The Real Nomadland: A Single Mom and Kiddo VanLIfe Story
  • Home
    • About >
      • Our Van >
        • 2018 Ford Transit Cargo Van
  • The Build
    • Planning is Different Then Doing - VanLife Van Build
    • How Much Does it Cost to Convert a Van?
    • How Much Time Does it Take to Convert a Van?
    • DIY Van Conversion Checklist >
      • Phase One DIY Van Conversion - Research >
        • Designing Your Perfect #VanBuild While Going on Practice Van Life Adventures
      • Phase Two DIY Van Build: Making Decisions for Your DIY Van Conversion >
        • Rural Internet
      • Phase Three DIY Van Build: Selecting and Buying the Van DIY Van Conversion >
        • Finding a Van
      • Phase Four DIY Van Build: Prepping the Layout- DIY Van Conversion >
        • Detailing the Van Before Conversion
      • Phase Five DIY Van Build: Installing Windows on Van Conversion for #vanlife
      • Phase Six DIY Van Build: Vent Fan for our Conversion Van >
        • Vent Placement in Conversion Van
        • Cutting a Hole for a Vent Fan for our Conversion Van
      • Phase Seven DIY Van Build: Installing the Subfloor
      • Solar Panels on Conversion Van >
        • Wind Solar Power on Conversion Van
        • Van Conversion Solar Set Up - Everything You Need
        • How Much Solar Power Do I Need?
  • Our Adventures
    • The Backstory >
      • We Found a Van!
      • Pre-Purchase Van Freak Out
      • Vanlife- Van Purchase Day
      • Registering an Out of State Vehicle
      • Full Time Van Life Diaries >
        • Full Time Van Life - Kates Blog
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week one
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week two >
          • Kingman Arizona
        • Full Time Van Lifers - Are We Homeless or Not?
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week three
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week four
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week five
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week six
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week seven
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week eight
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week nine
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week ten
      • Single Mom Cross Country Road Trip
    • Van Life Adventures >
      • Sea World - Orlando
      • Aquatica- Orlando
      • Treasure Island Florida
      • Great Wolf Lodge, Concord, North Carolina
    • Friends on the Road
    • Roadschooling
  • Resources
    • Basic Van Life Must Haves
    • Van Life Overnight Parking - Where Do You Sleep?
    • Van Life Trash
    • Financially Supporting Van Life
    • Vanlife Websites and Blogs
    • Vanlife Hashtags for Families on the Road
    • Vanlife YouTube Channels
    • Random #VanLife Stuff
  • YouTube
  • Contact
  • Home
    • About >
      • Our Van >
        • 2018 Ford Transit Cargo Van
  • The Build
    • Planning is Different Then Doing - VanLife Van Build
    • How Much Does it Cost to Convert a Van?
    • How Much Time Does it Take to Convert a Van?
    • DIY Van Conversion Checklist >
      • Phase One DIY Van Conversion - Research >
        • Designing Your Perfect #VanBuild While Going on Practice Van Life Adventures
      • Phase Two DIY Van Build: Making Decisions for Your DIY Van Conversion >
        • Rural Internet
      • Phase Three DIY Van Build: Selecting and Buying the Van DIY Van Conversion >
        • Finding a Van
      • Phase Four DIY Van Build: Prepping the Layout- DIY Van Conversion >
        • Detailing the Van Before Conversion
      • Phase Five DIY Van Build: Installing Windows on Van Conversion for #vanlife
      • Phase Six DIY Van Build: Vent Fan for our Conversion Van >
        • Vent Placement in Conversion Van
        • Cutting a Hole for a Vent Fan for our Conversion Van
      • Phase Seven DIY Van Build: Installing the Subfloor
      • Solar Panels on Conversion Van >
        • Wind Solar Power on Conversion Van
        • Van Conversion Solar Set Up - Everything You Need
        • How Much Solar Power Do I Need?
  • Our Adventures
    • The Backstory >
      • We Found a Van!
      • Pre-Purchase Van Freak Out
      • Vanlife- Van Purchase Day
      • Registering an Out of State Vehicle
      • Full Time Van Life Diaries >
        • Full Time Van Life - Kates Blog
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week one
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week two >
          • Kingman Arizona
        • Full Time Van Lifers - Are We Homeless or Not?
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week three
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week four
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week five
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week six
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week seven
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week eight
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week nine
        • Full Time Van Life Diaries week ten
      • Single Mom Cross Country Road Trip
    • Van Life Adventures >
      • Sea World - Orlando
      • Aquatica- Orlando
      • Treasure Island Florida
      • Great Wolf Lodge, Concord, North Carolina
    • Friends on the Road
    • Roadschooling
  • Resources
    • Basic Van Life Must Haves
    • Van Life Overnight Parking - Where Do You Sleep?
    • Van Life Trash
    • Financially Supporting Van Life
    • Vanlife Websites and Blogs
    • Vanlife Hashtags for Families on the Road
    • Vanlife YouTube Channels
    • Random #VanLife Stuff
  • YouTube
  • Contact
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Van Conversion Plumbing System

Picture
#vanlife #vanbuild bathroom
A van conversion plumbing system needs clean running water to the kitchen sink, toilet, shower and/or bathroom sink.  It also needs a draining system to take dirty or used water away.

