Just bought MH - couple of gas and water queries

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Sibsbibs

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Hi there,

Thank you all who helped us narrow our choices for a MH - just a quick couple of queries:

1. Shutting off gas when travelling. If we shut off the gas at the gas bottles, do we also have to close each of the appliance valves in the MH too, or unnecessary if all closed off at source?

2. I've read various bits of advice about purifying/refreshing water tank. A video and the manual suggested a-flush through with white wine vinegar solution. The suggestion is that this helps keep nasties at bay (though I'll carry on using a filter jug straight from campsite tap for drinking - as we did with our old caravan). Another advantage mentioned was a descaling effect on water heater. Any views? And why white wine vinegar rather than white vinegar? A different ph I assume? We've got really hard water where we live, so a gentle periodic descaling sounds like a good idea, if it works and doesn't damage anything?

Thanks a lot
 
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We travel with our gas on to run the fridge but our MH has a safety cut out should the gas get disconnected.

For your water I would recommend puriclean, I posted previously about it. I’ll see if I can find it.
 
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If you want to shut off the gas just at the bottle is fine,

My very basic understanding of tap water is that it is all treated anyway so as long as the tank is in a dark place the water will be fine and you are drinking from a filter jug anyway.

I will add that if you don't look after your filter jug they can we worse than any water tank in a nice dark place, the mother in law used a filter jug at home and left it out on the sink top in the daylight, it was green:LOL: but she couldn't see it with her bad eyesight, in the bin(y)

Martin
 
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Found my previous post about puriclean....

Add it to your fresh water (full), pull through taps and shower, go for a drive to agitate and leave for a few hours.

Then run your taps to fill waste water tank, drive to agitate again and then leave another few hours.

Empty all tanks, refill with fresh and rinse through.

Empty tanks again. Done.


You don’t have to agitate but I thought it would help so could just be done when parked with hose/bucket
 
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Rightly or wrongly we always drink water from old four pint milk bottles, and only use boiled water from the onboard tank for tea etc.
Gas can be switched off by the main valve inside under the sink. Hardly ever bothered though.
Phil

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We have the habit of always switching of our gas at the main tank. Just seems safer.
Never bothered about the individual gas taps. On ours they are closer to the main tank than the appliance. You still have gas on the appliance side of the tap.

We flush the water system with puriclean at the begining of our first trip after winter lay up. Seems to work.
However we have 2 x 5l water bottles for drinking water for tea and coffee. Simply because we could not be sure about quality of drinking water in the small CLsites.
Now it’s a habit.
 
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Use miltons sterilzing fluid/tabletz
 
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1. Switching the gas off at the bottles will prevent it getting anywhere else, so there's no need to close anything else. In time you'll either forget or not bother.
2. Descaling with white wine vinegar? I've no idea, but think white wine would leave a better taste. Forget the vinegar.

Fret less. Enjoy more.
 
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I like to live dangerously and leave my gas on as I won’t remember to switch it back on and end up with a defrosted fridge, I don’t clean out my water system at home so I don’t do it in the Motorhome. :eek:
 
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White wine vinegar woks better that ordinary white vinigar. We always use it and use it for descaling around the house. Nice and cheap always stock up in France 30p Lt.
 
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Lenny HB said:
Milton dissolves stainless steel, hot water cylinder is stainless steel.
Click to expand...
Surely not in tbe quantity that you would put in as it would be flushed through straight after NOT left in the system, but if in any doubt DONT USE MILTON !!
 
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Lovely - thanks a lot everyone. We took it out for a spin at the weekend and noticed the habitation area was chilly - there was mention when we bought it of the possibility of using the heater while travelling. It has a Truma combi C boiler of some sort and I think the chap said something about it having a safety cut-out mechanism so that you can use it while driving. But I have to say I'm terribly nervous about using gas on the move. Is it really safe (assuming we've got all the right safety kit - I'll double-check when we get it serviced). But I also hate being cold!

Any thoughts, warning or reassurance to be had? Thanks again
 
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For me,gas off and wear a coat! But we also have a limited amount of vehicle heating in the hab area.

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The only time we turn the gas off is to go on the tunnel. I might leave it off to travel if we are straight onto a 300 mile trip when getting off but otherwise it is on all the time (we dont do electric but if we did we would use it)
The thing about the fridge being run off 12 volt is that the fridge will only stay at the same temperature as there is not enough oomph to lower it. So if you decide to use 12 volt then make sure fridge is cold before leaving.
 
