Clean water filling difficulty (1 Viewer)

[DavidG58]

I really can't believe I am writing this, please do not laugh too loudly

Every time I fill with fresh water I get more water not going in that in, I can only presume this is due to an air lock (maybe?)

We have an odd design where the water tank is on the offside of the MH but the filler cap is on the opposite side, needing approx. 1.5m hose to join the gap internally

That hose split last year, or was probably split when we got it, just took me a while to work out why the garage was wet after every journey!! (we travel full to save hassle on arrival) Has now been replaced and since then problem is much worse, trouble is the hose goes behind panelling in with the Alde system so can't be seen without dismantling the boxing.

I wonder

1. Whether the problem is now worse because it is now sealed, the split would have allowed air in maybe (this split was definitely not a designed split by the way, it opened up on one of the spirals) this works with my air lock theory

2. The new hose is maybe too long and has a dip in it, I know I need to look inside to see this, but it really is quite difficult to get at

I have though found a fix, which may answer the reason why it does it, I take the fitting off the end of our hose pipe then feed it down the filler till I presume it drops into the tank, then it does not blow back

Trouble is this is not always an option, with site hoses, or worse when I use my watering can for a quick top up, get more on me than goes in and I feel a right fool, it must look like I am trying to fill a full tank to any observers

Any ideas oh wise ones

 

[sdc77]

I'm sure there will be other Hymer owners with good answers.. But traveling full of water? Must add an awful lot of weight and therefore fuel consumption. We have about 1/4 tank when we travel..
I'm sure I've read somewhere about some hymers having service hatches to get to the tank.. If so maybe that's what you need to find.

 

[treetops1]

Hi ,Ours is a bit slow to fill up .I just get the pipe well in as far as i can and i also open a couple of taps ,not sure it does any good but does seem to fill the most part without spilling lol.good luck .H

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[DavidG58]

I'm sure there will be other Hymer owners with good answers.. But traveling full of water? Must add an awful lot of weight and therefore fuel consumption. We have about 1/4 tank when we travel..
I'm sure I've read somewhere about some hymers having service hatches to get to the tank.. If so maybe that's what you need to find.

Thanks

When I say full I really mean with enough to use for one or 2 nights so 50 - 75% maybe, I accept there might be a fuel issue, we have no weight problem (apart from myself carrying a few pounds too many) Given the real cost of ownership I have decided convenience wind=ns over a few £'s saved on the journey, you will be pleased to know we drive home empty (ish)

There is a panel, but many screws and the garage needs to be empty, but even when open I am not really good enough to do anything but gawp at it

It is in for a habitation service this month I will get them to look then

 

[Techno]

What diameter hose is it? Mine is huge

 

[jonandshell]

Motorhome=3500kg
Full water tank=100kg

Or one 35th of your total weight!
At worst this might cost 1 mpg.

We go for convenience over being skinflints!

In answer to the original post though, most water tanks have a breather pipe to allow air to be expelled during filling.
Is yours clear and in place?

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[Techno]

I don't think Hymers have a breather/vent
You need one of these
Broken Link Removed

 

[Cyclewalkbob]

I usually travel with 25% in the water tank then top up to half with a watering can. If I know we are staying longer then I top up with a hose.

However whichever I use hose or can I got water blowback when trying to fill the tank up.

In the end I used an old 1 litre plastic water bottle then cut a 3-4 inch rectangle out of it and then pour the water into the bottle.

It acts as a resevoir and fills without any blow back.

Really it is that simple. You can use a hose all you need to do is ensure the flow rate is roughly the same as the water drain rate of the bottle and you get no spills.

The plastic bottle is stored in the watering nice and tidily.:thumb:

 

[DavidG58]

What diameter hose is it? Mine is huge

At least 1.5" but not measured it exactly, about the same size as the filler opening

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[DavidG58]

Motorhome=3500kg
Full water tank=100kg

Or one 35th of your total weight!
At worst this might cost 1 mpg.

