gravity-fed water tanks

[belinda]

We still haven't got our water tank going, the big problem being that we just can't get the tap un-frozen.

Yes we have tried heat. Also WD40, vinegar, mild acid, brute force and lots of swearing.

You can see a picture of the tank on the members photo album under "Belinda and Robert's pride and joy".

The best thing will be to just get a new one made up, but where will we get a tap for it? Has anyone got any suggestion for where to get a brass tap with a lever to turn it on/off?

[Roehm3108]

Hi Belinda
There is a water tank on ebay that might interest you. Noit sure if it has a tap on it. It's under: Cars, Bikes & Boats > Boat Parts & Acc > Other Accessories
Cheers
Ray

[belinda]

Hi Ray

checked out the tank, but it is just the wrong shape (a bit too tall and a bit too narrow). However, it does show that there are tanks out there.

We're talking about getting a copper tank made - easy to fold, no corrosion, forms a patina that seals the inside, cheaper than stainless steel.

I'll keep an eye out for a nice old tap.

cheers

Belinda

[tanks]

Belinda
The tap should unscrew out of the tank no worries.
If it is the same as my tank ( see pictures reddos van) it will be available from a rain water tank supplier.

"Common as" on old corrugated iron water tanks.

Now if someone can come up with a cure for stopping the water from turning a rust colour after a few days i would greatly appreciate hearing about it.

Might fill it full of Jailbar Juice ;D

Reddo

[johnfenn]

These brass taps are standard on old water tanks. There were 2 types, on had a handle shaped like a butterfly or hourglass, the other had a hinged handle with a slot in it to allow a padlock to be fitted. You should be able to pick on up at an older harware store, or even a local farmer if you in the country.

As far as your old tap is concerned you may want to try boiling it in bleach for a few minutes. DO NOT BREATH IN THE FUMES. If the stuff that is blocking the tap is organic bleach will remove it, although it may pit the brass slightly. The other safer alternative is to drop the tap in a bucket of molasses for a week or 2. This works really well. Finally a trick an old local engineer taught me.

You will need 2 pairs of pliers, large and small, some ice cubes and your kitchen oven. Heat the oven to 200º C then put the tap in there for about 1/2 an hour. Grab the body of the tap with the large pliers and hold an ice cube onto the handle for a few minutes, then grab the handle with the small pliers and work it free. This works for stubborn bolts and studs. Weld a blob of weld onto the offending item, piss on it (you have to aim very carefully) and it will undo. Be sure to remove the little nut from the bottom of the tap first, then you will be able to pull the handle portion right out og the tap for cleaning.

The original taps were machined to a very close tolerance, there is no gasket in there, it is a water tight brass to brass fitting.

Hope all this diatribe helps.

John Fenn

[belinda]

The trip to Coledale inspired us to finally do something about the water tank above the sink in the van and we now have a brand new one to show off at Motorfest.

A search of the Yellow Pages listed five sheet metal workers in the local area and we hit the jackpot with the first one. Not only were they happy to do small one-off jobs, but they also understood the importance of keeping things original. They preserved the original filler cap and handle and were even able to rescue and repair the brass tap which had previously defied all attempts to un-freeze it.

As for materials, the choice was between gal or stainless and we chose gal for a number of reasons:
- it was the original material
- they could make it in the same way as the original with folded/dished ends. A stainless tank would have had flat ends and looked quite different
- whether we used stainless or gal the tank has to be drained and dried after each use anyway to avoid corrosion, so there wasn't any advantage to stainless.

Croydon Industries at Marrickville (Sydney) did the job in three days for $145 plus GST. The price in stainless would have been $185 plus GST.

The result is an incredibly faithful copy of the original. We wonder why it took so long to get around to the job, or why we ever toyed with the idea of repairing the old one.

I have sent photos separately to Mark and asked him to post them for me.

cheers

Belinda

[Roehm3108]

Hi Belinda. My Propert had a leaking tank like yours. Couldn't fix it. So I went to a young friend of mine who is doing his apprenticeship in stainless steel. He made one up for me - an exact copy of what I had. Used the old tap and burnished the tank to a beaut satin finish for me. Cost me a whole $90!!! After your quotes in stainless, I'm thrilled to bits! Too good a job to put paint on it, so I will defer to some level of modernity in this case!! ;D ;D
Ray
PS. I sent the burners from my Ravia stove to Sands in Melbourne to be serviced. Guess what? After two months they still haven't arrived there. Hope they eventually do get there, as new burners cost $125 each. Sands only have one of them and can't get hold of the supplier for more. An expensive lesson for not registering the mail. But then I never realised that those burners were so valuable either. Cheers
Ray

[Roehm3108]

Hi Belinda
Still can't find my stove elements anywhere, so it looks like they are gone for good. Have finally managed to find another stove. Have been assured that it's in good condition (it's in NSW) Going for $45.00!!!! As long as the elements are OK, I'm happy. Let's hope that this won't get lost in the mail too!!!
Ray

[belinda]

What a bummer Ray! I hate stories like that.

