Basics.... (1 Viewer)

[Hussar]

Hi, I have a few "basic" questions for some of you experts out there.
How long after filling the fresh water tank, for the water to come through on average?
Do you need to keep the water pump switched on all day?
Is the water from the fresh tank ok/wise to drink?
Wwhen using the toilet is the blade/valve supposed to be in the open or closed position?

Many thanks for your help with these queries, to some of you I am sure that these will seem "stupid" questions, but we all have to start somewhere. I am sure that I will be asking many more.:Cool:

 

[Loujess]

Not stupid to me. You want stupid questions? i am full of them but just don't voice them 'cos I want to fool everybody that I'm not as stupid as I sound.

Anyway, my answers, could be rubbish:-

If the tank was empty, the water will splutter for a minute but come through almost immediately.

I await someone else's answer about the pump.

Yes, as long as it is fresh when you start your journey.

I would prefer closed so that any nasty smells are locked in below. Otherwise I don't think it matters.

Ask away.

ivy

 

[dave jm]

I would prefer closed so that any nasty smells are locked in below. Otherwise I don't think it matters.

I close mine because it's easy to pick up any change that falls out of your back pocket

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[old-mo]

If your water tank was bone dry,, you will need to fill the boiler first, open the furthest hot tap till water runs freely, then the next and so on.

We always put a few drops of "Milton Steralising fluid in the main tank every month or so and run that through.. If it`s good for baby`s bottles it`s ok for me.
We drink the water from the main tank. still alive after 40 odd years.

As said before close the flap on the toilet otherwise nasty niffs will come up.. :Sad:

 

[HWO]

Always think it's best to open the blade before doing a BIG JOBBY. With luck and a good aim there is no mess to clean up after.
All the best
Howard

 

[Sundowners]

we try to remember to switch the pump off when we leave the trailer---------it is possible for a pipe to split/come apart---------if that happens the tank can empty on your floor, or into a lockeroh:
Nigel & Pamala

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[Hussar]

If your water tank was bone dry,, you will need to fill the boiler first, open the furthest hot tap till water runs freely, then the next and so on.

We always put a few drops of "Milton Steralising fluid in the main tank every month or so and run that through.. If it`s good for baby`s bottles it`s ok for me.
We drink the water from the main tank. still alive after 40 odd years.

As said before close the flap on the toilet otherwise nasty niffs will come up.. :Sad:

Cheers for the replies so far, I am puzzled however by "you will need to fill the boiler first". How do I do that?. Is it not just a case of filling the fresh water tank and turning on the pump... or am I missing something. How do I fill the boiler?.
As I said lots of vague/silly questions.
Someone once told me when I was a very young squaddie "no such thing as a stupid question, just silly answers".
Again,I am sure there are many more "stupid" questions that will occur to me as I progress along my motorhome life....!!!!
Please bear with me.:thumb:

 

[pappajohn]

the pump should only take a moment or two to push water to the taps.
if it takes a long time there may be an airlock or a leak somewhere.

as Nigel and Pamela said ...turn the pump off when your not around, you don't want 70 ltrs of water swilling around the van in the event of a leak or burst pipe.

drinking from the fresh tank.....

if you bought the van used you don't know how the previous owners looked after the tank.

it may never have been cleaned from day one.
fit a good quality water filter to be safe.

toilet blade.

it says in the operating manual you can do either.

open the blade and use or close the blade and flush a little water on the blade first.....stops the skid marks as you later open the blade.
personally I'd use it open to prevent 'splash back' when you open it loaded, so to speak.
also worth opening after a funsters meet drinking session, otherwise the meat and two veg may get a dunking.....the bowl isn't as big as it looks. :Blush:

 

[pappajohn]

Cheers for the replies so far, I am puzzled however by "you will need to fill the boiler first". How do I do that?. Is it not just a case of filling the fresh water tank and turning on the pump... or am I missing something. How do I fill the boiler?.
As I said lots of vague/silly questions.
Someone once told me when I was a very young squaddie "no such thing as a stupid question, just silly answers".
Again,I am sure there are many more "stupid" questions that will occur to me as I progress along my motorhome life....!!!!
Please bear with me.:thumb:

fill the fresh tank, turn on the pump and open the hot taps, one at a time starting at the furthest from the pump, including the shower until water flows smoothly without spitting and burbling.

then do the same with the cold taps.....job done.

