Scepter Water Jug - What am I Doing Wrong?

nyyankees588

Active member
Okay... so I recently purchased one of the ~cool kid~ tan Scepter Water Tanks (20L) to use for carrying extra water and filling my van's water tank when hose hookup isn't available. Heavy duty, great reviews. Cool. I've used plenty of the cheaper water containers in the past with zero issues.

Went to use the Scepter to gravity fill my water tank today and realized that the vent is horribly placed AND too small to allow the water to flow out a reasonable rate. Am I missing something basic here? Is it just not meant for this purpose? I both hope that I am wrong (so that I didn't waste $30), and also hope that I am right (so that I'm not shamed as a mall crawler that can't even use a jerry can) lol.

My "technique" has always been to heave the 5 gallon water tank on to my shoulder and let it drain in to the short hose that leads in to the water tank. However, because the scepter's vent is basically right next to the water outlet, it leaks water non-stop if you go to tip it over to pour it out of the standard water spout. Furthermore, because the vent hole is so small, it takes forever to empty for full 5g.

Couple photos for a visual representation of what I'm referring to:
scepter.PNG
For comparison, the Igloo container I last had - notice the vent is on the opposite side of the water outlet.

igloo.PNG
 

pluton

Adventurer
The Scepter design appears not to be the best tool for your purpose. One can, of course, get a high flow from the Scepter by taking the cap off and pouring through the large opening. It seems that a funnel would additionally be needed to make that work for your setup?
 

Trail Talk

Well-known member
We have the same container, even the same color! It shouldn’t leak if you start to pour from the small outlet first, then open the vent cap to increase flow. When ready to stop, close the vent first. You’ll need to use the same procedure with Scepter’s dispenser spout.
 

geojag

Active member
I have found that you can open the air vent until it starts to drip and tighten it very slightly to stop the drip, you get a decent flow. If you can locate the can higher than what you are filling, JAGMTE makes an awesome accessory using a shaker siphon with a valve.
 

Vincenzo

Member
get a pump. I've posted about this before. Best $10 ever.

+1 for getting a USB rechargeable battery powered pump. They fit perfectly into the cap and work great. I went through about 3-4 generations of water dispensers for the MWC and finally settled on the pump.
 

Superduty

Adventurer
+1 for getting a USB rechargeable battery powered pump. They fit perfectly into the cap and work great. I went through about 3-4 generations of water dispensers for the MWC and finally settled on the pump.
And another vote. These battery powered pumps fit perfect and work great. Not sure why anyone would use anything else.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
 
Does anyone have a link or brand for the battery powered water pump y'all are speaking of? I'd love to have something rechargeable and non permanent for these water jugs.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
 

dstefan

Well-known member
The simplest thing to to do is drill a hole in the top back of the can (essentially where your Igloo had the vent). The plastic wall is quite thick there. Use a 1/4 -20 tap to thread and screw in a stainless steel bolt. I did this to both of mine so I can use them on their sides, spout down, with the Scepter spigot for gravity flow water. Works a charm. No leaks when sealed and plenty flow otherwise. You could also use a bigger bolt and hole if you need more flow. I suspect you dont even need a tap and could just let the bolt threads cut the plastic with a slighly smaller hole, but I had a tap handy. This is so easy and fixes such an annoyment its become one of my favorite mods.

I got a little fancy and cut a lengthwise slot on the bolt about 2/3ds up from the tip so I can get a graduated vent without fully unscrewing the bolt. Figured I wouldn’t lose them that way.
 

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