We go for convenience over being skinflints!

In answer to the original post though, most water tanks have a breather pipe to allow air to be expelled during filling.
Is yours clear and in place?

We have an even better ratio being a 5 ton MH, but same point

As to what may well be the answer to my problem I really have no idea where a breather would be or if fitted or blocked, back to access issues again there, no easy way to get o the tank to look

Another one for Bills fix it weekend maybe

I never did find my black tank vent which everybody agrees must be there somewhere, maybe mine got away without any breathers being fitted oh:

 

[JeanLuc]

This sounds like a really odd pipe configuration on the later S-class model. My earlier Star Line (cheaper than yours) has a wide filler pipe that goes straight down at an angle into the tank; it is very easy to fill. So, I think that either your diagnosis of the pipe routing causing the problem is correct, or there is a blocked breather somewhere. I suggest an email or call to Peter Hambilton to see if he can offer any advice. I know he sold an S-class quite recently of the same vintage as yours and probably gave it a thorough check first. And he is a Hymer expert.
Link Removed

Alternatively, Edgehill Motorhomes might give some advice. Paul and Lee sell a lot of Hymers, although not so many S-class.
http://www.edgehillmotorhomes.co.uk/

p.s. I too routinely travel with a full tank of water. If you have the payload why not use it. I think the weight / fuel consumption issue is marginal - the overall weight and brick-like aerodynamics are much more relevant than the extra 120 kg of water.

 

[DavidG58]

I don't think Hymers have a breather/vent
You need one of these
Broken Link Removed

Thanks for the idea and the link I had seen these and thought what a good idea, it will definitely solve the filling with hose, no good for the watering can top ups. But will be a big improvement

Going to order one this evening :thumb:

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[Minxy]

I really can't believe I am writing this, please do not laugh too loudly

Every time I fill with fresh water I get more water not going in that in, I can only presume this is due to an air lock (maybe?)

We have an odd design where the water tank is on the offside of the MH but the filler cap is on the opposite side, needing approx. 1.5m hose to join the gap internally

That hose split last year, or was probably split when we got it, just took me a while to work out why the garage was wet after every journey!! (we travel full to save hassle on arrival) Has now been replaced and since then problem is much worse, trouble is the hose goes behind panelling in with the Alde system so can't be seen without dismantling the boxing.

I wonder

1. Whether the problem is now worse because it is now sealed, the split would have allowed air in maybe (this split was definitely not a designed split by the way, it opened up on one of the spirals) this works with my air lock theory

2. The new hose is maybe too long and has a dip in it, I know I need to look inside to see this, but it really is quite difficult to get at

I have though found a fix, which may answer the reason why it does it, I take the fitting off the end of our hose pipe then feed it down the filler till I presume it drops into the tank, then it does not blow back

Trouble is this is not always an option, with site hoses, or worse when I use my watering can for a quick top up, get more on me than goes in and I feel a right fool, it must look like I am trying to fill a full tank to any observers

Any ideas oh wise ones

It sounds like you don't have an air vent in the system so when you are putting the water in with a hose only partially in the water coming out of it 'seals' the whole inlet and stops any air coming back in small amounts so it builds up until there is enough pressure for it to 'spit' at you, similar thing that happens if you try to pour out from a bottle too quickly and you get a 'glug'.

To get round this problem why not use a separate piece of pipe which you can push well into the water inlet and attach the other end to your hose or watering can, something like a shortened version of the below where you could push the rubber end onto the hose or watering can.

 

[Techno]

Thanks for the idea and the link I had seen these and thought what a good idea, it will definitely solve the filling with hose, no good for the watering can top ups. But will be a big improvement

Going to order one this evening :thumb:

FIRST get confirmation whether you have a vented tank! if you have an overflow you want the white filler NOT the blue one

 

[DavidG58]

I usually travel with 25% in the water tank then top up to half with a watering can. If I know we are staying longer then I top up with a hose.

