# Aqua roll , whale pump to whale point



## adbt (Apr 6, 2010)

So how does the " system " know that the onboard tank is empty and starts to use the aquaroll or does it not work like that ? HELP !


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## TheFlups (Nov 9, 2012)

I think you'll find you have to do it manually rather than on demand. We just scroll through the menu on the control panel to 'fill internal tank' and press enter. It cuts out when it gets to 100% but I don't believe it starts automatically when the internal tank is empty.

Others have criticised the system but we find it rather handy provided you're armed with a plastic box of fittings for all eventualities.


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

Can you fill it up with a hose pipe (or watering can), or do you have to use the aqua roll or similar?


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## adbt (Apr 6, 2010)

If the onboard tank has 20 L in it and you top it up with 40 L from the aqua roll does the pump in the aqua roll cut out automatically ? If I'm on a service pitch I'll use the ball cock half fill attachment however .


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## adbt (Apr 6, 2010)

bognormike said:


> Can you fill it up with a hose pipe (or watering can), or do you have to use the aqua roll or similar?


I want to use the aqua roll and it's associated submersible pump to top up the onboard tank without moving the van or using " containers " like on a caravan , cheers


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## SteveB123 (Jan 28, 2013)

If I am on a fully serviced pitch then I fill the tank every day using the filler hose, no need for a Aguaroll


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## adbt (Apr 6, 2010)

Ok so i want to use it on a non serviced pitch


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## Paddy7 (Aug 22, 2012)

Hi you can use it using the "Fill internal tank" selection on the control panel, it will cut out when the internal tank reaches the 100% level. To fill again you will have to repeat the process.
However be careful as the pump does not cut out should the aqua roll or similar runs dry before the internal tank is full. 

PS what do you do with the waste?

Paddy.


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Would it not, in the long run, be easier, to convert the system to a conventional filling by hose or watering can procedure.
I have been on aire's when owners with what seems to me, to be a silly time hungry filling procedure, have worried about the length of time they would be hogging an aire service facility, usually with a queue of other M/Hs behind them.
This will also save battery power, important if off grid!
edit
Apologies, if I have it wrong as I have never used your system, but I understand from what I have read, that you fill a Aquaroll and then need to pump the water from the Aquaroll to the van water system.
Very long winded!


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

After many years using different systems, for us, only the watering can (20ltrs) will do. Every other method seems to be making work for ourselves.
Hose pie = Large awkward storage, needs unrolling to use and to find suitable connection, connect to tap and insert in van, turn on tap and wait for overflow. Undo, put bits away , empty hose, roll it up and store.
Aqua roll = Large storage space lost, many of the hose pipe problems. roll back heavy unit to van, locate and fit filler pipe and electrics. When filled, remove and store pipe connection, empty out residue and pack in storage space.
Watering can = remove light container from storage, walk to tap, fill, walk back to van and pour. When finished, empty residue and replace in store. Possibly repeat three or four times.

Aqua rolls were designed for caravans that had no built-in tanks. 

Good luck with making it automatic but when I already have a full tank with 120 Ltrs of water, why would I need to roll another tank to leave outside?

I know that I am not very bright so perhaps someone will perhaps explain the advantages of an Aquaroll and if I am missing something, I may get one. :wink: 

Alan


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

I agree Alan, although, I have never used an Aquaroll.
I do carry 3 hoses. One is long, the 2nd is about 10 feet, and can be used when on an aire service point, and the 3rd is just 1 foot in length and used between tap and watering can.
During my last European holiday, I used the 10 feet hose just twice.
The rest of the time, I used the watering can and sometimes the very short tap to can hose.
Watering can has my vote!


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## Solwaybuggier (Mar 4, 2008)

Grath said:


> Would it not, in the long run, be easier, to convert the system to a conventional filling by hose or watering can procedure.
> I have been on aire's when owners with what seems to me, to be a silly time hungry filling procedure, have worried about the length of time they would be hogging an aire service facility, usually with a queue of other M/Hs behind them.
> This will also save battery power, important if off grid!
> edit
> ...


No, the Bailey/Whale system comes with a hosepipe which plugs in to the tank with a pressure limiter, then fills conventionally but v-e-r-y slowly. (When buying we did ask if you could specify with a normal filler; got different answers but then Bailey said no.)

It also has a submersible pump, which you can use with an aqua roll or similar (we use a small Fiamma roll tank), and I think that's what the OP is asking about. Ironically, the fill rate with this is, we reckon, about twice that of the hosepipe fitting. So in theory you could save time filling by using a tank or a bucket, filling it by hose at the same time as using the submersible pump! In practice, at an aire or other busy or time-limited filling point, we find it quicker to take the top screw cap off the fresh water tank and use the hose direct in through the van window!

