Renovation of my 5th wheel camper...

an into a bit of a issue with my fresh water tank... it is filthy inside... as in it look like something was living inside it.
so, not trusting the "fresh" part of the tank. and i don't want to tear up that part of the floor to replace the tank, so i will go with a second, above floor tank. looking at a 46 Gallon model... but placement may be an issue. thinking of under the bench seat, but the wheel well is there. good for weight distribution, but with the tank being 14" high, plus the wheel-well height (didn't measure... 4"?), it will be close to the top of the bench. plus i want Styrofoam under it to protect from the cold wheel-well. bit of a planning nightmare, with nothing in place to judge dimensions with. at least it will be in the warm part of the camper...

as for the above mentioned shower situation... now leaning toward a outdoor "cowboy" shower setup. this is only because i took some measurements of the shower space, existing, and me being 6' 2", my head would hit the ceiling. only issue with the outdoor shower is if it rains... maybe setup the shower in a spot under the awning, when needed.

but i wonder too, 46 Gallons... is it enough for a family? granted, my camper will have space for 1 air-mattress in the bedroom, for me an a woman. (assuming she likes camping ) but the rest of sleeping will either be air-mattresses on the floor, or an outside tent (could be fun...) but eventually there may be a family.

Happy Joe said:

...?? you're worried about getting rained on while you shower? (I can see it making the shower cooler/cold (Brrr.../not fun)... should't be bad in the summer though.

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BWAHAHAHA!
when you put it that way...
actually my thoughts were more about muddy feet in the rain, but i guess a pair of flip-flops for walking between the shower and camper door would solve that as well.

Bringing enough water used to be a big decision for me but since the family has scattered I can get by on 2 to 3 gallons per weekend (but that's just me).

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with the water in the tank being for dish washing, showering, flushing the toilet, washing hands... 2 to 3 gallons may be a tad light.
course, the clean water tank is mainly just for dry-camping (ironic name for no water hookups on-site), but as i want the option of camping not at a RV park, i need water storage.

...Tried setting up a heated shower using a heat exchanger on the vehicle engine and a small pump, it worked fairly well with filtered stream water, but any more I usually just sponge off before bed.

I have used a Cornelius keg/soda tank but heating the water was not easy.
(with a big pot you can heat water pour it in the tank then pressurize it and take a shower but if any thing it is more hassle than the hose, wires, pump, heat exchanger routine).

Enjoy!

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the benefit of having a camper, is i will have a propane fired water-heater.
i have tent camped in the past, back when i did 100 miles or so of hiking, in 1995. it was great, and i had a lot of fun. but sometimes is is just as much fun with a few amenities available to each, their own.

one thing i know this camper will be lacking in, is storage for food, clothing, and general stuff. so maybe having an outdoor shower will work to my benefit. in the former shower/tub location, i can build in a set of shelves, with simple cargo-net "stuff" retention. good place to store tent for the kids, the shower tent, and maybe some extra food and water, if needed.

also, i am about 51% sure i will be moving the kitchen to where the living room used to be. sure, the window layout will be odd, then, but if i just have a cook-top, and sink, with a cooler for food storage, how big of a kitchen do i really need.
the back of the camper will then be a "U" shaped dinette, with a table that drops down to convert the dinette into a spare bed. with battery storage under one side, and the water-heater under the other. may still have the outdoor shower hookups in a hatch under the dinette. just some things to think about...

"actually my thoughts were more about muddy feet in the rain, but i guess a pair of flip-flops for walking between the shower and camper door would solve that as well."

..not trying to tell you how to do any thing; but I used perforated rubber mat in the shower to prevent "muddy foot" and have found that most of the dirt/usually sand around here) wipes off pretty easily on a piece of carpet or door mat at the entry.. A pump up sprayer was what I used for showering in camp most recently... paint it black and warm it and the water inside in the sun.

"with the water in the tank being for dish washing, showering, flushing the toilet, washing hands... 2 to 3 gallons may be a tad light. "

Yep! the dirty dish issue was largely solved with with (burnable) paper plates (though I still carry a pair hard plates for when I wish to dine civilized). Tableware only takes a dab of water to clean (often stream water;.. got to be careful to be relatively certain that its not polluted though; boiling works if not). Unless I am camping in the desert; I rarely bring more than 7 gallons of potable water for a weekend and end up dumping most/all of it on the campfire before leaving...

I do a sponge bath/damp wipe down each night before bed (to de-grunge) and in the mornings, after shaving; showers are a great luxury which I have gotten away from while camping; they take too much water and/or equipment to support, when tent camping far from civilization, IMO.

The port-a-potti has it own tank, a couple of gallons, (and an auxiliary spray bottle); I don't count the water as potable.

Unscented baby wipes are usually used to clean hands and an occasional face... they burn just fine in the camp fire.

A water heater would be great!
Here is mine;

Its (usually) propane powered too!
...a liter is enough to shave/sponge off with, usually...

"sometimes (edit; camping) is just as much fun with a few amenities available to each, their own. "

I 110% agree; I am sometimes accused of Glamping...no apologies needed or given.

i decreased my stove from 2 to one burner, to reduce the amount f gear that I camp with, and have not yet found it to be a problem although I do still grill over campfire coals, sometimes...which is a prime source of the grubbiness that needs to be cleaned at the end of the day..

