Protect Water Fed Equipment During Winter

[Smurf]

Indeed....I find the weather station very handy as can monitor the temp in real time so don't have use inaccurate weather reports. /emoticons/wink.png

Its now 2.1c and still dropping so now time to get the rest of me venerable kit out of the van methinks

I also use it as a good excuse to start later in the day when the temp has warmed up a bit too

 

[Squeak and Bubbles]

Just checked my system, and the greenhouse heater worked. It's still pumping heat through with the 110 ah battery. Turned it on at 6:30pm last night and just turned it off at 7:45am... I'm one happy wfp chap. /emoticons/ohmy.png :lol: /emoticons/tongue.png/emoticons/wink.png

 

[Shine Window Cleaning]

take in house, to be 100% certain

should I be taking my WFP trolley indoors (to protect pump/resin cannisters etc)each day also as my van is unheated, or will it be okay as long as no water is left in it?

 

[rcproperty]

Just checked my system, and the greenhouse heater worked. It's still pumping heat through with the 110 ah battery. Turned it on at 6:30pm last night and just turned it off at 7:45am... I'm one happy wfp chap. /emoticons/ohmy.png :lol: /emoticons/tongue.png/emoticons/wink.png

thats good then! lets hope there is enough power to work with! lol

 

[rcproperty]

should I be taking my WFP trolley indoors (to protect pump/resin cannisters etc)each day also as my van is unheated, or will it be okay as long as no water is left in it?

its safer to take indoors, filters and resin should be kept with water all the time as if they dry out a bit then they will be no good.

 

[Squeak and Bubbles]

thats good then! lets hope there is enough power to work with! lol

I purchased a new leisure battery just for the heater. Rest of my system runs off another leisure battery.... Can't upload pictures on here for some reason, unless I'm doing something wrong.

 

[Shine Window Cleaning]

its safer to take indoors, filters and resin should be kept with water all the time as if they dry out a bit then they will be no good.

hmm....I only use my trolley occasionally for the odd window(maybe few times a week at mo)- so how can i make sure resin doesn't dry out(should I be firing it up regardless are u saying mate?).

 

[Smurf]

I bring in my small 300 gpd ro/di kit in from the garden when not being used on cold winter days/nights and not had any problems so far.

 

[rcproperty]

I purchased a new leisure battery just for the heater. Rest of my system runs off another leisure battery.... Can't upload pictures on here for some reason, unless I'm doing something wrong.

That's okay then.

That's strange,

 

[rcproperty]

hmm....I only use my trolley occasionally for the odd window(maybe few times a week at mo)- so how can i make sure resin doesn't dry out(should I be firing it up regardless are u saying mate?).

As long as it has water in it you will be fine, I have an ro system and that has been left for 2 weeks with water sitting in it and is fine, takes a while to flush it so tds reading is low again.

 

[Shine Window Cleaning]

Oki Doki- thanks for that! I'll be bringing it indoors for those cold winter nites then!

 

[Solar Steve]

I'm amazed there is so much discussion about this. Stick a heater in and you should be fine. You don't need a sauna, just keep it above 0c. I use an oil filled radiator and fan heater to circulate the air. Wrap your on board purification system in natural fibre loft insulation, buy rubberised pipe lagging instead of the cheap stuff from b & q and you are sorted. Cost me about £80.00 to do, but had nights of -15 degrees last winter and never once came out to a frozen pipe. Worth every penny of £80 cos I was out earning money while my mate used £80 worth of electricity every morning using his wifes hair dryer to defrost everything!

While we are on the subject, does anyone have any suggestions as to which brand hair dryer he would be best buying this year???

 

[rcproperty]

I'm amazed there is so much discussion about this. Stick a heater in and you should be fine. You don't need a sauna, just keep it above 0c. I use an oil filled radiator and fan heater to circulate the air. Wrap your on board purification system in natural fibre loft insulation, buy rubberised pipe lagging instead of the cheap stuff from b & q and you are sorted. Cost me about £80.00 to do, but had nights of -15 degrees last winter and never once came out to a frozen pipe. Worth every penny of £80 cos I was out earning money while my mate used £80 worth of electricity every morning using his wifes hair dryer to defrost everything!

While we are on the subject, does anyone have any suggestions as to which brand hair dryer he would be best buying this year???

not everyone can get electric to there van tho,

 

[Solar Steve]

Years ago I was in the same boat and used a wide base paraffin heater. Safe, cheap to run and did the job nicely, if that helps anyone...

 

[rcproperty]

Years ago I was in the same boat and used a wide base paraffin heater. Safe, cheap to run and did the job nicely, if that helps anyone...

paraffin heater isnt safe to use due to the fact Paraffin emits carbon dioxide, so it fills the van up over night with a nice and poisonous gas, the other 2 points is that it can fill the van with soot if set worng and the condensation of the water produced when burning paraffin

 

[Squeak and Bubbles]

Hope this works this time....

It's the same with me, I cannot park my van directly outside my house, it's a nightmare during the harsh winter months. Well, not any-more... /emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Njones]

Hate to tell you,.. but that tiny heater won't do much. I had a 2kw fan heater in my van at one point & still had pipes freeze when the weather got real bad!

 

[Squeak and Bubbles]

Hate to tell you,.. but that tiny heater won't do much. I had a 2kw fan heater in my van at one point & still had pipes freeze when the weather got real bad!

Thanks for the info... It gets very hot, if I can manage to keep the van above 0c then I will be happy. Just purchased a 3ft one, going to connect that up too on another lesiure battery. Going to put this stuff on the sides and roof of the van...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-2m-X-25m-30-SQM-U-FOIL-ALUMINIUM-BUBBLE-INSULATION-FOIL-LOFT-DOUBLE-SINGLE-/290646053413?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=590034126476&hash=item43abdad225&_uhb=1

 

[Solar Steve]

Hey squeak, get some natural fibre loft insulation around your varitech system and anywhere else you can, that will help.

 

[iluvwindows]

hmmm all good insulating van and heater but what about outside tap and hose freezing?

 

[rcproperty]

hmmm all good insulating van and heater but what about outside tap and hose freezing?

Turn the tap off from the inside, keep the tap open, take hose off and empty. Then when you are filling up, running water don't freeze!