We love the Bailey - other than the stupid water filling arrangement.


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Solwaybuggier said:


> Grath said:
> 
> 
> > Would it not, in the long run, be easier, to convert the system to a conventional filling by hose or watering can procedure.
> ...


Thanks for that
However, as you can take the top off the water tank, would it not be easy to drill a hole in the top of the water tank, then fit a marine skin fitting in the top of the water tank, and a filler pipe to anywhere handy. Or is their not enough room for the pipe.
I think that sometimes, some of these dealers and manufacturers say no, just because they don't want to do it!


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## Solwaybuggier (Mar 4, 2008)

Grath said:


> Solwaybuggier said:
> 
> 
> > Grath said:
> ...


Maybe - but I'm not inclined to while it's under warranty. Not to mention not being very adept at drilling etc!


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## VanFlair (Nov 21, 2009)

rosalan said:


> After many years using different systems, for us, only the watering can (20ltrs) will do. Every other method seems to be making work for ourselves.
> Hose pie = Large awkward storage, needs unrolling to use and to find suitable connection, connect to tap and insert in van, turn on tap and wait for overflow. Undo, put bits away , empty hose, roll it up and store.
> Aqua roll = Large storage space lost, many of the hose pipe problems. roll back heavy unit to van, locate and fit filler pipe and electrics. When filled, remove and store pipe connection, empty out residue and pack in storage space.
> Watering can = remove light container from storage, walk to tap, fill, walk back to van and pour. When finished, empty residue and replace in store. Possibly repeat three or four times.
> ...


Hi Alan

Parked in Germany 1/2 mile from tap and not wanting to move and loose our space aguaroll behind bike, to the tap pedal back fill up job done, when we go to shows and rallies I dont mess about driving to the fill up point to use a hose or sit in a queue when we arrive I just take the aquaroll for a walk have a bit chat on the way and fill the tank when I get back. What about aires where you pay for a set amount of water say 1euro for 80 litres how do you do that with a watering can.

Martin


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

[/quote]
What about aires where you pay for a set amount of water say 1euro for 80 litres how do you do that with a watering can.

Martin[/quote]

If I was half way to clever, I would carry a short length of hose-pipe. However, although the op poses a reasonable question, so far during the last 18 months since abandoning the hosepipe, that situation has not arisen but I will think about it....... done! I will carry a short length of hosepipe. Thanks!

Alan


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## Solwaybuggier (Mar 4, 2008)

VanFlair said:


> What about aires where you pay for a set amount of water say 1euro for 80 litres how do you do that with a watering can.
> 
> Martin


That's the point we made to Bailey sales people about the Whale system - that's were we use a hose on a flat reel, in through the windown and in at the top of the tank.


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## klyne (May 10, 2005)

We have only been motorhomers for just under a year, having been caravanners for over 30, and have a Bailey 740. The Aquaroll is fine for use on campsites as it save going backwards and forwards to the service point. Initially we tried topping up with a container which was a bit of a faff. So far we have only used campsite, although we did stay at the Fussen Camperstop for a couple of days buy I don't think that counts as an Aire :wink: 

David


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## Wizzo (Dec 3, 2007)

rosalan said:


> Hose pie = Large awkward storage, needs unrolling to use and to find suitable connection, connect to tap and insert in van, turn on tap and wait for overflow. Undo, put bits away , empty hose, roll it up and store.
> Alan


Hose pipe for us but is flat hose so no large awkward storage problem, no need to unroll any further than needed. Easily emptied even when still on cassette.

We do however carry two x 5l containers for other situations.

JohnW


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## bertieburstner (May 1, 2005)

we have just purchased a Bailey with it's stupid whale filler system. The salesman said we could just attach a hose to the inlet pipe on the m/h but the diamater is too large for a hose. Does anyone know of an adapter, and if so, does it work, as the inlet hole seems very small. No wonder it takes forever to fill. :roll:


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Wizzo, you say you've a flat hose and don't need to unwind the whole thing to use it (sorry, can't use the quote on mobile site). 

How does the water get through the still-wound flat bit of the hose? 

We've one of the curly ones from Outdoorbits and it works quite well. At the time I would have been interested in a flat hose but couldn't see the point if you had to unwind the whole thing anyway.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

I have just come across this thread and what astounds me is that with this system

BAILEY SEEM TO HAVE EXCLUDED THEMSELVES FROM THE MARKET FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO WILDCAMP.

iNCREDIBLE.!


On the topic of hoses and not fully unwinding - we carry our long hose on a Hoselok type reel which has an inlet at the side of the spindle and we can unreel what we need and the water runs inside the unwound section. If you empty the used part before winding in the rest stays in the hose, but of course you are carrying its weight.

