Hobby Toskana winterization in the UK

[Tony323]

Hi all, been quiet a few years since been on this forum, can i ask, to drain down the water system, i have always used a FLOE system and pressure it through with 15psi tyre pressure electric pump from my water tank to push the water out and then just put some Anti Freeze coolant in the sink U bends etc but now looking as time and years, has passed me by so quickly, i read that they do Anti Freeze to put into the drinking water system, what do the majority do on your winterization vehicle in the UK, ??

[Derek Uzzell]

Using potable anti-freeze for 'winterisation' is common practice for boats and RVs where the water system is quite complex and/or draining is difficult.

There is some on-line UK motorhome-related discussion about it (GOOGLE on motorhome potable antifreeze) but, if you are accustomed to using pressurised air to blow water out of the pipework, plus putting antifreeze in the sink/washbasin/shower drain outlets, that's taking a helluva a lot more care than most UK motorhome owners do.

Given your winter draining technique, I wouldn't have thought using potable antifreeze would be worthwhile or necessary (I just used to 'blow' the pipework out as experience had taught me this was a wise course of action) but it will be interesting to know whether any other forum members use potable antifreeze.

[david lloyd]

In 25 years of motorhoming (often with UK built Motorhomes with underslung tanks) I have never used potable antifreeze just drained everything down and, in recent years, blown down the sink taps to remove any remaining water or taken it for a short run with all the taps/drains open.

David

[Brian Kirby]

The only exception to the above from Derek and David might be if you keep your van in an unusually harsh/exposed part of the UK, where extended periods of sub zero temperatures - especially if also windy - are common, and even more so if the van is usually sheltered from the sun, because the "greenhouse effect" of even our meagre winter sun in UK serves to quite quickly take the chill off the interior.    That apart, the above suggestions should comfortably suffice.

All I have even done over the past 17 years of motorhome ownership is, as David suggests, turn off the pump, fully open all taps mid way between hot and cold and allow to drain down, open the Truma drain valve and allow to drain down, plus open the freshwater drain valve, let it all drain off fully, ditto waste water tank, and then take the van for a 15-20 mile run with taps and drain valves still fully open.

One other thing I always did once the first frosts had appeared, was to put a 400W electric greenhouse heater in the van and leave it on 24/7.  I would periodically go into the van and adjust its (uncalibrated) thermostat setting until it just came on at whatever was the ambient temperature in the van while the temperatures were still dropping, so that it marginally raised the internal temperature, but this was only as a as a hedge against internal condensation.  Then, once the days began lengthening and temperatures rising - usually sometime around mid-February, I would cease adjusting the "stat" so the heater would then only come on during unusually cold spells.

Whether this made any real difference to the condition of the interior furnishings etc. I can't say, but I never noticed condensation on internal surfaces, nor felt damp on cushions etc. - so either it worked, or I missed the event!  🙂

It never seemed to make a noticeable difference to our winter electricity consumption either, so the heater can't have run for more than the odd hour or two here and there - but we are only a few miles from the South coast so, generally, relatively mild compared to UK averages.