TankBlanket: Winterisation that Works
Motorhome & Caravan Winterisation: Insights from Grade 3 Cold Chamber Testing from TankBlanket: The Tank Heater
In our last blog we presented the detail behind Grade 3,
the British standard for heating and insulation and explained that a motorhome
accredited with Grade 3 will keep you warm throughout the winter months. The
scope of Grade 3 excludes the fresh and waste water system and a vehicle with
Grade 3 accreditation offers no protection against your water system freezing in
sub zero temperatures.
This Blog concentrates on winterisation and the insights gleamed
from our recent experience with cold chamber testing.
Most internet and periodical articles treat winterisation
as preparing your vehicle for storage, but we define it, as a motorhome that
can be used during the winter months with a water system that does not freeze.
Recently we were involved in a cold chamber Grade 3 test
for a Panel Van conversion which threw up some interesting insights about
winterisation and the impact of freezing conditions on the fresh and waste
water system.
During a Grade 3 test the vehicle is soaked overnight to
achieve a temperature of -15 °C throughout. Using infrared photography we
established that the really cold spots on a typical panel van conversion were:
1.
Inside bed boxes.
2.
The ‘D’ posts or rear corners of the vehicle.
3.
The middle of the rear doors.
4.
The internal surfaces of the wheel arches, which were particularly cold.
5.
Cab foot wells.
6.
Cab windscreen and side windows.
Another interesting point was the position of the dump
valve for the water heater. If this is located away from the heater, which
generates its own ‘warm area’, then the contents of the water heater can potentially
be ‘dumped’ early.
Under Grade 3 test conditions the test vehicle is given a period of up to four hours to reach 20°C from a start point of -15°C. An important, but overlooked fact before the test was the effect airflow had on the ability of the heating system to warm the vehicle throughout.
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| motorhometrips.blogspot.com |
Under Grade 3 test conditions the test vehicle is given a period of up to four hours to reach 20°C from a start point of -15°C. An important, but overlooked fact before the test was the effect airflow had on the ability of the heating system to warm the vehicle throughout.
To improve the points above the following corrective
actions were taken:
i.
The blown air ducting was re-routed through the bed boxes. Small holes were
made in the ducting to bleed warm air in to the bed box.
ii.
The insulation of the ‘D’ posts was substantially improved.
iii.
A removable studded sealing/insulation strip was added to the centre of the
rear door, running from top to bottom.
iv.
The wheel arches were insulated with WheelarchBlankets. These are one of
seven modules of The TankBlanket System, the water tank heater.
v.
The flow heated blown air was improved in to the cab foot well.
vi.
Silver windscreen guards were installed to improve the windscreen and side
window insulation.
vii.
The location of the dump valve was moved to a position as close to the
water heater to overcome the possibility of its contents being purged early.
To improve the efficiency of the blown air heating system
and its effectiveness to achieve a homogenous temperature throughout the
vehicle the pathway of the blown air ducting pipework was re-designed.
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| motorhometrips.blogspot.com |
Drafts can be a problem and in our experience they
originate from two sources, the free flowing ventilation and build quality.
Caution is required here and any draft from free flowing ventilation either in
the roof or floor is best left alone. Those drafts created from build quality are
a different matter and we recommend contacting your Dealer or Manufacturer to
remedy these issues.
For winterisation tips from around the web follow:
In our next blog, Motorhome winterisation will be
discussed in detail and the impact of The TankBlanket System, the water tank heater.
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| The water tank heater |
