Wanting to avoid pressure switch burnout on the water pump and getting tired of hearing the pump cycle every second while trying to conserve water, I decided to install a water accumulator. I had thought about doing this long ago, but with no easy spot to mount it in a slideout model, I never did it.
I bought the same one others here have purchased:
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...ator-tank/2290
I got mine at West Marine, which is much closer to me than any decent RV store, and they price matched an online marine store, which was the same price as CW.
I narrowed it down to 2 spots:
1) underneath the kitchen sink -- somewhere. Not alot of options there are real estate is slim pickin's. Access to the air valve on the accumulator would be difficult, seeing that it would face upward toward the underside of the sink.
2) in the cabinet to the right of the bathroom sink. I would tee into the kitchen sink plumbing, and when the kitchen wall collapses, the air valve would be easily accessed. Unfortunately, there is some unknown white box on the other side of this wall (under the kitchen sink) with wires coming out of it going to the water heater. Installation here would have required moving this box. Does anyone know what this box is for?
Criteria were:
- close to the water pump as possible. I was told by a veteran boat equipment installer that 1 foot vs 10 foot would make a significant difference with a 2 gallon accumlator. Since my accumlator is a fraction of that at 24 oz, I really wanted to get it close.
- ideally the line from the accumulator would slope down and the unit itself would be mounted upright to maximize draining. Complete draining is impossible if the unit is mounted on its side, although it does not impact function.
I subsequently chose under the kitchen sink. I thought about mounting it on the floor, or even installing a new brace somewhere, but it wouldn't drain mounted on the floor and there is just no room for a new brace.
I ended up mounting it on the very thin wall that separates the under sink cabinet from the refrigerator. You can get access to the backside of this wall from the outside top fridge compartment cover. I put a galvanized Strong-Tie plate on both sides of the wall, drilled 2 holes all the way through, and mounted the accumulator using moly bolts. Be VERY careful that the bolts don't protrude too far and damage the fridge. My bolts were actually too long, so to prevent damaging the fridge, I pushed the wall inwards towards the sink by wedging a short 2x4 in between the fridge and the wall. This increased the space between the wall and fridge so I could get the bolts started. Since the entire screw length is only required to compress the moly section, they can be shortened. So after the moly section compressed fully, I removed the screws, cut them, and then mounted the accumulator with them.
The accumulator exerts equal pressure out of both of its 2 ports, so it need not be installed in-line with plumbing. So I capped 1 port with a nylon nut, and teed the other port into the existing PEX using a Sharkbite connector with 1/2" NPT on the other end. Those threads screwed onto a nylon fitting with a hose barb on the other end, which obviously goes onto the accumulator hose.
I put some foam under the bottom half to help support it.
The TM PEX works great with Sharkbites. I now have a bunch of various fittings in my TM toolbox.
If I had to do it again, I would probably try the bathroom location if I could find a new home for the unknown white box. Under the kitchen sink is so cramped, and so is the space between the fridge and the wall on the outside. But it's obviously not impossible.
To gain access to the air valve, I bought a
"spare tire extension" from CW, and will probably just tie it up under the sink. I could mount it on the instrument panel next to the thermostat if I find I access it often, but I don't expect that to be the case.
The result: I don't notice any difference when the faucets are wide open. The pump still runs continuously. If you want to achieve that, you need a 2 or 5 gallon accumulator. However, under low flow conditions, which we usually operate under, the pump now cycles only once every 10 seconds vs. every other second. That is a nice improvement.
Dave
Installing a water accumlator on a 2720SL
Linear Mode
