handyman Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 hi, This is my first post here, so be nice ;-) I have a new euramobil 622sb motorhome (first proper motorhome), which is 'fully winterised'. Only thing i see wrong is the grey waste tank is on the outside, not insulated or heated. Will it not just freeze up? and if so, how can it be avoided. Planning to go to seefeld, austria in January to watch some skiing events Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza454 Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Hi, Welcome,Buy a waste water container similar to the ones the caravanners use, then place this under your waste pipe and leave the waste valve open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Hi & welcome, Mine did not freeze up we went to Chamonix in the snow stayed a week no problems what so ever . You could always tip a little anti freeze in the tank if you are worried ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Git Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Pour some antifreeze down the sink. It's only the grey waste so contamination is not a problem, and antifreeze is not specially nasty or corrosive. Have never tried it, but in theory it should work. If you are concerned about using automotive antifreeze, it's possible to get potable antifreeze, but I expect it's a lot more expensive. I wonder . . . . don't see why it shouldn't work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest caraprof Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Bazza454 - 2007-08-15 10:14 PM Hi, Welcome,Buy a waste water container similar to the ones the caravanners use, then place this under your waste pipe and leave the waste valve open. With respect, this isn't the answer that I would have wanted as it's a pain having to carry an large Aquawaste container and anyway, won't that freeze up just the same?The obvious solution must be to insulate his built-in waste tank.Anybody any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Git Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Michele - you beat me to it by a whisker. I was writing my reply and found yours when I posted. Great minds or what!! I agree with Prof too - a separate tank on the ground would probably freeze quicker than one hung under a van and therefore sheltered to some extent. Maybe some insulation and a drop of antifreeze. Interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Great minds A ! thinking alike but as said we had no probs what so ever and boy we fill up that tank faster than most with the kids we have constanly washing up. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Mine froze up once, but only to a dirty icy slush, bit like one of these slush puppy drinks, just came sloshing out when emptied so afterwards chucked in some salt rinsing it out of basin well. Does not seem to have harmed the valve at all which has a stainless steel rod for the shutter valve and did not freeze again following night at minus 10 deg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommiK Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 The best solution in my opinion is to insulate the tank and install a heating element. The heating element could operate from the 12V battery. The heating does not need to be so powerful with a good insulation. So it does not drain your battery. It ensures that the tank does not freeze up when it gets really cold. That's a common setup retrofitted to many motor homes in Scandinavia. The caravan dealers ask about 200 euros for the solution here in Finland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjl Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Hi I have a 12v heater in my tank which works. In feb this year we had temperatures down to minus 12c for a week and it worked fine for the 7 days we stayed on site We did most of "washing up" in the site facilities so i would not have to keep moving the van to dump the water I did try leaving vent open into an open bucket (the theory being that when the bucken freezes you can just dump the ice as a block) however it ended up like a frozen waterfall! luckily i parked with that side in the sun so it defrosted during the middle of the day - i used tghe heater after that with no problems. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Champstar Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 I have a switch on my control panel for a waste water heater it is suppose to keep a temp of about 5 C..have only tried it once and tank didnt seem to freeze but have read that these are sometimes not connected Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsandywhite Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 handyman - 2007-08-15 9:35 PM I have a new euramobil 622sb motorhome (first proper motorhome), which is 'fully winterised'. Only thing i see wrong is the grey waste tank is on the outside, not insulated or heated. Will it not just freeze up? and if so, how can it be avoided. B-) We had no problems with our old 1988 Coachmen Classic in Bavaria:- http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m1/johnsandywhite/JS-SNO1.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted August 16, 2007 Author Share Posted August 16, 2007 so, does anyone know where to get a heater element / insulation for tank? The only one i cant see working very well is the anti freeze. Halfords sell stuff that works to -10, but its not to be watered down. Even if you put the full 5 litre tub in, that would be watered down 20 times in a 100L tank. Thanks for the replys so far, much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsandywhite Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 B-) Perhaps this might be a solution? :- http://www.solarhaven.org/HPArticle.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 handyman - 2007-08-16 12:15 PM so, does anyone know where to get a heater element / insulation for tank? The only one i cant see working very well is the anti freeze. Halfords sell stuff that works to -10, but its not to be watered down. Even if you put the full 5 litre tub in, that would be watered down 20 times in a 100L tank. Thanks for the replys so far, much appreciated Try CAK tanks, they do all that is required to winterise fresh and waste tanks and pipework. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 "Try CAK tanks, they do all that is required to winterise fresh and waste tanks and pipework". Indeed, CAK will provide both insulation materials and a 12v thermostatically switched element for waste and fresh tanks. See www.caktanks.co.uk for download of their invaluable catalogue. I'm not entirely sure I'd like to heat a *waste* tank that way, however. Alternatively, if you don't want to carry a wastemaster, how about the ubiquitous (square) bucket to leave under the open waste tap. It can be filled with 'stuff' whilst travelling, and is easier to get ice out of (should it freeze up) than a closed auxiliary tank. I once had an underslung fresh water tank frozen solid on an autosleeper for three days, and it was a devil to thaw out! (Incidentally, whilst I don't question your original post, the Euramobil website implies the current version of your van has a winterised waste tank!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted August 16, 2007 Author Share Posted August 16, 2007 its the 06 model (on a new 07 plate) Its got a plastic tank for grey water. No element to switch on, or any insulation on the plastic tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted August 16, 2007 Author Share Posted August 16, 2007 looked at website, and it looks like they have moved the waste and fresh water tanks into the heated floor void. At the moment the fresh tank is built into the fixed back seats, and the waste water slung under the superstructure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g4oip Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 You can buy extremely efficient spray-on insulation foam similar to that used on hot water tanks and would be a cheaper and easier solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Git Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I doubt if tank insulation would be a solution on its own, though if it will stick to the plastic (no idea without trying it) the spray on foam sounds like a good way of actually doing the job. The drawback with insulation is that it will not prevent freezing. It just slows the process down, and has exactly the same, but this time unwanted effect on thawing when the temperature rises. A well insulated tank with a small heater inside sounds like a workable solution, but I'm almost ashamed to admit that I'm waiting for someone else to find the definitive answer so I can pinch their idea. How do you keep the pipework from freezing though? Not much point in having a nice warm tank if all the pipes are frozen solid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 with this van being (not quite) a fully winterized van, all the pipework runs in a void between the underside and the floor inside, which is heated. The fresh water is also within the living area. Yes, it looks like insulate plus heater is the answer..............yet more wiring to do 8-) .................you never get a van exactly what you want, sockets in the correct position etc :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Handyman, Ours is made exactly the same way with the pipes being just up under the floor the floor being double its shown as a winterised grade three what ever that means. We honestly had no problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 I'll not be happy if i cant get a nice shower every morning ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Suggest you use a bucket instead of the caravan type containers. If the bucket freezes at least you stand a chance of emptying it even if the water comes out looking like a giant ice lolly. Enclosed containers would take a long time to thaw and pour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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