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20190325_130509.jpg
M-J said:
I was told Milton can knacker the seals and also damage your heating system.
Click to expand...

From my swift motorhomes owners service and warranty handbook ..

They RECOMMEND milton 2 sterilising fluid. I knew i had read it somewhere ...
 
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Sibsbibs said:
Lovely - thanks a lot everyone. We took it out for a spin at the weekend and noticed the habitation area was chilly - there was mention when we bought it of the possibility of using the heater while travelling. It has a Truma combi C boiler of some sort and I think the chap said something about it having a safety cut-out mechanism so that you can use it while driving. But I have to say I'm terribly nervous about using gas on the move. Is it really safe (assuming we've got all the right safety kit - I'll double-check when we get it serviced). But I also hate being cold!

Any thoughts, warning or reassurance to be had? Thanks again
Click to expand...

Are you driving on a Fiat base? Mine is awful for heating, too (Mercs were fine).
I cannot be certain, in your case, but I keep my heating going on the move and doubt I'm the only one to do so.
 
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Why heat the habitation area whilst moving? I assume you will be in the front seats, so only that area needs to be warm. My fiat gets plenty hot in the front, but I do also have a heater that uses the engine heat to warm the rear of mine, but I’ve never used it as I can’t drive from my bed, or table.
 
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@Mr B how old is your handbook?
My truma and alde state specifically not to use milton.

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Landy Andy said:
Why heat the habitation area whilst moving? I assume you will be in the front seats, so only that area needs to be warm. My fiat gets plenty hot in the front, but I do also have a heater that uses the engine heat to warm the rear of mine, but I’ve never used it as I can’t drive from my bed, or table.
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It's curious. The aircon is great but the heater does nothing in my Fiat. It could be user error, or the fact that it's an A-class. I agree that heating the rear is the wrong way to go about it but that's the only way I've found.
 
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If it’s cold, we use the heating while travelling. We aren’t into roughing it while we are on holiday.
We don’t just heat the room we are in at the time at home so see no reason to behave any differently while in the van.
We have the heating on all night if it’s cold too. I can never understand people who turn the gas off when they go to bed and scuttle outside in the early hours to turn the gas on to make a cuppa.
Some holiday!
 
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Allanm said:
If it’s cold, we use the heating while travelling. We aren’t into roughing it while we are on holiday.
We don’t just heat the room we are in at the time at home so see no reason to behave any differently while in the van.
We have the heating on all night if it’s cold too. I can never understand people who turn the gas off when they go to bed and scuttle outside in the early hours to turn the gas on to make a cuppa.
Some holiday!
Click to expand...
Do you have a crash sensor in place?

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Landy Andy said:
Why heat the habitation area whilst moving? I assume you will be in the front seats, so only that area needs to be warm. My fiat gets plenty hot in the front, but I do also have a heater that uses the engine heat to warm the rear of mine, but I’ve never used it as I can’t drive from my bed, or table.
Click to expand...

We heat it because our kids come with us and someone has to sit in the back... Back to Milton, yes, I'd read or seen something that said it can cause dramage too, henceforth the vinegar advice. Ours is the Fiat and it seemed to get warm enough in the front if ratcheted up high enough, but chilly in the back when I let my daughter have a go in the front...
 
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MisterB said:
View attachment 292204

From my swift motorhomes owners service and warranty handbook ..

They RECOMMEND milton 2 sterilising fluid. I knew i had read it somewhere ...
Click to expand...
Does anyone know why the book states “open all hot water taps, except the shower”, in order to draw water through the boiler?
 
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maison said:
Does anyone know why the book states “open all hot water taps, except the shower”, in order to draw water through the boiler?
Click to expand...

I’d suggest that they’re being thoughtful and trying to prevent too much water splashing about unnecessarily. I’m not sure that you need to open any more than one hot tap to re-fill the boiler but opening more might speed the process up (it’s not quick).
 
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two said:
I’d suggest that they’re being thoughtful and trying to prevent too much water splashing about unnecessarily. I’m not sure that you need to open any more than one hot tap to re-fill the boiler but opening more might speed the process up (it’s not quick).
Click to expand...
I asked the question as I always open the shower tap too.

Our shower is a “pull out” hose on the basin tap so, by leaving it in the basin position, there is no splashing.

I thought there may be some technical reason for not opening the shower tap.
 
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