I have three questions relating to winter and our motorhome

[MerlinUK]

I have three questions relating to winter and our motorhome. We have a bailey Autograph 79-4 (2017).

1. Does the winter tank warmer warm the fresh water tank AND the grey water tabk?
2. As far as we can see we emptied both tabks 100% however, both are giving readinggs on the control panal as having substantial amounts of water in them. Is this usual/common?
3. Is is safe/sensible to have the winter tank warmer on when they the tanks are empty?

 

[CazPaul]

Will it not say in the manual?

Are both tanks underslung?
The tank warmer will definitely warm the fresh tank if it’s underslung.

 

[MerlinUK]

Will it not say in the manual?

Are both tanks underslung?
The tank warmer will definitely warm the fresh tank if it’s underslung.

The manual is not great as it covers several models. I've gone through the manual several times and I can't even find reference to the tank warmer even though I know where the switch is.

 

[CazPaul]

The manual is not great as it covers several models.

Can you see both tanks underneath the Motorhome?

How do you know you’ve emptied both of them?
Can you see into the tanks? Via a cap or something?

 

[MerlinUK]

I drained the hot water tank and saw it pour out onto our drive and I removed the bung from the fresh water tank and watched it drain. We always empty the grey waste tank before coming home.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[royandsharont]

I had separate heaters in both my underslung tanks on a Bessacarr and insulated pipe work.

I also had faulty gauges at times with the waste in particular saying it was full when in fact it was totally empty, I think the problem stems from calcium on the probes that were fitted in my tanks to measure the depth of water in the tank.

I think you should only have the tank heaters on when needed and with water in the tank.

My views only but hope this assists n

 

[MerlinUK]

I had separate heaters in both my underslung tanks on a Bessacarr and insulated pipe work.

I also had faulty gauges at times with the waste in particular saying it was full when in fact it was totally empty, I think the problem stems from calcium on the probes that were fitted in my tanks to measure the depth of water in the tank.

I think you should only have the tank heaters on when needed and with water in the tank.

My views only but hope this assists n

Thank you.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

I drained the hot water tank and saw it pour out onto our drive and I removed the bung from the fresh water tank and watched it drain. We always empty the grey waste tank before coming home.

If you have done that ,you don't need to put the tank heaters on. You will only be heating fresh air and potentially burn them out although they are only low wattage, ( they only work on 240v ehu btw)

 

[Sapper520]

I drained the hot water tank and saw it pour out onto our drive and I removed the bung from the fresh water tank and watched it drain. We always empty the grey waste tank before coming home.

Take it for a drive, preferably up and down some hills, with all taps etc open. Any bits of water trapped in the system will have a good chance of emptying out.

 

[Bailey58]

I have three questions relating to winter and our motorhome​

My three questions would be;
Why?
Why not?
Where?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Roger S]

In our Swift manual it reads that the tank heaters will only work if the tanks are at least 25 % full.

 

[PhilMary]

Take it for a drive, preferably up and down some hills, with all taps etc open. Any bits of water trapped in the system will have a good chance of emptying out.

 

[PhilMary]

As this but first close the drains and pour two bottles of cheap supermarket cola one in the fesh water and one down the sink. Drive about a bit to shake it all up. Drain both tanks as normal, check the gauges, half fill both tanks, check the gauges. Fill the tanks and check again.
Don’t forget to flush the fresh water tank.

 

[MR BLO]

Hello MerlinUK from a fellow Autograph II owner
1. No - only the fresh water tank is heated in the Autograph II
2. There is an interlock on the pump so that it does not run dry. To check water level just lift the floor hatch, unscrew the tank cap and have a peek. If there is any water left just pull the bung.
The fresh water level probes also quite often need to be recalibrate.
Just open (& leave open) the grey water valve fully and you are protected from frost damage
3. The tank heater is a frost stat set to (I vaguely recollect) minus 2 degrees C. It is always on when the master is on and water or not it should not fail. There is allegedly an isolation switch but I have not found it. Not had a problem with mine which has been fine for 5 years.

 

[Just smiffy]

Water tank gauges are terrible for accuracy and most on here will tell you they give up after a while.. both my waste and fresh tanks say 100% full when I know there not….

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Arnside037]

If you have done that ,you don't need to put the tank heaters on. You will only be heating fresh air and potentially burn them out although they are only low wattage, ( they only work on 240v ehu btw)

Not sure about that. There is a small round rocker switch that I believe is the tank heater switch, and its located at the bottom of the wardrobe behind the passenger seat, and is easily knocked 'ON'. When this happens, the battery drains fast, even when travelling. Unless this switch does something else? Only really noticed this during the last few darker months, as the solar generally does enough to keep the hab battery at 100% the rest of the year. And no, there does not seem to be any reference to it in the Bailey manual.

 

[Gina M]

if you read the first post, they are looking for more followers on YouTube.

 

[MerlinUK]

if you read the first post, they are looking for more followers on YouTube.

What? We have a problem with our water tanks showing there is water in the tanks when they are empty? What has that got to do with our previous message?

 

[funflair]

Deleted

 

[nicholsong]

If you have done that ,you don't need to put the tank heaters on. You will only be heating fresh air and potentially burn them out although they are only low wattage, ( they only work on 240v ehu btw)

If that is true what use is the MH to somebody who wants to go off-grid in winter?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

I always assumed the waste and fresh water heaters were low wattage 240v, have them on my van but never actually had the need to switch them on.I will recheck my manual.

 

[bigtwin]

If that is true what use is the MH to somebody who wants to go off-grid in winter?

I thought that too when I read the post earlier! I thought, surely not.

Ian

 

[cyberyacht]

Surely the 3 answers to motorhomes and winter is "location, location,location - go south".

 

[Gina M]

What? We have a problem with our water tanks showing there is water in the tanks when they are empty? What has that got to do with our previous message?

Sorry you are right. I was referring to your follow us on YouTube bit of the post

 

[Nirvanauk]

Sorry you are right. I was referring to your follow us on YouTube bit of the post

That’s what I looked at too.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}