Plumbing General Info

The plumbing in the Solis is one of the most posted about systems. It isn’t very intuitive and requires a little bit of specific knowledge to keep everything functioning as it should.

Tank Capacities

Tank	Capacity (gals)	Notes
Fresh Water	21
Grey	18
Cassette Toilet	5

Fresh Water Tank #

The 21 gallon fresh water tank is L shapeed and it located under the sink, behind the lower cabinets. The inlet for the tank is in the rear of the Solis at the Nautilus Water Panel. The tank has an overfill valve in it that drains direclty below the kitchen under the van.

There is a tank level indicator to the right of the lower kitchen cabinets with a light switch to make it easier to read. Due to the tank’s L shape the indicator isn’t linear. Winnebago smartly didn’t label the indicator with the standard Full, 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 tank markings. The 1/2 tank marking would be quite a bit below center as the lower part of the tank holds more water than the upper parts.

For filling/winterizing/etc, please see the Nautilus Water Panel Page.

Issues / Tips

• There have been reports of some number of the tanks bulging when full and breaking the kitchen cabinets. There are two preventative measures for this issue. Winneabago installed metal brackets across the tank to reduce the amount of flex. DIY’ers utilize very large steel U bolts to go over the tank which will restrict the tank from bulging.
• Draining the tank/system. Under the jump seats below the storage tray where the truma heater is mounted, there are also three valves, each emptying a different part of the water sytem. One is for the fresh water tank, one is for the Truma water heater and one is for the other pipes throughout the Solis. The water drains directly onto the propane tank.

Water Pump #

The water pump provides pressurized water to the faucets/showers/toilet throughout the Solis. In our experience it only runs when water is actually moving. e.g. The faucet it on, the toilet is used, etc. It pressurizes the water to a certain point and then turns off. It will automatically turn back on when it is needed.

The water pump is located under the lower storage compartment under the Murphy bed on the passenger side. There are two switches to turn it on, one is on the System Control Panel and the other is on the Nautilus Water Panel

Issues / Tips

• It is normal for the pump to occasionally run for a second or two from time to time. If the pump is continuously running when no faucet or water is actively being used there likely is a problem; there are three items to check:
  • Make sure the hot water recirculating knob just under the sink on the cabinet is off. (this one is the most reported reason)
  • Check all of the faucets/shower outlets to see if one is on/leaking.
  • Look for a water leak. Typically under the jump seats or near the Nautilus Water Panel. You may have to remove the screen in the rear to see behind it.
• The water pump uses a lot of power when it is actually running (up to 7 amps). When it isn’t running it uses very little. Many people keep it on all the time.

Faucets / Showers #

There is one sink in the Solis located in the kitchen counter. It works just like a normal household sink.

There are three locations for showering/spraying off in the Solis. The main bathroom has a shower and then there are two spigots for outdoor showering. One is located in the floor at the slider door and the other is in the back of the van in the Nauroslous Water Panel.

The Truma Combi Eco provides the hot water. Typically to take a shower, 20-30 min beforehand, set the Truma’s hot water to BOOST. This will provide enough hot water to take a navy shower (Water on, wet body, water off, soap up, water on rinse, water off). Be careful as the hot water when in boost mode is approx 140 deg. Make sure to have the cold water on too. The hot water tank is small, so it is quite easy to use up all the hot water quickly. Also remember that there is a 21gal fresh water tank. A shower can easily use 5 to 10 gallons. Of course if connected to shore water/city water, this isn’t an issue.

A few items to be aware of:

• The bathroom shower head has a lever on it which would appear to turn the water flow on or off. Instead of turning the flow off, it just greatly reduces the flow. This prevents scolding when hot water builds up and sprays out at unevenly with the cold water.
• The outdoor showers use a standard garden hose spray head attached to the included coiled hose. The coiled hose has a quick disconnect end which pushes into either of spigot.
• The faucet tends to drip while driving. The thought is that water is left in the faucet when it is shutoff and the vibrations cause it to come out.
• In my experience, keeping the counter dry while washing dishes is difficult. If your hands are wet and you turn off the faucet, water inevitably ends up on the counter.
• Many owners, including myself purchased silicone tubs that fit into the sink. This allows you to wash dishes in the tub and then rinse in the sink.

Grey Tank #

The grey tank is located underneath vehicle below jump seats and bathroom. The sink and shower drains empty into the grey tank.

Emptying the tank is fairly easy, but needs to be done in the proper recepticle. Most RV campsites have a dumping station that is for both gray and black water.

To Empty:

1. Pull the van up next to the dump station hole so that the rear driver side tire is close to the hole.
2. On the underside of the passenger side of the van is a storage tube for the gray water emptying hose. It is a long corogated hose that has a twist on latching end. Pull it out and bring it to the driver side.
3. On the driver side, but the rear tire, there is a large valve which has a push/pull lever next to it. Twist off the large cap (this can be quite hard to do) and twist on the grey water hose.
4. Put the other end of the hose into the dump station hole (sometimes there is a heavy cap to the hole whcih needs to be lifted)
5. Slowly pull the lever next to the gray water tank just a little bit. Grey water should start flowing into the hole.
6. Once the water is flowing and there are no obvious leaks, pull the lever the rest of the way out.
7. Once the water finishes, push the lever back in.
8. Twist the hose off of the van side, leaving the other end in the hole.
9. Lift the hose up and force the water stuck in the hose into the hole.
10. Most RV dump stations have a water spicket/hose right there which can be used to clean the hose.
11. Drag the hose back to the passenger side store tube and slid the hose in and close and lock the lid
12. Put the cap back on the grey tank outlet.

Tips and Tricks

• Don’t let the grey tank get overfull. There is the possibilty as you drive and the water sloshes around, some will come back up through the shower drain. Also if it is full and you are draining the sink, water may also come up through the shower drain.
• Do NOT dump the water into a storm drain or on the street. This is illegal in most states

Heading #

Body

Tips / Issues / Mods #

• List