Fresh water tank/Nautilus question

bergger

So I got out to the storage lot and was able to mess around a little more with the new trailer, 2021 400.  I put some water in the tank to flush the lines out and de-winterize it.  A couple of observations I have are #1 the water pressure in this trailer is fantastic compared to my last trailer, on par with residential pressure.  Second is the siphon mode with the Nautilus water management system is pretty cool.  Simply attach a short hose to the city water inlet, place the levers in the proper positions and turn on the 2nd pump switch, which is also on the panel, and the water flows right into the tank.  Way easier than pouring it into a gravity feed or manually siphoning it in.  So my question is, how do I know when the water tank is full?  My old trailer had a standard gravity feed and when getting full water would sputter out the air vent telling you it was close to full.  I could also look under the trailer and see how much water was in the opaque tank.  With the new nautilus system does anyone know if there is an overflow or vent somewhere? Is it possible to overfill and cause any issues?  

jkjenn

bergger said:

So I got out to the storage lot and was able to mess around a little more with the new trailer, 2021 400.  I put some water in the tank to flush the lines out and de-winterize it.  A couple of observations I have are #1 the water pressure in this trailer is fantastic compared to my last trailer, on par with residential pressure.  Second is the siphon mode with the Nautilus water management system is pretty cool.  Simply attach a short hose to the city water inlet, place the levers in the proper positions and turn on the 2nd pump switch, which is also on the panel, and the water flows right into the tank.  Way easier than pouring it into a gravity feed or manually siphoning it in.  So my question is, how do I know when the water tank is full?  My old trailer had a standard gravity feed and when getting full water would sputter out the air vent telling you it was close to full.  I could also look under the trailer and see how much water was in the opaque tank.  With the new nautilus system does anyone know if there is an overflow or vent somewhere? Is it possible to overfill and cause any issues?  

Good question. My 2015 had an overflow drain. The 2021 models are just starting to make their way into owners' hands so you might have to reach out to nuCamp for that answer. 

Sharon_is_SAM

@bergger - your water pressure is better even with a pressure regulator?

ontheroad

@jkjenn didn't you have a link to both the 320 and the 400 Nautilus... I saved the 320 and if memory serves me the manual said that you mustn't overfill...love the way of siphoning into it...would be great while boondocking, buy a 10 gallon water cooler bottle and fill your tank.

xdr

We also have a new 2021 and have the same concern about filling the tank too much. When we went out this weekend, husband filled the tank and I kept checking the panel lights till it got to the full mark. 

Seems like there should be some way to know when it is full without using two people. 

Xdr&mer

Cbusguy

You fill your tank till it comes out the fill port.   

bergger

Cbusguy said:

You fill your tank till it comes out the fill port.   

The only fill port is the city water connection.  With the Nautilus system I don't think that will work. I sent an email off to NuCamp with my question.  With the siphon method I don't see any damage being done as it fills at a rather moderate rate.  However if you use the city power fill method I'm not so sure unless you can really control the water flow from the hose.  I'll let everyone know what NuCamp says.  I'll also crawl under it next time I go our there to look for some overflow hose coming from the water tank. 

treefrog

The overflow tube is behind the drivers side tire. Water will squirt out when its full. 

Cbusguy

Well if that is the case I don't like that

cottonmouth

It has the water overflow underneath, but it probably isn't enough to handle the amount of water coming from a city water system. You still need to watch it fairly closely and turn it off as soon as it overflows. I'm thinking of putting a little sharkbite brass valve on mine to keep from losing water while traveling (from slosh). Just need to remember to open it when we get to the campsite (and before filling)!

treefrog

Remember this is a vent.  If you cap it off or install a valve it can't breathe and you will probably damage your tank or plumbing. Especially if you drive over a pass.

cottonmouth

That's a good point. I don't imagine too much water will leak out as we travel. I haven't had a chance to see yet. I'll have to rethink the plug idea.

Captenaj

I am interested in knowing the official answer to the "how do I know when it's full" question, too. I just brought my T@b home yesterday and, not surprisingly, the orientation was rather lacking.

pthomas745

Captenaj , welcome to the Forums!

It has come to the point that now there are almost a half dozen different trailers with as many different plumbing setups.  We need to know exactly which model of trailer and which model of plumbing setups to answer that question! 

bergger

The official response appears to be just as treefrog said.  

