Winterize your Motorhome

Met eireann cold snap warning for this week, tempt to go below freezing.
So I went out to drop the water, I opened the frost valve on the heater, although the tank is inside under the bed (Pilote A class), I decided to empty it also. I have looked several times while under the van, but never found a drain valve, so went about using the fill hose to siphon the water out, trough the big screw on inspection cap and found a drain plug, on a string, in the bottom of the tank, same as you have in the sink. Happy days.

An extra item to remember is, if you put antifreeze in your washer bottle, squirt some up onto the screen, I've seen the little pipes that feed up along to the wiper blades freeze and split.

That wouldn't be possible as it's on a tee piece with the fill overflow and the outlet pipe is not under the drain plug, but the string is easily seen, my 12 volt is on a two way switch with the pump, so you can have the 12v on without the pump.

What a morning. I totally took my eye off the ball and neglected to empty the camper water, mistake no. 1. The camper has not been on my agenda for the last while. I only realised my water system was frozen when I was putting something into the van earlier and noticed icicles coming from the faucets like stalactites.

I then went to work to get the gas blow heating on. At this point I decided to turn on the Carver water immersion heater on electric. Mistake no. 2. It seems turning on an electric element immersed in ice does not have the effect you would like. The EHU went. I hope the Carver element isn't blown.

I then placed a 2kw portable blow heater in the garage where the water heater and water pump are. Things are thawing alright and I was able to open the external drain plug on the Carver and see water drain. In the process of placing the blow heater next to the Carver, I tried to flex the Carver supply line (seen in red) which snapped the connector as seen in pic., mistake no. 3.

So how much damage is done I can't say at this point. I would worry the water heater element is blown, and the gaskets and seals. I would also worry about the Shureflow pump as well as the faucets.

I thought the water pump was dead but it just needed more thawing out. The only drain point I have is the Carver drain plug. Apart from being slow to drain the tank, it will never completely drain the system with gravity alone. I have to rely on switching the pump, once gravity has done its bit, to fully drain as the pump sits lower than the Carver. Not ideal.

I might think about reconfiguring how it drains. A shutoff valve between the tank and the pump perhaps. Its really only the pump, heater and tap supply lines I need drain, not the tank.