CaravanPress

Winter camping

Freezing water is a common problem in winter camping. Fresh water tanks are usually located under the seats in motorhomes, so they stay warm when the heating is on. Some caravans may have the fresh water tank inside the gas bottle locker, which is not heated. These caravans are not suitable for winter camping.

Most caravans do not have a built-in waste water tank, but all motorhomes do have it. It is most often placed under the vehicles floor and near the rear axel. This is a good position considering the weight distribution, since it helps to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. However the position also means that the tank is outside and freezes up easily.

Heated water tank

Electric heating and some insulation around the tank is the most common way to prevent the waste water tank to freeze up. This is available for most motorhome models with a cost of few hundred Euros. The solution really does not make a motorhome winter proof. An outlet pipe hangs in the air under the motorhomes floor and gets covered on snow and ice. The valve mechanism gets jammed and it’s impossible to get the heated waste water out of the tank. There’s no point to pay any extra to get only the tank heated and insulated.

Frozen water outlet

Heated outlet pipe

Some motorhome brands provide insulation and heating also for the outlet pipe. The outlet pipe and valve still tend to freeze up, so this is not a completely reliable solution, but helps to some extent. Electric foils or wires are used to implement the heating, so mains supply is always needed. The system is not on while driving, so snow and ice may clog up the pipe. The heating power may not be sufficient for very cold days. This approach helps through some cold nights, but it is not enough for serious winter camping.

Winter proof solution

The most reliable way to solve the waste water tank freezing problem is to position the tank in a heated part of a motorhome. A natural position can be for example between a heated double floor area. Some motorhomes use Truma’s warm air outlet to keep the tank warm. The outlet pipe and the valve mechanism should be also placed inside a heated area. A separate hatch can be provided to enable easy access to the valve handle.

This solution does not require any additional heating for the waste water system. No extra energy gets wasted to keep the tank warm and mains electricity is not needed. The waste water system is fully functional when a motorhome heating is on - even while driving. The user experience is excellent, since there’s no need to worry about turning the system on or off. This could be also referred to as a low energy solution, which keeps the environment happy.