We also have a 10-12' length for when adjacent to a tap.

Geoff


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

We have 3 X 40L Aquarolls, external Crystal/Whale submersible pump.

We use about 40L a day for showers, cooking and washing up, bit of a faff to keep on walking backwards and forwards, just full up for 2-3 days and stack the Aquarolls outside by the 

Unusually for us we were parked adjacent to the service point at Stanford Hall last weekend.

This coming weekend I think we have water available as we are in a field with traction engines at the Fawley Hill Charity Event.

Peter


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## PF13 (Aug 2, 2013)

nicholsong said:


> I have just come across this thread and what astounds me is that with this system
> 
> BAILEY SEEM TO HAVE EXCLUDED THEMSELVES FROM THE MARKET FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO WILDCAMP.
> 
> ...


I genuinely don't understand why this excludes anyone? You either use the filler from a tap, or you can fill up the top of the tank inside, or you can be clever with a submersible pump and a container.

Maybe i am missing something here?


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## PF13 (Aug 2, 2013)

Anyway, this is a Whale system which is a third party provider - Bailey just chose to use their system. Surely someone else must use the Whale system, or have they designed it and exclusively supplied it for Bailey?


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## divil (Jul 3, 2011)

I have a whale sytem on my Elddis Autoquest and it works a treat..i have an Aquaroll clone but a bit smaller (30lts) and I also have the whale hose that connects to the whale external inlet if I'm on a serviced pitch...2 walks to a tap and I'm full with a bit to spare in the roll!

Paul


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## holeshole (Mar 20, 2010)

I have to smile reading the advocates of the various options available - aquaroll, pumps, hose, watering can etc and stating that they cannot understand why other people do something different to them.

It must surely depend on what MH you have, whether you mostly use campsites, aires or wild camp - and personal preference. We do not have a garage or large locker on our MH and so anything we store must be able to pass through a locker door about 150mm high. We very rarely stay on campsites, mostly using aires abroad or wild camping in UK. We carry a long roll-flat hose wound in a cassette, about 40mm deep, which we hardly ever use, and a 10' normal hose that is about 75mm deep when coiled. We also carry two plastic 8 litre bottles that just fit behind the loo for emergency backup. As this is the only system we have ever used we cannot really comment on the other options - but the hoses suit us fine. Similarly we carry long and short cables, both coiled in a flat configuration.

It's horses for courses and personal preference!

Alan


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Nicholsong, it sounds as if your hose is a semi-rigid one? 

I can't fathom how water can run through a flat, and still-wound, pipe?


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

PF13 said:


> nicholsong said:
> 
> 
> > I have just come across this thread and what astounds me is that with this system
> ...


PF 13

I posted this because if you analyse the previous posts there were several that had comments about

A) direct filling was slow

B) a special hose is needed

C) others preferred or suggested putting the hose through the window to fill through the top of the tank.(Heath Robinson - just to get round the Whale system)

It was also mentioned that off EHU you are using battery power to first fill the tank and then again to use the water.

What is wrong with a hole in MH into which one inserts a pipe pumping at mains pressure. I do not understand why the Bailey direct fill is not just that, then you have conventional or pumped option

Also Aquarolls are bulky for storage, but if one wanted to carry one it s still possible, as many people do, to rig a lead to a roving submersible pump, drop it in the aquaroll and pump into the conventional filler hole, but that is there option not forced on them.

If I were offered a MH with this system I would walk away.

Geoff


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## VJP (Dec 8, 2010)

*A fix for the Bailey Whale system.*

Unscrew flat hose green square cassette. Inside the blue hose is attached to a white plastic cylinder which houses the pressure reduction valves. Drill straight through the cylinders inlet tube into the outlet tube. Remove the small filter on the outlet side of the cassette and reassemble. The only tricky part is making sure the O ring sits correctly on the outlet side. This now allows a full flow of water into the tank while retaining the ability to use the electric pump and suitable container when required. The only downside is if the water pressure is very high, (aires that use the male to male hose system) the cassette has to be held in place as the plastic clips are not that strong.

I was going to fit a normal filler as well as the whale filler, but this was a far easier, non van damaging and free fix.

Vic


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## VanFlair (Nov 21, 2009)

nicholsong said:


> I have just come across this thread and what astounds me is that with this system
> 
> BAILEY SEEM TO HAVE EXCLUDED THEMSELVES FROM THE MARKET FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO WILDCAMP.
> 
> ...


Hi Geoff

Don't understand this statement, my understanding is that we are just talking about a way of filling an onboard tank, surely if wilding you travel with water in the tank then what do you do if you need to refill the tank? as there might not be a tap handy for a hose pipe.

