Water heater
Been caravanning 2 years now and in the season try to get away every other weekend. In the past I have always drained down the hot water tank and have to fill and bleed it every trip. My question is, is it OK to leave the water in the tank for any length
of time. This water is just used for washing and washing up, using a fresh bottle for tea etc
Comments
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If you leave the water in the tank you are adding about 10 kg to your vans weight and all that water sloshing around as you travel might not do your heater any good.
There is also the potential of the water freezing and splitting the pipes causing a leak.
My advice would be to drain down every time you travel.
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I drain down as don't like the thought of washing or washing up with water that has been left sitting even for a week. I'm no expert but I'm sure there would even be a risk of legionaires although probably very low not something I'm going risk.
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I always drain down, even in summer. Why carry extra weight?
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Thanks for your answers. I was more concerned about legionaires than the extra weight.
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If you are using the van regularly and are not concerned about the weight then there is no need to drain down unless cold weather is expected. As long as your water is hot enough the risk of legionnaires is very low. We use our van most weeks and never drain
down except during winter months when there is a risk of freezing.0 -
We always drain down or hot water heater after every trip. We do it as we pack things away before travelling home. It's a simple matter of unscrewing two taps and it's done.
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I drain down whenever leaving a site and recharge it at the next, even though we caravan all year round.
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I drain the hot water through the sink every trip. That way it helps to disperse any food or fat accumulations in the pipe and tank, it also stops the brown marks left behind on the grass by those who drain straight to the ground.......
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Is that wise? If your pump is on the inlet side of the tank, it is pumping air rather than water. As for the grass, just wait until you've pulled off the pitch.
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Draining down, I let the hot water run off into my waste water container. I seen the horrible mess left by caravanners who have allowed hot water to drain onto grass pitches.They've no consideration for others
who will be using that pitch or for the site owner who tries to keep his pitches in decent condition.0 -
Is that wise? If your pump is on the inlet side of the tank, it is pumping air rather than water. As for the grass, just wait until you've pulled off the pitch.
On our Bailey the handbook says the pump is designed to run dry. It even tells you to run it for 2 mins after draining the tank to make dure you have expelled all the water you can.
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I drain the hot water through the sink every trip. That way it helps to disperse any food or fat accumulations in the pipe and tank, it also stops the brown marks left behind on the grass by those who drain straight to the ground.......
We do this also, it gives the pipes a good clean out and also helps to remove any gunk from the waste master, as even after dilution the water is warm. If on grass, rather than hardstanding, we always make sure the tank water is totally cold.
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You must drain between trips in winter as otherwise you risk frost damage. I do not drain beyween sites though and have never had any problem with the water moving although the extra weight might have cost us a drop of fuel.
If you are on a grass pitch do not drain hot water onto the grass though. The hot water can kill the grass.
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If a MotorHomer was caught draining any water, hot or otherwise, whilst on the move I reckon he would be taken and hanged from the nearest, highest site Exit Barrier available !! I can see no reason whatsoever for caravanners
to do it either-- drain it into your mobile waste tank and dispose of it properly !!I only drain the Water Heater when I'm not going to use the motor for a couple of weeks !!
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If a MotorHomer was caught draining any water, hot or otherwise, whilst on the move I reckon he would be taken and hanged from the nearest, highest site Exit Barrier available !! I can see no reason whatsoever for caravanners
to do it either-- drain it into your mobile waste tank and dispose of it properly !!I only drain the Water Heater when I'm not going to use the motor for a couple of weeks !!
It's only water ..... most of mine gets drained on/near the pitch, but some will drain on the move
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Interesting posts. I have never given a moment's thought to draining down after each trip other than for winter storage. All that extra water and air gurgling around when you fill up. Now I know why people use so much water!
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If a MotorHomer was caught draining any water, hot or otherwise, whilst on the move I reckon he would be taken and hanged from the nearest, highest site Exit Barrier available !! I can see no reason whatsoever for caravanners to do it either-- drain it into your mobile waste tank and dispose of it properly !!
I only drain the Water Heater when I'm not going to use the motor for a couple of weeks !!
It's only water ..... most of mine gets drained on/near the pitch, but some will drain on the move
But it's not only water, it's hot water which causes severe damage to grass pitches, MM. Haven't you seen the burnt grass where caravanners have drained down?
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... ..... most of mine gets drained on/near the pitch, but some will drain on the move
But it's not only water, it's hot water which causes severe damage to grass pitches, MM. Haven't you seen the burnt grass where caravanners have drained down?
I was thinking of just the 'on the move' bit. My hot water generally gets drained into the wastemaster with some of the cold water in my fixed onboard water tank
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Sorry to misunderstand you.
Fair point really, as the vast majority of M/Hs are likely to be on H/S pitches anyway, and any damage would then be negledgable.0 -
I think there’s little point in draining down a motorhome’s h/w tank when leaving a site. The extra 10kg of weight should not affect payload significantly and it’s water you’ll need to reheat when you arrive at the next one. I had assumed that motorhomers
travelled with some fresh water onboard, because they can. What would you use if you stopped en route? Caravanning and motorhoming are similar but also very different.0 -
In the case of a hot water tank, it will normally be completely full and only empty if you deliberately drain it. I’d empty the cold water tank before travelling with a caravan, for lightness and stability, and I’d take enough for the journey in a separate
container in the tug. It would depend on the location and design of the tank, if I carried any water in it. You don’t want water to be splashing out anywhere, even through an overflow, if full. Neither would you want a large mass of water moving around whilst
on tow, as it would if only part full.In a motorhome the effect of water sloshing around is less important. A few have a partial drain facility which will dump all but the last 20 litres of fresh water, so that you have a known amount to carry. Those with a smaller payload have smaller tanks
but it still does not make sense carrying something that’s easily obtainable unnecessarily. My tanks will carry 300 litres of fresh, which is a lot of weight to carry if you don’t need to. Better to have fuel or wine instead.0 -
rogher, you daid your next van would be 'the same but on a 3500 chassis'....will it still have tanks as large as this.....german i would guess....?
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The extra weight doen't make much difference
