water, the faster it clogs. I carry replacement candles when I am on a long trip. The pumps I am using are Seaflow 55-Series Diaphragm Pump - 12V DC, 5.5 GPM, 60 PSI. The pumps are powerful and can filter my 13 gallon tank full quickly. The shower/sink sprayers can spray around 18-20 feet on full open.

In this picture you can see the ceramic water filter, plumbing, and the valve for the kitchen sprayer. These sprayers work great if the mixing valve at the tank is adjusted to the maximum temperature you want at the spray nozzle. You can adjust the volume and temperature at the valve stem, and turn the water on and off with a button on the sprayhead. This allows great control on how much water you use while showering. I can't wait to go on my next outing. J and I always have fun when we are together, and we especially love camping.

So thats about it for today, keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming electric mini-winch side door openers. I got really tired of opening two locks on each door and then soon locking them again. This will be replaced by a mini winch and a rather interesting mechanism to open and close them. I may even be able to sell kits, we'll see. Not an expensive add on, and not many parts...