for the swinging pump, an L bracket going to the side with a couple strong magnets should hold it in place. the inner one could be sealed to prevent corrosion.
Great work! I'd be a little careful with the break line, it'll work great but there's likely residues from manufacturing like greases etc. I'd imagine they care less about break lines then a tube designed for potable water). It's very likely your carbon filter would be good enough but it might just be worth running a solvent through those lines, you could also run boiling water through it (Not with the PTFE tank fitted though). As hot water will probably loosen any oils.
Perhaps a baffle in the water tank from which the vertical water pipe could be attached to keep it from wandering. The baffle might help induce stability in Alan as the water can’t splosh around in bumpy seas. Like a tuned dampener in an earthquake prone building.
After the previous video when you mentioned Alan would also become a submarine , i was wondering how exciting that would be , until i remembered that we were at the start of April , and someone was having a laff , but imagine just how amazing that would be ? Keep up your amazing work .
With your pump flopping around inside your tank, you can use some of that thin cutting board that is about 1mm or 2mm thick, cut out a long 300mm x 100mm section, drill holes for your pipes to fit through, bend over each end of the thin board at 45 degree angles & glue those to the inside walls of the tank with epoxy or silicone next to 2 corners.
I have used the same battery for my motorbike that I've built. Make sure you have the right regulator when charging it as if you charge it off the standard battery circuit from Alan's engine you can risk it blowing up as it can overcharge. They're great batteries.
I bought a stickwelder years ago and have used it on plenty of non critical equipment. Most recently on my campervanbuild. Rarely pretty welds, but allways fun and it has given durable resaults so far.
Cut a hose to slide over the pump housing that will reach the bottom of the tank. The hose will do two things. One keeps the pump from bouncing against the tank. Two the pump can now reach the 50 to 75 millimeters of water below the pump inlet.
could do a little spring attached the hole visible at 6:47 to hold the thing stable. im not sure about securing the top. maybe a bend or a threaded peace. i bet if you try to use the fittings that are available to you youll find somthing
As for keeping the pump moored in the tank a simple rubber foot attached to a piece of spring steel that clamps to the line or pump. Set the foot 45° off each wall and the foot will limit contact with the wall.
well done you got me so good with that april fools joke! i fell hard lol ive had a good laugh all week after i realized what day it was. well done. though it would be cool to have this ACTUALLY be a submersible
sugru formable silicone technology, unique in its combination of hand formability, adhesive properties, and flexibility when cured. Ideal for the water tank issue. Check on food safety though but marine salt water compatible.
SUGGESTIONS: put some “baffles” into the water reservoir or the never ending “slushing” will slowly make “Jack a dull boy”, potentially. Just saying, good Sir.
Cushioning the pump against bumping will protect the pump, but eventually repetitive flexing will do in the tube. Cheapest, least invasive solution, now that the gland is already crimped, would probably be a pvc pipe mounting flange adhered to the bottom of the tank, cupping the base of the pump without blocking water flow.
"How to keep it still". Easy, a set of suction cups (like on a windshield of a car) inside the tank with just a dab of food safe rated rubber sealant so it does not lose the seal. Then a plastic zip line to the water tubes.
For powering the pump, do you take your power tools with you? If you use the batteries from them, you circle them often and they won't go bad. Just a crazy idea.
Add an extra piece of pipe to the pump, fix it as still as possible. Then use a pipe foot, the sort that kitchen cabinets use when free floating . Glue this to the bottom then insert the pipe into the foot. Glueing can be done with some spare food safe plastics. Use it as you would if soldering . If you're going to be stick welding the you need to read, practice, practice and do more practicing. Stick welding done right looks good and lasts but can be very unforgiving for the unexperienced. It can be very tricky, particularly on thin metal.
Anchor the pump down. Take some stainless wire, bend a squiggly end and connect to a soldering iron, melt squiggly end about halfway into the pe tank below the pump, use soldering iron to melt and seal the plastic over the anchor wire and use the wire anchor to secure the pump.
2:51 I was merely curious why you chose to go with the bit of black fuel line at the end of the copper brake line instead of the clear plastic you used everywhere else. cheers!
Did you consider having an external pump, i.e. non-submerged? I don’t understand the desire to put electricity under water, whether it’s bilge pumps or freshwater pumps or shower sump pumps etc. On my boat, the pumps are dry mounted in the engine compartment, with hoses going to the pickup points in tanks or bilge. This way, any electrical problems are fairly easy to fix, and the pumps are easy to swap out if necessary.
