Winter Touring (1 Viewer)

[MorayShaSha]

Hello,
How easy / expensive is it to make a uk spec motorhome suitable for -15 temperatures?

 

[Verteuil Man]

Hello MorayShaSha

It is a bit like asking how to turn a mini into a Bentley. The continental build motorhomes have double floors with a void between where the water tanks go. The walls and roof are better insulated as well. I suspect it would be a lot of work for not a great deal of advantage.

 

[Lenny HB]

64,000 dollar question me thinks.
First you need to find one with all tanks & plumbing inboard and preferably with a double floor, that's ruled out 99% of them.
Little things they do on Continental vans that are difficult to do after manufacture like heat the cassette area under the toilet.

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[headlight]

Hello,
How easy / expensive is it to make a uk spec motorhome suitable for -15 temperatures?

Just turn the heating up .
Seriously though my UK spec van has the fresh water tank inside so I've not had any problems with that freezing.
My grey waste tank is underneath but hasn't frozen so must absorb enough heat from the van.
The grey waste dump valve did freeze once so I now leave the dump valve open with a large bucket under it if temps are below freezing.
Mine is a coachbuilt and seems well insulated.
The cab however I expect has no insulation and got a lot colder than the hab so I made a thermal screen to separate them.
Means I am heating a smaller space and reduced the amount of heating needed by about a third.

 

[MorayShaSha]

Just turn the heating up .
Seriously though my UK spec van has the fresh water tank inside so I've not had any problems with that freezing.
My grey waste tank is underneath but hasn't frozen so must absorb enough heat from the van.
The grey waste dump valve did freeze once so I now leave the dump valve open with a large bucket under it if temps are below freezing.
Mine is a coachbuilt and seems well insulated.
The cab however I expect has no insulation and got a lot colder than the hab so I made a thermal screen to separate them.
Means I am heating a smaller space and reduced the amount of heating needed by about a third.

Thank you. A thermal curtain is easy to do.
Just worried about pipes / water freezing.

 

[headlight]

Thank you. A thermal curtain is easy to do.
Just worried about pipes / water freezing.

As I said apart from the grey waste valve freezing (no damage done) I've not had any problems.
I just make sure that all the water is fully drained when not in use.
I can't comment on other vans just my present UK coach built and previous UK built PVC.

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[Verteuil Man]

On the insulation from. An A Class motorhome removes the base cab and continues the motorhome build around the front. Mine has got double glazed side windows and only the screen is single glazed but does have a thermal blind on the inside. Never used an outside one and we rally all year round.

 

[headlight]

On the insulation from. An A Class motorhome removes the base cab and continues the motorhome build around the front. Mine has got double glazed side windows and only the screen is single glazed but does have a thermal blind on the inside. Never used an outside one and we rally all year round.

Mine is a coachbuilt and I assume the Ducato cab has the same insulation as a delivery van, none.
Even with thermal screens on the inside of both side windows and windscreen the cab was much colder than the hab and also got a lot of condensation on the inside of the glass.
The thermal screen between hab and cab has pretty much eliminated that.

 

[Speve]

You can’t beat good quality external thermal screen covers I know people think it’s to much trouble to put them on but they are well worth it and they keep side cab and windscreen clear of condensation as well

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[MorayShaSha]

As I said apart from the grey waste valve freezing (no damage done) I've not had any problems.
I just make sure that all the water is fully drained when not in use.
I can't comment on other vans just my present UK coach built and previous UK built PVC.

Where did you go and what overnight temperatures did you have?

 

[headlight]

Where did you go and what overnight temperatures did you have?

Brecon Beacons and about minus 10c.
All my pipework apart from the grey water waste pipe are inside my van.

 

[MorayShaSha]

Brecon Beacons and about minus 10c.

Ah. We're in north east Scotland where it can get down to minus 25. We're also hoping to visit Norway, so it'll be much colder.

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[Verteuil Man]

Ah. We're in north east Scotland where it can get down to minus 25. We're also hoping to visit Norway, so it'll be much colder.

That being the case you need something built for the job.

 

[MorayShaSha]

Thank you all for your replies. I gather the answer is to buy German, even if it means we have to go a wee bit older.

 

[Verteuil Man]

Adria have got some good builds. But main the Germans.

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[headlight]

Ah. We're in north east Scotland where it can get down to minus 25. We're also hoping to visit Norway, so it'll be much colder.

I have no idea how my van would cope with minus 25c and TBH don't intend to find out

 

[Reallyretired]

I once did a couple of weeks in Braemar in February in an old autostratus. No problem apart from grey water so left drain open with a bucket under. Just leaves the problem of disposing of a 20kg dirty ice cube.

 

[bigtwin]

Thank you all for your replies. I gather the answer is to buy German, even if it means we have to go a wee bit older.

That is not necessarily a detriment from a quality/durability perspective.

Ian

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[Verteuil Man]

The weekend before Christmas we were on a Cheshire Centre caravan rally at Blakemere. It was nippy and there was snow on the ground. Both Friday and Saturday nights the temperatures dropped to the -4c mark. There were 15 caravans all 8n different stages of being frozen and there were 3 motorhomes which were not frozen. They were a Frankia, Adria and Hymer. All A class and none felt the cold. Horses for courses.

 

[MorayShaSha]

I once did a couple of weeks in Braemar in February in an old autostratus. No problem apart from grey water so left drain open with a bucket under. Just leaves the problem of disposing of a 20kg dirty ice cube.

Not very far from us.

 

[Brains]

I have no idea how my van would cope with minus 25c and TBH don't intend to find out

My German Hymer is OK down to -20c (allegedly)
It is genuinely fine at -8c with a silver screen