Chinook RV

chinook4x4 wrote: August 30th, 2017, 3:56 pm My buddy replaced his water tank in his 2004 Chinook Concourse with a 50 gallon tank and custom bed. The reason the tanks are the size they are is because the jackknife needs the clearance when folding out. After replacing his tank he had to install a water fill cap so water wouldnt gush out when full.

Not sure whats gained by doing this? The waste tanks only hold so much water and will require draining before using up 50 gallons of water.

tjmackle wrote: December 24th, 2018, 10:35 am.. it's a good idea to keep a 1/4 cup of chlorine in a full water tank at all times. This will eliminate "Beaver Fever" which is the same ameba that it found in beaver dams.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think bleach in a water tank will eliminate giardia ("beaver fever"). I believe you have to use some sort of filter, or perhaps a UV treatment (such as a Steri pen that hikers use). Also one other note about bleach that I remember from my boating days is that it doesn't last forever. In other words, if you are not using the water reasonably soon, it stops being active.

Riste wrote: December 24th, 2018, 5:52 am I agree that "sucking in external bacteria" whenever pumping water is not a first choice. My question then becomes can you use a "studor" type vent inside on your fresh water tank to eliminate that outside connection?

I don't know what that is, but thanks for mentioning it. Something to look up I don't remember the exact filter that the water fellow recommended, but I remember it was measured in an abbreviation that was symbolic in a scientific way. Or, he said that even a piece of fine gauze taped over the end of the vent would be better than nothing (especially if the vent is indoors).

dougm wrote: December 24th, 2018, 8:27 pm
Not sure whats gained by doing this [50-gallon fresh water tank]? The waste tanks only hold so much water and will require draining before using up 50 gallons of water.

I can think of a few reasons:

1) Using the external shower for showering.
2) Using the external shower for rinsing the dog, bicycle, etc.
3) Also the grey and black tanks together are about 50 gallons (36 + 14-ish). Although Chinook claims the stock potable water tank is something over 30 gallons I measured it and ran it through a tank calculator and I think it's probably closer to 28 or 29. (But the grey and black tanks are as large as claimed.)
4) Also, sometimes you drink water but then are out and about when you use the restroom, so that water doesn't go into your tanks.
5) Or you cook outside with water that you got from your tank (maybe you boil crab or something).
6) Some people do dishes outside when camping.

Not saying I'm going to put in that large a tank (mostly for space reasons) (and also, yeah, better to keep it lower than the fill port), but I wouldn't mind at all having 50 gallons. It's like money in the bank. OTOH, for some people they could probably have a 15 gallon tank and more storage and that would work for their style.

A "studor" vent is a one way valve similar to the black unit under the sink in a Chinook. My concern was the amount of negative pressure it takes to activate it. Too much might cause a tank to implode (a bit of an overstatement, but you get the idea).

Just looked up the specs on the vent. It takes a -0.01 psi to open. I think we have a winner.

Hi Tom I am a chinook owner in San Diego as well. Where are you located? Always good to know there are "kindrid spirits" in the area. Mark in San Diego. 619 997-9954

So if the studor vent is similar to an air admittance valve (like we have on our kitchen sinks in the 21-footers), how would that help with contaminants being sucked in when drawing water? If I'm picturing it correctly, drawing water would cause it to open. But.... that's what draws in contaminants (I think that what would come in when not drawing water on an open vent would be minimal as there is no suction).

I assume that the air in the coach is better than what is floating around outside. I imagine that you could put an air filter around it as well.

Oh I see. You are thinking of using the studor vent inside. I don't know why that wasn't obvious!

Anyway, I still wonder if that does anything because "stuff" isn't coming into the vent when nothing is happening with the water flow (or at least I think it would be exceedingly minimal). And then when you draw water it creates a suction on the vent. So if I'm picturing this correctly the studor vent would just be opening at the same time that you'd be sucking air in any vent. Hence you could probably just have an open vent tube inside (which is what many boats have) for the same effect. The discussion in the boating group was what to put on the end of that vent tube to actually filter out "stuff" when drawing water (and creating suction). For some reason I can't find my notes on the recommended filter, but I do remember that the square of gauze was said to be better than an open tube.

(Also on boats sometimes that tube is in the anchor locker, which has its own issues (mud/mold/whatever)

I'll do a bit more hunting for those notes.

For the air filter, I am planning to use one of these guys and see how well they work. I planning to add one in the middle of the air tubing.





I have them laying around somewhere in the garage, but need to find one of them first.