Enjoy!

not sure if i updated my plans to the latest, or not. read back a bit and didn't find mention, but that doesn't mean i didn't mention it...

the back of the camper, where the kitchen used to be, i will build into a large "U" shaped dinette that converts to a bed for extra sleeping. the kitchen will go where the couch used to be, and will be setup with a cooktop (no oven), sink, microwave, and of course some counter-space, with some upper cabinets as well.
batteries (about 400Ah planed) will go under one side of the dinette, and the water heater under the other side. the back of the "U" will just be space for under seat storage.
i will likely put the water tank under the kitchen cabinets, beside the furnace (insulated a bit from direct radiation). it will be supported off the floor so plumbing and wires can pass under it. i will support it well, and it will likely be around 500 - 600 pounds of water weight. cabinet frame there will be dimensional lumber (2x4) to constrain the tank from moving. the alternative is to use the OEM water tank, but i think it may be contaminated with mouse waste that rained down when i pulled off a piece of ceiling paneling. i could send a camera down inside and check it, if i can find my bore-scope camera. it would simplify things if it is clean... no idea what size it is.
the main trick will be in getting the wiring straightened out. the lighting will be 12V LED, so all lighting can be on one fuse circuit, fairly easy. i also want some 12V power ports and USB charging outlets scattered about. the AC power will only be usable when plugged into shore-power, until i cat an inverter. there will only be 3 AC only items: A/C, microwave, and the AC-DC battery charger. all of which could be generator run when out in the "sticks" (remote location). though the A/C takes a LOT of power, and will likely only be used when plugged into 50A RV service. most of the time i will just have to open a window and use a fan.
it is estimated that most of the time will be out of the camper, enjoying the outdoors. but in bad weather...

currently, i still need to replace the section of rotten flooring that i tore up (maybe this weekend). then i can work on the battery box. i can then start framing the dinette, so i can visualize the rest of the build better. i will wait on the kitchen cabinet framework, i think, until i know if i need to get a new tank, or just sanitize the OEM one. but when i can start the cabinet frame, then i can work on the wiring, and furnace air ducting.
the furnace will be ducted as such. two 4" hoses to the bedroom and bathroom. and one to the kitchen, tying in the under-mount tank heating duct (if i use that tank), and another 4" duct by the dinette. that will give me enough i think. the return-air will be through a louvered panel in the bottom of the kitchen cabinets.
the floor of the cabinets will be either removable, or down to the camper floor, to provide access to plumbing and such underneath.
flooring material will be vinyl sheet, and installed everywhere possible, just to clean up the appearance under the cabinets, and other places. easier to clean than raw plywood.

but working on it this weekend depends on how the ground around it is. Mud Season as come to Maine, and i would rather not sink up to my armpits in mud, trying to come and go from the camper.

cbramsey5898 said:

I found the roll on Amazon. It was cheaper than the 4 x 8 sheets I shared with you previously. Trouble with that is you have to trim it to width, hold it up to the underside of your RV frame, screw it into place with self tapping screws, and provide tension to keep the roll somewhat manageable. It made the price difference worthwhile.

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yes, i definitely see the advantage of the Chloroplast, as i will likely be doing the work by myself.

For the insulation, I found a roll of Reflectix on Amazon. Reflectix roll

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perfect, that looks even better than Thinsulate, as it will not hold moisture.

I also found tank heater pads and associated switches on Amazon as well. RecPro Tank Heater Pad

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far less expensive than i was expecting!

i think my first focus though, is getting the interior built. maybe this weekend, after replacing the section of rotted floor (i keep procrastinating...), i will take some measurements of various things, so i can start working on a CAD drawing of my interior plans. that way i will be able to plug things in and make sure they fit.

one change to my plans that i would like to do, is find a spot between the battery compartment, and the water inlet, for the water heater. it was way over on the other side of the camper, OEM, but that is a long pipe run to get hot water. so if i can have it closer to the kitchen and by the furnace, it will also be shorter of a run to the LP gas connection.

but once the interior is much further along, i can fit in the other needs.

Water purification question:
my clear water tank has some debris in it (moth and a little mouse debris). now, some stuff, like the moth, can't be flushed out due to the size of the drain hole, and i can't guarantee i can get all the mouse debris out. i can't presently afford to replace the tank. i know the tank, after flushing out as much as i can, needs to be sanitized with a mixture of water with some bleach in it. but as far as i can think of, that just means i will be drinking and washing dishes with sterilized mouse debris...
my first thought is something like this: 10" x 4.5" Big Blue Whole House Water Filter Housing Sediment Carbon Cartridge | eBay
i tried a sink tap Britta drinking water filter, but it would restrict the water down to just a dribble.
arguably, i could carry water jugs, and drink from those (likely will anyway), but knowing kids, they will use the tap water for drinking or brushing their teeth, without a second thought.

so, the question is, will the above filter make the water safe, and not restrict flow?

I used a Beech Lane External RV Dual Water Filter System in our 5th wheel. It is very similar to what you have listed in your post. The pros are it is (I believe) smaller than what you linked to and would take up less room. If you were going to use it downstream of your fresh water tank, you would have to plumb it into the pex plumbing (not that difficult). There is a 5 micron and a 1 (or 0.5) micron filter to ensure your water is the cleanest it can be. Replaement filter cartridges can be obtained at your local big box hardware, Amazon, or eBay. The con is there isn't a pressure release button to allow you to replace the filter cartridges without getting bathed in the process.

I never noticed a restriction in water flow with the Beech Lane.

You would have to plumb the filter (or filters) you linked into the pex plumbing which isn't that difficult. If you use a multi filter setup, it would allow you the ability to filter out more of the bad stuff.

As long as you follow a set schedule for cartridge filter replacement, you shouldn't have an issue with water flow.