The concept is simple, right? Some water here, some water there.  We see it in theory all the time.... can't be that hard.

Well, it's not that hard - once you know what you're doing.

The problem is, the "once you know what you're doing" piece is a BIG one.  There are so many little parts and pieces that get missed in the "how to install a plumbing system" online DIY mainstream, that it can feel hopeless. 


Parts is Parts
We can't tell you how many blogs we read and videos we watched that lumped "all the little parts and pieces" into a non-essential category of not-even-worth-mentioning. What?!  Those little parts and pieces are what make the whole plumbing system come together - and actually work - and you're not even going to tell us what they are?

We didn't know which parts and pieces we were missing - or what those parts and pieces were called.  We just knew we were missing something!  So, we spent hours- literally HOURS- searching for things like:

- "how do you connect the pump to the strainer"

- "how do you get water into the water pump"
- "connecting the strainer to the water pipe"

- "fresh water tanks for dummies"
- "plumbing for dummies"

- and other extremely basic (novice) terms that we cant' even remember now.

It seemed as if every plumbing video on the planet just assumed that everyone watching already knew what they were doing, or at least knew what all those little plumbing parts were called. Ugh.  Come on, a "how to" video should be that.... how to. 

Anyway, we finally stumbled upon a very helpful diagram (pictured above) that didn't skip over the little parts and pieces of plumbing!!

While we didn't want the exact same system set-up, the diagram gave us the names of the little connector parts we were missing (there are 
hover pop ups on their diagram). That was enough to fill in all of our missing pieces (connect the dots, so to speak), and complete our own van plumbing system diagram.

The Water Pump
We saw several pictures and videos where the van builders placed the pump directly near the water source- usually the sink. We thought, if that's the case, will we have to put a pump at every water source- the sink, shower and toilet... and possible an outdoor shower, if we go that route?  That seems like overkill.  

We checked out some traditional plumbing videos and found a helpful one that explains how a pump works and where we should place it.  The video also told us that we will want a way to bypass the pump.  This would allow us to continue to receive water in our van even if the pump breaks.  That was the first we had ever heard of this tip in all of our water pump research! (It seems obvious now, but like we've been telling you, you just don't know what you don't know so it's easy to "not see" some things along the way.)
​


If you would like a list of all of the supplies- including the mysterious tubing, connectors, adapters, and other parts, please scroll below.

The parts we used to create our fully contained plumbing system are:

Fresh water tank

Gray water tank
Black water tank
(see How to select your tank sizes here.)
Water Pump
​(see How to secure your pump so it's not so noisy here.)
Pump Silencing Kit
Pipe Strainer
Accumulation Tanks

Tankless Water Heater
Water Fill Inlet
​Drinking Water Hose (for inlet fill)
Pex Pipe
PVC Tubing
Male and Female Adapters
Couplings

3 flow Y valve (from pump to heater, sink and shower)
2 flow Y valve (for dual drain to outside and gray water tank)
Shut off valves

(see a great educational site about plumbing parts here)
Plumber's Putty
Toilet
Sink
Drain
Universal Drain Kit

Go to Choosing Your Tank Size
Go to Water Weight from Tanks


Associate disclaimer: KateandMel.com is a participant (affiliate) in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.  We earn a small percentage of each sale.  This does not affect how much the item costs you.
Here are some links to those plumbing connectors and parts:​
​ 

Tags:

Van Conversion Plumbing System

DIY Plumbing for Beginners 

Fully Contained Plumbing System

What are the parts I need to build a plumbing system

How to install plumbing in conversion van

Camper van plumbing

Van shower 

Van bathroom

Back to DIY Van Conversion Checklist
Go to Cutting a Hole for the Vent Fan

​

Kate & Mel

Meet Us
We are Kate & Mel, daughter and mother fulltime van life nomads who have set out on a gypsy adventure in our currently being built van, Eliza. Join us as we explore the non-glamorous, not-Pinterest-worthy, real, figure-it-out-as-we-go, sometimes ugly, but always glorious, version of full time van living.

Find Us on Social Media
Instagram: Kate & Mel Adventure
YouTube: Kate & Mel 
Twitter:  Kate & Mel Travel 
Pinterest: Kate & Mel Adventure 

This site uses cookies. See our Privacy Policy. California residents, view the always- extra CA version at California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). 

#mommysgotavan #singleparentvanlife ​#vanlife  #familyvanlife #vanlifediaries #fulltimevanlifediaries #roadschool #roadschooling #vankids #vanmom #vanconversion #vanbuild #homeonwheels #gypsysoul #campervan #vanlifegirls #vanlifewithkids #wanderluster #fulltimetravel #solotraveler #nomadlife #hippiespirit #travellife #vanconversion #nomadfamily #livinginavan #mobilesheltering #vehicleresidency #vehicledweller #vanlifecommunity #nomadcommunity #gypsygang 

Single mom and kiddo set out on a nomad, van life, roadschooling lifestyle. Watch the beginner diy van conversion, first time homeschooling, first time build, first time on the road experiences, newbie family van life adventures unfold. 

We will share van life travels and tips to encourage other people to get out and explore the open road.