Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1998 11:03:32 EDT
Reply-To: CarlMarin@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: CarlMarin@AOL.COM
Subject: Westie Water Tank filling
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
In a message dated 98-08-09 02:52:18 EDT, you write:
> bar@ISLANDNET.COM>
> Subject: Urgent help needed...please
>
> Well, urgent to me anyhow...regarding fresh water tank:
>
> I drained the water out of the tank tonight in prepartion for going on
> holidays tomorrow and upon refilling it found out that it wouldn't fill.
>
> You can hear the water 'topping out up the filler' and then it overflows
> than burps water out. Seems to me the vent is blocked...but how and how
> do I fix it.
>
> Thanks all for your help, Bruce
>
Yo Bruce,
They all seem to do that as the vent is too small I think. The trick to
filling the tank in a reasonable amount of time (works on my '85 anyway) is to
go into the rear cubby hole next to the closet, remove the two screws on the
metal plate gaining access to the big water tank lid. Then unscrew the lid.
No more vent problem. Fill the tank checking occasionally that its not about
to overflow inside. Screw the big cap back on. If you look inside the tank
you will see these screws protruding into the tank on the forward side. These
are the level "sensors". Note where the top screw is, about three or four
inches from the top, this is where the tank is considered filled, the green
light should come on when the water hits that level.
While you're in there might be a good time to clean the tank out a bit if it
hasn't been used in a while. You can sponge out the tank with some
dishwashing soap and a sponge (not too much, its hard to rinse!). Then to
disinfect the system, half fill the tank with water, then add 1/4 cup of
Clorox bleach, then finish filling the system. Turn on the sink faucet and
run a quart through or so until you smell the chlorine from the bleach. Let
this sit for a couple of hours. Drain the system then by running the faucet
and pulling the drain plug on the bottom of the water tank. Finish off by
filling the water tank with water and adding a couple of heaping teaspoons of
baking soda to remove the Clorox smell. The water will feel kind of slick
with this mixture in there. Run the faucet as before to get it circulated.
Drive around for a day with this in there, drain and flush with fresh. The
water system should be now clean and hygienic pure ;^)
The tank should be drained when you're not camping. Less weight to carry
around and less chance of the gooblies growing in there. Also, the manual
recommends not filling the tank until you get to your destination if possible,
also to save "tankering" a heavy load of water until you need it, probably not
a bad idea. What does water weigh? 6-7 pounds a gallon times 13.5 gallons,
it adds up.
For water tank filling I bought a couple of garden hose shut-off valves for a
dollar and a half each. These are plastic thingies that screw on the end of
the hose and have a valve lever on them to turn the flow on or off. Much
easier on my hand than the usual triggered squirt nozzle and you don't have to
hold it down once you turn it on. I carry this in the car with me along with
a funnel with flexible tube for filling the tank on the road. The funnel is
good when you need to fill the tank from water jugs. Whats the second hose
valve for you ask? Glad you were paying attention. The second one gets
screwed onto the sink drain. I leave it on all the time. to close the drain
I reach under and feel around for the lever, to open, same thing. Much
easier than screwing that little cap on and off. Has worked well for me so
far.
Have a great trip!
Carl Turner
84 and 85 Westies
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