I take your point but I've not come across one of those submersible pumps that can caused people many dramas. I looked at a few inline ones but they were either huge, or too powerful, or both, or had bad reviews. I have a spare of this pump (£15) and it wouldn't take long to swap out if it fails and blows a fuse.
Using a longer piece of pipe could mean you being able to lay the pump flat on the bottom of the tank and thus it would move less. Either that or epoxy a shallow cup into the bottom of the tank so the pumps movement is restricted.
I'd be wary of having a rigid pipe on the pump. Seems like too much leverage when the water level is low and it's sloshing about. Maybe some stainless steel and a magnet to hold it in place? Or a much stronger pipe braced where it comes out the top of the tank? Or a brace that comes up to the lid hole. I guess you looked at diaphragm pumps that would sit outside the tank. They seem very reliable and lift water quite far and generate good pressure and flow. That way you could just have a pipe sticking down and less windage than a pump assembly. A puzzle anyway.
In the same notion as Allen the submarine. I suggest a lead weight to keep the water pump in place. I do believe thats what was used in the Franklin Expedition.
Alex, so my idea of vertically mounting the pump, filter and wiring to a length of 316 threaded rod that was fixed vertically into the lid of the water tank, thereby avoiding drilling holes in the tank and removing the need for a swing damper wasn't viable? Now that you have a stick welded get some stainless weldall electrodes and you will be unstoppable!
It was certainly one of a number of options that would have worked. I do want to keep the pipes to the rear and hatch to the front, and be able to open the hatch independently of moving the stand pipe.
What's the thought process behind bringing your own clean water instead of using the water outside the boat and just purifying it? Is it energy? Do you need to do like reverse osmosis to truly make it clean?
Also for an idea to keep it still, have something that extends down and touches the bottom preferably with rubber. The friction will cause it to remain still. That's assuming if you can reach in. Otherwise maybe attach a bracket that it can clip into?
Dependent upon what you put in it, your 12v lunch heater may keep the food temperature in the "danger zone" (20c-65c) for long enough to propagate a bacterial load large enough to cause you problems on that particular day. Heated food needs to be above 65c for 2 minutes before it is considered safe to eat.
Extent the copper pipe with a 90 degree bent and tie it to the left bracket off the workbench, should do the job!!!! BUT- there is way to many crimped joints on this, with potentials for leaks, please rethink for only minimum joints ?????
I understand about the number of crimps. But it's not like I can reduce the number of components without consequence. They are easy to replace and it's only water!
So, nothing you did was "wrong". But it's definitely unconventional. Typically you mount a bung through the side or bottom of the tank, connect a hose to the input of a pump, and away you go. Putting the pump inside - well, to me it just seems like a harder configuration with no real benefit. Cleaning a clogged impeller (mold, ice, debris are all possibilities) now involves removing the entire assembly from the tank, rather than disconnecting two hoses from your external pump. Also, I didn't see how you have the tank mounted / supported, but I do encourage you to fill it completely (for testing) before you find yourself in heavy seas. It will be a substantial amount of weight.
I did consider an inline pump outside the tank, like the manual ones, but that would still need a stand pipe apparatus to hold the bottom in place. This rig is pretty quick to whip out if needed. The tank is securely bedded on (mostly) solid fibreglass.
I'd Feel Safer If I Could Put/Park An Off-Grid 64 Person Liveaboard Lifeboat Fort/Bunker Tiny Home Inside A Ship/Boat On Wheels That Can Drive On/Off Road Like A Extreme Overland RV and That Can Still Float On Any Waterway If Need Be To Be Safe From The Most Extreme Weather and Really Bad People/Zombies I Will Have An Indoor Playground / Bedroom and Bathroom To Use As I Live/Travel Full Time In For Work and Vacation and For When Stopped In Really Bad Traffic I Will Also Have CCTV To Watch Out For Mail and Storms + I Won't Have To Travel By Train/Bus/Plane In The USA/Mexico/Canada Or Have To See The TSA All In My Face + If My Landlord Says Move Then I Can Move My Whole Mobile Liveaboard Lifeboat To A New Place Of Land To Rent/Park On If Need Be + I Love Ya UA-cam A Lot
![Fixing a slow leak through fibreglass shell, but mostly heater stuff. Lifeboat Conversion Ep73 [4K]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SYDHqWb8mX4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Fixing a slow leak through fibreglass shell, but mostly heater stuff. Lifeboat Conversion Ep73 [4K]](/img/tr.png)
![Manual freshwater pump - a first try for a drinking water assembly. Lifeboat Conversion Ep69 [4K]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bUtdNIhWjxg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Alan the lifeboat heads north LEG 1: Benfleet to Lowestoft. Expedition Lifeboat Conversion Ep86 [4K]](/img/n.gif)
for the swinging pump, an L bracket going to the side with a couple strong magnets should hold it in place. the inner one could be sealed to prevent corrosion.
