Draining water heater etc (1 Viewer)

ips

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Have always camped, caravaned or had boats. Now in our second year with the motorhome.
Is it neccasary to drain the water heater as soon as the cold weather hits ?
And what about the fresh water tank which is inside under the dinette seats ?
Ian
 

Terry

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Hi ips, if you think it will freeze then drain it,if not keep it topped up and get out there and use it :thumb: Lots of boilers have a frost devise setting that as soon as it is near freezing (5 degrees ) it automatically drains it down so not to cause any damage - don't forget to reset it :ROFLMAO:
terry
 

Jim

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Is it neccasary to drain the water heater as soon as the cold weather hits ?
And what about the fresh water tank which is inside under the dinette seats ?
Ian


Yes if you are expecting a hard frost then you should drain your tanks and water heater. most makers have a low drain-point to empty all tanks, though some take some finding. Make sure that all your pipes are empty and don't forget water filters. Its also best to leave your taps in the open position.

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ips

ips

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Have always camped, caravaned or had boats. Now in our second year with the motorhome.
Hi ips, if you think it will freeze then drain it,if not keep it topped up and get out there and use it :thumb: Lots of boilers have a frost devise setting that as soon as it is near freezing (5 degrees ) it automatically drains it down so not to cause any damage - don't forget to reset it :ROFLMAO:
terry


Thanks, I will look into if my one has such a frost device. For the record we do intend to use it every other weekend all through the winter months so wont be left unattended for long, and its on our land so only 1minute away to drain it down if bad weather comes quick.
Wouldnt have thought that the fresh water tanks would freeze given the fact that there inside but what the hell do I know. ::bigsmile:
 

madbluemad

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I remember a similar thread on the need for winterisation on the forum last year. A lot of folks were of the opinion that because we hadn't had a bad winter for a long time they weren't going to bother.

We then proceeded to have a very cold winter with temps dropping well below zero on a regular basis.

It doesnt take long to drain off your water and could well save you a lot of grief.

Jim
:Smile:
 

Terry

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Hi ips, keep the fresh tanks topped up -more volume = more to freeze before any frost damage.Do as Jim says with boiler and open taps :thumb: it is also a good idea to blow down the taps to aid getting rid of small water pockets.IF you are going to lay it up / or frost forecast for long periods then drain everything ::bigsmile:better than sorry :thumb:Never drain anything on ours:Eeek:
terry

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ips

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Have always camped, caravaned or had boats. Now in our second year with the motorhome.
Many thanks, we never drained anything on our boats and never had a problem.
 

madbluemad

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Hi ips, keep the fresh tanks topped up -more volume = more to freeze before any frost damage.Do as Jim says with boiler and open taps :thumb: it is also a good idea to blow down the taps to aid getting rid of small water pockets.IF you are going to lay it up / or frost forecast for long periods then drain everything ::bigsmile:better than sorry :thumb:Never drain anything on ours:Eeek:
terry

I remember a similar thread on the need for winterisation on the forum last year. A lot of folks were of the opinion that because we hadn't had a bad winter for a long time they weren't going to bother.

We then proceeded to have a very cold winter with temps dropping well below zero on a regular basis.

It doesnt take long to drain off your water and could well save you a lot of grief.

Jim
:Smile:

Hows that for conflicting advice :ROFLMAO:

Jim
:Smile:
 
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ips

ips

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Have always camped, caravaned or had boats. Now in our second year with the motorhome.
:Doh:

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madbluemad

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:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

I had problems with damp earlier this year. Not because of water freezing but due to a problem with a seal in the plumbing system. The thing is it cost a lot of money to fix it.


Jim
:roflmto:
 
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ips

ips

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Have always camped, caravaned or had boats. Now in our second year with the motorhome.
Slightly off thread but second day of our jollies in sept mrs ips said weres all this water on the floor come from. After some investigation and removal of seat base I found that the two big cap things on top of water tank were not screwed down properly and the "o" rings werent fitted in the right place. As we were parked on a bit of an incline at the time (waiting for CC site to let us on our booked pitch which was empty at the time but it was 11am but thats another story...... bleeding jobs worths the lot of em) and had filled up that morning it was leaking out od said caps. About a gallon of water on the floor Good excuse for mrs ips to mop the floor ::bigsmile:
 

Terry

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:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: 2 Jims = ringleader and madbluemad :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
I would hate to say do not bother - as I do - only for it to be a big freeze and burst boiler / and or tank :cry:
terry

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pappajohn

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another winter draindown tip....

remove the shower hose from the mixer tap or remove the shower head and blow down the pipe with the taps open.
a small amout of water can sit in the bottom of the hose and will freeze.

forgot to do this in our old caravan and the shower mixer tap to hose joint popped.

luckily it was a push/snap-in connection and designed to pop out.

dont forget...ice can split steel and concrete so plastic hasnt got a chance.
 

Andy 01424

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Also pour some anti freeze in all plug holes ! and in the toilet to :thumb: also to stop coondesation put a few brekkie bowls out with them half filled with Sea salt or Table salt check it periodically cos they will over flow with water they have trapped ,dunno about MH,but in statics there is 2 drain plugs usally directly under the chassis below the boiler,to drain it
 

rainbow chasers

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another winter draindown tip....

remove the shower hose from the mixer tap or remove the shower head and blow down the pipe with the taps open.
a small amout of water can sit in the bottom of the hose and will freeze.

forgot to do this in our old caravan and the shower mixer tap to hose joint popped.

luckily it was a push/snap-in connection and designed to pop out.

dont forget...ice can split steel and concrete so plastic hasnt got a chance.
Wise words! I do the same thing, always make sure it is drained - we had interior water pipes freeze during a rouge, but not that harsh a frost and blew everything - luckily I had drained the tank and heater!

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Tony Lee

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Many thanks, we never drained anything on our boats and never had a problem.

Boats are often in a much warmer environment than motorhomes - at least until the water it is floating in all turns to ice.

A water tank inside will still freeze if below freezing weather lasts long enough - just takes longer - unless you add some form of heating.
 

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