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[JayDee]

We are assuming from the way you phrased your question that you have a pressure switched pump, in which case everybody's answers are correct. If, however, like our Dethleffs, your water pump is activated by microswitches in the individual taps, the answers are less accurate. There is no need to turn the pump off in a microswitched system; just make sure all taps are properly shut. In fact the only way to isolate our pump is to pull the fuse, which is necessary in winter when you drain down and leave the taps open.
However the filling of the boiler is the same whatever switching system connects your pump.
If you're going to drink water from your tank I would recommend a thorough clean through with this first.
Link Removed
It doesn't damage any of the parts of the water system (I believe that Milton can) and doesn't leave any taste afterwards. Flush the whole system through (including the hot water side) and leave standing for as long as required, then run the whole lot through (both hot and cold) until the tank is empty. Refill with fresh water and flush through again (incl hot) and then it's safe to say that your tank is fit to hold potable water. If you are unsure about the quality of any water that you are loading it is not a bad idea to use the tablets (same manufacturer Link Removed).

Good luck and ask away. The only stupid questions are those that you should have asked.


John

 

[sedge]

I beg to differ about the loo chaps. I did use ours closed solely for 'small jobs' once or twice, would always open it otherwise for the cleaning reasons given, despite possible/probably pong, esp after Pete's been eating moules.

However unfortunately in the closed position it isn't actually completely sealed. It especially wasn't before Pete adjusted the ratchet doodah, but it still isn't fully and it doesn't adjust any more. So when someone next opened the door to take out the cassette there was an awful pong of ammonia esp as the sun had been on that side of the van. In fact it literally made your eyes water even before the door was opened. And there are at least a million unreachable nooks and crannies where liquid can seep to and you can't get to to clean, in that compartment, even sans cassette. We left the door ajar for about a week whenever we could and prayed for a wind in the right direction.

Several others on the Aire at Le Crotoy a few days later said they had exactly the same problem - one lady was totally disgusted at the mere thought of having the trap open at all, ever. I felt sorry for her hubby having to empty it and the pong as he got out of the drivers door - yes it was that bad! Anyway she said it wasn't necessary because she used a lot of that extra thick bleach which killed it. (I bet it did ........ kills a lot of things, bleach, some plastics for instance, and all the bugs in fosses septiques ..... )

So anyway I've got it down to a fine art - it's now - sit down, take deep breath, open hatch, use loo, complete ops, stand, flush, close hatch, open door, take next breath .......

 

[Bulletguy]

Always think it's best to open the blade before doing a BIG JOBBY. With luck and a good aim there is no mess to clean up after.
All the best
Howard

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[old-mo]

Cheers for the replies so far, I am puzzled however by "you will need to fill the boiler first". How do I do that?. Is it not just a case of filling the fresh water tank and turning on the pump... or am I missing something. How do I fill the boiler?.
As I said lots of vague/silly questions.
Someone once told me when I was a very young squaddie "no such thing as a stupid question, just silly answers".
Again,I am sure there are many more "stupid" questions that will occur to me as I progress along my motorhome life....!!!!
Please bear with me.:thumb:

Sorry, I did not explain,,

When you fill the main tank, that is all you have done till you bleed the system.. in theory when the cold/main tank has been filled, you have what effectivly is an air lock, so opening the furthest hot tap will fill the boiler.

ie. opening the hot tap will draw the water from the main tank up through the boiler and once water is running from the hot tap without spluttering you have filled the boiler and primed the hot system.

Hope you can understand my dribble..

 

[artona]

You need to open the hot tap Hussar because the water heater will be full of air. Open a tap and the air will escape and allow the water to take its place.

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

I beg to differ about the loo chaps. I did use ours closed solely for 'small jobs' once or twice, would always open it otherwise for the cleaning reasons given, despite possible/probably pong, esp after Pete's been eating moules.