Great work! I'd be a little careful with the break line, it'll work great but there's likely residues from manufacturing like greases etc. I'd imagine they care less about break lines then a tube designed for potable water). It's very likely your carbon filter would be good enough but it might just be worth running a solvent through those lines, you could also run boiling water through it (Not with the PTFE tank fitted though). As hot water will probably loosen any oils.
Thanks for the concern, but the lines were capped on delivery and I noticed it said they were certified: Internal cleanliness to BS EN 12449.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Oh interesting, very astute as always ^_^
Perhaps a baffle in the water tank from which the vertical water pipe could be attached to keep it from wandering. The baffle might help induce stability in Alan as the water can’t splosh around in bumpy seas. Like a tuned dampener in an earthquake prone building.
True. I'll need baffle balls anyhow.
After the previous video when you mentioned Alan would also become a submarine , i was wondering how exciting that would be , until i remembered that we were at the start of April , and someone was having a laff , but imagine just how amazing that would be ? Keep up your amazing work .
With your pump flopping around inside your tank, you can use some of that thin cutting board that is about 1mm or 2mm thick, cut out a long 300mm x 100mm section, drill holes for your pipes to fit through, bend over each end of the thin board at 45 degree angles & glue those to the inside walls of the tank with epoxy or silicone next to 2 corners.
a good strong magnet adhered to the outside of the tank and a corresponding magnet attached to the standpipe close to the bottom
Magnets are popular today!
I have used the same battery for my motorbike that I've built. Make sure you have the right regulator when charging it as if you charge it off the standard battery circuit from Alan's engine you can risk it blowing up as it can overcharge. They're great batteries.
Yeah they can only accept a slowish charge, so it'll be controlled by a Victron Smart split charger.
You can anchor the pump with a simple hook screw and some safety wire
I bought a stickwelder years ago and have used it on plenty of non critical equipment.
Most recently on my campervanbuild.
Rarely pretty welds, but allways fun and it has given durable resaults so far.
Pretty is overrated.
Cut a hose to slide over the pump housing that will reach the bottom of the tank. The hose will do two things. One keeps the pump from bouncing against the tank. Two the pump can now reach the 50 to 75 millimeters of water below the pump inlet.
I like this, although the hose would need to be castellated. I don't want the pump to suck directly from the bottom in case of sediment.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals The obvious, so castellate it! A Stanley knife would do, probably ....
You could also put a strong magnet in the hose, and one on the outside of the tank to clamp the pump in place.
'Suave' and 'a pair of nuts' does seem somewhat apt for Alan .... Good progress, mind and really coming together ready for a splash!!
Keep it still with magnets from the in- and outside :)
could do a little spring attached the hole visible at 6:47 to hold the thing stable. im not sure about securing the top. maybe a bend or a threaded peace. i bet if you try to use the fittings that are available to you youll find somthing
Excellent content this week Alex. It is good to see the progress on
Allen. I look forward to the expedition!👍🤙👊🖖
Cheers Stefan
just a thought about adding a hand cranked generator as a backup
I literally just bought one this morning 😂
A baffle may be needed … the water will slosh around causing additional noise and movement of the pump.
Yes the one central baffle may be insufficient. I have good experiences with baffle balls, so can add if needed.
As for keeping the pump moored in the tank a simple rubber foot attached to a piece of spring steel that clamps to the line or pump. Set the foot 45° off each wall and the foot will limit contact with the wall.
Just perfect 👍 Keep up the good work 😎
I disagree, but thank you!
Came for Alan, stayed for the Mighty Egret!
And truly might it was.
Fan of your time lapses.
How kind
well done you got me so good with that april fools joke! i fell hard lol ive had a good laugh all week after i realized what day it was. well done. though it would be cool to have this ACTUALLY be a submersible
This is a really enjoyable episode
sugru formable silicone technology, unique in its combination of hand formability, adhesive properties, and flexibility when cured. Ideal for the water tank issue. Check on food safety though but marine salt water compatible.
Are you going to try to hitch a ride for Allen partway north like to Greenland??
No, we'll go up the Norwegian coast under our own steam.
SUGGESTIONS: put some “baffles” into the water reservoir or the never ending “slushing” will slowly make “Jack a dull boy”, potentially. Just saying, good Sir.
Yep, large baffle balls.
Cushioning the pump against bumping will protect the pump, but eventually repetitive flexing will do in the tube.
Cheapest, least invasive solution, now that the gland is already crimped, would probably be a pvc pipe mounting flange adhered to the bottom of the tank, cupping the base of the pump without blocking water flow.
