Week 39 - Water Pump

Supplying water in a campervan can be done most simply with a submersible pump and an onboard water tank. I decided that this would be the route I took also. Similar to fitting the gas, I cut a section of the cupboard floor out to house two 10l fresh water tanks (using 2 smaller tanks proved the best use of space due to the position of the wheel arch).

I then bought a Reich 14l/min submersible pump for a 10mm tube – this matched the size and make for the tap. The pump and the tube came from a local caravan/camping shop.

I fitted the tube to the “push-on” fixtures and secured at the top with a jubilee clip. The pump is then wired back and turned on and off with the tap micoswitch. A quick test and it all works well.

I later changed the configuration of the electrics to incorporate a 30A Relay. This is because the microswitch in the tap is only cut out for small loads and might blow and need replacing if used to directly control the pump.

Week 38 - Tap

As I would only be using cold water, I decided on a Reich 10mm tap with a microswitch to turn the water on and off. I drilled through the worktop taking care to avoid the position of the drawer and ran the tap wiring through the hole.

The tap was obviously made to go though a much thinner material as the thread was not long enough. After some tweaking (bodging) the tap was glued firmly in position with Araldite.

I can now connect the power and water up with a pump to supply water to the sink.

Week 37 - Fire Extinguisher

This was another slow week with progress on the van. Now that all the units are fitted, I was able to decide where the fire extinguisher should go. I chose to fit it opposite the kitchen units near the rear doors.

The extinguisher was taken out of the old caravan before it was scrapped, and came with a bracket which I screwed to the wall. I hope it still works, and I hope I never need to use it.

Week 36 - Rear Door Panels 2

Last week’s panels can now be fitted to the van. I started by fixing the mirror to one of the panels. I then plugged the spaces behind the panels with insulation and held them up to mark their positions. Next I drilled 5mm holes and riveted the panels on with 5mm aluminium rivets. All that was left was to screw in the access panel behind the rear number plate. I think the panels look pretty good now that they are fixed on.