Floe drain down system

[Simon Meadwell]

Hi, has anyone fitted the above to drain water from system looks good, any thoughts?not sure how you plumb it in?

 

[Two on Tour]

Why ?

 

[Simon Meadwell]

Just wanted to know if anyone bought and used one and if they are any good

 

[Cheshirecat57]

I have one
Used in on my caravan, with no water tank, and used it on my static where we fitted valves outside on hot and cold system, not sure why or how you would use one on a MH with a tank, but Im prepared to be educated

 

[TerryL]

Not sure you have to plumb it in, I believe it's simply a way to force air into the water system to blow excess out to prevent damage from freezing if there's any left in after normal drain down.

A good idea but never seen one in action, don't think they became very popular.

If you take care it's not difficult to drain fully - some vans, like mine, have some other little tricks. After 8 years of ownership I found two extra drain taps at the lowest level of the water system, under one of the benches!

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[Simon Meadwell]

They do a special Motorhome one which attaches to pipe work via a tee piece. Not sure where then it pumps out the excess water thats left in the pipes after draining down the notmal way. Our kitchen tap split a couple of years ago even when drained down.

 

[Two on Tour]

Our kitchen tap split a couple of years ago even when drained down.

You have to leave you taps open so any water left in them can expand with somewhere to go if they freeze.

 

[Lenny HB]

They do a special Motorhome one which attaches to pipe work via a tee piece. Not sure where then it pumps out the excess water thats left in the pipes after draining down the notmal way. Our kitchen tap split a couple of years ago even when drained down.

If the system has been drained down and the taps left open taps will not freeze.
A common mistake people make is leaving a mixer tap open in either the hot or cold position. If cold is left open the hot will still have water in it that can freeze. Mixer taps must be left open in the central position so both hot & cold are open.

 

[AXO66]

Water expands when it turns to ice.
So I always reckon if it’s in an empty open ended pipe it just expands into the air in the pipe and the air is then pushed out of the pipe.

If all taps / shower head left in the correct open position and the boiler drain left open, are there any bits of the system that does not have an “open end” to it. That is, where pressure can build up?

Always wondered when I drain down, and so far so good.

 

[Wagoneer]

I've had a floe system for quite a few years. You just plumb it in upstream of the pump.

Apart from draining down you can also pressure check the pipework system for leaks. It's surprising how much water is expelled when you drain down.

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[autorouter]

It's not enough to just tee it into the water pipe. Usually it's tee'd into the pipe just as it comes out of the tank.

If there's a submersible pump with a one-way valve then the pipe from the pump to the tee is not drained. The one-way valve means that the air can not escape back through the pump, so opening the taps one by one blows all the water out.

If it's an inline pump, you need a shutoff valve between the tank and the tee, to stop the air escaping back into the tank. Then open the taps as above.

 

[footscray188c]

Make one from parts on ebay around £15.

 

[The Wino]

As it would be very strange to have a tap at the lowest point in the water system opening the drain then leaving all the taps in the mid position (and shower) should result in air being sucked in the taps anyway. I've been caught out with leaking taps but not sure if it was frost damage or cheap taps!.
There are so many people on here if it was a big problem they would all be buying the floe things.

 

[Wagoneer]

As autorouter says. This sketch of the system may help. It shows the arrangement for both submersible and diaphragm pumps. The diaphragm pump is shown as "2nd water pump". As mentioned, the closing valve is probably not needed for the submersible pump, assuming the non-return valve is located adjacent to the pump (or is integral with it).

 

[autorouter]

Make one from parts on ebay around £15.

I have a tee with a tap and Schrader valve, so I can connect a small tyre compressor. The digital type set to a cutoff of about 20psi. Seems a bit OTT to fit something permanently that's only used once a year, if that. It's important to ensure the pressure doesn't go too high, or it can damage the water heater.

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[Wagoneer]

Despite what others may say, I'm pleased I fitted the floe system.

On one particular occasion, whilst touring, the toilet bowl started slowly filling with water. I suspected some debris had got into the electrically controlled flush valve, causing it to leak. A quick blast with compressed air, using the Floe, dislodged the debris....bingo !!! It probably saved me the cost of a new valve or at least hours of dismantling, testing and refitting.

 

[Wagoneer]

They do a special Motorhome one which attaches to pipe work via a tee piece. Not sure where then it pumps out the excess water thats left in the pipes after draining down the notmal way. Our kitchen tap split a couple of years ago even when drained down.

You initially drain-down the normal way by opening the boiler dump valve and taps. On my Hymer they had two stop valves at floor level for draining both hot/cold taps from kitchen/bathroom. This gets rid of the bulk of the water in the system.

You then close dump valve (and any other stop valves) and close the taps. Pressurise the system using the Floe. Open one cold tap and water will (normally) be expelled. Repeat procedure on that tap until no more water is expelled. Repeat on other taps including shower and toilet flush (assuming it takes water from the fresh water tank). After completion leave all taps open including dump valve. For mixer taps leave open mid-way as mentioned by Lenny.

Hope this helps the OP, and if so, I can also explain where the "like" button is located

 

[Pausim]

I fitted one to my last motorhome. A bit of plumbing to do but not too difficult. After the normal drain down it usually purged another litre of water from the system.

 

[Simon Meadwell]

Thanks for replies even the sarky one