Fresh Water System - 2020

We were going to use this tank for non-potable water only until we bought the water maker. Now the 50 gallon tank will be used for potable water.
It's made out of stainless steel so once cleaned up it should work quite well. Adding a RV carbon filter between the pump and the system.
Adding a finer mesh water strainer on the suction side of the pump.
Here it is being pressure tested back on 2000. So it's been sitting with very little water in it for 20 years.
Time for an inspection with my endoscope and clean out.
   
The tank has a baffle inside to prevent water surging back and forth. 50 gallons weighs about 500 pounds.
This is the bottom on one side of the baffle. I had to drill some edges off the fitting so I could get the endoscope in the tank. The white shavings are from my drilling. 		The other side looks a little nasty. I wonder if the blue crystals are chlorine deposits that dried up after I drained it last.
   
Here is the sides of the tank which look very clean. I added about 4 gallons of water mixed with chlorine bleach to kill any germs in the tank. You are looking at the surface of the water. Notice how shiny the bottom looks through the water. As you can see the blue crystals are floating so they will probably dissolve, and allow me flush them out.
Will let it sit for a few days, then do a major flushing and then take more pictures.
Keep in mind that the water is not pumped directly off the bottom, there is about 4 gallons of unusable water in the tank.
   
Then I put about 20 gallons in the tank and circulated it for about 20 minutes. The screen stayed clean, no crap came out. This is how it looked before the modifications.
   
On the suction side I increased the size of the filter which has a 100 mesh screen. Also I used PEX on the whole line up to the new filter.
 On the discharge side I added the charcoal filter. This is what the monster looked like before installation. I used clamp-tite fittings to prevent any leaks.
   
Finished installation! But after further testing the system is sucking air. Maybe back to the water valves not working on the suction side of a pump.
The top unit with the gauge is the bicycle pump used to pressurize the accumulating tank, which is mounted up in behind it. 		I am having a problem with air getting into the suction line and I am suspecting this worthless Chinese valve. This is the same trouble I had with the diesel fuel system.
   
With the valve now removed the air suction problem is gone ! Yeah !
However the pump will not go over 15 PSI so I now suspect the 41 year pump is bad.
The trouble with impeller pumps is that they cannot be run dry. When your whole system is empty you can't help but to run it dry until it pumps water. The edge of the impeller looked a little worn out. 		The Super Galley Mate Pump is obsolete and a new impeller is $37.00! I can order a whole new 45 psi freshwater pump for $70.00, so this one is on it's way to a new home. On the plus side this new pump can be run dry without damage.
   
This is an amazing pump. At first I was disappointed that it did not have rubber feet, but on closer inspection the whole mounting bracket is hard rubber.
It runs so quiet I think that once the hatch is closed we won't hear it at all.

Here is the final (yes final) finished installation.

The computer still monitors the actual pump running time so it will shut off if it runs freely for over 45 seconds. If there is a major leak the computer won't allow the pump to expel all our fresh water overboard.

Notice the innovative use of a PVC pipe Tee to keep the weight of the outgoing hose off the pump connection.