# Fresh water filler on Frankia?



## alphadee (May 10, 2009)

Can anyone tell me if there is a conventional fresh water filler on a Frankia, or do you have to use the built-in hose every time :? ?
Thanks.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

On mine I also have a filler in the locker the hot water boiler is in. It's a grey plastic tube about 75mm in diameter located just inside the door and held in place by two plastic clips and should have a grey cap fitted in it, my cap is missing, Alan.


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## alphadee (May 10, 2009)

Thanks Alan... that was a quick reply! We are collecting our Frankia next Friday    , and couldn't recall seeing a filler anywhere. Now we know why!


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

The tube that Alan mentions is standard but a bit of a performance in use, due to its hight and especially if you only want to top up via a container. I saw this one coming and specified a normal type filler to be fitted low down as an extra. Consequently I have never needed to use the one in the locker. I suppose one could be retro fitted but not without problems given the difficult access. 

Ron


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## alphadee (May 10, 2009)

Thanks Ron... yes I can see it could be a little awkward to use - especially as I'm only 5'2"! Not normally my job anyway (!), but in extremis, nice to know where it is!


Pamela.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

It's not high up on my van and it's long enough to reach outside and push the hose into it. I use it when the tap I am filling from already has a hose attached. I find the locker mounted hose a palaver to pull out and put away. Each to their own I guess, Alan.


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

erneboy said:


> It's not high up on my van and it's long enough to reach outside and push the hose into it. I use it when the tap I am filling from already has a hose attached. I find the locker mounted hose a palaver to pull out and put away. Each to their own I guess, Alan.


Yes its not high and due to the end not being fixed to the side of the van you can either pull it out to where you want it and just shove the spout of a watering can into it, or you can just push a hose into it. I will take a hose with or without an end on it. It is a lot easier to use than a wall mounted filler.


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Your lucky Alan, mines well over five feet high and not good if wanting to use a container for convenience! I agree about the locker mounted hose being a palaver, but even worse I found was the locker mounted electric cable. On ours the cable is first fed into the water hose side of the locker from underneath and then then has to make a right angle turn to wind onto the electric reel. It used to take an absolute eternity reeling the cable in or out. It's a good topic of conversation with other Frankia owners as to how they got round the problem and I've seen some weird and wonderful DIY conversions. In the end I got rid of the reel housing altogether and simply fitted a standard male connector to the van side of the cable so as to just plug in as usual - ten times quicker!

Welcome to the Frankia club Pamela, great vans but they still have their little problems.

Ron


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

ob1 said:


> Your lucky Alan, mines well over five feet high and not good if wanting to use a container for convenience! I agree about the locker mounted hose being a palaver, but even worse I found was the locker mounted electric cable. On ours the cable is first fed into the water hose side of the locker from underneath and then then has to make a right angle turn to wind onto the electric reel. It used to take an absolute eternity reeling the cable in or out. It's a good topic of conversation with other Frankia owners as to how they got round the problem and I've seen some weird and wonderful DIY conversions. In the end I got rid of the reel housing altogether and simply fitted a standard male connector to the van side of the cable so as to just plug in as usual - ten times quicker!
> 
> Welcome to the Frankia club Pamela, great vans but they still have their little problems.
> 
> Ron


I also fitted a mains connector just before the reel, we use it to plug in at home without unwinding the reel.


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Jesport - I can load 10 lts of water through my side fitting in less than thirty seconds, I cannot imagine anything easier than that if using a container?

Ron


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

ob1 said:


> Jesport - I can load 10 lts of water through my side fitting in less than thirty seconds, I cannot imagine anything easier than that if using a container?
> 
> Ron


I have a 10 ltr watering can and put the spout straight in and poor the lot in instantly due to the convoluted hose pointing downwards, my last van had a low mounted wall filler and if you poured too fast it poured back at you.


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## alphadee (May 10, 2009)

Thanks for the information. Looking forward to next Friday!


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

If you lift the floor hatch cover between shower and toilet, you can access the fresh water tank where if you remove the large red bung you can tip straight into the tank.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Yes Ron, I removed my electric cable reel too. It looks a good idea at first glance but is a right pain to use. I have a socket inside the locker and just push the cable up through the hole and connect. Far simpler and faster to connect and disconnect now, Alan.


Edit: If taking the tank lids off be sure to clean the seals and re-tighten really well or they may leak when the tanks are full. I have had that happen when filling the fresh tank after having the top off, luckily I checked and re-tightening fixed it. Had I not checked it could have made a right mess, Alan.


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

On a similar theme to you Alan, when I bought my 700T the cable reel was missing, I have fitted one with a group of plugs(female (for the feed)) on the side and on the feed wire of van have a plug (male) to either plug into reel or via an adaptor straight to the hook up lead. For me this works very well and I have a couple of extension hook ups that I can use with or without the fitted reel.


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## Motoberg (Jul 26, 2010)

My 2004 Fiat based i700 has a fresh water filler cap on the drivers side which looks cunningly like a nice place to put diesel in !!


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## macone48 (Mar 14, 2006)

We've had our 650i for nearly 3-years and think the water hose is a brilliant idea. 

I would say that only once have we run out and had to bring x 2 by 5ltr water containers and pour them directly into the water tank - ours is near the rear door under the bunks.

Likewise another good idea, the mains reel!! At times it can be rather short so I have another 25m in a reel stored on-board which extends where we can park.

Hope you enjoy the Frankia experience, we have/do!!

HTH

Trev


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Fillways frankia*

Ours has 4 ways to fill.

The standard wall mounted filler cap
The Frankia flexible hose in the alde boiler locker 
The Frankia hose reel in the services locker and
We can fill from inside by removing the cap on the tank under the floor


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## cavs (Mar 15, 2009)

*Re: Fillways frankia*



teemyob said:


> Ours has 4 ways to fill.
> 
> The standard wall mounted filler cap
> The Frankia flexible hose in the alde boiler locker
> ...


Ours is the same. I've never used the wall-mounted point or the flexible hose in the boiler locker. (Except that I pour sterilising fluid down them when doing the rest of the system.) I find that the hose reel does not need to be run out to use it - it fills quite happily with most of it still on the reel.

Stephen


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Re: Fillways frankia*



cavs said:


> teemyob said:
> 
> 
> > Ours has 4 ways to fill.
> ...


Then I guess you could fit an in-line filter just after the hose reel to filter out an bits before they get into the tank !


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