Just for the phun of it, I completely filled my empty  tank  just now from my old style keyed inlet & it took 2 minutes, 20 seconds w/ a full blast  5/8" dia. garden hose.
(1984 VW Westfalia Camper)

YMMV,

Mr. BZ-not great water pressure either

On Aug 17, 2011, at 10:58 AM, Karl Wolz wrote:

> The biggest inconvenience is that I usually wind up taking an impromptu
> shower when filling the tank, but I doubt it takes five minutes.  I turn the
> hose on full, fold it over to control rate of flow, and poke it into the
> fill hole.  I then release the fold-over and let it fill.  If I nod off in
> the next few minutes, I get hosed.
> 
> Karl Wolz
> 
> 
> 
> |-----Original Message-----
> |From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]
> |On Behalf Of Dave Mcneely
> |Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 8:39 AM
> |To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> |Subject: Re: Bottom-filling water tank
> |
> |---- The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM> wrote:
> |> > Trevor, if the inlet could be made so that it allows a
> |faster feed,
> |> > that would be great.  Of course, that would simply entail a larger
> |> > opening at the inlet, larger diameter inlet tube, and
> |larger opening
> |> > into the tank.  It has always seemed absurd that the inlet is so
> |> > inadequate.  I always fill my tank through the tank lid
> |inside, but
> |> > there is always risk of getting the cabinets wet.
> |>
> |>
> |> Sounds like a lot of hassle to me.  Personally, the time it takes to
> |> fill the tank via the inlet has never bothered me at all.
> |Sure it's a
> |> bit slow, and if I'd designed it I'd have used a larger tube. But it
> |> still fills in, what, 5 minutes or so?  If I was so rushed that I
> |> couldn't spare 5 minutes, I  wouldn't be driving a Vanagon in the
> |> first place. :-)  I put the hose in, do my quick pre-trip
> |walk-around
> |> (coolant level, oil level, tire pressure), and by the time I'm done
> |> it's just about full. My last Westy had a busted inlet hose that I
> |> never got around to fixing, so I had to fill it from the top
> |opening in the tank, and I found that much less convenient.
> |>
> |
> |Please explain to me how you get the tank to fill in 5
> |minutes?  Mine takes 20-25 depending on how much water is
> |already in it.  If nearly empty, it takes over 30.  I have
> |tried to use one of the plastic valves with a tube on the end
> |sold at RV stores.  The tube is too large a diameter to fit
> |into the inlet sufficiently deep.  With that thing I have to
> |stand and hold it in the inlet, carefully controlling flow
> |rate to get maximum flow in without backup.  Not easy.  I
> |tried to use a funnel.  The inlet won't accept the water fast
> |enough to avoid gross spillage.  The angle of the inlet
> |opening is too low to allow a funnel to properly fit.  The
> |whole damned thing is just poorly designed and needs a
> |complete overhaul.  You'd think that a vehicle that was sold
> |for so many years, someone at the conversion plant would have
> |figured out that the inlet was a piece of crap, and redesigned
> |it to be adequate.  I can fill the tank from inside in 5
> |minutes or so.  Oh well.
> |
> |mcneely
> |
> |> - Ron Salmon
> |>   The Bus Depot, Inc.
> |>   www.busdepot.com
> |>   (215)  234-VWVW
> |>
> |> _____________________________________________
> |> Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :  1-866-BUS-DEPOT
> |
> |--
> |David McNeely
> |-----
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> |08/16/11