Gravity water fill

Craig H · 04-13-2008, 07:35 AM

My '07 Voyage has a hose/city water/tank fill connection as I suspect many of you have. Has anyone ever added a gravity fill tube? This would be especially handy when boondocking and I wonder why Winnie omitted this feature. Thanks

Craig H · 04-13-2008, 07:35 AM

My '07 Voyage has a hose/city water/tank fill connection as I suspect many of you have. Has anyone ever added a gravity fill tube? This would be especially handy when boondocking and I wonder why Winnie omitted this feature. Thanks

Petro · 04-13-2008, 07:49 AM

Craig;

I did not realize Winnie eliminated the gravity fill. I have one on my 2003 and I would be lost with out it. I think it would be very inconvenient when dry camping and having to fill the water tank. Thanks for your post.

Don

Whaler · 04-13-2008, 08:04 AM

My 2004 Winnei Sightseer 30B has a lockable door on the drivers side,all the way in the back of the coach.Look for a small door,6'X6",or so.It does make some tasks easier.

UFO Pilot · 04-13-2008, 08:11 AM

My previous Coach was a Fleetwood and it had both types of fill. I used the gravity fill tube to add fresh water chemicals and the occasional bleach rinse. I wish my Winnebago had the same setup.

John_Canfield · 04-13-2008, 08:52 AM

We have both fills but rarely do we use the gravity fill. Of the three or so times we have used it, we were at a national/state/COE park with less than full hookups and where we were going to spend a few days.

Even with the infrequent use, I'm glad we have the fill.

Lindsay Richards · 04-13-2008, 12:12 PM

If you are already hooked up for city water usage, makes no sense to bother with it, but I use it when at home as it is closer to the hose bib. Mine does not have threads so you must hold it and be careful to stand off to the side when nearly full as it will squirt you. Naturally I learned this the hard way.

codgerbill · 04-13-2008, 04:32 PM

I filled my fresh water tank (adding bleach to sanitize) using the "gravity fill" connection. Camping world sells a "thingy" that attaches on the male end of the water hose. It has a shutoff valve and a 12 inch length of 1/2" clear plastic tube. The tube sticks down inside the gravity fill thingy and the shutoff valve makes it easy and less of a mess to use. You can walk away from it and occasionally check the tank to see the water level. The tube sticks far enough into the gravity fill connection so that it is pretty secure. The unit has a yellow plastic hose connection and a black plastic valve handle.

DancinCampers · 04-13-2008, 05:00 PM

It is a shame they have ommitted this feature.

If you put your city valve in the tank fill position you should be able to fill your tank using the pump & winterizing tube.

Finhawk · 04-13-2008, 06:45 PM

Just a suggestion on the water fill "thingy" Put a clamp on the tube or look for a bath when the water pressure blows it off. Other than that it worked well

hamguy · 04-14-2008, 08:24 AM

My '02 has the gravity fill tube on the passenger side. The city water pressure fill is on the other side. At home, the gravity fill is easier to use. The bay with the water tank visible is directly under the fill.

I just stick the hose in the hole, open the bay and watch the operation. I never fill more than 2/3-3/4 full so the shower is avoided. Once when I forgot, it was 112 deg. out and the spray back felt WONDERFUL!

I would miss the gravity fill from a convenience standpoint but could get along.

DonGee · 04-14-2008, 11:13 AM

Many years ago on my '89 Chieftain it too did not have a gravity fill so with much trepidation I drilled a hole in the top and glued a threaded PVC fitting in and was then able to pour from a 5, gal. tank. Don't know if you have that kind of acces or not.

Don, 70041

Moder2 · 04-15-2008, 03:00 AM

Mine does have a fill, but I didn't realize it for a while. It is actually right on the tank in the water heater bay. 4 inch cap that screws on the top of the tank. I rarely use it, but if I needed it it would be near impossible to get to without a good funnel.

Mike Finnerty · 04-16-2008, 08:46 AM

Our first RV was a TT we bought used in 1976. The only way to fill the pressurized steel tank was by gravity fill. There was no city water connection. It sure got old fast having to carry water to the rig every day and hoist them up to fill the tank. I think I averaged three 5 gallon jugs per day. Now, as I mentioned in another thread, I have sealed the gravity fill tube of our MH shut. If I need water and do not have access to a city water connection, I most likely also need to dump, so I move the rig and fill the water tank while dumping the holding tanks.

atodalen · 04-16-2008, 05:40 PM

Craig,

I was wondering the same thing in regards to boondocking without a gravity fill. We have an '08 Sightseer that is also lacking a gravity fill. We used the gravity fill on our previous motorhome quite frequently in primative campsites. I'm uncertain if your plumbing is similar but what appears to work on the Sightseer is to switch the Fresh Water Valve from Normal to Tank Fill position then place the valve near the water pump that's used to draw antifreeze from jugs for winterizing from the Normal to Winterize position. If I place the tube that would normally be used to suck antifreeze into a potable water container and turn the pump on it appears to suck water from the container and into the water tank. We've only had the Sightseer out once for a shakedown since purchasing it and had to winterize immediately after but that was one thing that I'd read might work and wanted to verify so I could find an alternative if need be. Here's hoping it will work on your Voyage, also.

Al & Deedee
Spokane, WA
2008 Sightseer 29R F53

Jeeperrmartin · 04-17-2008, 07:29 AM

I have wondered if you could do something like that with the new vectras. We boon dock a lot and would need to fill the fresh water tank. We were thinking we would have to have a seperate pump to pump into the tank.

theroc · 04-17-2008, 08:28 AM

I'm assuming that a Journey/Meridian (2007) doesn't have a gravity fill?

I haven't looked for it yet but I can't remember running across something that looks like one. And how would I "sanitize" with a bit of bleach if it doesn't have a gravity fill?

Thanks.

DancinCampers · 04-18-2008, 05:31 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jeeperrmartin:
I have wondered if you could do something like that with the new vectras. We boon dock a lot and would need to fill the fresh water tank. We were thinking we would have to have a seperate pump to pump into the tank. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

An easy way to check is to switch your city connection to water tank fill (with out the hose attached) then turn on the pump. If it works as above, the pump will circulate the water from the tank back into the tank. If this is the case, then you should be able to use the winterizing valve to draw water into the tank, as this valve switches the pump input from the tank to the winterizing hose.