Water issue?

[gordoncbrown]

Still getting used to the new to us Autoquest 155. A couple of times when I have filled up the water at home when I get to my destination the indicator for the water level shows half full. When we set off it was at full, all pipes primed and hw tank full? Last time I topped it back up with about 25litres. Any clues as to where it's gone?

 

[Southampton]

Probably through the overflow pipe as you are driving along. Mine does the same.

 

[highwayman]

Hi
Possibly out the overflow every time you go around a corner, you might be getting a syphon effect goin on. We had the same problem and solved it by putting a small tap on the end of the overflow, just remember to open it once sited.

Cheers. Nige

 

[Masman]

sometimes I have had the same problem.water gauges are not always correct.Just a thought Also are you on level ground when you are filling up.

 

[chaser]

We had the same problem , what I did was put an inline hose pipe tap on the bottom of the over flow pipe, cost pence, only downside is you have to turn it one when filling or you get blowback, and then remember to switch it off when full, thought it might have to switch it on again on site to use the taps but have found it works fine left off all the time except for filling.

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[GJH]

Autoquest water tank indicators are notoriously inaccurate. We found with our Autoquest 100 that we got used to knowing how much water we used and that was more accurate than the gauge. More annoying was the amount of water left in the tank when the pump ran dry because the intake was mounted too high.

 

[Cal54]

Appreciate that if you are wild camping then perhaps you need a full tank of water when you set off, but if not wilding I would only take what I need, less weight, improved MPG.

 

[gordoncbrown]

Thanks for all the answers. Dave, it is on level ground on the driveway. Good shout though. Anyone post a pic of the tap modification and a link to buy it? Didn't think I could lose that much through the overflow but makes sense when the siphoning effect comes in to play and others having similar issues is reassuring that it is the siphoning effect.

 

[chaser]

Plenty here but you can get them for pence off market stalls or pound shops, any will work as there's no pressure
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_2vwit0eufx_b

 

[cruiser]

you are lucky at least you can get water in yours I cant get the locked cap of,

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[maison]

We always travel with the tank half full. This avoids further loss and also reduces the total weight of the M/H.

We started doing this after weighing a previous M/H and finding that was the only way to stay within the plated weight. It then became a habit. We don't tend to wild camp much and find that on the French Aires we can normally top up regularly enough, if not every day.

 

[pappajohn]

you are lucky at least you can get water in yours I cant get the locked cap of,

Drill in the barrel......its knackered anyway.

 

[cruiser]

thanks pappajohn. will do that.

 

[JeanLuc]

Have you checked that the frost protection valve (often called the 'dump valve') on the Truma heater is closed before you fill, and that it is still closed when you arrive? (I am assuming that yours has a dump valve). The valve is held closed by 12V supply. It is set to open at around 4ºC and cannot be reset until the temperature is around 8ºC. This protects the Truma from frost damage and it will often activate at this time of year. I have, in the past, filled up at home and arrived almost empty because the valve had opened en-route. I now have a clip that holds the valve shut in these conditions BUT it's vital to remember, if using a clip, to take it off once you have the Truma running. Others have used a clothes peg for the same purpose.

 

[wingman]

Hi @gordoncbrown.

My new(ish) 155 has a dodgy gauge. Like a fool, I expected it to be accurate until I joined MHF! Then I found out that many gauges are seriously unreliable!

The only way I can guarantee that it's full is to fill it until it runs out of the filler!

I'm sure you know that it is possible during cold weather for the heater to dump water as a safety measure. If water is dripping from the rear of the vehicle, start looking there at the dump valve end. After dumping has occurred, the valve has to be recycled (i.e. moved to Open then to closed again).

As @Cal54 says, unless you're wilding, there's no need to carry a full tank. Just half a tank will still give you 35litres. Get some on site on arrival, or if you can't be bothered (like me), just top it up using a plastic water carrier.

The 155's a great van by the way.

Reg's
James

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[gordoncbrown]

Thanks for all the good info. Just been underneath. Not sure which one is the overflow. Would it be the overflow from the top of the HW tank? Couldn't see one on the fresh water tank. If you have one on yours a pic might help me. Might just be I need to open my eyes.

Thanks

 

[Reallyretired]

We always travel with a full tank. Not all aires have water, and some that do require the purchase of a token from a shop that's closed, especially on Sundays.
I have never noticed any difference in fuel consumption between a full or empty water tank. The weight of water only corresponds to around 2% of the total weight of the vehicle (120L tank) so wouldn't expect to.

 

[gordoncbrown]

Probably being a bit thick but I cannot find an overflow pipe from the fresh water tank or under the seats. The only open ends I can find under the moho are the drain valve from the water heater and the overflow from the water heater. Could it be the overflow from the water heater that is causing the syphoning?

 

[chaser]

How do you fill your tank, if by hose what happens when it is full, does it just run out of the filler or does it run out underneath somewhere, can't see the water heater pipe doing anything ,else it would be running all the time.

 

[chaser]

Hold on , just read your op again, how do you know it's full when you start, are you just relying on the gauge, or is it realy full till running out, if it's the gauge way it's probably just settling down in transit.
Edit , the gauge not the water settleing

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[gordoncbrown]

its the type that you fill using a whale pump or the hose with the adapter. It has a level switch that activates once full and shuts a valve and stops it filling any more. Last moho just used a hose and could clearly see when it was full, as like you say it was running out the overflow.

 

[mitzimad]

try filling it till it stops and then again about 5 mins later you may find it back pressures and stops filling before its full then settles down

 

[chaser]

try filling it till it stops and then again about 5 mins later you may find it back pressures and stops filling before its full then settles down

Good idea, and don't rely on the gauge, ours shows full till it's got about a 1/4 tank left.

 

[gordoncbrown]

Many thanks. I'll try that. Was going to fill it today and