At Coledale I had a good look at Reddo and Maurie's Maxie stoves and the burners are almost identical to those in my Ravia (if you want a picture look at the Maxie stove in the Propert currently for sale).

Maxie are still in business and make metho stoves for the yachting market, so why not give them a call? They may be able to help you out with burners.

MAXCO INDUSTRIES PTY LTD
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
8 Bennett Street, Mortlake NSW 2137

P.S. Reddo also has an interesting home-made stove which has a single Maxie burner - the tank is an old copper toilet cistern float with a cork for a stopper!

[Roehm3108]

The second hans shop sent me pics of the old stove they had and it looks in very good condition, so at that price I will buy it. Postage is only $20.00, so overall, I think I've got a good deal.
Who knows, one day thos burners will find their way home again, and them I will have some spares. Thanks for the info.
Cheers
Ray

[Deleted]

Still on gravity feed tanks

The tank in my van is an original galv iron tank. It holds water Ok and the tap works. However i have a problem ( we all know that Reddo). i have flushed it several times and tried different ways of trying to keep it from sending the water orange/brown/rusty.
I put about 5 litres of vinegar in it and had little success.
also quarter filled it with nuts and bolts and tumbled it for 2 hours. had little joy. thought about CLR.

Does anyone know of a product that can be used to clean the insides of the tank. i would prefer not to have to buy 5 gallons of a product to completely fill and wash the tank. i understand just about any acid will do the job but you have to bear in mind that once it has etched the inside of the tank clean i will be using the tank for drinking water and i feel the water would still taste like acid..... Not that i have tasted acid before..... gone close with Jailbar Juice .

I appreciate that there are other options like stainless steel or copper tanks but i would like to retain the old tank if i can.
Another tactic i thought of was to run a small say 1 or 2 gallon overhead in cupboard water tank/plastic bottle with a tube gravity feeding down through the original tank filler cap into the back of the old tank tap. No water stored in old tank.
I have a couple of old 60's style sink pumps. spose i could always set one up with an underfloor tank.
Naaaa that'd be a bit too flash.
Hmmmmmmm . thinks .... stainless steel....waddabout i go 'n' buy an 11 gall keg. sit down and drink the bubbly brown contents while i ponder over the problem of the flat brown water in the gal tank.

Blue spark hits head about now....Belinda tactics....... don't use tank at all . Buy 5 litre bottle of mineral water, freeze and place in ice box. keeps food cold while slowly melting to provide drinkin water.
Naaa ... i am off to buy a keg...... much, much , much better idea ;D

Reddoholic

[belinda]

Hi Reddo,

The advantage of a gravity-fed tank is that you turn on the tap and the water, she runs. Much easier when brushing teeth and no aerobic exercise pumping water up from the nether regions somewhere under the van.

A small removable tank is easier to clean out and store dry between trips than a fixed tank under the floor.

It's also much lighter to travel to Coledale (or wherever) with an empty tank and fill it from a tap when you arrive.

Why not just bite the bullet and get yourself a new gal. tank made? I've seen yours - as well as the rust on the inside it has all those lumpy welded bits around the edges presumably to patch up holes. You'd need to spend a lot on chemicals to clean it out and turn the rust into something else - why not just pay the same money to a sheet metal worker?

The poor old tank has had a long life and probably won't hate you if she were honorably retired. You could even hold a wake and make it an excuse to drink some jaibarjuice.

cheers

Belinda

[belinda]

Today I visited the factory that made the original 1950's tank for our van and had a wonderful conversation with the owner. Unfortunately T G Paterson closed last July and Col Paterson was there doing some tidying up, but he well-remembered fabricating water tanks and other components for vans (including portholes).

In terms of our tank:
- the tap is deliberately positioned about an inch above the base so any sediment would stay in the tank and not come out the tap. It also lets the tank sit flat if put on a level surface.
- if the filler cap doesn't have a hole, loosen it off in use to let air flow in
- store the tank empty and dry to prevent rust (a few of have learnt this one)
- the taps were made at Canterbury but they got them from a tank works at Tempe. They came with two styles of handle - the "butterfly" shape and the lever, and levers came in black or red depending on your decor.
- among the other caravan components they made was a metal shelf for the tank to sit on with a notch cut out for the tap (Maurie, isn't this what's in your Atlantic?)

As well as Atlantic, T G Paterson supplied components to other caravan manufacturers around Sydney including Propert, Caravan Accessories and Carapark. At one stage they would be sending out two or three truckloads of components a week.

It is always great to meet people who have all this information, and even more when they are happy to give generously of their time. I'll post some of his other comments in relevant threads.