Dale and Terry get a '66 Tradewind

[Bubba L]

Originally Posted by dbj216

I'm happy to see you have at least 3 valves in your propane system to go along with the 7 or so valves in your fresh water plumbing system. Now you need a control center like a refinery might have.

Glad you are getting the hang of flaring soft copper tubing. I get a "D" in that skill. Maybe not, it would hurt my feelings. I did have some leaks to repair after my leak test. Bubba L recommends the double flair tooling, so that is the way I'm going to improve my grade at the next leak test.

Also glad you're back at it. I don't have a project this winter. Maybe another project soon.

David

If you’re needing an aluminum “fix”, you can come down and help drop a 63 Bambi shell. No snow here yet.

[Slats]

I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. ”


- Vincent Van Gogh



We just got back from the Van Gogh Immersive Experience exhibit. If it is coming to a city near you, go see it. Really; you won't regret it. When I saw the above quote in the exhibit, it immediately struck me as the perfect description of what it takes to rebuild an old Airstream.

[dbj216]

You are right Slats. That is a good vintage Airstream motto. Most of us have experienced that revolation. Oh, now I see.

Bubba L, I would be good at dropping an Airstream shell, and bending it all up. I think you would prefer me staying at home.

David

[Slats]

All is quiet on the mid western front. I haven't disappeared, just slowed down a bit. Still taking small bites out of the elephant on a semi regular basis.

[dbj216]

I was just thinking about you. I was talking to another renovator here on the Forums about making new bed frames. I explained the necessary mattress support slats under the plywood. Oh ya, I wonder how Slats is doing.

David

[Slats]

Slats is again deep into valve city, this time at the rear of the trailer, where he is installing a Shurflo pump in the bathroom sink cabinet for pumping gray water to the toilet. A 3 way valve is involved. In one position, it will allow city water or water from the fresh water tank to service the toilet until sufficient gray water builds up and takes over, with the turn of the valve. No point in using potable water for potty.

[dbj216]

You must have worked in a refinery or the like. Valves everywhere. I think in Japan they use "wash water" in the toilets to conserve water. I read Colorado needs to start conserving more water as we are just running out of it. We're trying to talk people out of green lawns and planting native plants instead that use less water.

So now you are up to 9 valves in your Trade Wind? Something like that.

David

[coloradoup]

Slats,
Where are you pulling the grey water from? Did you place an outlet on the side of your tank? Sounds like a good idea. Do you feel the need to filter it?
Mike.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Slats

Slats is again deep into valve city, this time at the rear of the trailer, where he is installing a Shurflo pump in the bathroom sink cabinet for pumping gray water to the toilet. A 3 way valve is involved. In one position, it will allow city water or water from the fresh water tank to service the toilet until sufficient gray water builds up and takes over, with the turn of the valve. No point in using potable water for potty.

That is a great idea, using gray water for the potty. I think we are going to do that from now on. We don’t have a regular toilet but have a Curve porta potty. So instead of filling the water chamber with fresh water at the beginning of the trip we will just start with a minimal amount. After a while we will just drain off some of the gray water to add to the porta potty water chamber. No fancy pump or valves needed though, just an empty 1 gallon plastic jug.

Thanks Slats. That is genius!

Dan

[Slats]

Originally Posted by coloradoup

Slats,
Where are you pulling the grey water from? Did you place an outlet on the side of your tank? Sounds like a good idea. Do you feel the need to filter it?
Mike.

I'm installing a pex line through the floor into the gray water tank below. The filter is on the inflow port of the pump, like it is on the pump at the fresh water tank in the front of the trailer. I may place a screen on the bottom of the pex that goes into the tank, but don't really think it will be necessary. Or I could just put on an additional inline filter between the line coming out of the tank and the pump. Both were recommended when I called the department of redundancy department for guidance.

[Atomic_13]

Dale - having the option to use grey water to supply water to the toilet is an novel and innovative idea to help reduce grey water storage limitations.

