Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 17:12:28 -0400
Reply-To: Malcolm Stebbins <Malcolm.Stebbins@MSVU.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Malcolm Stebbins <Malcolm.Stebbins@MSVU.CA>
Subject: Westy Faucet Modification Long
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If you just want pictures try http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/mwstebbins
click on "my Syncro Westy" and you will see 2 pictures of the sink
Mod. Click on the thumbnail and you will get a bigger photo.
My stock westy sink faucet was first broken by me when I broke off
the exterior mains water supply nipple, No big deal as in 3 different
westies over 21 years (81, 86, 91 vans over 81 to 02 years) I have
NEVER used the mains water hook-up, & never wanted to. I then
sort of cracked the 12 volt water supply nipple so that was all she
wrote for that.
A few years ago I had a Westy that had the pump faucet movable
arm missing and I had hooked up a length of clear hose to the
faucet and that had worked just fine, even better than the original as
we now hand a water wand to squirt around the 'kitchen'.
So with my current faucet 'broken', I decided to try and see what I
could do.
I went to our local Canadian Tire store and bought a 3-way bilge
switch, left is ON, center is OFF, right is Push and Hold ON -
release = OFF. I had some good 12 volt wire to wire it up according
to the instructions. Easy, even for me.
I used 2 different clear hoses to step-down the size of the water
hoses (from the BIG feed hose to a smaller sink size) gluing and
clamping them into place. Then I dismantled the new bilge switch
and FILLED the innards with di-lectic grease (spelling) so that the
innards of the switch would not fill up with water and short out and/or
rust out the innards.
I removed the old Westy faucet, and cut a round bit of black flat
plastic to cover the hole in the sink, and the existing cork gasket &
drilled holes to fit the existing screw-holes in the sink. I cut a square
hole in the plastic to fit the bilge switch & a hole for the clear plastic
hose to come up out of.
I put it all together as per the pictures and I now have a new sink
faucet. I do NOT have any access to outside main water supply but,
as I said, I have NEVER used nor longed for that feature of the van.
We (wife Pat & I) talked a lot about the Push & Hold On & Release -
Off feature and we think that that will be a good feature as often we
just want a squirt.
I have yet to actually try it while camping but I'll write back ONLY if it
is a colossal failure.
Enjoy, Malcolm
