Wednesday 28 December 2016

TankBlanket and it's nearest rival!

Before we discuss TankBlanket's nearest rival we would like to re-iterate that TankBlanket is proven to work in America at -24 °C and has been cold chamber tested in the UK at -15°C with outstanding results. Please follow this link to see the results:


Further, the adhesive that attaches TankBlanket to the bottom of the tank becomes more aggressive with age and although it is designed for ten years service a number of units have been in operation for over twenty years!

Now, its nearest rival is the in-tank probe or ‘Frostat’. But a single Frostat can protect a fresh or waste water tank up to 45 Litres while TankBlanket protects up to 152 Litres. Comparing purchase cost, ‘Frostat’ is around 35% more expensive per litre protected than TankBlanket.
And if you include fitting cost TankBlanket becomes even more attractive!

In Tank Probe / Frostat

And remember, you have to drill the tank to fit Frostat not only once but three times for a 120 Litre tank! Yes, you have to fit three Frostats to one TankBlanket for a typical fresh water tank! And generally you have to fit two ‘Frostats’ to one TankBlanket on a waste water tank!
Three holes potentially mean three leaks! But one peel & stick TankBlanket is guaranteed not to cause leaks. It’s impossible.
TankBlanket can be easily retro-fitted even if a ‘Frostat’ is currently installed. We have a nationwide Dealer network or you can even install it yourself with our installation Kit and website support.



If you are thinking of selling your campervan or caravan now or in the future, then, why not gain a competitive edge, add a unique selling point and upgrade to TankBlanket; it could well hasten your sale and improve your exchange value! Or, just upgrade anyway and enjoy your vehicle all year round! The desire to use motorhomes and caravans throughout the year is a trend that is growing in popularity. Although a major inhibitor to this is the potential for the fresh and waste water system to freeze; The TankBlanket System overcomes this by providing a comprehensive winterisation solution that works.

TankBlanket has:
  • A low cost compared to its rivals.
  • Proven performance.
  • Proven endurance and robustness.
  • A quicker Installation time than its main rival with no risk of leakage.

TankBlanket v It's Rival?
It`s TankBlanket  Every time! 
TankBlanket ..... Winterisation that Works!


To find out more about The TankBlanket System please visit:

http://www.tankblanket.co.uk/http://www.tankblanket.co.uk/

Tuesday 20 December 2016

Winterisation Tips & Advice

 Winterisation, Tips & Advice

from TankBlanket

Winterisation that works!


When people discuss winterisation they are generally referring to a vehicle’s preparation for winter storage; we define it as a motorhome fitted with a water system that does not freeze and therefore can be used throughout the year.

A good starting point in creating that ultimate winterised vehicle is to own one accredited with Grade 3. You will then have assurance that the insulation and heating system will cope with freezing conditions. If your vehicle is not Grade 3 accredited then you start from a weaker position, but, by nature of their construction method, monocoque and coachbuilt / Styrofoam models possess good insulation levels; it is panel van conversions that struggle, due to their steel body shell.

http://www.tankblanket.co.uk/
The water tank heater
The first step in winterising your vehicle is to protect the fresh and waste water tanks. There are three methods available. These are in-tanks probes or Frostats as they are more generally known, insulation wraps and TankBlankets.

Both Frostats and TankBlanket are thermostatically controlled and require an LED switched 12V dc fused power supply. A single Frostat has a capacity to protect up to 45 Litres of water while a TankBlanket can protect up to 121 Litres and is available in two sizes depending on the surface area of your tank.


Frostat is an in-tank probe similar to an immersion heater. The installation of Frostat involves  drilling a hole in the tank, while TankBlanket is a water tank heater that you just simply peel & stick, as it is applied to the outside of the tank and with no holes to be drilled, is guaranteed to be leak proof. In addition the adhesive that bonds TankBlanket becomes more aggressive with age and units installed in the USA during 1991 are still in use today.

http://www.tankblanket.co.uk/
The water tank heater

Several retailers market an insulation wrap and as a standalone insulator they offer some protection against frost but are not a robust solution. Using an insulation wrap in conjunction with Frostat or TankBlanket will improve the efficiency of both products as it keeps heat in rather than cold out! The TankJacket insulator is an element of The TankBlanket System and is recommended more to improve the energy efficiency of TankBlanket rather than as frost protection.

Typical fresh and waste water tanks are 100 and 60 litres respectively. Therefore, to protect both the fresh and waste water tanks two Frostats per tank are required compared to one TankBlanket. We recommend, based on ease of installation, robustness, cost and energy efficiency, fitting a TankBlanket in conjunction with a TankJacket to your fresh and waste water tanks.

