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Old 04-18-2015, 08:16 PM   #1
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Under floor plumbing?

In walk-through builds that have the fresh water tank on one side of the isle and the sink on the other side of the isle, how are you running the plumbing? Under the van floor? Under the conversion floor? I've been looking around and can't seem to find the answer I'm looking for and haven't been able to see any isle layouts in person.

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Old 04-18-2015, 09:02 PM   #2
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Re: Under floor plumbing?

I have a walkthrough and SMB ran the lines under the van outside completely exposed. They also ran the fresh water tank drain down inside the frame rail(I have a Dodge Unibody so I don't know if that is what it is called exactly, but that's what it looks like) so when I drain the tank the water runs all the way down the rail until it fills with water and starts dripping out of a hole in the side of the frame rail.
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Old 04-19-2015, 10:37 AM   #3
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Re: Under floor plumbing?

Did they just use tubing or something more sturdy like PVC? I was considering going the PVC route with a heater wire to keep it from freezing, but I am still kind of nervous about it all being exposed to rocks impacts and such, would really suck to be in the middle of nowhere and suddenly have no water!

The drain through the frame rail sounds like a horrible idea and a great way to foster rust, mold, and other nastiness. Surprised they'd do that.
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Old 04-19-2015, 11:53 AM   #4
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Re: Under floor plumbing?

The exposed water supply lines are either PEX tubing or something very similar.

Here is a pic of my water tank:



The grey tubes are what is run on the underside of the van outside as well. If you look closely just to the left of the grey valve handle, there is another small valve and attached to that is a 3" piece of tubing that literally runs through the floor of the van and stops inside the frame rail.
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Old 04-19-2015, 12:23 PM   #5
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Re: Under floor plumbing?

I'm pretty sure the grey tubing is "pb," which is not used anymore (there were lawsuits/problems in houses). My late 90's SMB also had pb plumbing.

The modern equivalent would be PEX, which is easy to put together and somewhat resistant to freeze damage. I think that's what most RV makers use now (including SMB). It can be joined with clamp rings (similar to what's in the photo) or with quick connect type fittings that you just push on. The latter are more expensive and bulkier, but quick and easy (and easily removable).

PEX fittings are made by specialty boating type companies (such as Whale), but are also made by many "regular" companies and sold at Home Depot, etc. So... easy to come by.

Note that if you are using the clamp rings and/or connecting PEX to an existing pb system, that the barbed fittings are slightly different for PEX vs. pb. There are transition fittings sold (since no-one is doing any new work with pb, so anyone adding on to a pb system is very likely to use PEX).

PEX tubing is typically white, red, or blue; pb is usually (or maybe always?) grey.
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Old 04-19-2015, 05:06 PM   #6
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Re: Under floor plumbing?

I think Viva pretty much nailed it in the PEX description. I have a isle layout and the water lines stay inside, except where they are drains. It goes from driver-side up over back and to the passenger-side. There are two drains that go through the floor, one out of tank and another one on the passenger low side. And there is a third after the inlet. PEX is super easy to work with, but you will either have to purchase or rent a crimper, there are some now crimp connectors but the price goes up with those.

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Old 04-19-2015, 05:30 PM   #7
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Re: Under floor plumbing?

Seems to be kind of an "opposite" trade-off with the crimp vs. quick fittings. What I mean is that the crimp fittings are much more compact, but.... you have to get the tool in there! (Unless you can make up sections out in the open.) The quick connect fittings are more expensive and bulkier, but you just need to be able to get your hand in to push them on (and you can swivel the pipe in the fitting even after it is on). Nice to have options, anyway. Either way PEX seems so ridiculously easy compared to "the old days"

PS: I always wondered how the plumbing in my aisle layout SMB got from the tank under the gaucho over to the sink by the barn doors. I never tore things apart to find out, so could just see it "disappear into the wall" outboard of the gaucho and then "reappear from the wall" behind the sink. That always made me nervous in case it froze or broke (although it never did).
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Old 04-19-2015, 07:17 PM   #8
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Re: Under floor plumbing?

I recommend the Appollo-Pex (yellow packaging) fittings, crimps, tools, etc. from Lowe's. I have used them in several RVs and van builds and they work great. The good thing is you can attatch them to the gray (SMB) pipe and fittings you have with no special connectors, just don't crimp the crimps completely when joining to an SMB fitting or gray pipe, go almost all the way crimped but not quite. I realize that sounds iffy but I have done it a lot and have never had a leak. The best way to learn how tight to get them is to crimp one all the way until it pops, and then back off a little. You'll figure it out. Appollo Pex pipe (white) and the fittings are also pretty inexpensive and bombproof. I have reused fittings (not crimps of course) and reused pipe and have still never had a leak. Glad to help more if you need. I truly think it is the way to go. Also, don't get too worried about the gray stuff in your van. It works fine and holds up well, virtually all SMBs except new ones have it in them. As stated above the only problem with PEX and the crimps is getting the tool into tight spots. Lay out your plumbing accordingly. I have PEX run outside now that I have a bigger water tank under the rear and have absolutely no worries about it freezing. The fittings are heavy brass and unless you live in Alaska I don't think it would matter.

Here's the tool I have. It stays in my van with a few odd fittings in case I ever do have trouble on the road.

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?par ... &cId=PDIO1

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Old 04-19-2015, 07:25 PM   #9
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Re: Under floor plumbing?

In this pic you can plainly see the crimp, fitting and pipe type that I speak of. Keep in mind they make a more expensive crimper that uses a different type of crimps (like the band-style used on your gray pipe already). I do NOT know if it will work, but I know the crimps and the tool are both more expensive, as in about twice as expensive. I have no experience. I bought the cheaper tool and it has worked so no need for me to try anything differently.



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Old 04-19-2015, 08:05 PM   #10
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Re: Under floor plumbing?

I've used a similar clamp on soft hose (boat fuel lines). The ones I got were called Oetiker Clamps, but that's likely just one trade name, like Kleenex vs. tissue. I thought about using the same fittings on PEX (because you can and I had the tool already), but found out that apparently my simpler/smaller Oetiker clamp tool is not good enough for more rigid pipe (such as pb or PEX). I took a quick look at Home Depot and saw that their Oetiker type tool was quite a bit larger than the one I have for soft hose use. At any rate, I found them great on hose so I could see where they would be great on pb/PEX with the right tool.

One note is that you can easily get transition fittings for the clamp ring or Oetiker type fittings to go from pb to PEX. As I remember it, the spacing, or maybe the shape, of the "barbs" is just slightly different. So for example a union or T would have the PEX barbs on one leg and the pb barbs on the other.
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