Filling the freshwater tank

[JLMorris]

I boon-dock 95% of the time with my RV. A mile from my camp site is a spring water box that I’ve run a PVC pipe down the hill to the road where I load up with 50 gallons of fresh water. Not sure of the pressure coming out of the fill up hose but it squirts out pretty far.
I used to have a pickup camper that had a gravity fill line to the fresh water tank and had same size tank. It took 12 min to fill up. Now with having to use the city water inlet with it’s check valve, it takes 27 min. I do turn the cone shaped screen around to open the check valve.
Any suggestions as to adding a gravity fillt line to the freshwater tank? How about removing the check valve and just cap off the city water inlet when using the freshwater tank and on board pump?
Joe

[TedS]

You could remove the inlet check valve and use instead a cap to block the backflow. A ball valve would work, also. Instead of a cap or check valve. To estimate the pressure at the end of the pipe divide the elevation drop in feet by 2.3 to get psi.

[Jlawles2]

I guess the option to use an external pump is out of the question? The onboard pump is OK, but since it has to suck through the check valve (even though opened) and the hose, it's pulling pretty hard. Pushing close to the source is much more efficient.

A pump like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1NZ4CC4...d_plhdr=t&th=1 would put you in the 5-6 GPM range and with a 60 gal tank that's 10-12 minutes to fill. IIRC onboard pumps are in the 3gpm range.

[JLMorris]

Thanks for the suggestions, Ted and Joseph. I do have and have tried a similar pump to speed up things to no avail. I think the problem is the city water line, I believe, it's 1/2" diameter and you can only cram so much water through such a narrow pipe without lots more pressure than the elevation and/or the pump. Too bad GD didn't put gravity fills on the Reflection series.

[TedS]

JLMorris amen. Gravity always works.

[Jlawles2]

By chance have you tried the external pump and the onboard pump? By combining the pumps you may get better flow.

Also remember most of these things have 60 plus gallon tanks. Don't know what your previous trailer had, but my other 2 had 30 ish gallon tanks and they filled in 1/2 the time from the hose.

[JLMorris]

By chance have you tried the external pump and the onboard pump? By combining the pumps you may get better flow.

Also remember most of these things have 60 plus gallon tanks. Don't know what your previous trailer had, but my other 2 had 30 ish gallon tanks and they filled in 1/2 the time from the hose.

Good idea using both pumps. Both my old tank and GD tank are the same size.

Joe