[steve massey]

Hi all,

 we were cleaning today a guy asked us how we go on in winter with our water tank freezing
he came up with a surgestion he said there is a heater made by KAC pumps that runs off a 12v battery you just drop it in tank it has a themostat built in which detect freezing. they use them on motor homes to stop the water tanks freezing in winter as any body tried them?

[H h20]

Iv`e had a look at something similar at my local cravan shop,it was about £70,looks like it may be a must,Gaz

[H h20]

Just found this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WIND-GENERATOR-TURBINE-12-VOLT-300-WATT-WATER-HEATER_W0QQitemZ7723194073QQcategoryZ3186QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Ian_Giles]

With the winter coming on this is an interesting thread.

I hope Roy Harding has a read of this thread; I was talking to him a couple of weeks back, he was telling my about a water heater you can get for your static holding tank, runs of the mains.
Heat the water overnight, gues you'd need a well lagged tank! And transfer to your vehicle tank, again, well lagged, gives you hot water to clean your windows with.
The heater is a stainless steel imersion heater, not cheap to buy, but perhaps a cheaper way of heating a tank full of water??
Particularly if you have economy 7.

Something to think about eh?

Keeping your water unfrozen in the winter isn't too much of a problem, you can get the greenhouse style frost protectors to go in a van, either mains or parafin type, or so I believe.
If the winter really is going to be as cold as we are being told, you will have to ensure that your R/O and the rest of your purification stuff are well lagged and insulated.
But that isn't exactly rocket science is it?

Regards,

Ian

[Moderator David@stives]

I dont think tanks freezing will be the biggest problem.
You are more likely to have problems with poles ,hoses and pumps etc.

I can`t wait  

[Ian_Giles]

Yes Dave,
I'm dreading that, but if you are using hot water, it should allow you to continue working when the cold would otherwise stop you.

As I said, I hope Roy logs in and checks out the thread, and anyone who actually has this expensive water heater too come to that!

Roll on summer

Ian

[Roy Harding]

Hi Ian

Heres the link.

http://www.andwat.co.uk/acatalog/WATER_HEATERS.html

Roy

[steve massey]

Yes i take all poles and hoses indoor to stop them freezing
last year was warm but they recon its going to be bad this year.

steve

[thewindowcleaner1]

I've been WFP for three winters now and the main problem has always been the pipes and hoses freezing over night..
The tank because of the volume of water in them seem to have no problem and if they do freeze its only the top that freezes.

On nights that a big temp drop is forcast I bring the RO and pole ect inside, if it just cold then I wrape the RO up with old coats and jumpers (looks like a jumble sale in the corner of the shed)in the van I use tank lagging on the tanks and around the hose, and they still freeze up so I put a electric fan heater in the back about an hour before I start..

This year I plan to put a heater with a frost stat in over night PLUS attach sheets of polyspolystirinsulation around the van walls.
Still working on a way to warm the water up...

Did a large shop frontage (two story glass front) a couple of years ago started it looked ok then I notice the water was freezing on the glass (about half way across) so decided to leave it until later in the morning when the temp should be a little warmer, went back around 11am to find two plumbers vans outside the shop started the job again when the shop manager came out and asked if I'd been there earlier. (apparently he had come to work seen the water on the glass and thought he'd had a bust pipe so called the plumbers in who had spent the best part of the morning trying to find the burst)Ooops. But in three years only really lost about 6 days due to the weather being to cold and on them days only the early mornings caused the problems.

[gaza]

rubbing alcohol isop comes to mind from somwhere?

 gaza

[tomo]

hi

gaza i think that maybe peter fogwill, spoke to him the other day and he got the chemical from a chemist i think i guess it must be pure alcohol or mostly he said it stopped the water from freezing and it evaporated from the glass when it went on with the pure water.

 in other words it didnt leave any smears etc. altho he said that was etreme cold rare to get it like that here but with everyone talking a bad winter its good to know a good tip

[gaza]

parafin heaters give off bad discoloured messy vapour plus it causes water vapour
maybe your van will end up a block of ice?how about a small camping gas barby
then you could make bacon and egg sarnies and  mugs of tea all day long,using a big bottle of gas,sounds good talking to me?

  gaza

[mick hay]

i have no way of getting power to my van over night, i have to park in the road, any ideas what i could use to prevent a frozen tank?..ive thought of parraffin heater...but dont think its that safe...how bout a cple of quilts?  any ideas ?

[H h20]

You could always sleep in the van and cuddle up to your tank,but i guess that depends if you "have" to or want to  ,Gaz