"Thanks for reaching out to us, that is a great question.  First off, congratulations and welcome to the nuCamp family!  The new 400 has a "breather" that is located underneath the unit to the left of the Nautilus just behind the wheel, it should be blue in color.  When the tank is full it flow from that valve onto the ground.  I hope this helps and if you have any other questions please reach out.  ​Have a great day!"

I'll go look for the overflow vent this weekend.  I guess I just did not see it last time.  Really the only difference between the old system and the new nautilus when filling with water is the gravity fill is now combined into the city water hookup.  Only one fill port vs two.  You just flip some levers to direct the hose water into the tank vs bypassing when running off city water.  The nautilus system really cleans up that side of the trailer compared to the previous models.  I think I'm going to like it.  

Captenaj

Great that Nucamp answered quickly. I should have said earlier that I have a 2021 Tab 320 S. The Nautilus owner's manual says not to over fill but doesn't say how to tell when it is full other than running inside and checking the meter. If the water overflow can't vent the water as fast as it is filling up though the city water inlet, will damage occur? Thanks for the help.

bergger

Captenaj said:

Great that Nucamp answered quickly. I should have said earlier that I have a 2021 Tab 320 S. The Nautilus owner's manual says not to over fill but doesn't say how to tell when it is full other than running inside and checking the meter. If the water overflow can't vent the water as fast as it is filling up though the city water inlet, will damage occur? Thanks for the help.

I don't think I'd worry too much about that.  If you use a pressure regulator in conjunction with turning the faucet down as the tank fills I'm confident it'll be just fine.  And if you think about it when using city water hook ups the water lines and system are under pressure once the lines fill up with no damage.  Really no different when filling the tank through the nautilus system.  If anything it'll be under slightly less pressure as some water will be flowing from the overflow line.   However if your concerned about it you can always fill using the 12v pump on siphon mode.  Siphon mode works well but does take a bit longer.  It looks like the 320 has a different nautilus system so I'm not sure it works the same as the 400?  

T@b400


T@b 320

Captenaj

Thanks bergger. Yes, the 320 Nautilus system seems a little more simple but still needlessly complicated. I sanitized the system today and it did say to suck up sanitizing solution using the siphon mode (and showed a horribly dirty bucket illustrate this ), but I don't want to take a bucket with me when I camp. So I'll make sure to have the pressure regulator in place and just go slow. Thank you for your help!

DharmaScout

We've gone from T@G to T@B 320 (2021) this year. On our T@G, the fresh water tank was puny, and was used mostly for washing in the sink. We had separate water container for drinking and cooking. With the larger fresh water tank in the T@B, are people also using this for drinking? If we don't drink, and only use for sink and shower, any need to sanitize?

Sharon_is_SAM

Most owners do not drink from the fresh water tank.  In general it is good practice to sanitize at least annually to help prevent any bacteria/algae from taking over.  Remember to Not let water sit in your tank in between trips.  The tanks are small and while you can drain them, they probably never dry completely.  Also, campground water supplies may be suspect depending on their inspection and maintenance schedule.  

mntrails

I'd like to know the answer to this question as well for a 2021 T@B 320S Boondock with Nautilus 2.5.  I submitted a question to NuCamp as well.  The more owners that ask, the better.

I have 2 collapsible 2 gallon water carriers that will be going with me and expect to be filling using the siphon mode a lot but it would still be good to know when the tank is truly full.

DharmaScout

mntrails said:

I'd like to know the answer to this question as well for a 2021 T@B 320S Boondock with Nautilus 2.5.  I submitted a question to NuCamp as well.  The more owners that ask, the better.

I have 2 collapsible 2 gallon water carriers that will be going with me and expect to be filling using the siphon mode a lot but it would still be good to know when the tank is truly full.

There's an overflow tube on the underneath, near the rear, that releases water when the fresh tank is full.

BywaysNW

I take it that the Alde tank is in the Alde unit and that there is a separate freshwater tank.  Where is the freshwater tank in the 320 S Boondock and what does it look like?

Sharon_is_SAM

Not sure about the location with the 2021 models, but previous models fresh water tanks were located under the passenger side centered over the axle.  They are covered by the black, corrugated plastic.  The fresh water drain was located in front of the passenger side wheel.  It looks like this on the 2020 models:

mntrails

Here's the answer from NuCamp customer service for a 320S:

"while the nautilus does warn against overfilling we have a setup to where it will not damage the tank / lines if you overfill. There is an overfill line outlet that’s located right behind the Nautilus panel itself that will spit out water when the tank is overfilling .... {extraneous text removed}.... I made sure to check with Quality Control on this as well and they say the same thing."