… New Storage — Fostering Adventure

New Storage - Black Tank To Tool Locker

Conversion Of Our Old Black Tank Area

This is our area of focus. The black tank locker, seen here with the upper closure panel removed.

A number of projects ago when we converted our water guzzling toilet to a composting toilet (best thing we’ve done to date, and can be seen here), we left the old black tank in place so as to provide a grey water “overflow” tank in situations where we couldn’t immediately empty the grey tank. Like when boondocking in a location for more than a few days. But in the nearly two years since we did the toilet conversion, we have never used it. So to make better use of that, the largest outside locker we have, we made the executive decision to convert it into a maintenance locker. Here is where we’ll house all the tools and parts bins for the truck.

First Step - Tank Removal

We decided to keep the functionality of the black tank plumbing, for liquids only, and with a smaller, removable tank.

Removing the old black tank took a bit of effort as it was keyed into the compartment with inflow drainpipes and a level sensor electrical connection. The compartment also had a hydronic heating radiator plumbed in under the tank to prevent freezing in winter. So all these connections needed to be removed. We didn’t need the heating system anymore since this compartment would no longer house any freezable liquids. The new, smaller holding tank for the toilet liquids would so seldom be used that it would not be an issue in winter, as we’d just keep it empty. It will also serve as a grey tank transfer vessel if we need to empty grey tank fluid, but don’t want to move the truck when not in a full service parking spot like an RV park. We’d just sit the jerrycan under the grey tank outflow and open the valve. Interestingly, the black jerrycan that will provide these functions will slide right into the pannier bags on the side of the motorcycle. So we could carry two of them on the bike to a dump station if it was too far to walk. But after seven years of experience traveling with the truck, I doubt we’ll need to worry about that much.

With the dump valve and lower front panel removed, the rest of the connections can be removed.

These two lines had to be cut with a hacksaw blade, the hard way. That means holding the raw blade. There was no room for the hacksaw frame.

The tank was held in by heavy aluminum straps. Fortunately they were easy to unbolt and remove.

The most amazing thing about this part is that it actually comes apart. What a surprise.

With the tank removed the next step was removing the plinth that covered the heating register.

This is the hydronic heat register that kept the black tank from freezing in winter.

Leaving this in place would make using the area problematic. So we disconnected and removed it.

To remove the tank heater we had to cut the hydronic lines. Vice grip clamps were used to block the lines so the fluid didn’t leak out of the system.

We also had to cut and seal the feed and return lines to the main hydronic system. More working in tight spaces.

This is the return line from the black tank heater. The vice grips are a special hose clamping type.

This is the feed line to the black tank heater. After the hoses were cut, the fittings on the back of the boiler compartment were removed and plugged.

These are the two lengths of hose removed from the system.

With the heater and hydronic lines removed we could clean up the compartment and plug holes.

Methyl hydrate was used to clean the floor so tape could be used for plugging holes.

Eternabond roofing tape was used to plug the screw holes and holes from the hydronic lines. The tape is easily cut with a sharp knife.

We applied two layers on the outside of the tank, and a single layer on the inside. This locker is well protected from road debris, so the roofing tape is adequate for the task.

We could have plugged the screw holes with screws and nuts, but then we wouldn’t have a smooth floor.

By cleaning the painted surface with methyl hydrate, the tape will stick permanently. It takes high heat and a spatula to remove it.

Helping The Heating System

The big advantage of removing the compartment heating is that it will take a 20 foot loop of hose out of our hydronic heating system which will reduce its complexity, and make it run much more efficiently. Especially when traveling in winter when heat from the boiler would no longer be lost to that circuit, but instead be totally focused on heating the habitat. Running more efficiently means burning less diesel, so a good thing for the environment as well.

Black Tank Alternative - Sceptre Military Products

A viable alternative to the black tank in this case was the use of a high quality plastic jerrycan. This Canadian made, NATO approved container was our perfect solution.

https://scepter.com/products/military-products/

The $39.00 plastic water jerrycan we purchased.