However unfortunately in the closed position it isn't actually completely sealed. It especially wasn't before Pete adjusted the ratchet doodah, but it still isn't fully and it doesn't adjust any more. So when someone next opened the door to take out the cassette there was an awful pong of ammonia esp as the sun had been on that side of the van. In fact it literally made your eyes water even before the door was opened. And there are at least a million unreachable nooks and crannies where liquid can seep to and you can't get to to clean, in that compartment, even sans cassette. We left the door ajar for about a week whenever we could and prayed for a wind in the right direction.

Several others on the Aire at Le Crotoy a few days later said they had exactly the same problem - one lady was totally disgusted at the mere thought of having the trap open at all, ever. I felt sorry for her hubby having to empty it and the pong as he got out of the drivers door - yes it was that bad! Anyway she said it wasn't necessary because she used a lot of that extra thick bleach which killed it. (I bet it did ........ kills a lot of things, bleach, some plastics for instance, and all the bugs in fosses septiques ..... )

So anyway I've got it down to a fine art - it's now - sit down, take deep breath, open hatch, use loo, complete ops, stand, flush, close hatch, open door, take next breath .......

I cant understand why you get such a bad smell.
Is it a different toilet system to the cassette waste one?
We always put the cassette toilet stuff in ours. Thetford . Its got a strong scented smell. We used to use it in the caravan , and as its exactly the same toilet, with the electric flush , we carried on using it.
We cant use the pink flush version that went in the top tank anymore as the water to flush comes straight from the fresh tank , its not separate as it was in the caravan. We bought a green thick spray for the bowl , made for the purpose , which help things slide into the cassette:Blush: too.
Or
Is it because with having 5 people using ours , it gets emptied usually every day ?? Every other day if we are lucky , and have been out and about , able to use public loos for wees!!

I suppose if theres only 2 of you it could be in there for some time , sloshing about .
Saying that , if you used the chemical toilet stuff , it wouldn't smell . Thats what its made for after all. If you are using it, maybe your not putting enough in ?

Bev

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[old-mo]

Not sure what type of tank the gentleman has Bev,, if it is a Euro then in all probability it has a Cassette, and as you say not enough elsan or nice smelly`s in the tank..

But if it is an RV, then if the same as mine it can hold 20-30-40 or more gallons and after a few days you dont want to leave the shutter open..

 

[john-A]

Morning all just like to say I found this thread funny interesting and informative.
For those who don’t know me I have yet to but my first motor home but have tugged a caravan for years.
Now I keep it at a club and use it as a static.
Never had problems with my Thetford toilet but never used it for number 2’s because the club toilet is not far, but we still manage to fill it over a weekend if we have had a couple of heavy sections on a Friday and Saturday and never had problems with the smell in the van when we open the blade or when I empty it.
I did once forget to put the chemicals in and when I empted it it nearly took my head of.

 

[pappajohn]

if the smell really is that bad i'd be looking at a SOG toilet vent system....

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[robnchris]

if the smell really is that bad i'd be looking at a SOG toilet vent system....

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Our has a SOG vent system fitted, we use the thetford chemical stuff inside the cassette and we have never experienced a smelly loo, having said that we don`t use it for No 2`s.

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

Our has a SOG vent system fitted, we use the thetford chemical stuff inside the cassette and we have never experienced a smelly loo, having said that we don`t use it for No 2`s.

What do you do for number 2's then ??
The old builders trick , in a bag , in the skip
Bear in the woods technique??
only kidding

I dont like to go in strange loos for a no2 I'm always bothered about someone going in after me:Blush: I'd have to be really really desperate.

Its there to use, ours gets plenty of use , with 3 kids as well.
But i can honestly say we have never had a smell problem. Use chemicals and empty more often seeemples.
When we bought our MH we asked if we could keep our toilet cassette , ( same Model to the caravan we were px ing !! )swapping it for the one in the MH. That way we've only had our poo n wee in it.
Is this thread getting a bit anal now:Blush:
Bev
PS robnchris your name comes up as bronchitis on my spell check

 

[dave jm]

Keep it well flushed

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[sedge]

Yup we certainly do use chemical, exactly according to the measure on the bottle.

