Wanderlust Bus Interior Plumbing with Aquatherm – Pipe Dreams: Pt 1

bus interior plumbing aquatherm

We’ve been talking about it, alluding to it, referencing it… the time is finally here for you all to SEE it. I’m talking about the Aquatherm pipe that we are installing. Yes, the bus interior plumbing is finally starting to go into place.

With the walls floors and ceilings all covered in pristine beetle-kill pine (you can check out the beginning of the process here), it’s time to start drilling holes in it.

Be aware, bus interior plumbing (well, all bus plumbing) is unique to every situation!

We planned out every linear inch of pipe that was going to be contained in our plumbing system over a year ago. A lot changes in 12 months. We have a completely different floor plan layout than we had back then. That means changing things on the fly. That’s actually one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through this journey. You have to roll with the punches. So a pencil, measuring tape and legal pad later, I had a freshly revised plan for how this crazy maze of H2o was going to come together.

bus interior plumbingWhen we talk about materials for the bus interior plumbing, we’re using a piping system that is a bit atypical from most of the plumbing systems out there. The product is called Aquatherm and after using it, I couldn’t be more thrilled with our choice. It’s a fusion piping system that has a ton of benefits over traditional plumbing methods.

With traditional plumbing, you deal with a myriad of things that are harmful to you and your family in both the short and the long term. For instance, an inferior copper pipe can contain chemicals that can leech, as can the solvents, flux, and solder. With PEX, it’s the same situation, but it’s amplified because PEX is more permeable to microscopic contaminants from outside in. Since this is BUS interior plumbing, road contaminants are inevitable.  It should be said that there is safe PEX tubing out there, you just have to look for it. I’m not hopping on my soapbox (I do that elsewhere on the site), but if you want to know more please message us and I will be glad to expand at length. Aquatherm eliminates all of these issues.

Feel free to check out this video from Aquatherm that will give you a basic overview of their product and the company.
aquatherm
  • It’s a completely clean product. It’s made from a polymer called Polypropylene-random (PP-R) which is nothing more than chains of hydrogen and carbon. It is both simple and stable chemically, so it does not contain harmful chemicals or react with its surroundings. The “R” in PP-R refers to the random blend of long and short hydrocarbon chains which provides both rigidity and flexibility, resulting in a material with strong structural properties that can still bend enough to absorb impact.
  • Aquatherm is hydrophobic, which prevents it from corroding or leaching.
  • Aquatherm is completely free of heavy metals and toxic chemicals, providing the safest option in the market for drinking water and food processing.
  • Aquatherm is a non-corroding material, so it doesn’t wear out and clog up after a few years of service. Even hard water won’t affect Aquatherm, making it the perfect piping material for nearly any application.
  • Aquatherm is heat-fused together, giving it connections that even outlast the pipe itself. This is good since the bus interior plumbing will be in motion and worked hard.
  • Since it’s a fusion fitted product there are zero adhesives and solvents. The only thing you use to make it stick is some heat, about 500° worth.

With all of these benefits, we found zero reasons not to use it for our bus interior plumbing system. If you want to know more about Aquatherm, check out this video from the folks over there.

All of us here at the Wanderlust Bus would like to thank everyone at Aquatherm for their generous sponsorship of our journey. They've provided us with an amazing opportunity to use the cleanest water we possibly can for our family and everything in our home. We would also like to thank Ferguson for loaning us the fusion tool and BWA South for sending Earl to train me. Thank you all!

bus interior plumbingWe ran lines for everything that needs water. On the inside, that means both the bathroom and kitchen faucets, the dishwasher, the washing machine, and the tiny little line that gives us ice and water from the fridge. All those lines are run with ½” Aquatherm Green Pipe.

The actual labor when installing the bus interior plumbing was minimal. The pipe is easy to install. The hardest part of planning the system is making sure you can install everything once the pipe becomes one solid piece. There’s nothing you can do once things are fused.

One final thing to note about Aquatherm, I was trained by a factory representative and am a certified installer. This is not a DIY project you can do on your own without a factory trainer on-hand. You can even check out my nifty certification creds.

Check out the video of the entire process below and see the benefits of this stuff in action.

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