devinsixtyseven
11-17-2006, 09:17 PM
Anyone ever stored water in a PVC pipe or similar?
I have an idea...
Tundras, and probably also Tacomas and 4Runners and a lot of other "body on frame" vehicles, have a large hollow channel under the lip of the door...it's the section that hangs down over the frame on the outside like the skirt on a hovercraft. The body pinch weld is what holds it together, that's the part we protect with the main rail on a set of rock sliders.
Both ends of this channel have a rubber grommet to keep water out, removeable so if there's a lot of water inside it can be drained. There are other holes along the length of the channel, also for drainage/breathability.
When the wheel well was tubbed, it was apparent there's a LOT of room in that channel. I didn't measure at the time, since I wasn't thinking of this, but IIRC a tube between 3" and 4" OD would fit the entire length of the channel, which on my truck is at least 72" long.
Making a couple quick assumptions regarding storage diameter, a 3"x72" volume in gallons (231 cubic inches per gallon) is 2.2gal, 4"x72" is 3.9gal, that's per channel. I think it's closer to 4" diameter, it's a large space. Those numbers are rough guesses. If I can fit at least four gallons in each channel, this might be worth it...I think the space is actually longer than 6', haven't measured yet.
There is a very large grommet in the back (~1" dia) of this channel. It would not take much work to enlarge the hole and shore up the area around it, preferably with a piece of tube scrap larger than the end cap of the storage pipe going in the channel. The storage pipe could be fairly thin, whatever could stand 6' of water pressure would suffice.
Pumping the water out would be easy, preferably non-motorized, mounted in the aft end cap (which could be exposed behind the cab, there's plenty of space between the cab even with a 40" tire on a Tundra), and use either positive pressure (like a super soaker) or a regular pump (normal squirt gun). I figure a regular pump with a filtered air return line would be better, so there's no risk of overpressuring and bursting the pipe.
The location is as low as you can get on the truck, balanced between front and rear suspension, and tho spread wide if it were set up to draw equally from both tanks, the weight distribution would remain equal side to side (water is 8.3# per gallon, or in this case 3#/ft to 5.4#/ft...not much--probably max 35# per side, distributed more or less evenly). It's in a position where temperature will be determined most by environment, not exhaust or cab temperature, so freezing might be a problem without some sort of heater element, like those resistors for outdoor water bowls or something. Getting it in and out should be fairly easy, but I think will require taking off the rear tires...not a big deal since tires are easy and the tanks would only be in if they were going to be used...or I could just leave them in, if they're clean. It's also protected by the sliders from the bottom and sides.
The parts I haven't figured out yet are how to determine water level, which end would be best to draw from, preventing sloshing/overpressure during acceleration or hard stops, and how to firmly secure it.
Drawing from the middle would be a bad idea--hard to get the last few drops out--but drawing from either end would be easy as the level dropped. When the truck is unloaded, the nose is down. Loaded, it's either level or the tail is down (my bad...unpack and try again...), and if you needed to put the nose or the tail a little higher for a minute or two, it's very easy with the hi-lift if you're not already on uneven ground.
No idea how to guage water level with this setup...just use, I guess. I like to take more water than necessary anyway, so this would be used only for hydration and first, and with relatively reckless abandon...I'd rather be well-hydrated and end up drinking from a jug in the bed toward the end of a trip (or just refill the tanks on the fly). Maybe a small flow guage or pump counter or something.
I think a couple fins with small openings at the very bottom would prevent sloshing, sorta like valving shims on a shock...water can move end to end, but not too fast. I could do it with something as simple as a couple lengths of non-corrosive wire and a few pieces of thin plastic.
Also not entirely sure how to secure the storage tube. Best bet I think would be three attachment positions, some sort of ring clamp or similar device, with one at each end and one in the center.
For a visual reference of where this is on a truck, look at the bottom of the door line on a Tundra, Tacoma, 4Runner, etc...it's the space in the body channel right behind and under that door line. It's easier to see with the door open, from an angle looking up at the frame.
Thoughts, opinions, suggestions? If this can work, it'll free up a good chunk of space in the bed for toys and other stuff as well as distributing the load better.
*edit* after looking a little closer, it might be closer to 3" diameter, max, than I remembered. Not sure if it's worth the trouble after all :(...there are other places, like over the sliders next to the frame rail, that could work equally well with less difficulty...
