'63 Safari Water Pump?

[srgntpepper]

I have just purchased a 63 Safari Serial # 22TS1005. I have a waterline with a valve and fitting under the left front couch. (left if you are facing front) Is this where the pupmp should be? I was told by the PO that it needed a pump. Also where is the water tank located on this model? I have read that it is no big deal to put a new pump on, how true is this. Thanks for any info as I am a newbe

[thenewkid64]

I belive in 63 the water system was still a air over water pressurized system. The best way to verify that is to look at the filler cap for the water tank. It should be on the front of the trailer near a corner. The cap is a screw off type about 2 inches in Dia. If there is a air valve like on a tire in it you have a air over water system. There was an air pump that may have been OE, but in the safari I do not know for sure. The water tank is under the front couch, or if you have the dinette it is under the wodden box under the table. It should be a steel or aluminum tank. One method of pressurizing was to use a bike pump.

There are a few things to consider when maiking this change. One is does your unit have a city water inlet for the fresh water hookup at a campground. If it does it is in the trunk under the toilet. If you have a city water hookup then placing the pump along the line that runs down the roadside of the coach is the best. you will need to have 12 volts nearby, but anywhere in the line is fine.

If you do not have a city water hookup then you will need to either do a bit more plumbing and add a check valve or you may already have a tank cap that has a spigot threaded into it. This would be for the fresh city water.

The biggest drawback to the air over water system is that the tanks had a tendency over time to leak, and then you have 25 gallons under pressure wanting to get out. If you convert to a normal demand pump you will need to remove the schrader valve from the cap so you have an air inlet to the tank.

Hope this helps!

[59toaster]

On our 59 Caravanner (same platform as your Safari) with Air over water our city water hook up in under the street side front corner.

The way the system worked is you could fill the tank by the inlet on the curb side front. You could pressurize the system with about 60PSI of air. If your miserly with your water usage that was "supose" to last about 2 days. You could pressurize and fill by connecting to the city water connection. Water would back flow into the tank and pressurize at the same time. Problem is depending on the water pressure on the line filling, you might only get 20 gallons of water in before your couldn't overcome the built pressure in the tank.

This connection is also used as the tank drain. Not sure if this is original but a spigot is used as the valve and agender bender adaptor was made so you can hook the two male theaded connectos together.

On our unit the PO (My father-in-law) Tapped the the tank cap and installed a spigot. I can come up with two reason for this that seem plausable (PO not with us to ask). 1 so he didn't have to mess around under the unit to make the connection. 2. So that the tank could be bleed from the top to make sure the tank was full.

Now it sounds like your system did have the optional grover air pump. It's a 12v pump that allows you to pressurize the tank. Should be located under the goucho/dinnete on the curbside front corner. On the front wall next to the window will be a light switch to allow you to turn off and on the pump. On our unit we have a pressure gage located next to that switch. I asume the gage is added as the instructions I have for the system indicate to check with a tire pressure gage on the fill neck shrader valve that was mentionined byt "The new kid".

Our unit is in the throws of restoration. I have not checked our Grover air pump to see if it functions.

I am undecided if I will retain this system for several reasons. Tank is a sealed unit so I can't verify if I have corrosion in the bottom of it. Big fear of that tank developing a leak and pumping 40 gallons of water out of a pinhole leak. My understanding is most of these tanks were galvanized steel and at 40 years old I question it's integirty if it is indeed galvanized steel.

I will probably convert to water on demand pump. I will proably also scrap the existing water tank and have a Stainless steel tank fabricated. Round tanks of the size used in our units do not seem to be available. Fabrication of a square tank would not be horibly expensive and guarantee fit in the current location with minimal modification. I will also be able to have a access plate on the top where I can visualy check the inside of the tank for any problems with contaminents and physically clean it.

Pros to the system is it's quiet, in the middle of the night it will function without a pump running and disturbing others.

Cons....40 gallons of water under pressure.