However whichever I use hose or can I got water blowback when trying to fill the tank up.

In the end I used an old 1 litre plastic water bottle then cut a 3-4 inch rectangle out of it and then pour the water into the bottle.

It acts as a resevoir and fills without any blow back.

Really it is that simple. You can use a hose all you need to do is ensure the flow rate is roughly the same as the water drain rate of the bottle and you get no spills.

The plastic bottle is stored in the watering nice and tidily.:thumb:

I really like the sound of this, you can't beat simple

I just can't quite visualise it in use

Does the bottle neck stay in the filler without holding while filling? If so this just sounds too easy, many thanks :thumb::thumb: even if it needs holding it is not bad, although holding it and pouring from a watering can may take some management, (rub tummy and pat head comes to mind)

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[JeanLuc]

Let's just things in perspective here. When new, this motorhome cost well over £100,000. I cannot believe that Hymer designed it so that the water tank could not be filled without resorting to various add-on gadgets or Heath Robinson rig. There must be a simple solution surely?

 

[DavidG58]

This sounds like a really odd pipe configuration on the later S-class model. My earlier Star Line (cheaper than yours) has a wide filler pipe that goes straight down at an angle into the tank; it is very easy to fill. So, I think that either your diagnosis of the pipe routing causing the problem is correct, or there is a blocked breather somewhere. I suggest an email or call to Peter Hambilton to see if he can offer any advice. I know he sold an S-class quite recently of the same vintage as yours and probably gave it a thorough check first. And he is a Hymer expert.
Link Removed

Alternatively, Edgehill Motorhomes might give some advice. Paul and Lee sell a lot of Hymers, although not so many S-class.
http://www.edgehillmotorhomes.co.uk/

p.s. I too routinely travel with a full tank of water. If you have the payload why not use it. I think the weight / fuel consumption issue is marginal - the overall weight and brick-like aerodynamics are much more relevant than the extra 120 kg of water.

Many thanks again Philip

The price paid means nothing in so many things, this Hymer included, great spec simply gives far more things to go wrong. So much is squeezed in that access to any of it is another issue

Edgehill changed the pipe for me last year, so I am pretty confident it will be right, I do think they might have fitted a length fractionally too long, although they said the length was set in their Hymer manuals. That might leave a dip in the pipe.

I have heard other good comments about Peter Hambilton and was considering booking it in there for the hab check, my local man is good but I think a bit scared of my spec

David

 

[DavidG58]

It sounds like you don't have an air vent in the system so when you are putting the water in with a hose only partially in the water coming out of it 'seals' the whole inlet and stops any air coming back in small amounts so it builds up until there is enough pressure for it to 'spit' at you, similar thing that happens if you try to pour out from a bottle too quickly and you get a 'glug'.

To get round this problem why not use a separate piece of pipe which you can push well into the water inlet and attach the other end to your hose or watering can, something like a shortened version of the below where you could push the rubber end onto the hose or watering can.

Brilliant idea, thanks, I think I have even still got one of those from my caravanning days, if not will be getting one tomorrow, will make watering can option work I am confident :thumb::thumb:

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[Minxy]

Just had another though ..... yes they do happen occasionally! :Blush:

As it would appear you do NOT have a breather pipe you need to CREATE one ... soooooo:

• get some narrow clear pipe, the sort of thing that is used for fish tank air hoses
• slot it down inside the water filler point so that it stops at the top of the tank itself (if you fill your tank and then put the air pipe in, by blowing down it you will be able to tell when it is in the water as you'll hear bubbles, then just pull it back up a bit)
• fix it to the inside of the water fill point ensuring that you can still put the locking cap on and not squashing the air pipe either.

Now when you fill it with a hose (careful not to push it over the air pipe but along side it!) the air pipe will allow air to escape and the water to go in ... in theory it should work, we used to use this sort of tip when trying to get Heinz tomato sauce out of the bottle without it gluging by pushing a straw in at the side. :thumb: