Question About 2008 Classic 25 Freshwater System

[KJRitchie]

We've purchased a 2008 Classic 25FB. My previous trailer was a Casita so I'm not used to the fresh water system being so hidden as they are in the Airstream.

Reading the manual it says my city water system has a built in pressure regulator. Is that located behind the city water hookup in the outside compartment behind the white sheet metal enclosure?

How is water picked up from the water pump? is the water picked up from a tube from the top of the tank or from the bottom somewhere. I can't see anything along the bottom of the tank.

Is the fresh water tank provided some heating from the furnace ducting? If the temperatures drop to 20F will the water tank be safe? With the Casita the water tank is inside the coach and leaving a dinette door open didn't have an issue. We went camping in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas in December and it hit 18F in the morning. Funny that was before considering an Airstream and I remember the campground host had a 30ft. Do you have to do anything special for colder temperatures. Maybe filling the tank up more if its almost empty?

The water inlet for filling is like my Casita there is a door with the main filler cap and a small screen outlet for air an water to escape when filling. Are these the only connections. If the tank is accidentally over filled water shouldn't be coming our the bottom of the trailer only out the inlet. Haven't tried it yet but the dealer did fill the tank full so the monitor panel read full.

Should the petcocks be exercised yearly. What I mean is unscrewed and screwed to insure they never get seized when you really need to use them.

I want to check the water pump filter for any debris. I can see it buried in the amongst the ducting. It looks like I need to disassemble the ducting from a T fitting and move it out of the way. Does the filter just unscrew from the water lines? Do you disassemble the filter to clean the screen. The manual isn't too clear.

Is there a better water pump available than the Aquatec or do the Shurflos, Flojets etc sound about the same. What minimum gallon per minute should be used? Would an accumulator tank be a good option? Not sure where I could put one in the space though.

Thanks

Kelvin

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

We've purchased a 2008 Classic 25FB. My previous trailer was a Casita so I'm not used to the fresh water system being so hidden as they are in the Airstream.

Reading the manual it says my city water system has a built in pressure regulator. Is that located behind the city water hookup in the outside compartment behind the white sheet metal enclosure?

Yes, it's part of the city water connector itself.

How is water picked up from the water pump? is the water picked up from a tube from the top of the tank or from the bottom somewhere.

On mine the pickup is on the end of the tank, quite close to the bottom. It is accessible, barely, through the coat closet when the false floor is pulled out. Your floorplan may be a little different but I would imagine that the suction connection is in a roughly similar location.

Is the fresh water tank provided some heating from the furnace ducting?

Yes, there should be a 2" duct from the furnace extending down into the area with the suction fitting.

If the temperatures drop to 20F will the water tank be safe? With the Casita the water tank is inside the coach and leaving a dinette door open didn't have an issue. We went camping in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas in December and it hit 18F in the morning. Funny that was before considering an Airstream and I remember the campground host had a 30ft. Do you have to do anything special for colder temperatures. Maybe filling the tank up more if its almost empty?

If you use the furnace to keep the interior at 65-70 degrees, the fresh water system should be safe down to at least 20, probably lower.

The water inlet for filling is like my Casita there is a door with the main filler cap and a small screen outlet for air an water to escape when filling. Are these the only connections.

Yes

If the tank is accidentally over filled water shouldn't be coming our the bottom of the trailer only out the inlet. Haven't tried it yet but the dealer did fill the tank full so the monitor panel read full.

Be careful. If you have a hose stuck in the water inlet and overfill the tank under pressure you can cause it to rupture and also damage the floor and possibly the frame.

Should the petcocks be exercised yearly. What I mean is unscrewed and screwed to insure they never get seized when you really need to use them.

I use mine to winterize every year.

I want to check the water pump filter for any debris. I can see it buried in the amongst the ducting. It looks like I need to disassemble the ducting from a T fitting and move it out of the way. Does the filter just unscrew from the water lines? Do you disassemble the filter to clean the screen. The manual isn't too clear.

It's more of a screen than a filter. In general I fill the water tank at home where I don't have a problem with large particulates, so the pump screen doesn't require periodic maintenance for me.

Is there a better water pump available than the Aquatec or do the Shurflos, Flojets etc sound about the same.

The received wisdom is that they're all crap and won't hold up especially well with frequent use. I plan to replace mine with a Jabsco one next time it fails because I am under what is probably a happy delusion that they are somewhat better.

What minimum gallon per minute should be used?

The stock one in mine is a variable-speed pump that is supposed to push 4 or 5 gpm. It only makes a difference if you have two people in the trailer using water at the same time.

Would an accumulator tank be a good option? Not sure where I could put one in the space though.

I understand that most pumps in use today work better without an accumulator.