Frozen up last weekend

[Way2Go]

We spent last weekend at the C & CC site at Oxford.  The temperature dropped to around -8 according to the warden but we were toasty as I left the heating on overnight.

I was surprised though that the water stopped running from the tap (pump was still running) and water refused to drain from the wash hand basin.

I thought all new motorhomes were 'winterised' so this didn't happen?

I appreciate both tanks are slung underneath so exposed to the elements somewhat but I thought a thick poly tank might resist minus zero temperatures.

How do you hardy souls who go skiing get on?

[Brian Kirby]

It's that "winterised" thing again! 

Fully "winterised" vans (but note there is no Euronorm for winterised) should have both fresh and waste tanks inboard, usually within an insulated double floor, all water and drain runs also with the double floor void, plus some heating into the floor void.

The main alternative is to site the waste tank outside below the floor, but to install a heater element to prevent it freezing (only usable on hook-up because of the current drain).

The reason your drains wouldn't run may be poor alignment, allowing a "slug" of unevacuated waste water to freeze in the pipe, so blocking it.  It may be worth checking this to see if you can improve the fall on the offending pipe.  I would not be happy with water supply runs below the floor.  I think this poor practice.

The usual trick for Alpine conditions is to leave the drain tap on the waste tank open, and put a bucket under it.  That way minimal ice forms in the tank, and if necessary a bucket of ice can be disposed of, though the ideal is to empty it last thing while still liquid.  However, for this to work the waste runs must be properly graded for a quick run off and the water pipes all run inboard.  Is your van UK manufactured?

[Clive]

We too spent Monday night at the same camp site at Oxford (by the park&ride) and Tuesday night on the temporary site at the NEC.

Our fresh tank is underslung and problems started on night 2.

 

Next MH will have tanks as Brian describes.

 

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

while your van may not be winterised. I am surprised that tanks do not at least have switchable heater's - particularly if it was sold to you as "winterised"

 

pretty easily fixed, by contacting CAK Tanks. they should be able to help, with insulation and heaters then get someone local to fit....

[michele]

probably get it wrong but you know me ...lol...Hubby took a giant nutt from under the M?Home off we put a bucket there and it drained straigh out into the bucket so ours didnt freeze . The taps worked all the time had no probs with water at all . .

[Guest Tracker]

michele - 2008-02-21 8:07 PM

 

probably get it wrong but you know me ...lol...Hubby took a giant nutt from under the M?Home off we put a bucket there and it drained straigh out into the bucket so ours didnt freeze . The taps worked all the time had no probs with water at all . .[/quote

 

But what were you doing under the motorhome Michele - that's no place for a giant nut?

[michele]

Nutty I am why is there two threads I just though hang on I just wrote something and the next I know its gone :D Now I find it ...Undo your nutts :D

[Keith T]

we too have had some very hard frosts whilst using the van over the last couple of months in the UK.

However, we find the new Burtsner Ok on the water front - the fresh water tank is not only inboard but the blown air heater hose runs all round the under bed/seat boxes...so no problem there. As far as waste water is concerned we always let it run staright out into a bucket anyway, and I guess that since a lot of what goes down those pipes is warm water, that keeps itf free of icing up also.

[Way2Go]

I don't know where this second thread came from. I posted the other one with a couple of pictures. Anywho, thank you for your comments Brian, I'll check out the pipe runs when it gets a bit warmer ;-)

[tamworthkamper]

We also went out just for drive last sunday went to get kettle out of bathroom and it was frozen much to the amusment of father in law . We went over to derbyshire up above matlock frost on ground and buildings alday .it was funny as I spent the a weekend in November draining and cleaning ready for winter.

[Derek Uzzell]

JudgeMental:

 

There's a potential difficulty fitting/adding 12V water-tank heaters to UK-manufactured motorhomes built since the mid-1990s - the on-going presence of an 'isolation' relay that cuts off most of the living-area electrical facilities when the vehicle's motor is started.

 

As Brian says, a tank heater draws a fair amount of power (the CAK heaters take 2.5A), placing a heavy additional load on an average size leisure-battery's charge if allowed to run continuously unless that battery were being recharged via the motorhome's alternator or via a 230V hook-up. External tanks will obviously freeze up if exposed to cold weather while the motorhome is parked up, but the likelihood of a tank freezing is enormously increased when the vehicle is being driven and a high-speed current of frigid air whooshing over the tank's outer surface is providing an Antarctic-quality wind-chill factor. There's little point arriving at a campsite with your water tanks transformed into giant plastic-coated ice-lollies, and that's why the 12V heater in my Hobby's external waste-water tank (and, presumably, the heater in Brian's Hobby's tank) can operate when the vehicle's motor is running as well as when the motorhome is on hook-up. Choosing to fit a 12V tank-heater is straightforward for non-UK motorhome manufacturers as they've never been bitten by the isolation-relay bug. However, it goes contrary to the UK motorhome-industry's 'isolationism' philosophy and I don't think any mainstream UK motorcaravan builder has used this method of water-tank winterisation.

 

From what I recall, your Eura Mobil Profila Alcove has its waste-water tank within its rear double floor where it's protected from exterior cold and can be kept frost-free via the vehicle's blown-air heating. Profila Alcove has a high level of winterisation and this fact is advertised in the Eura Mobil brochure. Conversely, the low-profile Profila has an external waste-water tank that (I'm reasonably sure) has no heating facilities. This makes Profila less suited to all-year-round use, but it's fair to say that this should be apparent from the Eura Mobil brochure.

 

Water tanks and water pipes that are external on a motorhome are rather like domestic outside-toilets that older forum members will well remember (probably with little glee!) - if you don't keep them heated in very cold weather they will inevitably freeze up.

[bob b]

What about putting a "dash" of radiator antifreeze in the waste tank ?

 

Clever or what !!