Date:         Mon, 12 Jul 1999 13:47:17 EDT
Reply-To:     CarlMarin@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Carl Turner <CarlMarin@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re Westy Water Tank Fill/Gizmos to the rescue
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Someone Wrote:
<<<<<<<
Subject: Re: Westy Water Tank Fill

I honestly don't think there is a way to fill the bugger without leaking on
the outside.  The best results I have had is by using an RV/marine hose
(usually white with a blue stripe - lined with food grade plastic) with the
end cut off.  I insert the cut off end into the filler neck, and just crack
the hose bib open a bit.  Takes a long time, but it will fill with very
little overflow.  The other alternative is to just kinda hold it there and
let 20% of the water run done the outside of the van.  This method is a lot
faster, but a bit messier.  :-)

Brent Christensen
'89 Syncro Westy "Klaus"
<<<<<<

Another plan that works for me is as follows:  I bought a couple of little
plastic end-of-hose valves at the Home Depot for about a buck a piece.  These
have a little ball valve inside actuated with a lever on the side.  Turn it
90 degrees and its on.  I screw this on the end of my fill hole, set the
water at a low flow rate, stick the valve thing up to the fill hole on the
outside of the Westie and turn the valve on.  There is a splash when you
first turn the valve as it relieves the line pressure but then its very
controllable and you don't have to hold it like one of those nozzle sprayers
you wash the car with.  When done, just turn the valve back off with minimum
drama.  I've also used this set up to fill the tank directly on the inside
without drenching my carpet.

What do I use the second one for?  Glad you asked.  I found that this same
valve screwed onto the bottom of my sink drain in place of the cap.  I just
reach up underneath when camping and turn the lever 90 degrees by feel to
open, turn it back to close for traveling and don't worry about loosing that
cap anymore.

Garden center technology comes to the aid of Westfailures once again!

C Turner