Our Van Water System and Push-to-Connect PEX Plumbing

Our fresh water lives in a 35-gallon tank over the wheel well, inside the van, so it uses dead space and doesn't freeze. We fill it through a city-water inlet next to the shore power inlet, and a level sensor reports to our Victron screen. For drinking we carry two separate 3-gallon jugs.

Everything is 1/2" PEX with push-to-connect fittings. "You just kind of plug it in," Michael says, and it never leaked in our old van. A 12V pump and accumulator feed the faucet, the shower and the dishwasher, with a tee and drain valve for winterizing.

Hot water comes from an Isotemp tank heated by the engine's coolant: drive for half an hour and the water is hot, for free. Its electric element only gets switched on when we are plugged into shore power. Michael also built his own "recirculation" button that pushes the cold water sitting in the hot line back into the fresh tank, so we don't waste it waiting for hot water.

Grey water goes to a 15-gallon and a 5-gallon tank under the van. Both drain through 12V motorized ball valves, so we just tap a switch.

What we learned

• Tapping into the coolant line was the most daunting job of the build for Michael. Refill with 50/50 coolant and bleed the system after.
• Winter lesson: our grey drain froze once because the bypass ball valve wasn't open. Leave it open in freezing weather so the line can drain to the ground.
• Push-to-connect fittings need no crimp tools; a ratcheting PEX cutter and a depth gauge are all you need.