The "gentleman" has a bog-standard cassette loo (with electric flush from the main fresh water tank) in a bog-standard nice new m/home.


Perhaps you don't use as much Oust as we need to in our bathroom at home then?

 

[Hussar]

WOW, get home from work and find lots of answers to my questions..... this really is a good site.
My next poser is this:
I want to watch t.v. in my van, and I would like to "hang" it on an internal wall. What are these walls usually made of? do they have studs? and are they strong enough to take the weight of a 15" lcd t.v.?
:Cool:

 

[tonybrightspark]

Hussar

Got one of these in my van... when it finally gets delivered!(the van not the telly)


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tonybrightspark

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[old-mo]

Most modern units are built of what they call a sandwich construction..

That is Fibre-Glass or older, alloy outer a type of close knit polystyrene type material and then an inner cover which a lot use a thin ply type board covered with a vinyl type material,,

The outer the middle and the inner are all for want of a better way of explaining,, all glued together. And normally extremely strong..

Where doors/windows/Cupboards are fitted/fixed wooden frames are used.. which are also glued to the sandwich construction,

You often hear of van sides delaminating,,, this is where the three components of the construction have not bonded and you start to get bubbling,, normally on the outer skin, and will get progresively bigger as the heat of the sun gets in and helps spread the delaminating..

Regarding your question on putting a bracket up for the tv,, I would be very wary on a blank wall as all you have for fixing is the thin ply and the middle thermal material, and as said this is usually a dense polystyrene type material.. for insulation..

Very little strength even for a lightweight tv... You would with caution and care be better of fitting the bracket for the tv on some existing furniture/cupboard,, where by you may be able to put a reinforcing plate on the back..

Hope this helps

 

[robnchris]

WOW, get home from work and find lots of answers to my questions..... this really is a good site.
My next poser is this:
I want to watch t.v. in my van, and I would like to "hang" it on an internal wall. What are these walls usually made of? do they have studs? and are they strong enough to take the weight of a 15" lcd t.v.?
:Cool:

Park as close as you can to the M/H next door and watch theirs. :thumb:

 

[Hussar]

Here we go again. Batteries.
I know that this can be a contentious, even emotive subject for some, but am I better off with multiple connected or a single very large capacity one?:Blush:

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[ArenqueRojo]

Here we go again. Batteries.
I know that this can be a contentious, even emotive subject for some, but am I better off with multiple connected or a single very large capacity one?:Blush:

Clive Mott will be along shortly to tell you to go for two 6v Traction batteries but it is a good idea to have either two of same date, make and model otherwise I reckon either 1 or 2 is fine if you go the 12v way. Just make sure the cable between is very heavy and fused, preferably both ends of the positive link.
I have posted a cable size spreadsheet in the download section if you want it.
Patrick
PS. We just open the blade for the critical moment and shut it again immediately
Use bio automatic powder or fabric conditioner - just a capful every now and again. No smells and less complaints from the wallet!
Patrick
PPs Sorry, can't upload here as it is an Excel file so go here Link Removed

 

[Reallyretired]

WOW, get home from work and find lots of answers to my questions..... this really is a good site.
My next poser is this:
I want to watch t.v. in my van, and I would like to "hang" it on an internal wall. What are these walls usually made of? do they have studs? and are they strong enough to take the weight of a 15" lcd t.v.?
:Cool:

I mounted one in my last van, using the side of the wardrobe with a piece of pine plank on the inside of the wardrobe to reinforce it. I think it would be quite dodgy to try to fix it to the van wall, using decent screws would probably go right throughoh: and short ones would just fall off. Many vans have a dedicated place for a TV but I assume yours hasn't or you wouldn't be asking.

 

[estcres]

Park as close as you can to the M/H next door and watch theirs. :thumb:

We parked at one site and we were doing just that, couldn'y be bothered to get ours out for 1 night. Discovered (By Accident) that my remote wouls switch their set, had some great fun that evening especially when I turned it off, they thought it had broken. I didn't like the programme they were watching