How To: Build The Perfect Cheap Water System

So you WANT a water system in your van build, do ya?!

Well, what I'm about to show you is the perfect "small space" water system (perfect for cargo vans).

The Sink: Purchase (or use a salad bowl for all I care) and insert it into your countertop setup. Insert a single water tap with flex coil attachment.

Price: $0 - 300 CAD

The Pump: We used a 12v marine/rv water pump. This means that all you need to power it is a 12v battery (You probably use a battery for lights or a fridge in your van already!!). This will automatically pull water from your storage tank when you open up the sink tap.

Price: $45 - 140 CAD

The Battery: You will need a minimum of one 12v battery to power your pump. We recommend a good maintanance free (vent free), deep cycle battery. For example, we used an Interstate 100 aH AGM (Absorbent Glass-Mat) battery. These are vent free and fully sealed so it won't leak.

Wiring: The wiring is very simple, but we always advise the advise of a licensed electrician. Your pump will have a positive (+) and negative (-) wire. Yep, you guessed it! These will be attached to the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals respectively. You will also want to attach a switch in the line to ensure you can turn your pump off when not in use. Click HERE for a video on installing a switch.

Price: $185 - 385 CAD

The Water Tanks: You will need a clean drinking water tank and a dirty grey water tank. Clean water will flow through your tap and drain through your sink into the grey tank. We used hoses to connect the pump to the tap and the water tank to the pump. Any tank will work, it just depends on your space available. We used two rectangle shaped tanks in order to save space.

Price: $10 - 25 CAD

You are complete! Let me know how your project goes and ask with any questions!!