One factor to consider is reducing the potential of your grey water contaminating your freshwater system (three way valve failure). Albeit it’s a low probability, you might want to use a check valve that only permits grey water to move towards the toilet and prohibits it back flow into the trailer’s freshwater supply lines.

Also, establishing a routine to flush the grey water out of the system when converting back to the freshwater water supply, and perhaps more frequent system disinfection with bleach, is probably a good idea as well.

[Slats]

Thanks for confirming my work so far. Although I made a little fun of the department of redundancy department in my last post, perhaps I should consider a position in middle management there, as I have already installed the check valve between my 3 way valve and the fresh water supply. I also put a tee on my grey water line over to a drain valve, down though the floor and into the grey water tank drain line below. That way I'll be able to pump my grey water tanks dry with the flip of a switch, a good thing, as the tanks hang about 1/2" below the cross members and the drain lines run through the openings in the cross members above the bottom of the tanks.

[Slats]

I finally got around to the finishing touches on my gray-water-to-toilet project. If the pictures are not self explanatory, let me know. Preaching to the choir is many times pointless, whereas questions from the choir are often valuable. Criticism from the choir is encouraged, as well. The pics are from the street side rear of the Tradewind at the bathroom sink cabinet and adjacent Dometic flushable (sort of) toilet.

[Slats]

It turns out finishing touches (see last post) are never really finishing touches. One more intriguing addition always beckons. So after the last post, the thought struck me that it might be a good idea to shoot grey water into the top end of the black water tank at the end of a trip just to increase the volume and flow to move the, err, stuff in the tank on down through he stinky slinky. So, back to the hardware store to get another valve, hearing David in my head all the way there.

I first installed a branch line off of the outflow line from my grey water pump, ran it back to the valve and on into the black water tank vent pipe, drilling a 1/2" hole in the top of the pipe and putting a stackable SeaTech elbow pex fitting in it. Then I fabricated an extension out of flared 1/2" copper tubing and fastened it to the valve cap. Next I slapped a couple of washers on the extension on the interior side of the plumbing wall and drilled a 1/2" hole in the wall for the extension to poke through. Finally, I cut an aluminum face plate and riveted it in place to make the valve handle arrangement look like what I imagined it should look like. Finally, I fashioned a mahogany valve handle, stuck it on and called it a day. It works.

[Slats]

P.S. Here's the valve in the open position.

[coloradoup]

Slats,
Love the finishing touch. Nice work! The fact that you are coming up with this stuff on the fly is pretty impressive! Great work and hope to see you at the next meet up. Whenever that may be.

[TouringDan]

Slats

Nice design work and attention to detail. I love your escutcheon and valve handle cap. Looking forward to a positive review.

Dan

[dbj216]

Top review 5 stars for Slats. You're going to have to add about 10 pages to your owner's manual explaining the function of each of the 8 - 10 water valves you have in your plumbing system.

Me, I just stuff a 2x4 on top of the toilet flush pedal to rinse the black tank for a few minutes. As you know, Airstream now provides a black tank sprayer to do the same thing you did with your second pump. I suppose if you leave the valve open and the pump running you could fill the black tank and then have water coming out the vent pipe on the roof. A Trade Wind fountain.

David

[Slats]

Thanks for the kind comments. As some of you know, I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in December of 2017. Although there is no cure, the chief prescriptions are these: exercise, diet, sleep, stress avoidance, and active involvement in a mentally challenging task.

I have always exercised, having completed over 35 marathons since age 34. My diet needed a little tweaking, as I thought distance running excused pizza consumption, so I now eat out of a book called Diet for the Mind. I get a full 8 hours of sleep every night. I avoid stress by shunning self-imposed deadlines (Friend: When are you going to finish that Airstream? Me: I have no idea.) Lastly, Hal, our Tradewind, fulfills the bill for active involvement in a mentally challenging task. We call it Hal, the name of the guy from whose estate we bought it. He had purchased it five years before cancer claimed him, intending to do the same thing I am now doing. I feel unbelievably fortunate for having the chance to do it. Life is good.

[coloradoup]

Great outlook Slats! Keep it going.