Advocate I
Ok I had some time to work on this today…
I finished up the “plumbing” for the faucet using some plastic tubing fittings including a barb connector out the side of the faucet so I could place a magnetic base on the bottom which would cover the existing barb input. Since my filter(s) were all sized for 3/8” tubing I upsized all of the connectors on the pump to that size. The 3/8” tubing also seems to be more “robust” than 1/4” and should last longer before wear issues occur.
As recommended by others I created a new wooden base that could be firmly glued to the unit and then attached by bolts the magnetic to that base.
Since I only had a particle filter and not a carbon filter water taste could be an issue so I found a small inexpensive carbon filter to chain in-line with the particle filter. The water pump seems to work just fine pulling water through both of the filters however the carbon filter has a lower flow rate of 1/2 gal per minute vs. the 1 gal per minute for the particle filter. I will be testing this out over the next few weeks in actual usage to see if that is an issue. Removing the carbon filter out of the chain is a possibility if I find that there are usability problems with the flow rate.
Once I get the filter situation dialed in I have been thinking on the best way to package this all up. I had bought some inexpensive Amazon storage bins for my Jeep JL which form fit to the rear sides of the walls in my cargo area. I only really use them to hold odds and ends as the much more effective roll bar storage saddles block a lot of the accessibility to these bins from above. I am now thinking this would be a good area to neatly house the filters and provide a holding place for the pump when not in use. I have a flat sheet of plastic similar to the bin that I can create a custom sized lid which then I can install a couple of bulkhead water fittings to that will connect water input to the filters and output to the faucet unit. Another benefit with the plastic box is if there are any small leaks water will be contained in that bin tub. On the driver side I have another similar bin for that side which I will be using to house electrics such as an additional circuit with fuse box and surface mounted Anderson, USB, and 12V connectors, etc. but that will be the subject of another build.
I finished up the “plumbing” for the faucet using some plastic tubing fittings including a barb connector out the side of the faucet so I could place a magnetic base on the bottom which would cover the existing barb input. Since my filter(s) were all sized for 3/8” tubing I upsized all of the connectors on the pump to that size. The 3/8” tubing also seems to be more “robust” than 1/4” and should last longer before wear issues occur.
As recommended by others I created a new wooden base that could be firmly glued to the unit and then attached by bolts the magnetic to that base.
Since I only had a particle filter and not a carbon filter water taste could be an issue so I found a small inexpensive carbon filter to chain in-line with the particle filter. The water pump seems to work just fine pulling water through both of the filters however the carbon filter has a lower flow rate of 1/2 gal per minute vs. the 1 gal per minute for the particle filter. I will be testing this out over the next few weeks in actual usage to see if that is an issue. Removing the carbon filter out of the chain is a possibility if I find that there are usability problems with the flow rate.
Once I get the filter situation dialed in I have been thinking on the best way to package this all up. I had bought some inexpensive Amazon storage bins for my Jeep JL which form fit to the rear sides of the walls in my cargo area. I only really use them to hold odds and ends as the much more effective roll bar storage saddles block a lot of the accessibility to these bins from above. I am now thinking this would be a good area to neatly house the filters and provide a holding place for the pump when not in use. I have a flat sheet of plastic similar to the bin that I can create a custom sized lid which then I can install a couple of bulkhead water fittings to that will connect water input to the filters and output to the faucet unit. Another benefit with the plastic box is if there are any small leaks water will be contained in that bin tub. On the driver side I have another similar bin for that side which I will be using to house electrics such as an additional circuit with fuse box and surface mounted Anderson, USB, and 12V connectors, etc. but that will be the subject of another build.
