takair Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Our airport doesn't have a wash rack or public water supply. I will occasionally use the dry washing products, but the airplane was beyond that. Had bird droppings, dirt, etc. I came up with this contraption to tackle the situation. Thought those of you who are water limited might be interested. It is basically a boat wash pump mounted to a 20 gallon storage container. The wash pump is intended to be mounted on a boat for washing the deck. I adapted it to run on the 12 volt accessory plug in the car. The pump shuts off automatically when there is no water demand. 20 gallons seems to be enough for a basic wash if I take another 5 gallons for the bucket of soap. I need to do a better job of sealing the top, as I made a mess in the car driving to the airport. Wash pump is available at a boat supply store. Prices for the pump start at just under $100. A sump pump might work, but you would need to add the shutoff feature or some form of by-pass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 That's pretty interesting. The pump senses water demand? Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBill Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 An RV fresh water pump is the same and you can get them online for about $50. The pump builds up pressure in the output hose then the pump will turn off. I use it for a outdoor shower in my popup when boondocking at a nascar track. We have a 50 gal plastic drum we fill with water in the morning and by 4-5 pm it's nice and warm sitting in the sun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takair Posted August 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 An RV fresh water pump is the same and you can get them online for about $50. The pump builds up pressure in the output hose then the pump will turn off. I use it for a outdoor shower in my popup when boondocking at a nascar track. We have a 50 gal plastic drum we fill with water in the morning and by 4-5 pm it's nice and warm sitting in the sun. Sure enough, it looks like the same pump for a lot less! When building it, I searched the pumps under various names, but never thought to search for "RV fresh water pump". I guess "boat" in the name gives them the right to double the price. That means the equivalent aviation unit can go for at least 3 times the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBill Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Sure enough, it looks like the same pump for a lot less! When building it, I searched the pumps under various names, but never thought to search for "RV fresh water pump". I guess "boat" in the name gives them the right to double the price. That means the equivalent aviation unit can go for at least 3 times the priceI I think the lowest price on any aircraft part is 1AMU. I bet that same pump is used in Boeing 787s and is at least 1AMU !! BILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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