Using an Aquaroll to fill the fresh ‘tank

For years, and I mean years, we carried a two jerricans, a funnel, and short piece of hose (for use on motorhome service points) and also a very long hose pipe to make filling the motorhome’s fresh water tank as easy as possible. The 2013 model Kon-tiki had an external 12v power socket for connecting a water pump, but we never used this. However, as we tend to use a lot of water, taking showers in the ‘van, not using site facilities etc, then it was time to look at using an Aquaroll to “fill her up”.

The initial drawback to the Aquaroll was the cost – knocking on £40 – £50 for a forty litre version. However, a quick search on Gumtree and we were able to pick one up for about £20.

The Kon-tiki has a 12v power point adjacent to the water filler cap

The 2015 spec Kon-tiki Black Edition also had a power point, so the next step was to find a pump. A Google search revealed dozens of pumps so in the end, I opted for a cheap version, with a view that if all was well, we could upgrade at a later stage. This particular model can shift fourteen litres of water per minute, so less than three minutes to empty the Aquaroll.

Our submersible water pump

This little pump cost around £12 including postage, but shop around.

It is unlikely that the pump will be supplied with a “plug”, so you will need to obtain a plug and simply connect the two items together. If your motorhome has an external power socket, you will probably have a plug in the motorhome kit, otherwise your dealer will help.

The two pin 12v plug

If you do not have an external water pump, all is  not lost – you could use a 12v adaptor and connect to an internal 12v supply point, but you will require a lengthy piece of cable.

The blue hose simply push fixes onto the pump.

The final part of the jigsaw comes in the shape of the connecting hose. This is available from dealers and varies in price. Make sure it is long enough to reach the bottom of the Aquaroll though!

You will also need to carry a length of hose that will carry water from the site tap to your Aquaroll. We have a piece of hose that is several metres long, so we can dual-purpose use the hose – either for filling the Aquaroll or when using a motorhome service point.

Using an aquaroll to fill the motorhome’s tank

One thing to note though, some Aquarolls and similar makes, come in smaller sizes, such as thirty litres. The filler cap is quite a bit narrower than on the forty litre variants.As a result, you might not be able to fit a pump through the filler area.