potus4388 Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 A query on the above please: Can I leave the toilet cassette charged with chemical etc in my motorhome over winter. I always drain the whole system down and remove the cassette, however, I have been reading about adding anti freeze to the toilet and water system. Does anyone do this? Any advice would be useful. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 Why would you want to leave it charged? I would empty and clean the holding tank and leave the blade open so it does not stick, using some 'pink' fluid to keep it lubricated. Fresh flush / rinse tanks are not so easy to clean but ensure they are empty and run the pump dry for a second or two to clear water and create airspace for any freezing of residual water. Same applies to fresh and grey water tanks and pipes and any hot water heaters etc. One sharp frost can do a lot of very expensive damage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 potus4388 Over the years, there has been the occasional O&AL Forum discussion about 'winterising' a motorhome's water system using potable antifreeze rather than draining the system down. (Search the forum using "potable antifreeze" for the threads). The antifreeze method is used by the boating community and is quite common where USA RVs are concerned. I don't know how popular the method is with UK motorcaravanners (though I'd guess few would employ it) and this 2013 RV Forum link suggests that flushing the antifreeze out completely can prove tricky. Like Tracker, I wonder why you would choose to overwinter the toilet cassette with chemicals (and presumably some water) in it. I suppose that doing this will allow the cassette to be immediately ready for action, but (unless you are going to flush the toilet using a bucket) you'd still need to bring the motorhome's water system back to life. It's unlikely that a Thetford cassette holding a couple of litres of water and a cupful of chemicals would suffer damage even if the water/chemical mixture froze rock-solid, but there's no risk whatsoever of frost-damage occurring if the cassette is empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 3 hours ago, Tracker said: Why would you want to leave it charged? People with vans may want to spend time in them thru the winter an having a toilet to use is handy even if all the waters drained. We spend many sunny days sat in ours in the garden and local cliff sites even if its drained the toilet can still be used just with a little soapy water in it it won't freeze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 When emptying the cassette I always put a dose of chemical in ready for next trip, note I don't normally add water until ready to go, this means our cassette usually has chemical in over winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potus4388 Posted November 12, 2022 Author Share Posted November 12, 2022 Thank you all for your replies, I think I will stick to my usual system of draining all down and keeping the cassette empty. I was just thinking it would save a bit of time in case we wanted to go at the spur of the moment but I would still have to reinstate the water system anyway in that event. The articles on anti freeze just started me wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 In the 90s we had two Swift Royale motorhomes which had separate water tanks to feed the toilet. We rarely went away in those days in the winter because few sites were open and the vans struggled to warm up. We did go for family days out from our storage site which was a very cold farm. We kept the water tank for the toilet topped up with water with 'anti-freeze'. Since 2000 our motorhome toilets have been fed from the fresh water tank and the vans kept on our drive. We never used 'anti freeze' again. In the 90s RVs were common as were separate water tanks in motorhomes.The appropriate 'anti freeze' was available from dealers. It was not the antifreeze you put in your car radiator. Both our Royales are still taxed on the road 25 year old or more but I don't know whether the owners still use 'antifreeze' in the toilet feed. 'Antifreeze' on sale in motorhome dealers seems rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barryd999 Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 I tend to leave draining ours down as long as possible. More so this year as chances are we will go away at Christmas in it. I may well get away with not doing it at all before then. I would generally empty the toilet though anyway after a trip. Draining the toilets own water tank is something I never did for years though to be honest. Just never thought about it. Its dead easy to do though. Just pull a clear plastic hose off just inside the door. It never took any harm all the years I left it though. I reckon with our van at least and where its parked it has to get well below freezing for a sustained period for stuff to start freezing up inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 In the winter we always used to carry a small 100 ml plastic bottle of blue toilet fluid, plus we took a two litre cola bottle of water so that we could use the loo if needed. If it's just a one day wee or three, as long as you empty and rinse it out well with clear water you don't need to use any blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRIGGER Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 It is very important to make sure all your water hoses are drained of water for Winter lay ups and leave all taps open including the shower , once your water storage tank is empty , run your water pump for a minute or so with all the taps etc open so any residual water can escape , I do this and then drive our van around the block to swish any remaining water out, taps left closed can freeze in sub zero temps and if that happens they can crack and later leak, expensive job to replace them , also make sure the toilet flush is free of water by pressing the flush button for a minute ? to help and trapped water to escape, We always leave our cassette blade open in winter and leave a drop of water and chemical in it ;[ LIDLs ] washing softener liquid for us and never had a problem with that . I had to remove our thetford toilet from the van last year because of a leak, cost me about £80 for replacement parts , no labour charge as I did it myself but took a few hours to do , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRIGGER Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 https://ibb.co/VvtPFP2 Easier to remove the complete toilet to work on if needed, only 4 screws held mine in place and hose clips too. Good chance to give it and the area a deep clean too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.