With your fresh and waste water tanks protected the next issue to tackle is the externally exposed pipework. The solutions available are trace heaters, PipeBlankets and pipe insulator. Trace heaters are widely available in the domestic market, while, PipeBlanket, an element of the TankBlanket System, was specifically designed for leisure vehicles. Similar to TankBlanket, PipeBlanket requires a fused 12V dc power circuit controlled by an LED switch although they are not thermostatically controlled; trials have shown there is no need. Trace heaters wrap or spiral around the pipe to be protected while PipeBlanket is applied to the bottom of the pipe which is where they gain an edge over trace heaters. By being applied to the bottom of the pipe the heat generated from PipeBlanket is applied where it is needed as the pipework on leisure vehicles may not be full. Because Trace heaters are wrapped around the pipe they need the pipe being protected to be full of water. Applying heat to an empty plastic pipe could result in damage as the pipe may become distorted. Fitting pipe insulation should in most cases provide a satisfactory solution, as long as the insulation is good quality. PipeJacket, an element of The TankBlanket System is a high quality closed cell insulator.
http://www.tankblanket.co.uk/

For protecting pipework we recommend, based on cost, performance and providence fitting PipeJacket; but for that ultimate winterised vehicle, we advocate installing PipeBlanket in conjunction with PipeJacket.
TankBlanket and PipeBlanket require their own 12V dc power circuit controlled by an LED switch. This allows you to isolate a particular tank or pipe and leave it switched off in cold conditions if there is no water in the tank or pipe.
When switched 'On', TankBlanket automatically activates when the contents of the water tank drops to 7 °C and deactivates when the contents reach 18 °C. This keeps the tank contents just outside the freeze zone and because TankBlanket cycles ‘on’ and ‘off’ automatically, energy consumption is minimised. PipeBlanket is not thermostatically controlled; tests have shown that for this application, due to the volume of water involved, it is not required. Each Tank and Pipe Blanket has their own switch but to eliminate the stress of remembering when to switch them ‘on’ and ‘off’ the TankBlanket System has an intelligent iController, which monitors the ambient temperature and automatically switches the selected Tank and PipeBlanket on and off.

With the external tanks and pipework protected attention now turns to the habitation area. Our previous blog concerning cold chamber testing details some unforeseen ‘nuggets of wisdom’ concerning blown air heating, drafts, cold spots, dump valves, and airflow.

http://www.tankblanket.co.uk/
WheelarchBlanket
An interesting point which was highlighted during cold chamber testing was how cold the internal surfaces of the wheel arches were. To combat this, a quilted WheelarchBlanket was developed and fitted with excellent results. WheelarchBlanket is part of The TankBlanket System, which is rapidly becoming The choice water tank heater.
The Achilles heel of Leisure vehicle winterisation, especially during a Grade 3 cold chamber test, is the abundance of hidden water pipes, located in places that are difficult to access but loved by Jack Frost!
So, does this mean that creating that Ultimate Winterised Vehicle is unattainable?
Well, we believe that Grade 3 test conditions are harsh; a vehicle is soaked for a minimum of ten hours at -15°C with no heating switched on. After this the heating system is then allowed four hours to raise the habitation area to an even 20 °C throughout. These criteria are not representative of typical winter motorhoming. We believe that a motorhome used under normal ambient conditions, winterised, in line with the above recommendations, should be more than capable of coping with freezing conditions. If the interior of the vehicle is kept above 10 °C  your internal pipes should remain frost free while The TankBlanket system will deliver free flowing water.
But, we do know that several major manufacturers have a desire to design, manufacture and market a leisure vehicle that can pass the grade 3 cold chamber test with a fully charged water system. So, the battle is on!
Which manufacturer is going to be the first to market such a beast?
For further winterisation tips and advice from the TankBlanket Team please visit:

We have collected together some of the best articles, blogs and websites offering winterisation advice; please follow this link:




http://www.tankblanket.co.uk/
The water tank heater

To find out more about The TankBlanket System please visit:

 http://www.tankblanket.co.uk/

Thursday 1 December 2016

The TankBlanket Kit



The Campervan Motorhome & Caravan Tank Heater Pad





If you are a Dealer fitting TankBlanket as an aftermarket upgrade or a confident DIY enthusiast that wants to retro-fit TankBlanket, then, the TankBlanket Kit is the most simplest, efficient and cost effective method.