Sceptre has a good selection of containers to choose from.

What’s best about the Sceptre product is all the accessories and replacemnt parts they provide.

Maximizing Locker Utilization

The left hand side of the compartment was reserved for the new liquids jerrycan.

With the locker now cleared out, the process of determining how best to configure it began. The first constraining factor was our decision to retain the black tank plumbing, and therefore an area under it to house the new, removable toilet liquids 20 litre jerrycan. This heavy duty plastic jerrycan is a NATO approved water container, made in Canada by Sceptre Industries. We’ve had a lot of experience with the Sceptre NATO products and are confident that their high quality will serve us well in this situation. We chose the black colour so there would be no way these water containers could be mistakenly interchanged with our four Sceptre sand coloured fresh water containers. With a Sceptre NATO product dealer right here in the city, it was easy to purchase them, along with a purpose designed mount to hold the container in place.

The existing black tank plumbing was perfectly located to hook into the new jerrycan. Just a small bit of adaption to take a hose is all that was needed.

We had an old shop anti-fatigue floor mat kicking about, so we cleaned and cut it up to fit the floor layout in the locker.

There was a little bit of nip and tuck needed for a snug fit.

Once finished, the mat hid the unsightly condition of the locker floor. It was a great way to recycle an old product.

There was a bit of fiddling about to determine the best way to organize the gear.

Initially we were going to leave the insulation, so a piece was cut out to fit the jerrycan mount.

The jerrycan mount was not a Sceptre product, but it was designed specifically for these containers.

We had some 1” webbing and plastic buckles left over from other projects, so we were able to sew up the perfect containment straps.

We had to adapt a fitting to the bottom of the black tank plumbing so we could screw in a hose fitting.

There was a gap in the locker ceiling around the plumbing, so we used Eternabond tape to seal it. It’s not the greatest look, but it seals and stabilizes the pipe.

Our miscellaneous parts bin had a small clip in it that was perfect for holding the hose out of the way when removing the container.

With the jerrycan install finished, we started on the removal of the insulation.

Power Tools And Gear Configuration

Specific organization makes for quick and easy equipment or parts access.

With the removable jerrycan mounted and plumbed in, it was time to move onto the tool and parts bin configuration. Removing all the pink insulation gave us another 14mm of space on three sides, but more importantly, it would allow us to mount logistic track and power tool mounts to the walls. This would prevent everything stored in this locker from being tossed around when traveling on rough roads. It would also ensure that things would be put back in a specific orientation so we can always quickly find what we need when it’s required.

With the insulation removed it was now possible to start figuring out where to place the power tools.

I made some mounts out of black plastic sewer pipe and fittings. So it was just a matter of their spacing.

Geometry had a lot to do with how the machines would be positioned.

This tool holder ended up right overtop of the old tank sensor wire, so it had to be removed.

Once the wire was removed I was able to drill the bolt hole.

Our bolt hole did not line up with the sensor wire holes, so they were sealed with th Eternabond tape.

With the machines mounted, we then cut and mounted the logistics track.

L-track fittings were positioned on each side of the machines so they could be held in place.

We had a supply of 1/4” smock cord and fittings, so we used these to hold the machines in their mounts.

The parts bins, which lock together, will also be held with the L-track.

With everything finished, it was just a matter of getting the glue off the wall. We found that paint brush cleaner dissolved the glue, but did not damage the powder coating. Yeah!

With all the kit in place, the challenge now was to figure out what to do with the big empty spot in the middle.

Organizing the Hand Tools

With the large-ish area in the locker centre begging for something to hold, the challenge was to create something that would hold the four tool rolls that we always had to cram into the small space inside the right side boiler compartment. But we don’t just want to pile them on the floor. A more creative solution was called for.

The old tool storage was on the left side of this compartment. Rather tight and awkward.

With the tools and parts bins removed, we could bring all the leveling blocks and jack pads into one space and have a dedicated place for ratchet straps and a fluid transfer pump..

