A lot of new caravans now have the ability on a ‘super pitch’ to be able to attach a mains water feed directly to the caravan without having to have an Aquarol as a water reservoir, and this seems like a good idea. I started looking at the options available and was surprised at the cost of the only suitable system for our caravan. I also wasn’t keen on the plastic regulator. This got me thinking, maybe it was time for a little Caravan Chronicles DIY project.
I wanted to come up with some sort of contrivance that was assembled from stock components that were easily available anywhere. After a brief search on Amazon I came up with my shopping list and ordered everything (see links below).
The result was a simple to use commercial pressure regulator that I could use our existing blue water hose that originally connected to the Aquarol and standard hose fittings that allow me all the options for connecting up.
As a temporary mount I used a couple of the small plastic hangars that Fiamma sell that slide into awning rails allowing you to hang things from. In this case a couple of cable ties held it in position. I’m currently in the bat cave folding a small aluminium plate to mount the regulator on that slides into the rail and has a foam padded back to protect the caravan. I opted to use brass fittings for the hose connections rather than plastic just for durability.
So how did it work out?
Well on a recent trip to Southport Caravan Club site (where the photos were taken) it worked extremely well. The initial set up was easy and to start with I reduced the pressure using the small screw on top of the unit to about 0.5 bar (7 PSI) to ensure I didn’t over-pressure the caravan plumbing. I increased this to about 1.5 bar and this gave an excellent flow rate with the added feature of not having to run the internal water pump.
Something that was in the back of my mind however was what if the regulator failed and full mains pressure was allowed through to the caravan’s internal plumbing? As I’d used a commercial unit, hopefully the chances of this would be very slim to non-existent as these units are designed to be permanently installed in commercial and domestic plumbing installations however I also added another little handy gadget at the tap end…
This ‘Y’ fitting has two small ball valves, one of each outlet. So when we go out, I simply turn off the appropriate ball valve. Having a ‘Y’ adaptor also allowed us to fill up our Brita filter jug or draw water off without having to turn the tap off and disconnect the caravan hose. All in all everything worked out perfect. (note I have since changed the blue hose adaptors shown for brass ones for durability).
One last thing…
If you are at all worried about water quality in your caravan, connecting up this way will allow you to thoroughly flush out your caravans water system and give you clean water from your caravan’s taps, (especially In summer too, when the sun has been warming up the water in your Aquarol all day) all you need to do is just run the tap for a minute or so to get cold fresh mains water.
Caravan Chronicles Shopping...
I am often asked where to buy some of the products we use. Here are the links to the products. If you click on the links and purchase any of the items, a few pennies will go to helping the cost of running CaravanChronicles.com
Caravan Ultraflow Inlet Hose Assembly
15mm Adjustable Pressure Reducing Valve Including Gauge 1-6 Bar Reliance Water Controls
Brass Bush 1/2“ BSP Female x 3/4″ Male Reducing Bush “Converter 
Garden Mile® Solid Brass 2-Way Double Outside Garden Tap Adaptor & Hose Connectors 3/4″ With 2 Quick Release Female Adaptors.
Silverline 598438 Tap Connector Brass
Caravan Chronicles 
Very good idea mate as I need to do the same when I go onto a super pitch. Save me topping up my aqua roll.
Hi I am looking for a water pressure limiter gauge for my caravan so I can run a hose direct to the tap on my pitch so I don’t have to use the aqua roll .
Many thanks
Hi Phillip
If you have a look on the ‘shop’ page in the blog you can find a link to the pressure regulator and gauge I used on Amazon.
https://caravanchronicles.com/caravan-chronicles-shop/
Hello Simon. Very interesting. Just a point of clarification. I need it to regulate to half a bar like you started out, however the spec of the valve is 1 bar to 6 bar. Did it really adjust down to half a bar. If so this would be great. Steve
Hi Steve
The pressure gauge did read down to zero and adjusting the valve to its lowest setting indicated zero with only drips of water coming out. However this was in a free flow state, i.e. Nothing connected so I don’t know if this would have built up any pressure over time.
Hi, this is all very interesting as I have just moved my van to a seasonal pitch with its own water tap. Currently using the mains to Aquaroll inside of which I have fitted a Torbeck valve. Then a convetional Truma/Crystal Mk 2 water pump to the van.
I’m not sure how I would take advantage of your system while I have the Crystal Mk2 inlet housing with filter. Do you have any suggestions as to possible conversion, please?
