2800bh increase fresh water tank size

[Kevin harman]

Has anyone completed a mod where they increase the size of the fresh water tank? Is that possible? Would it fit in the frame?

i have seen a few posts on how to transfer water and appreciate those - for this post I would like to increase the fresh water on the trailer itself minimizing the time and working with heavy wet water work transferring water.

btw - I did add an inexpensive drain shut off to the fresh overflow and very pleased with the results: no lost water and seems to break the siphon effect very well.

[howson]

Has anyone completed a mod where they increase the size of the fresh water tank? Is that possible? Would it fit in the frame?

i have seen a few posts on how to transfer water and appreciate those - for this post I would like to increase the fresh water on the trailer itself minimizing the time and working with heavy wet water work transferring water.

btw - I did add an inexpensive drain shut off to the fresh overflow and very pleased with the results: no lost water and seems to break the siphon effect very well.

Kevin,
Welcome to the Technical Forum. By no means am I an "expert" but based on a number of personal observations I do not believe it is possible to expand the size of the current tank, nor is adding another tank a feasible option.

If your tow vehicle has untapped payload, carrying water in the truck's bed and then transferring as needed would be a better option.

Howard

[ncitro]

Has anyone completed a mod where they increase the size of the fresh water tank? Is that possible? Would it fit in the frame?

i have seen a few posts on how to transfer water and appreciate those - for this post I would like to increase the fresh water on the trailer itself minimizing the time and working with heavy wet water work transferring water.

btw - I did add an inexpensive drain shut off to the fresh overflow and very pleased with the results: no lost water and seems to break the siphon effect very well.

I did this in a SOB camper I had before this one, but that water tank was installed inside the rig under the couch, so no mounting was required. I’ve had my coroplast down on the Reflection and considered it but it would be more difficult. I don’t think it’s impossible, I have a lot of room in front of my tank before I get to the next frame member. I think the problem would be finding one that fits the dimensions. I think it would be easier to add a second tank and plug them together than to add a new larger tank. In the end I decided not to attempt it now, I’m close to if not over weight in the rig as it is, so I’ll stick to using my water bladder in the truck for now to refill. I would definitely say it’s possible though. There are sources online for fresh tanks that have the sump like the factory tank and it would be simple tee the two tanks together and run a second vent line. You would need to fabricate some brackets but they’re just steel straps.

[Yoda]

Do you have the cargo carrying capacity to do it?. If so and you have space on the roof, consider carrying a water bladder up there. A neighbor in the subdivision has one above the living quarters on her horse trailer. She used an aluminum cargo rack (may have come with the trailer for hay) that had short sides and set the bladder in it. Hose ran down the side of the ladder with a valve on it(same hose for filling and using). She does a lot of desert riding and the extra water is critical for the horses.

I have seen poly tanks set beside 5th wheel hitches in truck beds - I would guess they were 25 to 35 gallons each. I also ran across a tank set up like a fuel transfer tank at the front of the bed. I think the man said it held 100 gallons. Had a pump mounted on top of the tank and a coiled transfer hose beside it. I remember it as his truck bed was spotless, including the hitch.

Hope this helps
Keith

[Second Chance]

The 2800BH has 1,600 lbs. of CCC at best - and you have to subtract the 433 lbs. of fresh water you'll have in your OEM tank from that. Then figure in propane, food, clothing, camping gear, and anything else you take along. Not sure it's a good idea.

Rob

[Cate&Rob]

I would think that being able to go get more water with just the truck would be a significant advantage to having a tank in the truck. We used to do the “reverse”. Had a waste tank in the truck for taking our grey water to the dump station. Grey water is always our limiting capacity when at a water and electric only site.

(another) Rob

[TucsonJim]

I hear ya about how difficult it is to suck water into the tank when you need to add some. Every winter, we camp for a couple of weeks in the Arizona desert and need to top off our water. Those portable containers are heavy and it takes a long time to suck up the water with the RV's pump. You can make it a little faster if you keep the portable tank as high as possible so you get some siphon effect also.

But I know others who have made it a much less painless process. They carry a large tank in the back of their truck, and use a heavy duty 12 volt water pump to pump the water in via the tank fill setting on the panel. With this method, there is no lifting and it's much faster.

Jim

[ncitro]

I hear ya about how difficult it is to suck water into the tank when you need to add some. Every winter, we camp for a couple of weeks in the Arizona desert and need to top off our water. Those portable containers are heavy and it takes a long time to suck up the water with the RV's pump. You can make it a little faster if you keep the portable tank as high as possible so you get some siphon effect also.

But I know others who have made it a much less painless process. They carry a large tank in the back of their truck, and use a heavy duty 12 volt water pump to pump the water in via the tank fill setting on the panel. With this method, there is no lifting and it's much faster.

Jim

I have had a 40 gallon bladder similar to this for years:

https://www.amazon.com/AQUATANK2-Wat...5642018&sr=8-3

I love it, it folds up small and tucks away in the trailer. I have a RV water pump I have rigged up with hose connectors that I use to transfer the water. Just got a grey water tote, so to Cate&Rob 's point, now I figure I will take my grey water out, fill the fresh and come back and transfer it in one loop. With two grey tanks, we usually run out of fresh before grey.

[Kevin harman]

it’s odd that the fresh water capacity is much less than grey and black combined - we always run out much before we fill up

fresh 52 gal
grey 82 gal
black 45 gal