everything has frozen inside waterpipes while I've been away, what is the best course of action?
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No such thing as a dumb question!! Open the drain cock on the cold water tank under the van (normally a pipe with a tap on it running out of the bottom of the water tank), then open the dump valve for the hot water, (normally a yellow lift up tap affair very close to the hot water tank) and then open ALL the taps AND the shower to a setting that would normally give you a mix of hot and cold water from the tap/shower and let it all drain away. Leave them open so that residual water in the pipes can expand and not split any joints or taps. This is basic drain down procedure and I do it every time I know I’m going to leave the van parked up for more than around 10 days, even in the summer.Dumb question at this point, but how do you drain down water from the pipes to sinks, shower etc on pressure-fed lines?
I'm not aware of any drain taps on the pipework in our Adria but with this current very cold snap would like to protect against damage when the thaw comes.
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Thanks Russ,I usually drain everything but I went away when the weather was fine here,and should of known better,came back to sub zero and even the outside taps on my house had been neglected,I’m hoping I haven’t burst anything,thanks for the info it’s much appreciatedMake sure that the water pump is switched OFF. Open all the taps and hunt through the van looking for leaky pipes. Fix/replace damages. Moho‘s normally have speedfit style pipe joints, these will be pushed off the ends of pipes if the pipes have frozen but it may not be very obvious so gently tug each joint for soundness and push them back together if they’ve parted company. It may be a good idea to cut off the section of pipe that has come out of the joint as it maybe scratched and make a poor seal when pushed back together. USE A VERY SHARP KNIFE AND CUT STRAIGHT THROUGH THE PIPE TO LEAVE A SQUARED OFF END. Unfortunately you’ll probably find that quite a lot of pipe joints are inaccessible behind cabinets, beds, seats etc. Check all the ones you can find then I think you need to bite the bullet, shut all the taps and fire up the pump. In my Moho the pump runs for about 15-20 seconds to pressurise the pipework. I guess Your’s should take about the same time. If it takes even 5 seconds longer than usual shut it off and start hunting for leaks. I hope you haven‘t knackered your hot water heater, a new matrix is quite pricey and I think this would require an insurance claim. If you’re not capable of the above then get a plumber to have a look.
Just a thought, you could drain everything down via the drain cocks in the cold water tank and hot water system, ensure you open ALL the taps, then you could hire a pressure tester from somewhere like HSS (product code 68820, you’ll need some pipe joint adapters too) and connect it to the outlet pipe from the pump to the water systems in the van, shut all the drain cocks and taps and pressurise to around 10 psi (others will know the correct pump pressure that the pipes should withstand). It should hold this pressure indefinitely or not hold anything at all if there is a leak.
Hope you don’t have one!!!
Keep us posted!!! Your hard won experience may help others in a similar situation!!
Cheers!
Russ
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Which adria do you have? On mine as well as the auto dump Truma valve there is a drain tap next to the pump there's also a filter next to the pump which should be removed and emptied or it can crack there's also a drain on the fresh tankDumb question at this point, but how do you drain down water from the pipes to sinks, shower etc on pressure-fed lines?
I'm not aware of any drain taps on the pipework in our Adria but with this current very cold snap would like to protect against damage when the thaw comes.
Open drain at lowest point, open all taps and shower, only way to be sure of draining fully is to blow through with compressed air, but leaving everything open should be enough as it gives ice the opportunity to expand and not break pipes.Dumb question at this point, but how do you drain down water from the pipes to sinks, shower etc on pressure-fed lines?
I'm not aware of any drain taps on the pipework in our Adria but with this current very cold snap would like to protect against damage when the thaw comes.