The TankBlanket Kit is available in five formats:

  1. The 121 Kit
  2. The   90 Kit
  3. The 152 Kit
  4. The Fitting Kit (which excludes a Tank Blanket)
  5. The ‘Big Pack’

and contains everything you need to install TankBlanket excluding tools. 

TankBlanket installation ..... Winterisation that works!

A TankBlanket kit comprises:


a.    A TankBlanket

b.    A 15A fuse and self stripping fuse holder

c.     6 offf Male crimp receptacles

d.    6 off Female shrouded receptacles

e.    12 off fixing clips

f.      10 off cable clips

g.    Solvent cleaning pads

h.    Silicon sealer

i.      Rubber protection strip

j.      Flexible cable conduit

k.    Two core electric cable

l.      2 off ring terminals

m.   A 15A rated switch

n.   1 off Piggy back connector



Note: The Fitting Kit contains all of the above except a TankBlanket

TankBlanket Installation ..... Winterisation that works!


Before attempting to install TankBlanket please study and digest our Fitting instructions and the TankBlanket 12V electrical circuit.

TankBlanket ..... Winterisation that works!



If you have any queries or need clarification then please contact us.


The TankBlanket System: Winterisation that Works!







Why not join our community on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to learn more about TankBlanket in operation or even contact us via our support page?
Have you found this blog informative, interesting?
If so please leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. Thanks in advance. 


To find out more about The TankBlanket System please visit:

http://www.tankblanket.co.uk/http://www.tankblanket.co.uk/

Tuesday 22 November 2016

Grade 3 Testing - Demystified !

Motorhome & Caravan  Winterisation: Grade 3 Explained!

 

The vast majority of Motorhome marketing now includes winterisation as a key selling feature.

Attend any motorhome or caravan show and you will be bombarded with stickers displayed on product and brochures that declare 'this motorhome is Grade 3 accredited' and is a ‘winterised’ vehicle that can be used ‘all year round’.

So what is Grade 3 and what does ‘winterisation’ mean?
Simply, Grade 3 is a British standard for heating and insulation while ‘winterisation’ is a term open to a plethora of interpretation.

For this blog, winterization is taken to mean a motorhome that can be used in freezing conditions with free flowing fresh and waste water.

Grade 3 emanates from the British standard BS EN 1646-1:2012 titled ‘Leisure accommodation vehicles – Motor caravans part 1: Habitation requirements relating to health and safety’.  Within section 9 of this standard is the detail relating to three levels of motor caravan heating. These are:

motorhometrips.blogspot.com
Grade 1: No heating.

Grade 2:  When the outside temperature is 0°C the internal temperature must be held at an average of at least 20 °C for a defined period of time.

Grade 3: When the outside temperature is -15°C the internal temperature must be held at an average of at least 20 °C for a defined period of time.

The test has to be performed under controlled conditions and is subject to certain criteria so results can be reproduced and compared with statistical integrity. The standard states that the test should be performed in a cold chamber with temperature probes located at specific points.

The test is subject to four time based criteria. These are:

Phase 1: The vehicle is soaked a in cold chamber for at least 10 hours to achieve a temperature of 0 °C or -15 °C throughout, depending whether it is a grade 2 or 3 test.

Phase 2: Upon reaching its soak temperature the habitation heating system is switched on and the vehicle is given up to 2 hours or 4 hours to achieve an internal temperature of 20 °C, again, depending whether it is a grade 2 or 3 test.

Phases 3 & 4: Once the internal temperature of 20 °C has been achieved a 1 hour stabilizing period commences before monitoring of the thermal energy consumption takes place.

 This is the important statement for those wishing to use their vehicle throughout the year:

The standard states that ‘precautions’ should be taken to ensure that the fresh water system can be charged at the end of the 1 hour stabilising period (phase 3) and operate while the external temperature is at -15 °C.

This means the business end of the test is performed with a dry vehicle and water is only added at the end of the one hour stabilising period, that is, when the vehicle's internal temperature is at 20°C.

If the vehicle under test achieves all of the above criteria then it is accredited as a Grade 3 Motorhome.

So, Grade 3 is a thermal insulation and heating standard. A motorhome with Grade 3 will keep you warm in freezing conditions but it will not provide you with free flowing fresh and waste water during sub zero temperatures.
So, who in the UK manufactures a genuinely ‘winterised’ motorhome, one that can be used all year round with confidence that the water system is not going to freeze up? Let's see what 2014 brings!

In our next blog, insights gained from cold chamber testing of TankBlanket, the water tank heater, will be discussed. So, why not follow us?


TankBlanket : The water tank heater


End

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