Draining water system down for winter (1 Viewer)

[ramsthom]

Don't know if this has been mentioned before and I know its a tad early but I picked up this tip to help clear the hot and cold water pipes when preparing for the colder weather. Drain down as usual and using an inflated balloon attach it to each tap and let the balloon deflate hopefully blowing any residual water out of the tap and lines. Tried it last year and it worked ok.

 

[namwaldog]

I wonder if you filled the balloons with Helium, it would make the pipes squeaky clean ?

 

[peterc10]

I wonder if you filled the balloons with Helium, it would make the pipes squeaky clean ?

Don't be silly, but it would reduce the weight

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[Wildbill]

I just blow Down the shower hose to clear most of the water don't know if I get it all out but never had a problem
Bill

 

[hymerman]

Also leave all the taps open , then if any residual water does freeze it can expand along the pipe instead of splitting it, worked for me for a number of years.

 

[hymerman]

Forgot to say but leave taps open in mid position to cover both hot and cold feeds.

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[Yorick]

Open all the taps and go for a short drive

 

[daveandsan]

I just attach the compressor to the shower hose, just make sure the other taps are open.

 

[Delboyarapaho]

I wonder if you filled the balloons with Helium, it would make the pipes squeaky clean ?

I think you might just have them laughing like a drain

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[Reallyretired]

I also just blow down the shower hose. Taps open and the shower head on the floor of the shower so any water can drain out. Grey tank empty and the drain tap left open.
I did have a problem last year though as heading to Spain in February the drain tap froze open so I was an involuntary grey waste dribbler for a day till it thawed.
Leaving it open helps to prevent smells as the anaerobic bugs responsible for bad tank smells don't like fresh air.

 

[Pausim]

I fitted a Floe device and was very surprised how much more water it purged from the system after the normal drain down. The inflated balloon probably achieves much the same and would be cheaper.

 

[bigalw35]

I fitted a Floe device and was very surprised how much more water it purged from the system after the normal drain down. The inflated balloon probably achieves much the same and would be cheaper.

So what is a floe device ?

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[Pausim]

Floe make devices to help drain down. My version allows you to connect a tyre pump to the system but there is a version that includes a compressor. I found it on the internet.

 

[tonyidle]

I keep the van at 5 degrees or so all Winter.

 

[two]

I wonder how many people do nothing, other than drain down, and get away with it?

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[bigalw35]

I keep the van at 5 degrees or so all Winter.

at what cost ?, November till March ??

 

[tonyidle]

at what cost ?, November till March ??

No idea but l use a 600w greenhouse heater on frost setting. I've been doing it since our caravanning days. My off-season is mid-November to the first week in March minus a week just after New Year. There aren't too many nights during a 'normal' Winter where the temperature is below 5 deg C.

 

[Rockcrawler]

Don't know if this has been mentioned before and I know its a tad early but I picked up this tip to help clear the hot and cold water pipes when preparing for the colder weather. Drain down as usual and using an inflated balloon attach it to each tap and let the balloon deflate hopefully blowing any residual water out of the tap and lines. Tried it last year and it worked ok.

Sounds like a great idea except mine has a one way valve fitted so not quite sure how I will get all the water out of the pipes

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[Yorick]

I keep the van at 5 degrees or so all Winter.

My van is 21c all winter

 

[Pausim]

Drained down yesterday, for the first time since moving to a new storage site. My new parking position leaves the moho slightly tail down and this made a big difference to how much water was left in the water heater after the normal drain down.

Having let the water fully run out of the drains I followed my normal procedure and attached my tyre compressor to the Floe connector. The first indication that something was different was the sound of bubbles blowing through the water heater but no more water coming from the drain. Having closed the hot water drain I then worked through the system tap by tap. Having removed the extra litre or so that normally lies hidden in the pipes I found that there was hot water flowing out of the shower tap in the cold position. Subsequently I drained about 2 litres of hot water via the cold. My theory is that the cold inlet to the hot water heater lies at the back of the unit but the normal drain does not and that the air pressure in the sytem pushed the water back out through the cold feed.

I am satisfied that I have now drained the system properly but was very surprised by how much difference being just a little bit off level made. Not something I previously paid much attention to.

 

[tonyidle]

My van is 21c all winter

Indeed .

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[two]

Don't forget to remove any bottles over winter if freezing conditions are likely. We left some TCP in a bathroom, once, and the glass bottle cracked. Took ages before the smell disappeared.

 

[jdk62]

No idea but l use a 600w greenhouse heater on frost setting. I've been doing it since our caravanning days. My off-season is mid-November to the first week in March minus a week just after New Year. There aren't too many nights during a 'normal' Winter where the temperature is below 5 deg C.

I use an oil 800w oil filled with a time clock. Works a treat through winter. IF exceptionally cold (ie below freezing, I remotely turn on the heating for an hour of so...

 

[pandas]

When in storage, outside storage, does anybody keep the gas bottles on and remotely turn the heating on in really cold weather - iNet system? Is is bad practice to leave the gas bottles turned on when you are not with the vehicle for a while? Would it potentially invalidate any insurance were there an issue? Does that mean you also need to keep the main control panel on? Other than those three concerns it would seem like an idea solution. Oh one more, my previous site had an issue with mice, they might find a warm motorhome more attractive than a cold one!

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[paulpickard]

Once system has been drained is there a correct procedure for refilling

 

[bigalw35]

Our Moho is a Mercedes Hymer B680, so I shut the kitchen, bathroom and shower taps off, shut the valves by the truma heater including the auto shutoff valve, open the tap in the bathroom, put a rag over the tap outlet and open the tap, hot first, wait for all the air to stop, then do the same to the cold tap, then the same procedure for the shower, then the kitchen tap, when l’m sure all the air has been vented, I then refill the water tank and drain the grey waste water tank, hope that helps

 

[Lenny HB]

Just drain our down and leave the taps open never had a problem.
Us softy southerners don't do cold.

Do make sure you leave mixer taps in the central position, if you don't you will find out how expensive Motorhome taps are.

Never heat the van when not in use, don't see the point of encouraging condensation.

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[Lenny HB]

Is is bad practice to leave the gas bottles turned on when you are not with the vehicle for a while? Would it potentially invalidate any insurance were there an issue?

Ours is kept on the drive, we have the Secumotion and anti rupture valves, the gas only gets turned off on ferries.
If I didn't have those safety devices it would always be turned off apart from when in use.

 

[two]

Once system has been drained is there a correct procedure for refilling

It's more or less the reverse process for emptying but, if you're a 'blower', I'd leave out the sucking!
And start by closing the drain point(s), or it could be a very long job.

 

[dalspa]

I always remove the pump from the bottom of the fresh water tank so that I can then blow back down the pipe from the shower with the hand basin and sink taps in the closed position. Surprising how much water runs back into the tank. If I left the pump in place, the non-return valve stops the water from draining. I then leave the taps in the open position and with the pump having been removed, the pump is not activated.
I made up a fitting on a short length of hose that fits tight into the waste traps so that I can blow the water out of the shallow traps, so as to prevent them splitting if frozen. I tip any water out of the pump and leave to dry out ready for re-fitting in the Spring.
Been doing it this way for many years and not had any problems.

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