Getting cold: have you drained down your boiler yet?
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wildebus
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Found something interesting ...
Had the heater on full power on the gas and while the temperature rose pretty fast from the initial -5C, it wouldn't go above an indicated 8C. Heater on the output limit and only just able to maintain a certain level?
Just went into van to turn off heater and it felt a fair bit warmer than 8C though. Probably was, but the temp sensor likely too close to outside wall and under reading. (need to double-check what gas supply it was using as well - Bit like having a hybrid Lead-Lithium Battery setup, I have a Gaslow-Calor Hybrid LPG supply. I thought I had the Gaslow turned off, as I wanted to use up the remnants of a near-empty bottle before using the refillable, but didn't think there would be enough to run the heater on full for nigh on 12 hours).
Had the heater on full power on the gas and while the temperature rose pretty fast from the initial -5C, it wouldn't go above an indicated 8C. Heater on the output limit and only just able to maintain a certain level?
Just went into van to turn off heater and it felt a fair bit warmer than 8C though. Probably was, but the temp sensor likely too close to outside wall and under reading. (need to double-check what gas supply it was using as well - Bit like having a hybrid Lead-Lithium Battery setup, I have a Gaslow-Calor Hybrid LPG supply. I thought I had the Gaslow turned off, as I wanted to use up the remnants of a near-empty bottle before using the refillable, but didn't think there would be enough to run the heater on full for nigh on 12 hours).
Trigger
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My van has been standing unused for about 3 months now in my garden, would normaly be in Spain or somewhere now ??but we have both recently had Covid and 90 days away seems hardly worth the bother as we normaly go for about 6 months, in Winter , We love Christmas in Portugal , but if we went now we would have to be on the way home in March and back to the cold Blighty so here we are at home ?
Any way I drained my van out when we stopped using it as usual , all water gone, toilet empty, taps all left open, Diesel heater has anti freeze in it so no worries there and NO hot water tank ,to worry about, so you would think all well? NOT, I Went in the van for a look round Sunday and switched the water pump on , nothing no whirring, no gurgling , switched it off and took the floor panel out of the cupboard the pump is in and found it to be frozen, all the taps in the van frozen too although also open , so obviously residual water still present in the system, how are you supposed to get that out, I ran the pump for several minutes with all taps open etc and the water tank empty when laying the van up.
Any way I put an Electric fan heater in the van and left if running for a couple of hours checking it regularly , and eventually the taps could be moved open and shut, the pump would work and all signs of freezing gone, no evident cracks in the taps or hoses , no water around the water pump either, so all seems OK and I think I got away with no damage , I now have an Electric Oil Filled Radiator in the van permanently on a low setting and the van is at 2 degrees inside now, So that won't freeze,
We had temperatures here in Southampton of Minus 5 degrees BBBRRRRR and now still below freezing, at -2 degrees , so be aware even if you think you have done all the needed checks on the freezing front you can still be caught out, in future I will disconnect the water pump completely from the water supply as that is the only way I can see of COMPLETELY draining residual water out of the system, and will probably fabricate some sort of extra drain points in the system before and after the pump teeing the hoses to drain out under the van .
I wonder how folks who leave their vans in Storage yards cope ?
Any way I drained my van out when we stopped using it as usual , all water gone, toilet empty, taps all left open, Diesel heater has anti freeze in it so no worries there and NO hot water tank ,to worry about, so you would think all well? NOT, I Went in the van for a look round Sunday and switched the water pump on , nothing no whirring, no gurgling , switched it off and took the floor panel out of the cupboard the pump is in and found it to be frozen, all the taps in the van frozen too although also open , so obviously residual water still present in the system, how are you supposed to get that out, I ran the pump for several minutes with all taps open etc and the water tank empty when laying the van up.
Any way I put an Electric fan heater in the van and left if running for a couple of hours checking it regularly , and eventually the taps could be moved open and shut, the pump would work and all signs of freezing gone, no evident cracks in the taps or hoses , no water around the water pump either, so all seems OK and I think I got away with no damage , I now have an Electric Oil Filled Radiator in the van permanently on a low setting and the van is at 2 degrees inside now, So that won't freeze,
We had temperatures here in Southampton of Minus 5 degrees BBBRRRRR and now still below freezing, at -2 degrees , so be aware even if you think you have done all the needed checks on the freezing front you can still be caught out, in future I will disconnect the water pump completely from the water supply as that is the only way I can see of COMPLETELY draining residual water out of the system, and will probably fabricate some sort of extra drain points in the system before and after the pump teeing the hoses to drain out under the van .
I wonder how folks who leave their vans in Storage yards cope ?
Pudsey Bear
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Warm it up gently.
Saw -17c in Aberdeen yesterday.
Saw -17c in Aberdeen yesterday.
Pudsey Bear
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And a few drops in yer morning coffee.
marchie
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Aunty can look after herself ... She's buried deep enough not to freeze and I ain't about to dig her up to check ...
Steve
tonybvi
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Not Aberdeen but Braemar 40 miles down the road. Aberdeen only got down to -5 or -6.
Pudsey Bear
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I got it from a phone notification thing, liars.
marchie
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Cold enough to freeze an Aberdonian's assets, especially if wearing a kilt. And, for our Scottish members, an ornithologist witnessed a pigeon attempting winter sports on the slopes yesterday Apparently, it was a ski_in' doo
Steve