Fitting an LPG tank in place of my water tank?

[CJH]

When I bought my van, 10 days before my planned trip away in it, I sterilised and flushed the water system, but despite flushing it many many times I couldn't get the water to run clear, so I gave up and we used a water carrier on our holiday. I'll soon be removing the whole interior so I'll be able to remove the water tank and pipework, and clean/renew everything as necessary.

But I had a thought. With the current setup I'm supposed to carry (expensive) bottled gas (and a spare), and fill up with water by taking the van to the tap. This seems like the wrong way round. Wouldn't it be better to have a tank for the gas, so I can top-up when I like (so there's little risk of running out and I therefore don't need to carry a spare), and if I have to clutter up my storage space with a bottle of anything, why not water? My current stored water system only feeds the tap in the sink, so I'd be able to either do away with the pump or use a small submersible one in a little portable water carrier under the hob (where the gas bottle currently sits).

So would I be mad to put an LPG tank where my water tank currently sits (under the cupboard forward of the wardrobe)? Is it a DIY proposition? I could replace the water inlet with an LPG nozzle, but everything would be somewhat inaccessible once the interior is put back in. Is good access required for regular servicing of an LPG tank?

[Plasticman]

well i built an lpg tank into my van but cheaper option to get a refillable bottle, anbout £170 ish i think
mm

[CJH]

well i built an lpg tank into my van but cheaper option to get a refillable bottle, anbout £170 ish i think
mm

Cheaper maybe, but space is at a premium. Do you mean a bottle that can be topped up before it's empty? Can these refillable bottles (or any bottles in fact) be used on their side? The tallest bottle I can fit upright is a Campingaz 907

[Plasticman]

ah ok , no they must be upright.
i bought a stako tank and bits heres a link to a firm
http://www.tinleytech.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
mm

[jamesandtheopenroad]

Yeah,one uses 907s. But the cost of an underslung tank is immense.

[Plasticman]

no.... small cyc 200x500 £49 ,with all the valves etc it can be done for about £150
http://www.tinleytech.co.uk/acatalog/Ta ... -hole.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
do some research
mm

[CJH]

do some research

This IS research - I'm asking the people who know

no.... small cyc 200x500 £49 ,with all the valves etc it can be done for about £150
http://www.tinleytech.co.uk/acatalog/Ta ... -hole.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
mm

Thanks for the link. When I get my van back I'll measure up the space where the water tank is - one of those small tanks would give me more than double the capacity of a 907, and may well be doable in the space available. But then again, if I'm going to the bother, maybe I should just fit it underneath the van and make it even bigger. Too many jobs and and not enough money.

[Plasticman]

the research was in reply to james who said its expensive,
as for folk who know well im one that does hence the reply and link,and there are many others on here as well
just remember with underslung you need to think of the tank diameter for ground clearance and protection of the valve and fittings
mm

[CJH]

Saw it - onto it.

http://forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.p ... 1#p7915961" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

E D I T: Apologies to the seller - my post makes it look as though I've bought it, and that may put off other prospective buyers. That's not the case.

[CJH]

Today I took the first steps towards carrying out this mod. I removed the built in water tank. It's massive!



Once it was out I was able to get the first dreaded glimpse of the inside of the bodywork on the kitchen side of the van. Thankfully, apart from some manky old carpet and 30 years of dust and grime (and an old style removable ring-pull - remember them?) it looks in pretty good shape. It's left a nice big hole:



So my plan now is to source a portable water container that will fit in the cupboard under the sink and get a submersible pump to serve the tap. The space left by the old on-board water tank is ripe either for conversion to extra cupboard space or for fitting a gas tank into. It's just about big enough for a 20 litre tank, which would be ample for my needs, but I'd have to build up a platform for it to sit on (due to the slope of the rear wheelarch) so it'd be about a foot above the floor. The remote fill could go where the water fill point is (was), and this location would put the tank very close to the hob and the fridge where it's needed. It would be underneath a removable cupboard base, which means I'd have to empty out all my food tins and jars to get to it, but I'm assuming it wouldn't need regular access.

Can anyone comment on the wisdom of putting a gas tank there? The space seems deeper than the area between the chassis members under the van, and of course it would be protected from the elements, so it seems like a better place than an underslung option, but is there any danger from on board gas, particularly when it would be about a foot above the floor?

[Ian Hulley]

Can anyone comment on the wisdom of putting a gas tank there? The space seems deeper than the area between the chassis members under the van, and of course it would be protected from the elements, so it seems like a better place than an underslung option,

Personally I bought a Westfailure underslung leisure tank ... made specifically for the application AND if you do a lot of camping (as we like to do) and can get one without having to pay Surrey Added Tax it's a very affordable option which leaves valuable internal space free.

Ian

[CJH]

Personally I bought a Westfailure underslung leisure tank ... made specifically for the application AND if you do a lot of camping (as we like to do) and can get one without having to pay Surrey Added Tax it's a very affordable option which leaves valuable internal space free.

Thanks Ian - I definitely get the internal space argument - I was quite taken by how much bigger that cupboard would be if I lined it out. If I can make it easily accessible without hacking the cupboard fronts about then that's probably the biggest argument for 'going underslung' in my mind.

But aside from that, isn't there a downside of having the tank exposed to the elements? Does a genuine Westy tank have a built-in locker to protect all the valves and connections from road salt and mud? Where are the gauge and filler point mounted on one of those?

[1664]

Dunno about westy tanks but the one fitted by Gasure on my van has all the gauge, connections type stuff hidden behind a sealed waterproof removable cover. It shares the same filler point as the main tank for the engine LPG so it tops up automatically every time I fill up hence I don't really have to check how full it is.

As for how high your tank would sit if you fitted one in that recess; people have tanks fitted in their wardrobe spaces and in the locker over the engine bay so presumably height would not be an issue.

I'd go for an underslung one too though, although me being me I'd also clean that water tank out and reinstall it

[CJH]

Thanks 1664

I may well end up visiting Gasure for a chat and a quote. I could do with finding someone who can re-pipe my gas fridge too.

That water tank is NOT going back in though! Even though it's out there's still no way to clean it 'mechanically' since the only access points are the three pipe connections. Obviously I could tackle it with chemicals, but I just don't trust it. Even after hours of flushing while it was in the van, water from it still had a lot of little floaters in it. It's 30 years old, and I have no way to tell how long it's been stood with water in it, happily growing all kinds of mould on the inside, and being opaque black I just can't tell what it's like. If the semi-transparent pipework is anything to go by, it won't be pretty! It's also way bigger than I need, so a smaller, transparent, portable container, with a drop in pump, will give me peace of mind and easier maintenance. Such a setup would also probably allow me to use one of those big supermarket water bottles in a pinch.

[keith2]

I took the internal water tank out from my Viking, as when we bought the van we filled it up and it split, nicley flooding the van with quite a few litres of water! Converted the space into storage fitting a removable shelf to split the area, you can get most things in and out of the lower part through the small drop down door by the rear seat.

To replace the internal tank, I installed a submersible pump and have a water container in the wardrobe, bit like the Devons have - works great.

Cheers
Keith