-Sean
I have an idea...
Tundras, and probably also Tacomas and 4Runners and a lot of other "body on frame" vehicles, have a large hollow channel under the lip of the door...it's the section that hangs down over the frame on the outside like the skirt on a hovercraft. The body pinch weld is what holds it together, that's the part we protect with the main rail on a set of rock sliders.
Both ends of this channel have a rubber grommet to keep water out, removeable so if there's a lot of water inside it can be drained. There are other holes along the length of the channel, also for drainage/breathability.
When the wheel well was tubbed, it was apparent there's a LOT of room in that channel. I didn't measure at the time, since I wasn't thinking of this, but IIRC a tube between 3" and 4" OD would fit the entire length of the channel, which on my truck is at least 72" long.
Making a couple quick assumptions regarding storage diameter, a 3"x72" volume in gallons (231 cubic inches per gallon) is 2.2gal, 4"x72" is 3.9gal, that's per channel. I think it's closer to 4" diameter, it's a large space. Those numbers are rough guesses. If I can fit at least four gallons in each channel, this might be worth it...I think the space is actually longer than 6', haven't measured yet.
There is a very large grommet in the back (~1" dia) of this channel. It would not take much work to enlarge the hole and shore up the area around it, preferably with a piece of tube scrap larger than the end cap of the storage pipe going in the channel. The storage pipe could be fairly thin, whatever could stand 6' of water pressure would suffice.
Pumping the water out would be easy, preferably non-motorized, mounted in the aft end cap (which could be exposed behind the cab, there's plenty of space between the cab even with a 40" tire on a Tundra), and use either positive pressure (like a super soaker) or a regular pump (normal squirt gun). I figure a regular pump with a filtered air return line would be better, so there's no risk of overpressuring and bursting the pipe.
The location is as low as you can get on the truck, balanced between front and rear suspension, and tho spread wide if it were set up to draw equally from both tanks, the weight distribution would remain equal side to side (water is 8.3# per gallon, or in this case 3#/ft to 5.4#/ft...not much--probably max 35# per side, distributed more or less evenly). It's in a position where temperature will be determined most by environment, not exhaust or cab temperature, so freezing might be a problem without some sort of heater element, like those resistors for outdoor water bowls or something. Getting it in and out should be fairly easy, but I think will require taking off the rear tires...not a big deal since tires are easy and the tanks would only be in if they were going to be used...or I could just leave them in, if they're clean. It's also protected by the sliders from the bottom and sides.
The parts I haven't figured out yet are how to determine water level, which end would be best to draw from, preventing sloshing/overpressure during acceleration or hard stops, and how to firmly secure it.
Drawing from the middle would be a bad idea--hard to get the last few drops out--but drawing from either end would be easy as the level dropped. When the truck is unloaded, the nose is down. Loaded, it's either level or the tail is down (my bad...unpack and try again...), and if you needed to put the nose or the tail a little higher for a minute or two, it's very easy with the hi-lift if you're not already on uneven ground.
No idea how to guage water level with this setup...just use, I guess. I like to take more water than necessary anyway, so this would be used only for hydration and first, and with relatively reckless abandon...I'd rather be well-hydrated and end up drinking from a jug in the bed toward the end of a trip (or just refill the tanks on the fly). Maybe a small flow guage or pump counter or something.
I think a couple fins with small openings at the very bottom would prevent sloshing, sorta like valving shims on a shock...water can move end to end, but not too fast. I could do it with something as simple as a couple lengths of non-corrosive wire and a few pieces of thin plastic.
Also not entirely sure how to secure the storage tube. Best bet I think would be three attachment positions, some sort of ring clamp or similar device, with one at each end and one in the center.
For a visual reference of where this is on a truck, look at the bottom of the door line on a Tundra, Tacoma, 4Runner, etc...it's the space in the body channel right behind and under that door line. It's easier to see with the door open, from an angle looking up at the frame.
Thoughts, opinions, suggestions? If this can work, it'll free up a good chunk of space in the bed for toys and other stuff as well as distributing the load better.
*edit* after looking a little closer, it might be closer to 3" diameter, max, than I remembered. Not sure if it's worth the trouble after all :(...there are other places, like over the sliders next to the frame rail, that could work equally well with less difficulty...
-Sean