Draining Water Tank Over Winter

you need to do two things....

firstly, drain the fresh tank by opening the tap/bung....

when the tank is drained, turn on the water pump to drain the taps and pipework, also open the boiler drain valve which will dispel water out through the bottom of the boiler...

eventually, the taps will start to expel air and the boiler will also run till empty....

at this point, turn off the water pump....you can leave the taps open to allow for any residual water expanding should there be a hard frost....

 , It helps if you open ALL taps/shower etc ,before draining down.The water flows out easier . 

We use our motorhome all the year round. 

We use our motorhome all the year round. 

Write your comments here...but that wont stop it freezing the times you re not using it will it or do you live in it 365 days a year or keep the heating on 24*7 when not in use?

Thanks to all who got back to me, certainly don`t intend to use the  van ALL year, so thanks to Boleroboy and triky auto, just the advice I was looking for.

Slightly tounge in cheek, Take the MH to spain or Portugal, that way there will be little chance of a freeze-up.   (sorry)  :-))

We use our motorhome all the year round. 

Write your comments here...but that wont stop it freezing the times you re not using it will it or do you live in it 365 days a year or keep the heating on 24*7 when not in use?

Write your comments here...

We use our motorhome all the year round. 

We use our motorhome all the year round. 

Like the OP asked, how do you deal with draining down in winter if you use the van through the winter? Do you drain down before and after you have been away?

Also, my Bailey has a heater on the fresh tank, but not the grey. Any advice for avoiding the grey freezing?  Leave the tap open and drain into a bucket?

Thanks!

vintageb3

Its actually quite difficult to get the water out from every nook and cranny in the water systems but it is worth the effort because if any residual water freezes it may cause leaks and damage. So for example try to take your shower hose to the lowest point. Take particular care to insure that the boiler is fully drained. Ensure that you leave sink/basin/shower taps open in the midway poisition between hot and cold and that you switch the pump off (otherwise the open tap will cause the pump to run to destruction). Be aware that your Truma boiler has an automatic valve which will open to dump water at  a temperature above freezing (4C if I recollect) in order to protect the boiler from frost damage . This is another reason why it is best to drain assiduously in cold weather between trips. Conversely when reusing the van on winter trips check if the boiler valve is open or closed before refilling water. Obviously it should be closed because If it is open the filling water will just go straight through the boiler to the ground. The dump valve is often in an inconvenient location but you need to find it and understand how it works. If it is cold and the valve won't stay closed you may neeed to warm the van up before filling water. Some people use a clothes peg to temporarily stop the valve from opening but this is dangerous if you forget to take it off.

The above may sound daunting but you will soon get the hang of it and proper attention to draining should be repaid by lack of problems. One more thing. If you have an inside fresh water tank (under a bench seat for example) and the drain plug is accessesed by unscrewing a bung on the top of the tank and putting your hand in. Rember to put back the drain plug before refilling and screw the bung tight. On an early trip when I failed to tighten the top bung we manged to put about 10 gallons on water into our van as opposed to the tank when refilling and only noticed when water was coming out the cab dooors. Fortunately no permanaent damage was done.

the freezing of water in winter and its expansion into places it cant expand, is where you will/might get damage...

once you have drained down and have left taps/tanks open, any freezing of the remaing small amount of water shouldnt be an issue....it will have space to expand...

however, if the ban is going to be sat when there is a risk of severe/prolonged frost then tne more water you can remove, the better.

we have two dump valves....one specifically for the boiler and another close by, which is the system auto frost dump, which conveniently sits at the lowest point of the system, so good for getting most of it out.

however, here in Somerset, we just dont get these severe sub zero temperatures very often, but if we are home for any length of time in Nov/Dec/Jan i will drain down....

It's dead easy to drain the system in either a MH or a caravan.

Open the drain taps

Close all the taps after most has come out

Unscrew the shower head

Open cold tap in shower room

Place shower hose in mouth

Blow until all the water is out.

Repeat for the hot water side

Simples (unless you have emphysema then just find someone from CT and ask for some hot air )