While you may enjoy the flow rate at the moment you should be prepared for diminished flow rate as the filter does its job.
Quite possible. I can swap out the pump in 30mins or so, but it strikes me as better to avoid a higher pressure system than necessary.
"How to keep it still". Easy, a set of suction cups (like on a windshield of a car) inside the tank with just a dab of food safe rated rubber sealant so it does not lose the seal. Then a plastic zip line to the water tubes.
Do you not find suction cups never last long? Rubber sealant won't bond properly to polyethylene tanks. Barely anything does!
I am pausing watching now... Have to muse on this.
For powering the pump, do you take your power tools with you?
If you use the batteries from them, you circle them often and they won't go bad. Just a crazy idea.
Add an extra piece of pipe to the pump, fix it as still as possible. Then use a pipe foot, the sort that kitchen cabinets use when free floating . Glue this to the bottom then insert the pipe into the foot. Glueing can be done with some spare food safe plastics. Use it as you would if soldering .
If you're going to be stick welding the you need to read, practice, practice and do more practicing. Stick welding done right looks good and lasts but can be very unforgiving for the unexperienced. It can be very tricky, particularly on thin metal.
I'm considering a variation on this
Anchor the pump down. Take some stainless wire, bend a squiggly end and connect to a soldering iron, melt squiggly end about halfway into the pe tank below the pump, use soldering iron to melt and seal the plastic over the anchor wire and use the wire anchor to secure the pump.
I'd be nervous about DIY heat welding the bottom of the tank - but even if I wasn't, I can't reach that far inside.
6:46 a layer of sponge should do the trick
2:51 I was merely curious why you chose to go with the bit of black fuel line at the end of the copper brake line instead of the clear plastic you used everywhere else. cheers!
oh I see because of the step down
was the clear tube's inner diameter smaller than that of the copper brake line?
I didn't have any 8mm clear pvc 😂
Did you consider having an external pump, i.e. non-submerged? I don’t understand the desire to put electricity under water, whether it’s bilge pumps or freshwater pumps or shower sump pumps etc. On my boat, the pumps are dry mounted in the engine compartment, with hoses going to the pickup points in tanks or bilge. This way, any electrical problems are fairly easy to fix, and the pumps are easy to swap out if necessary.
I take your point but I've not come across one of those submersible pumps that can caused people many dramas. I looked at a few inline ones but they were either huge, or too powerful, or both, or had bad reviews. I have a spare of this pump (£15) and it wouldn't take long to swap out if it fails and blows a fuse.
Nothing to add but very nicely done.
Personal experience with those inline filters. They clog up very fast. Keep at least 6 spares.
Cheers
Using a longer piece of pipe could mean you being able to lay the pump flat on the bottom of the tank and thus it would move less.
Either that or epoxy a shallow cup into the bottom of the tank so the pumps movement is restricted.
I want to avoid picking up sediment, and epoxy is very hard to bond to PE plastic.
I'd be wary of having a rigid pipe on the pump. Seems like too much leverage when the water level is low and it's sloshing about. Maybe some stainless steel and a magnet to hold it in place? Or a much stronger pipe braced where it comes out the top of the tank? Or a brace that comes up to the lid hole.
I guess you looked at diaphragm pumps that would sit outside the tank. They seem very reliable and lift water quite far and generate good pressure and flow. That way you could just have a pipe sticking down and less windage than a pump assembly.
A puzzle anyway.
In the same notion as Allen the submarine. I suggest a lead weight to keep the water pump in place. I do believe thats what was used in the Franklin Expedition.
It ended well for them.
3:02 the only drama will be if it pops off in the tank. If you flair the end ….
Perhaps loops of thin wire attached to the pump, might cushion it enough to be tolerable.
fix it inlace by using a magnet to hold it from outside the tank
ALAN!
The pump could be fitted higher with the hose that has float attached to it .
Have you got an air vent for the tank or breather
Great work.
Dumb Question: The wires tying the water tube and pump wire together, over the silicone tape, are Zn coated or galvanized?
They are stainless.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Thank you for answering
Alex, so my idea of vertically mounting the pump, filter and wiring to a length of 316 threaded rod that was fixed vertically into the lid of the water tank, thereby avoiding drilling holes in the tank and removing the need for a swing damper wasn't viable?
Now that you have a stick welded get some stainless weldall electrodes and you will be unstoppable!
It was certainly one of a number of options that would have worked. I do want to keep the pipes to the rear and hatch to the front, and be able to open the hatch independently of moving the stand pipe.
AMAZINGNES!!!
