When I built my campervan I wondered if this affordable, easy to install USB tap was really up to the job for full-time van living.
It’s never going to be able to compete with a micro-switched tap and 12v water pump combo but if you’re on a budget and want a quick easy fix, I think these faucets are absolutely up to the job and should definitely be considered a USB camping essential.
Battery and charging
The unit itself comes with a built-in 1200mAh battery which is charged via a USB-C cable (included).
The cable is quite short so I bought a USB extension cable with the usual male USB plug on one end but a female socket on the other and works the same way a power extension cord does.
The official charging time is 3 hours and I’ve found this to be accurate for a full charge from empty however the unit will start to work again after a partial charge BUT it won’t work whilst charging, it needs the cable unplugged to work.
Whilst charging the top of the unit glows red, and this red light goes off once it’s fully charged.
The official use time is between 30 and 40 hours on a full charge. I can’t say that I’ve timed it but as a solo traveller with my dog, a full charge has lasted 2 weeks which I feel is pretty good going for such a small battery.
Obviously, if you cook more often, wash up more often or just use more water in general then clearly these times will be personal to your use.
Hose and how to connect to water sources
The unit is supplied with a short, food-grade, silicone hose. The unit is designed to be placed on top of a 5.5cm wide (2 1/8th inch) bottle neck and the short hose runs from the bottom of the unit into the water bottle.
For my application, I needed the hose to be longer so replaced it with something which would reach the bottom of my 25 litre (6.5 US gallons) water tank.
Bear in mind, if you’re looking to do the same in your campervan or need to drop it into a larger water container, you’ll need to either weight the end of the hose to stop it from coiling upwards and out of the water, or I’ve seen some people run a rigid pipe in the container to keep the hose straight and taking water from the bottom.
Mounting the unit
The unit is originally designed to sit securely on top of a water bottle so some thought and ingenuity are required to mount it to a worktop for vanlife use.
I considered using a hole saw to create a groove for the unit to sit in but I felt it might not sit securely enough and might fall over/off whilst travelling.
I ended up finding an accidental solution in an aerosol can lid.
The plastic cap of a de-icer can fit exactly into the underside of the unit and held it quite securely.
So I then mounted the cap upside down on the countertop by screwing it down from the inside (using a pilot hole drill bit so the plastic doesn’t crack).
Then, I drilled a hole through the cap and countertop big enough for the hose to drop through.
Once the hose is through, it connects to the underside of the unit and the unit slots into the upturned cap.
If anyone has any other mounting solutions I’d love to hear them!
One of the huge benefits of this unit is the ease of installation. If you’re nervous about doing your own electrics then this is ideal as there’s no need to mess around with leisure batteries, fuses or making sure you get the right wiring size so that your campervan doesn’t catch fire.
That really is a major benefit of all the USB items. Once you have a USB socket wired in, you can use whatever item you like without having to install any extra wiring.
Is the USB tap noisy?
It’s not the quietest of units which I feel is one of its major downsides compared to more expensive pumps.
It’s not as loud as a blender, but you certainly wouldn’t leave it running without noticing. Perhaps that’s a benefit!
On that note, the tap starts working when you press the button on top once. You don’t have to keep your finger on it. Press again to turn it off.
If you don’t turn it off it will turn itself off after 60 seconds, saving you a flooded kitchen area, or wasting too much water.
What’s the flow rate like?
It’s not the fastest, but this is one of the compromises we accepted when we bought the unit, and the benefits of cost and no extra wiring far outweigh waiting a few extra seconds for some water.
The manufacturers don’t state what the flow rate is so we performed our own test to see what the real-world flow rate was.
As the unit pumps for 60 seconds before switching off, we thought we’d measure the amount of water pumped through during this time and work out the flow rate from there.
Your faucets at home dispense water at around 4 to 6 litres per minute.
Turns out we didn’t need to run it for the full minute before our 1-litre bottle was full.
53 seconds = 1 Litre of water
So around a quarter of the flow rate of your home faucets. Not bad!
How do prices compare?
When it comes to comparisons, there are other USB water taps around the same price as ours, just different designs, so we looked at what a more pro campervan set-up would cost in comparison.
So a micro-switched tap for the sink, along with a separate 12v pump (either external and mounted on the wall, or submersible and dropped into the water tank) would be our comparison.
For the taps, you’re looking at around £25, and for the pump, £15 was the cheapest submersible whale pump I could find (Prices taken from Amazon September 2022)
So using a USB tap is a considerable saving. I bought mine for around £12 ($14) in 2021 and it’s still going strong.
Other uses for a USB faucet
Clearly, it does a great job as its intended function as a bottle faucet, and due to its portability, it lends itself to being used at BBQs or sporting events.
Popping one on top of a bottle in the back of your vehicle means everyone can help themselves to water without having to lift or tip a bottle so great for children or the elderly and disabled.
Want to provide water to a pet without having to walk back and forth to the faucet with a bowl then setting a bottle and pump nearby could make refilling your dog’s water dish as easy as pressing a button.
All in all, we’ve been very pleased with the performance of ours in the campervan and wouldn’t hesitate to replace it if it broke.
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