Accumulator Tank | Winnebago Revel

[@ctrawick3]

This is a fantastic enhancement and is now on my short list. Thank you so much for your videos. They are helping us greatly.

[@SuperCleanslate]

Great idea, thank you for showing the installation.

[@stollfamily3914]

This is same principle as a pressure tank for a well water pump (many videos on KZbin). The accumulator is a pressure tank with an "air balloon" and as water is removed from the system, the balloon expands. The pump motor draws very high electrical current at start up, so the short cycling can over heat the motor. The pressure tank prevents / reduces short cycling of the pump and will extend the life of the pump motor.

[@jessejames3318]

recommend against using pex crimp fittings on non-pex hose. Experience shows that stock Winnebago installations using this combination are prone to leaks. I replaced these with hose clamps which have stopped any leaks.

[@orange13]

thank you for your comment. I read about this before and saw it mentioned in another video. I never had a leak in my Revel (yet?) and I am wondering if Winnebago uses different types of non-PEX hoses. the ones in my Revel work well with a 1/2" PEX clamp, however, outside of the van I have used vinyl hose that has a too-large OD for a 1/2" clamp and even the inner diameter, even though a nominal 1/2", sits a bit loose on the fittings. in this case, a 5/8" PEX clamp is needed and I can see how this will cause leaks in the long run. Overall, I trust a properly sized PEX clamp more than a hose clamp, however, I can see how YMMV in specific applications.

[@bobbysnow5478]

Thanks for the video! Great work!

[@jamestreanor182]

Nice upgrade

[@Ricardo-SW]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@wolfgangsteiner1593]

Wie immer perfekt 👌

[@jupitersurfski4542]

I love all your mods and ideas. My only concern is with keeping 30psi of pressure in the water line knowing how careful we are to always turn off the pump to take pressure off the system to decrease the chance of leaks. Obviously this little tank doesn’t hold all that much water 💧 if you spring a leak.

[@orange13]

thank you. when you turn the pump off - and without opening any faucet after it has been turned off - you are also keeping about 30psi in the lines. this is actually a good test for leaks. when you turn the pump back on after a while (the longer the better), when it doesn't spin up, you can be relatively sure there is no leak as there is still enough pressure in the pipes above the pump's set cut-in pressure. and if you usually turn off the pump and then open a faucet to relieve any pipe pressure, well, you can still do it even with the accumulator tank. only downside is that you are wasting a little more water down the drain as more pressurized water existed in the pipes (pipes + accumulator).

[@Rjhaack]

For Winterization purposes I would assume you have to make sure the accumulator tank is fully drained as well. is that the case?

[@orange13]

where I live, I don't need to do any winterization so I don't have any first-hand experience to share. I wouldn't worry about any water left in the tank itself, the tank, by design, has a lot of room for water/ice to expand into, still, I would try draining out as much water as possible and/or replace with antifreeze for long-term winter storage. while a little more involved, it would even be possible to remove the tank during the winter and cap off the line into it.

[@robsev24]

Does it work on hot water too?

[@orange13]

the tank pressurizes the entire water system, hot water included. However, in the Revel, the pipe run from the pump in the back to the cold water side of the kitchen faucet is relatively straight and short while the hot side first needs to go under the floor, to the heat exchanger under the bench seat and then back across to the faucet. every foot of pipe, every turn it takes increases internal friction and therefore reduces water pressure by a tiny bit. if you notice a difference in pressure and/or flow rate between hot and cold right now, without a tank, (and in my Revel, I do NOT notice such a difference), then most likely the accumulator tank will also be bit less efficient for the hot water side. but still, i think it will provide a noticeable benefit no matter what - especially for its low cost.

[@johnnyc8722]

it has bugged me when the pump cycles like that, so this looks to be a good solution, thx! I do winterize though, do you know if the water in the accumulator tank can be drained? (I don't blow water out, just drain and siphon+in antifreeze)

[@TW---]

Winterizing keeps antifreeze in the water lines. It's just replacing the water with a liquid that doesn't freeze. As long as you cycle the antifreeze through till pink comes out the faucet, the accumulator will stay filled with antifreeze and therefore not freeze.

[@orange13]

@@TW--- I second that. Getting antifreeze in and out of the accumulator might be easier if it was installed inline with the cold water pipe instead of T-ed into it. the way I installed it might require a little more draining before winterization and more flushing after. still, very do-able. If a little water (without antifreeze) is left inside the accumulator tank, I wouldn't worry about it freezing. if it does, there is plenty of room inside of the tank for the ice to expand into.

[@djsmithe]

Why the Canadian flag on your counter?

[@orange13]

I guess because the Rolef screen is made in Canada