LET'S TALK WATER

If you are in the process of turning a cargo van into a passenger van or into some sort of vehicle where you are traveling or living in, the topic of water is something you are going to want to tackle first. In this blog post we are going to talk about the importance of having a water sytem and how to get started creating one if you don't already have a water system already up and running.

WHY WATER IN A VAN

The obvious reasons of why equip your sprinter van with a water supply:

1. Cooking & Cleaning

If you are looking to cook while on the road, clean your dishes or have somewhere to wash hands.

2. Shower, Toilet & Hygiene

Makes feel like life on the road a little bit more like home.

3. Rinsing off

Whether thats rinsing off feet, hands, bikes, surfboards & any other gear you may have with you.

HOW TO GET STARTED

The first order of business to get water flowing through your campervan is securing a water tank. Water tanks are a vital part of any van build & should be figured out in the early stages of your van conversion. Water tanks vary in size and location. Depending on how you plan to use water & how many people you travel with will determine which tank option is best for you. 

A common van build for someone traveling w/ a partner that we see a lot has two water tanks being used. This is mainly because the van build has a full interior shower & kitchen. One water tank is used for fresh water & the other tank is used for grey water. This doesn't mean every van build has to utilize two tanks. It comes down to how you are going to use water & the duration of your travels. 

 

INTERIOR VS EXTERIOR WATER TANKS

When choosing a water tank there are two options of where it can go. It's either going to be situated somewhere in the interior of your campervan or mounted outside underneath your camper. If you are dealing with colder climates the best option for you will be an interior water tank. Interior water tanks have less exposure to the outside freezing temperatures which can prevent the freezing of water from occurring.

If cold climates is not a worry then it really comes down to your layout and how you plan to build your campervan. Here at The Van Mart we mostly work on Sprinter Vans & tend to go with the outside mounted water tanks. Being located in Southern California our climate doesn't permit us to be as concerned w/ water freezing. Plus with the 40 gallon option we get maximum water storage capabilities without taking up any space in the interior of our campervans.

 

INTERIOR WATER TANKS (SPRINTER & TRANSIT OPTIONS AVAILABLE)

Below you will see what an interior water tank looks like when utilized in the interior of a campervan. These tanks were designed to utilize the other wise wasted space of your wheel wells. 

Link to all interior water tanks:

Browse Here

 

EXTERIOR WATER TANKS (SPRINTER ONLY)

If you are looking to add a water supply system to your sprinter van we are glad you are here! The first item of business that you are going to want to take care how to store the water. This is done by adding a water tank underneath your vehicle The optimal water tank sizes for a sprinter van is 25 gallons or 40 gallons. These two sizes are designed to fit in the underbelly of your sprinter van. 

THE 25 GALLON OPTION

 

The 25 gallon tank fits between the front wheel and back wheel on the driver side. We put together a kit that includes the mounting you will need plus the 25 gallon tank itself!

Link to 25 gallon water tank w/ mounting kit:

Shop Here

THE 40  GALLON OPTION

The 40 gallon tank fits where your spare tire was perviously. We put together a kit that includes the mounting parts you will need plus the 40 gallon tank. 

Link to 40 gallon water tank w/ mounting kit:

Link to 40 gallon water tank w/ mounting kit:

Shop Here

If you are wanting to go this route with a 40 gallon tank and still wanting a place to store your spare tire you will need to add a rear tire carrier to your sprinter van. A rear tire carrier gives you the ability to store a spare as the water tank will take the spot of your rear tire underneath your sprinter van.

Here is what a rear tire carrier looks like:

Link to shop rear tire carrier:

Shop Here

BACK TO THE TOPIC OF WATER

Undecided on which tank size would be best for you?

Let's take the 25 gallon tank size as an example. If you plan on taking a five minutes shower you are looking at using about 10 gallons of water. That gives you the ability to take about 2.5 showers before having to fill up your tank. If you had the 40 gallon tank you would be able to roughly get 4 showers before having to fill up your water tank. 

There are many other factors in play that determine what would be the best tank size for you. Things like family size, whether or not you have a sink/ kitchen area or how long do you plan to be away from a known water source where you can fill up your tank!

TAKE A INSIDE LOOK

Here is a inside look at how our good friend Evan actually used both tanks simultaneously with his sprinter van!

NEXT STEPS (ASSUMING YOU  INSTALLED A WATER TANK)

So you have your water tank installed and have a place to store water.... what about the plumbing, fixtures, valves, etc? This is where there isn't one right answer. Because all van layouts are built different how to go about plumbing and connecting your water tank to sinks, showers, toilets & more is going to differ. 

We recommend first knowing where and what fixtures your are going to add in your sprinter van. This will give you a better idea of length of hoses you will need, type of water pump, how many split valves, etc. 

NEED A LITTLE MORE GUIDANCE?

If you have any other questions about these products feel free to hit us up on the chat box or you can call us anytime Mon-Fri 9am-5pm PST (657) 227-8433