Shouldn't the filter come after the pump? Before the pump limits you to one atmosphere of pressure across the filter.
I'm not sure I understand. The filter is after the pump in the foot pump and powered config. In the hand pump config, it's impossible to be.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Yeah sorry, I made that comment looking at the hand pump!
What's the thought process behind bringing your own clean water instead of using the water outside the boat and just purifying it? Is it energy? Do you need to do like reverse osmosis to truly make it clean?
Also for an idea to keep it still, have something that extends down and touches the bottom preferably with rubber. The friction will cause it to remain still. That's assuming if you can reach in. Otherwise maybe attach a bracket that it can clip into?
Cost and power needed. Plus once on location there's snow.
I'd make a platic mount for the pump and glue it in place. Egg cup type
I'm onboard with anything involving eggs.
Why not thread your fittings directly to the tank if you can't find ones long enough to thread both sides?
I suppose I could, if I had a tapping set. Not sure how fine threads do when cut into soft plastics.
Dependent upon what you put in it, your 12v lunch heater may keep the food temperature in the "danger zone" (20c-65c) for long enough to propagate a bacterial load large enough to cause you problems on that particular day. Heated food needs to be above 65c for 2 minutes before it is considered safe to eat.
Concern for my gut health duly noted.
Lol, you know there's another way to do time lapses where nothing happens, right? Some people call them still frames or photos
The moon moved a bit before the duck!
Magnets may be a solution for the pump.
Since mostly plastic, maybe a plastic-wrapped magnet would avoid making a hole and allow you to anchor the pump oulet.
good
Wrap the cupro tube with a pool noodle or piece of pipe insulation.
Foam can go funny if immersed for ages.
Water in the tank will keep the pump from banging around.
I did wonder about this, but I suspect it'll just slow the movement unless I increase the surface area.
You can probably use a magnet on the pump and on the outside of the tank. Then if you had to remove it the process would be easier.
Id worry the pump might burn out having so much it has to push through constantly....
It'll be run for a few seconds at a time.
I'm nr southampton with 22 years experience welding for the army. If Alan is nr I'm happy to offer help or advice.
Thanks Scott. London based but will keep in mind!
Extent the copper pipe with a 90 degree bent and tie it to the left bracket off the workbench, should do the job!!!! BUT- there is way to many crimped joints on this, with potentials for leaks, please rethink for only minimum joints ?????
I understand about the number of crimps. But it's not like I can reduce the number of components without consequence. They are easy to replace and it's only water!
Got my Boat Named Alan hat in Ohio!
never seen someone construct such a flimsy system
You're fun. Do stick around.
12 volt anything is not effective. In fact it is literally inefficient. Especially for heating.!
Higher the voltage. Higher the efficiency.!!
😏👌
So, nothing you did was "wrong". But it's definitely unconventional. Typically you mount a bung through the side or bottom of the tank, connect a hose to the input of a pump, and away you go. Putting the pump inside - well, to me it just seems like a harder configuration with no real benefit. Cleaning a clogged impeller (mold, ice, debris are all possibilities) now involves removing the entire assembly from the tank, rather than disconnecting two hoses from your external pump.
Also, I didn't see how you have the tank mounted / supported, but I do encourage you to fill it completely (for testing) before you find yourself in heavy seas. It will be a substantial amount of weight.
I did consider an inline pump outside the tank, like the manual ones, but that would still need a stand pipe apparatus to hold the bottom in place. This rig is pretty quick to whip out if needed.
The tank is securely bedded on (mostly) solid fibreglass.
I'd Feel Safer If I Could Put/Park An Off-Grid 64 Person Liveaboard Lifeboat Fort/Bunker Tiny Home Inside A Ship/Boat On Wheels That Can Drive On/Off Road Like A Extreme Overland RV and That Can Still Float On Any Waterway If Need Be To Be Safe From The Most Extreme Weather and Really Bad People/Zombies I Will Have An Indoor Playground / Bedroom and Bathroom To Use As I Live/Travel Full Time In For Work and Vacation and For When Stopped In Really Bad Traffic I Will Also Have CCTV To Watch Out For Mail and Storms + I Won't Have To Travel By Train/Bus/Plane In The USA/Mexico/Canada Or Have To See The TSA All In My Face + If My Landlord Says Move Then I Can Move My Whole Mobile Liveaboard Lifeboat To A New Place Of Land To Rent/Park On If Need Be + I Love Ya UA-cam A Lot
1st
I enjoy watching your videos but recently started muting your commentary your attempts at humour for me are starting to wear thin ...
I'm pleased you've soldiered on with a strategy that allows you to enjoy them Philip!