DavidBrown Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Hi all. We have a Rapido v56. I am right in thinking that when the fresh water tank is 50% full or less it is ok to travel as my tank has a triangle tap which it indicates with a sticker that if u turn it 2 /3 it will empty the tank to 50% and then there is a picture of a mortorhome driving away. And I'm assuming you then close the tap up again fully before driving away. Another querie. Is it ok to travel with water in the trumer hot water tank. Thanks. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-B Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Hi David, I don't know anything about Rapido's but certainly I never drain the Truma tank until the years end when it's time to winterise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJB Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 We travel full everywhere...some do and some don't!! Take your pick :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 We too have always travelled with water full and waste and loo empty as we never quite know where we will be stopping next or when the next water or emptying point will be available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 AFAIK the 'half full' tap is there to drain tank to level used for MIRO (mass in running order) figure, this doesn't necessarily mean you have to drain it down for journeys. Yes it's perfectly ok to have Truma full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 DavidBrown - 2016-03-01 10:44 AM Hi all. We have a Rapido v56. I am right in thinking that when the fresh water tank is 50% full or less it is ok to travel as my tank has a triangle tap which it indicates with a sticker that if u turn it 2 /3 it will empty the tank to 50% and then there is a picture of a mortorhome driving away. And I'm assuming you then close the tap up again fully before driving away. Another querie. Is it ok to travel with water in the trumer hot water tank. Thanks. :-D This is an increasingly adopted ruse by manufacturers to give the impression of increased payloads. Water weighs 1kg per litre so, dump half the contents of the fresh water tank (commonly about 50 litres) and the "headline" payload magically grows by 50kg. Whether or not you need to do this can only be established by taking your fully laden motorhome (fully laden as with the fresh water tank and Truma both full, full gas cylinder/s, full fuel, plus everyone and everything that you would usually carry when using the van) to a weighbridge and weighing it; and getting the front and rear axle loads as well as the gross vehicle weight. All occupants should remain on board throughout the weighing process. Check these weights against the VIN plate on the van, which will tell you what is the permissible load on each axle, and for the vehicle overall. If, in that condition, neither the van, nor either axle, is overloaded, you can reasonably travel with any quantity of water in the fresh water tank, including full. If it is then overloaded, try dumping water via the dump valve to reduce the tank contents by the claimed 50%, and see if that fixes the problem. If it does, you will have to travel in that condition to remain legal: if it doesn't, dump the rest and see if that does the trick. If you know the maximum contents of the tank, you will then have a ready-reckoner for how much of an overweight problem you have. If my assumption above is correct, and the tank holds about 100 litres when full, you will be able to tell from the differences in weight as you first dump half, and finally all, the water, by how much the dump valve actually reduces the water contents, and what the full capacity of the tank is (because 1kg = 1 litre). Depending on the results you get, you will then have to decide whether you want to travel full, half full, or empty, and/or how you will share this load shedding between water and other items you have chosen to carry. Second answer, travel with the Truma full as you will otherwise have to purge air from the hot water circuits every time you stop. If you find you have to travel with the fresh water tank empty to stay legal on loading, you will have to refill, and purge air from, the system even if you were to leave the Truma filled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Travel with what you think you will need either until you can replenish your water or about 4 days. Be sure your vehicle handling isn't affected by fuller tanks and that you are not exceeding your weight limit. For us, we tend to travel with 20l of water in the tank because we rarely camp away from a source of water and Hymer fit a plug that can be set to dump anymore than that. If you are wild camping, then you will probably need to keep your tanks topped up at all times. The four day rule is the longest time you should keep the same water in the tank without replenishing - possibly less in very hot conditions - according to my biologist sister and, coincidentally, Hymer. After four days, the risk of water born bacteria increases; those with an iron constitution may not notice! I'm not aware of any issues with travelling with water in the Truma tank except that it's added weight and will probably be discharged if the temperature drops - just don't drink it. Always drain the Truma tank when not in use and the risk of freezing pipes exist if the frost valve hasn't already opened and done it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 The only water we actually drink is boiled for coffee or tea, so in theory we could keep it topped up. The catch is when you clean your teeth, a friend caught amoebic dysentry in Uganda cleaning his teeth in a stream. We travel with 25% and top up if stopping anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Brock - 2016-03-01 12:26 PM......................... The four day rule is the longest time you should keep the same water in the tank without replenishing - possibly less in very hot conditions - according to my biologist sister and, coincidentally, Hymer. After four days, the risk of water born bacteria increases; those with an iron constitution may not notice! ......................... This is true for raw, i.e. untreated, water. However, if the water is dosed with Elsil (from Elsan), or a similar product, it will stay contamination free for weeks. Ask your sister to look it up and see what she says. I've been using it for several years now, and found that it works as described. The water remains free of taint, smell, or cloudiness. Freshwater Tank Fresh, also by Elsan, sterilises the tank before filling to remove any contamination that may have developed over periods of inactivity, or when first using an unknown, or new, van. However, we do not drink water from the tank except in tea/coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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