If you have the whale filling system you can have 25 or 50 litres (or as much as you like) in the garage and you just drop the pump in and fill up. You can still get water from churchyards and the back of filling stations etc.

On our Flair we have both pump and filler cap for hose pipe or watering can etc but have only used the cap a few times as I find the aquaroll and pump much easier.

Martin


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## PF13 (Aug 2, 2013)

VJP said:


> *A fix for the Bailey Whale system.*
> 
> Unscrew flat hose green square cassette. Inside the blue hose is attached to a white plastic cylinder which houses the pressure reduction valves. Drill straight through the cylinders inlet tube into the outlet tube. Remove the small filter on the outlet side of the cassette and reassemble. The only tricky part is making sure the O ring sits correctly on the outlet side. This now allows a full flow of water into the tank while retaining the ability to use the electric pump and suitable container when required. The only downside is if the water pressure is very high, (aires that use the male to male hose system) the cassette has to be held in place as the plastic clips are not that strong.
> 
> ...


My only worry about this is that the pressue reducing valve is, I would assume, there for a reason. If you do this what are the downsides? Might it blow the pipework inside apart?

If you put your hand in the tank when it is filling it seems to come in at a pretty fast rate through a fairly small bore pipe. With higher pressure it would be jetting through this pipe......


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## PF13 (Aug 2, 2013)

nicholsong said:


> PF13 said:
> 
> 
> > nicholsong said:
> ...


Hi Geoff

I understand your comments and i have been following this post from the start so have read all the posts. I also use this system. I grant you it is different and i am not sure that the benefits of the system outweigh the disadvantages, but everything haspros and cons. As with anything sometimes one has to adapt to the way it works.

That said i still do not agree that wildcamping is excluded (I have indeed wildcamped in this van) and as for the special hose, well the van came with it included so that is no hardship.

On an administrative point the use of capitals on internet forums is generally regarded as the equivalent of shouting.

PF.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

"On an administrative point the use of capitals on internet forums is generally regarded as the equivalent of shouting."

I am aware of that.

The shouting was aimed into the ether and at bailey, not anyone on here. 

Geoff


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## VJP (Dec 8, 2010)

PF13,

From what I have been told and read, the Whale system was designed for caravans to be continuously connected to mains water when on site. However, mains water pressure could be too much for the taps to cope with, therefore they fit the valves to reduce the pressure. 

As the system is now only filling a tank, I don't think that this would be an issue.

Vic


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Vic

Thanks, that would explain why there is just not a normal filling hole which easily takes direct pressure.

I still think Bailey should re-assess the fitting of this system to MHs because several of the posters who have it have adapted it or fill direct into the tank through the window and not many seem to use it as fitted.

Geoff


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## holeshole (Mar 20, 2010)

> How does the water get through the still-wound flat bit of the hose?


Just picked this up again after returning from a great weekend at Newbury.

In case you are still wondering JWW see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Claber-Aquapass-Hose-Cassette-Reel-180-Swinging-Pivot-/271487907705

I expect you can find the hose on its own if you search hard enough.

Alan


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

holeshole said:


> > How does the water get through the still-wound flat bit of the hose?
> 
> 
> Just picked this up again after returning from a great weekend at Newbury.
> ...


Alan

That does not seem to be flat hose - it states "The cassette includes 15m of round garden hose" and that is what it looks like in the picture.

Geoff


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## holeshole (Mar 20, 2010)

Sorry, my mistake, try this one http://www.leisureshopdirect.com/ca...004/brunner_hose_reel_with_new_flat_hose.aspx

There's not a very good description or picture of the actual hose but the ones I have seen have three small bore pipes moulded together side by side allowing water to pass through even when wound on the reel. I'll keep on searching to try and find a better picture.

Alan


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## holeshole (Mar 20, 2010)

Cheaper here (and in stock!) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brunner-F...ension-Caravan-Garden-Motorhome-/390606245527

Sorry, can't find a better picture!

Alan


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Thanks for the info holeshole. 

If the hose is really 3 pipes moulded together then it's going to lose the advantages I thought it would have - it won't be as light, or as compact as I'd expected. Also, without unrolling the entire thing you're going to leave stale water in the hose. 

Also I guess it would be slow to fill. Unless the 3 pipes make up much the same throughput as a normal hose in which case they can't be all that much more compact. 

Think I'll just stick with my curly one.


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## 944T (Apr 23, 2008)

Just filled up with the standard hose in 6 minutes, this is about the same time as my previous van with an open filler. I did not have to hold the hose and did not get soaked when it was full.
Often top up using the pump. 2 x 10Ltr. water containers fit perfectly to the right of the tray in the outside locker.
Gauge is very accurate.


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