Club 80-90 Forums

We have a 1989 Sheldon Hi-Top. I cleaned the water tank last weekend but the only way I could fill the tank with water was from inside the van, through the top of the tank. I know there's a place to fill the tank from the outside of the van but every time I tried it simply ran back out - I was trying to do it with a watering can though! Will this be easy if I use a hose, or does it sound like something's wrong?

The filler drops off sharply downwards and it's best to bend a hosepipe downwards and wiggle it until it physically drops down the filler pipe a bit. I'd imagine with just chucking water in the trapped air will just 'burp' it back out again - like trying to fill a very small bottle with the tap on full pelt.

Unless of course it's blocked somehow.....

Given that you don't know where the hosepipe's been (somebody's toilet tank, almost certainly, no matter how large the signs saying "DRINKING WATER ONLY"), I prefer not to insert the hose into the hole at all - and have no problem with "burp-back".

I'd be getting access to the pipework, and making sure it's as straight and unkinked as possible. Dunno if there's a breather, but if so - make sure it's clear.

AdrianC wrote:Given that you don't know where the hosepipe's been (somebody's toilet tank, almost certainly, no matter how large the signs saying "DRINKING WATER ONLY"), I prefer not to insert the hose into the hole at all - and have no problem with "burp-back".

I'd be getting access to the pipework, and making sure it's as straight and unkinked as possible. Dunno if there's a breather, but if so - make sure it's clear.

I was working on the assumption any hosepipe would belong to them and they'd know exactly where it's been, just like mine belongs to me. The 'burp' is what I imagined trying to fill it from a watering can would create; a guess if you will, and the breather is in the top of the filler opening section which won't help with trapped air in the down pipe and tank.
Any practical reason for not inserting the end of a hose into the top of the pipe?

As an aside, I nearly always fill my tank from inside the van cos it's quicker and you can fill it to the level you want.

1664 wrote:I was working on the assumption any hosepipe would belong to them and they'd know exactly where it's been, just like mine belongs to me.

I just can't think of anywhere to put a wet hosepipe inside the van, so we rely on the ones connected to campsite taps. Not a great solution, I know, but we've not died of dysentery or cholera. Yet.

As an aside, I nearly always fill my tank from inside the van cos it's quicker and you can fill it to the level you want.

On a Westy, that'd involve folding the table out, emptying a cupboard, and removing a metal plate then the cover over the pump...

AdrianC wrote:

1664 wrote:

As an aside, I nearly always fill my tank from inside the van cos it's quicker and you can fill it to the level you want.

On a Westy, that'd involve folding the table out, emptying a cupboard, and removing a metal plate then the cover over the pump...

On our Leisure drive, I wanted to simply examine our built in tank, but the way the interior is assembled it would take a major carpentry job to remove all the woodwork to even get to see it It ain't broke though so "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes into play I suppose !

We carry our own hose for filling. I have thought a locking cap on the filler would be nice though

AdrianC wrote:

As an aside, I nearly always fill my tank from inside the van cos it's quicker and you can fill it to the level you want.

On a Westy, that'd involve folding the table out, emptying a cupboard, and removing a metal plate then the cover over the pump...

Sod that for a game of soldiers, I just pull the rear seat forward and there's the tank. I'd certainly use the outside filler if it were any more hassle than that