We also had other items to organize. Since we now were carrying cordless power tools, we needed to store the batteries, as well as find a place for the battery charger. A small steel “sledge” hammer and urethane mallet needed a home, as well as the grinding disks for the angle grinder. We also had a few specialty tools to store, like the 30mm combination wrench and socket that are used solely for the bolts that hold the two steering boxes in place, and a 1-1/2” socket that is used for the 1” pivot point bolts on the front and rear mount points for the habitat subframe.

Mounting things on the ceiling makes for maximum compartment utilization.

A logical place for the batteries was the ceiling of the compartment, since we had purchased battery storage mounts when we bought the new power tools. They were simply screwed to a small piece of plywood that was then screwed to the ceiling.

The best solution we could think of for the tool rolls was a tool caddy that elevated things off the locker floor. We could make it the right width so all four rolls will sit side by side, with enough room to lift them vertically a few inches to easily remove them from the caddy. In the old location we had to try and cram them in by sliding them endwise on top of each other. The result of doing this enough times was a broken Fastex buckle on one roll which I had to fix with a new buckle and the sewing machine.

Tool Roll Contents

Since there might be some of you that wonder what we carry in four tool rolls, below is the contents of the various rolls. It would be more efficient space-wise to just throw everything in a small, one compartment tool box, but this way we know exactly what is in each roll, and we can grab the roll and take it to the area on the truck where we need to use them. Each roll is labeled so we know which one to grab.

Multi-tool Roll

Pliers Roll

Vice Grip Roll

Wrench Roll

Tool Caddy & Electrical Power

We had some bits of Baltic birch plywood left over from previous projects, so we were able to make the shelf out of 3/4” plywood and the rest was done with 1/2”. Notches were cut to fit in around the power tools stored on the back wall, and done in such a way that those power tools could be removed without having to remove the tool caddy. We just have to lift out the tool rolls to access the power tools. The only reason we need to remove the tool caddy is if we need to remove the black jerrycan, and that will be very infrequent. The tool caddy was painted with our usual bed liner spray. It’s an easy way to finish things, and it’s pretty durable.

Compared to some of the projects we’ve done, this woodwork is quite simple.

We cut hand holes in the sides for ease of handling.

A few planned cutouts were put in to provide room around the power tools, and they also allow the power tools to be removed without removing the caddy from the locker.

Using our favourite finish, black rocker guard spray paint, we coated the entire caddy.

The nice thing about the rocker guard paint is it’s easy to get a consistent texture, and it hardens up overnight. So one can carry on with the project without delay.

It will be so nice now to access our tool rolls. All four in the same place, and easy to lift out of the caddy.

We bought the more powerful charger for the truck so that the battery charging is done much faster.

The orientation of the charger is a bit different than what Dewalt would normally plan for. So we had to make an extra bracket to hold the charger in place.

With a little creativity, some pipe brackets and broom hangers can be used to mount our heavy hammers.

As things get mounted, more ingenuity needs to be found in order to mount yet more tools in the limited space.

With some bits and pieces lying around the shop, I fashioned a holder for a selection of different sized zip ties.

Originally, I thought storing the zip tie holder on the back wall would be good. But we use them so often we really need them at the front of the compartment.

We found a better place for the zip ties on the front corner of the tool caddy.

Conveniently, the inside of the tool caddy was perfect for these seldom used tools.

Nozzles for the heat gun, and grinding disks for the angle grinder fit nicely on the left caddy wall.

We added brackets to the right inside wall to hold the two impact wrench socket sets on the floor.

The final task was to run a 110 volt line from the front outside duplex outlet to the tool locker so we can plug in the battery charger.

The final step was wiring in the duplex outlet in the tool locker. Job done!

Job Done

With the tool caddy finished, and the electrical service installed and tested, the conversion of the old black tank locker to the new tool locker is now complete. Adding to the satisfaction of this conversion was the completion of the door hinge repair. Now not only do we have a snazzy new tool locker, but we have one with a door that opens and closes easily, and indeed holds out dust and moisture too.

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