Heating and Hot Water during cold spell and covid

[costaexpress]

I have read the various debates as to whether one should let the engine tick over every so often during lockdown, however, wasn't sure what others were doing about running the heating and hot water systems once in a while, or even if you deem it necessary. Normally it wouldn't be an issue for me, however, during this cold spell I have taken to draining the system down and refilling/draining down every time just to run the heating and water for an hour is a pain (only a slight one I admit). It is the first time I have had to worry about this as for the last 7 years of motorhoming I have never drained the system down, always thought it was over the top and unnecessary, however, as I get older I seem to be getting more risk averse and now its a bit of a pain.

[vindiboy]

My van is in my garden on hook up , Yesterday I went in it started the fridge on mains turned the diesel heater on for 5 minutes, checked the battery readouts and called it a day, like you my water system is drained and all taps open , I did not start the engine as I did that a few weeks ago and moved the van a few feet up and down my drive, the brakes were initially locked on but easily freed themselves , my van is parked out or gear and hand brake off wheels blocked so how the breaks manage to seize is a mystery, but I guess the brake pads are slightly in contact with the discs,

[TeamRienza]

I am in the camp of those who believe that equipment that is run will develop fewer ‘mystery’ faults.

Every fortnight or so I put 20 litres of water in the tank and we set off for a short run. Do some shopping for food to justify being out, but apart from loading the engine by driving, the wheels, brakes etc all get an airing.

 

We will have lunch in the van, so this means we run the fridge on gas and 12 volt. We use the hob for tea. We use the taps for filling the kettle, we run the heating on gas, and we use the toilet.

 

In other words we make use of as many items in the van as possible, and on return home I drain down the remaining few litres of water until the next outing.

 

Davy

[Derek Uzzell]

costaexpress

 

I don’t think you’ve ever said when your Autocruise motorhome was built, but a GOOGLE-search suggests that it would be no earlier than 2016.

 

 

I believe the Select 164’s heating system comprises a Truma Combi 6E gas/230V air/water heater. This appliance can be operated safely empty of water, so - if you feel an overpowering need to run it while your motorhome is drained down - there’s nothing ’technical’ to prevent you doing this.

 

I’m not sure why you’d want to be refilling/draining the system while the motorhome is out of use though. I can understand Davy doing this as he has chosen to take his motorhome on a short run on a fortnightly basis, but that’s another matter.

 

My motorhomes have always over-wintered and not been driven whilst in ‘hibernation’’. I drain my Rapido’s water system (also a Truma Combi) very carefully using compressed air to remove as much residual water as possible. I certainly would not want to put water back into the system just to run the heater while the Rapido is standing idle and then have to go through the draining-down procedure again.

 

If I lived in south Cornwalll I MIGHT risk leaving a motorhome’s water system undrained, but in Herefordshire it can get artic and I definitely would not risk it here. (I think you live in Lincolnshire and that’s hardly the Riviera.)

 

It’s really up to you - I think it would be a peculiar thing to do unless (like Davy) you choose to keep using the motorhome and if there’s water in your motothome’s system and it freezes, there could be a big repair bill as a consequence

 

(One thing you might consider doing with the Combi is to ’shroud’ the external intake/exhaust cowl to minimise the likelihood of insects entering.)

[colin]

Same as Derek, once water system is drained, it stays drained until the next time van is used for camping. This year has been exceptional, but in a 'normal' year this would be at least 3 months in winter.

[costaexpress]

TeamRienza - 2021-02-03 12:17 PM

 

I am in the camp of those who believe that equipment that is run will develop fewer ‘mystery’ faults.

Every fortnight or so I put 20 litres of water in the tank and we set off for a short run. Do some shopping for food to justify being out, but apart from loading the engine by driving, the wheels, brakes etc all get an airing.

 

We will have lunch in the van, so this means we run the fridge on gas and 12 volt. We use the hob for tea. We use the taps for filling the kettle, we run the heating on gas, and we use the toilet.

 

In other words we make use of as many items in the van as possible, and on return home I drain down the remaining few litres of water until the next outing.

 

Davy

I think that was basically my thought process as well, tick everything over once in a while was better than leaving it standing for long periods.

[costaexpress]

Derek Uzzell - 2021-02-03 2:02 PM

 

costaexpress

 

I don’t think you’ve ever said when your Autocruise motorhome was built, but a GOOGLE-search suggests that it would be no earlier than 2016.

 

 

I believe the Select 164’s heating system comprises a Truma Combi 6E gas/230V air/water heater. This appliance can be operated safely empty of water, so - if you feel an overpowering need to run it while your motorhome is drained down - there’s nothing ’technical’ to prevent you doing this.

 

I’m not sure why you’d want to be refilling/draining the system while the motorhome is out of use though. I can understand Davy doing this as he has chosen to take his motorhome on a short run on a fortnightly basis, but that’s another matter.

 

My motorhomes have always over-wintered and not been driven whilst in ‘hibernation’’. I drain my Rapido’s water system (also a Truma Combi) very carefully using compressed air to remove as much residual water as possible. I certainly would not want to put water back into the system just to run the heater while the Rapido is standing idle and then have to go through the draining-down procedure again.

 

If I lived in south Cornwalll I MIGHT risk leaving a motorhome’s water system undrained, but in Herefordshire it can get artic and I definitely would not risk it here. (I think you live in Lincolnshire and that’s hardly the Riviera.)

 

It’s really up to you - I think it would be a peculiar thing to do unless (like Davy) you choose to keep using the motorhome and if there’s water in your motothome’s system and it freezes, there could be a big repair bill as a consequence

 

(One thing you might consider doing with the Combi is to ’shroud’ the external intake/exhaust cowl to minimise the likelihood of insects entering.)

Thanks for the reply. You are right about the equipment, I use the van (and my previous) all year round and therefore it has never been anything I have thought about before. I guess my thought process has been to keep everything ticking over and hopefully nothing will seize up. As a result I have been doing runs between storage compound and home to keep engine parts moving, brakes from rusting etc and at home have been hooking up, filling with water to run the hot water system (as you say, the heater doesn't need water). Because I have always used the van all year round I wasn't really sure if any of those things were necessary. I didn't drain down in the past, however, the fresh water tank was inside the van under the seat, this one is underslung with heaters for winter, OK when van in use obviously no good in storage as would run batteries flat within days.

[John52]

vindiboy - 2021-02-03 11:41 AM

 

how the breaks manage to seize is a mystery, but I guess the brake pads are slightly in contact with the discs,

Exactly that. I have a van that was stood for a year and a rusty patch formed on the discs.

I sanded it off but it wasn't a success - still had to replace the discs.

So now I move the van every few weeks and apply the brakes (and handbrake a little whilst the vehicle is moving) to clean the rust off the discs & drums before it gets too thick.