Friday 25 August 2017

TankBlanket Keeps You Flowing!

 TankBlanket Keeps you Flowing

Get Informed! Read the story so far....


TankBlanket: The Campervan, Motorhome & Caravan Tank Heater Pad


If you are new to TankBlanket then please read on - this Blog will inform and guide you through the World of TankBlanket.



Each year more and more Motorhomers are using their vehicles throughout the year and as a consequence the need to protect the fresh and waste water systems from freezing is paramount.

So, enter the TankBlanket!......... which fulfils this requirement and can be  purchased individually or in Kit form, which supplies you with everything required to install TankBlanket successfully.... excluding the tools of course! 


The contents of a TankBlanket Kit can be viewed by following the link below.




And, installation is simple too :-






 You can read about the impact TankBlanket has made here:


We know you may want, will want, to understand what TankBlanket is before making that purchase, so here are the facts, plain and simple:





And, to see how TankBlanket performed under test read on :





Also, you may be interested in the insights gained by a leading manufacturer during cold chamber testing...






And, against the competition... it was a Turkey Shoot..........





Finally, if you are still with us, then Grade 3, which is the sticker you see displayed on Motorhomes and Caravans certifying it has been winter tested, is explained :




End.

Friday 18 August 2017

Simple Facts about TankBlanket


Our aim here is to clearly present the facts about TankBlanket and an alternative product known generally as a Frostat, De-Frost Element or In-Tank probe. 
Frostat or De-Frost element

It is important to winterise your campervan, motorhome, caravan, horsebox or indeed any support vehicle that has a freshwater system if you wish to use it throughout the autumn, winter and spring.

TankBlanket 121 & 90

To winterise you have to:


  •  Protect the fresh and waste water tanks.
  • Protect external pipes. 
  • Keep the internal temperature above 6 °C.

The fresh and waste water tanks, exposed to typical UK winter conditions, can be protected with just TankBlanket or a number of Frostats (dependent upon the size of the tank). In addition you may wish to protect the fresh and waste water Tank with an insulating wrap, but in the case of TankBlanket, this is about making the heater pad more efficient, rather than additional frost protection.
For more detailed information on winterising your leisure vehicle please follow this link:
Further winterisation tips are available here:

We have structured this Blog around six criteria: capacity, power consumption, testing, cost and operation.


1.0 Capacity Facts

  • A Frostat or De Frost element protects up to 45 Litres. 
  • A TankBlanket 90 protects up to 90 litres.
  • A TankBlanket 121 protects up to 121 Litres.


  You need two Frostat for each TankBlanket 90.

You need three Frostat for each TankBlanket 121.


For further information on the TankBlanket specification please follow this link:

2.0 Power Consumption Facts

  • A Frostat is rated at 2.5A
  • A TankBlanket 90 is rated at 4.0A
  • A TankBlanket 121 is rated at 5.0A

To protect a 90 Litre tank Frostat will draw 5.0A 

To protect a 90 Litre tank TankBlanket draws 4.0A


For more information concerning power rating please follow this link:

3.0 TankBlanket Testing

TankBlanket has been tested in both the USA and UK, to -24 °C and -15 °C respectively.
In both instances TankBlanket performed extremely well. Follow this link to see our pictorial blog from a cold chamber test:




Please follow this link to read a press article involving TankBlanket in the February 2014 issue of Caravan Industry and Park Operator:


ü  TankBlanket winterisation is proven to work!

ü  TankBlankets fitted 20yrs ago are still operating today!!

4.0 Cost Detail 

Comparing current purchase costs TankBlanket is around 35% cheaper per Litre protected.

For simplicity the above excludes postage & packing, packing charges (De-Frost element/Frostat only) and the electrical circuit components which are similar for both products.

If you include fitting cost TankBlanket becomes even more attractive.


5.0 Installation

Both products can be installed at a Dealer or by yourself. 

TankBlanket is less complicated to install due to being, just a simple ‘peel & stick’ of a single component rather than the complication of drilling several holes, assembling a number of components and sealing against water ingress.

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 TankBlankets have been in operation for over twenty years!

Frostat requires holes to be drilled in the tank
TankBlanket is simply ‘peel & stick’



6.0 Operation

Both TankBlanket and Frostat are activated by the temperature of the water in the tank.


      • Frostat is switched on at 5 °C 
      • Frostat is switched off at 10 °C
      • TankBlanket is switched on at 7 °C
      • TankBlanket is switched off at 18 °C

Frostat will cycle on and off at a higher frequency than TankBlanket. 

Testing in America has shown that it is better to protect tanks that are almost full as it takes longer for a larger mass of water to lose temperature.
For more information on an In-Tank probe or Frostat please visit:

That’s it - plain & simple!

Although, if you do have further questions or queries,
then please don’t hesitate to contact us!

TankBlanket: Winterisation that Works!

 


To find out more about The TankBlanket System please visit:

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

  end.


Lessons from Cold Chamber Testing


Cold chamber tests for Grade 3 accreditation of a motorhome involves exposing the vehicle to -15 °C for an extended period of time.

We were involved in a Panel Van Test 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.

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.

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 follow:

For winterisation tips from around the web follow:



The water tank heater

        

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