Paul
Would you know if this would work on a caravan without an on board tank ? we currently use a hose connected from the mains to the aquaroll with a valve fitted in the aquaroll.
Thanks
Hi Graham
Yes it works great. We don’t have an on board water tank. We had an Aquarol with valve installed and replaced it.
Thanks Simon, looks like I’ve got another job!!!
Simon – Great installation idea. How about fitting a safety valve immediately down stream of the pressure reducing valve. If the PRV fails or creep under no load which can happen, the SV would lift and discharge to waste to prevent any damage downstream ( i.e. within the van ). In my case the SV would be rated at 2 Bar to prevent water heater damage ( the component with the lowest pressure rating ). The pipework fittings within the van ( JG ) are rated at 6 Bar on the HWS.
Hi Martin
I’ve been looking at safety valves and options for installing a regulator under the van too. Watch this space!
What’s an “Aquarol”? sorry to be a pest-;) but as I mentioned in my first post we are attempting to get our ‘chalet’ off grid and off mains water and this site seems to be a mine of information but, while we own an ancient two berth caravan, we are not in any shape or form experienced caravan owners.
Regards; John Cole
Hi John, An Aquarol is a water carrier designed to roll along the ground rather than be carried… just google ‘Aquarol’
You’ll need to google “aquaroll” !
Oops….. I lost an ‘l’ somewhere!
Simon,
Yet another great idea that I would like to implement as I am currently using the Aquaroll that tops up our on board tank when on a serviced pitch.
I did however raise a eyebrow when I read that you do not need to use the internal water pump! Just so I understand if you have an onboard tank (like us) would we still use the internal pump but not the external? Or am I missing something.
Best wishes,
Paul
When on mains we use the onboard tank. The reason why we do this is to keep the pressure low on the supply hose and we do this by opening the mains water tap only a little bit however thsi result sinb low pressure in the caravan. By using the onboard tank and internal pump we get the correct pressure. My thinking may be wrong and not very scientific, but at the moment it is the best we have. Hopefully Simon will find the time to investigate a cut off for a sudden drop in pressure as he could be on a winner!
Hi Ian
The components used in the water system in a caravan are designed to be used on mains water pressure systems and in theory should be OK. BUT…. I do have concerns in the standard of installation generally, you only have to look at the spate of sink drains leaking in one particular brand of caravans mainly in my opinion due to the workmanship.
I have found a 12 volt electrically operated valve and I\m wondering if this could be used in conjunction with a pressure switch to turn on and off the incoming mains water feed… I’m investigating the options of a flow rate device, but really, if the on board water system develops a slow leak currently, the 12 volt pump would keep cutting in as the pressure dropped and the leak would continue. I’d be interested to know just how many people have experienced a water leak to find out if this is a real risk or a perceived risk.
In our very first new caravan Lunar CL we had a water connection come off in the shower area and this flooded the caravan. Also sadly in our previous Lunar 640 we had a pin hole leak in the hot water pipe. Luckily for us it was a rather cool day and we noticed what we thought was smoke coming from under the bunk. It was water vapour.
On our current caravan near the hot water boiler we had an intermittent slow leak. This was reported to the dealer twice and only found 3 years later when we had a satellite dome fitted that the technician doing the job saw the dripping.
Admittedly no device would have picked up the slow leak through the pin hole in the pipe. However in the current caravan and the CL it was due to a bad fitment of the water connections.
Wow… I always wonder if a pressure test with air should be done annually on the water system similar to the one they do with the gas system.
The technician told me that they would be worried about the pressure blowing off the pipes?
Our caravan came with the blue hose as standard and it has a built in regulator. As you say it is hardly likely the regulator will fail, but if it did, you have a flooded caravan and there is no way to prevent this happening. I try and remember to shut off the maisn tap before leaving but sadly I seem to forgte most times.
Maybe an automatic shut off built into the caravan could kick in if suddenly there was no pressure on the system i.e., a pipe comes off or bursts, and prevents or diverts the water out of the caravan so minimum flooding. I am not sure if such a device exists?
I am sure there would be a market for such a device that is easy to fit and does not require human interference especially with hoses that are supplied with the caravan.
Hi Ian
I believe there is such a device, I think it is used in hotels. If the pressure reduces slowly it keeps the water flowing, but a sudden drop in pressure and it shuts off. However, sometimes it’s the slow leak that does the damage and such a device would not protect you. But that has got me thinking…. there are devices on the market that can open and close a valve using a key fob type transmitter and are sold to gardeners to water plants remotely or on a timer. Maybe there is somthing there that could be used?