Lesson learned: water

The water situation went remarkably well, though I did have a few challenges.

Lesson:  my fresh water calculations were off

For those following the build thread, you will remember I salvaged a 35 gallon freshwater tank out of a class C that was being parted out.

I went into the trip thinking I’d use 2-3gal of fresh water a day for cooking, cleaning, hygiene, etc.

I didn’t waste any water but did use it when I needed it:

• replaced the sink fauctets with a dish sprayer that I couldn’t leave on.  It is also easy to dispense short spritzes to rinse stuff off or wash hands

• kept the water pump turned off most of the time

• used a pressure cooker or lidded vessels for cooking to reduce water loss

As it turned out I used about 1.5gal/day of fresh water, in addition to my drinking water supply.  I may start filtering my fresh water for drinking purposes, which will reduce the space needed for drinking water.

Lesson:  gray water was no big deal

My original plan was to have a plumbed graywater tank that I could drain in grass or in an RV dump.  Since I ran out of time I caught my sink gray water in a blue salvaged 7gal water jug instead.

Worked great. I collected less than 3 gallons of graywater during the entire outing so I didn’t have to empty it until I got home.  I did dispose of non-sink (washbasin, etc) water and the like by flinging/dispersing it away from desert flora.

I do have a bulkhead kit and may install it later.

Lesson:  water pumps are loud

They don’t seem loud until you run them at daybreak at a crowded RTR.  I quickly learned to fill my washbasin and teapot the previous evening to preserve morning peace.

Lesson:  vinyl hoses taste like vinyl

I made my connecting hoses out of clear vinyl tubing.  The water has a faint plasticy taste.  Didn’t notice it when used for cooking but I did when rinsing my mouth after brushing teeth for example.

I might replumb with something else, or might use a Brita to remove the taste if that works.