[Ian Gourlay]

I park my van in the parking bay which is outside my house but there is also a public path that I have to cross.

Although I could open Garden Gates and create a parking space in garden it would mean loosing yet more garden which already has Office and storage facilities in it

So how do you stop a truck mount freezing in winter

With the portable if anything happens I usually get it repaired for about £100 max . but a truck mount?

I am thinking there is say 100 litres of water at end of day  do you drain down both tanks at night etc

[from edge2edge]

Ian i currently have a heater which is in the van but cable is run into my house but have been asking on here for van installed heaters than run off the vans diesel i think somewhere in Preston does them for £650 approx but longterm i think it is worth it to avoid the hassle.I have just had my truckmount serviced at MPMS and the guy there (Roger) said its very important to stop it freezing .The cost if frozen is hundreds apparently.Regards Alan(swindon)

[Glynn]

The cost of freezing one proper would cost thousands not hundreds.

[Jim_77]

Ian on a slightly frosty night just touching freezing, with a well insulated van, the heat from the machine will keep it OK overnight if you've only shut the machine down late in the afternoon.

When temperature dips lower or your machine hasn't been running in the day your options are either run a cable in to an oil filled rad in the back, or get an eberspacher type heater which uses diesel out of your van's tank and electric from the battery.

You haven't really got to worry about the water in the tank, it's in the heat exchangers and small pipe work where it will freeze easiest.

[Ian Gourlay]

Hi Jim

Looks like there are plenty of suppliers of eberspacher heaters

Regards

Ian

[Joe H]

Ian
The Eberspracher is what the truckers have on their vehicles to keep them warm in their sleeper cabs.

[Steve Chapman]

You could run antifreeze through the system each night but obviously would have to be flushed out every morning before use, which is a bit of pain, but still better than it freezing badly and busting a pipe etc

Steve

[jasonl]

My kit was all frozen up this morning, oh ,yes , the handle on the buffer was so cold when I went to pick it up 

[Simon Gerrard]

Ian,

This is the ultimate answer and one well worth considering regardless of the £700 price tag (second-hand on ebay, sometimes) The cost of repairing a frozen TM can be frightening and with a Webasto you can heat your van no matter where you are and with the increasingly cold winters may turn out to be a good investment.

Simon

[Andrew Briscoe]

Simon, are they like an erberspacher, do they run off diesel and the van battery,
could hook mine up to red diesel tank, do they drain battery much,
who supplies up north

Andrew

Ps mine has a new  fan heater in at mo

[Simon Gerrard]

Ian,

ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Webasto-Airtop-2000-/130444702241?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_BoatEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item1e5f1c3221

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-WEBASTO-AIR-TOP-2000-ST-12V-DIESEL-NIGHT-HEATER-/200531023204?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_BoatEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item2eb0949564

Simon

[Simon Gerrard]

Mark
Simon, are they like an erberspacher, do they run off diesel and the van battery,
could hook mine up to red diesel tank, do they drain battery much,
who supplies up north

Yes they are the same as the Eberspacher.
Yes, they run of diesel, but very little.
No, they don't drain the battery over the average cold night and have battery protection built in. You're not trying to keep the van warm as such, just keep it about freezing and because this is a constant warm airflow it heats every part of the van and not just the bit near the heat as with oil filled radiators.
Leyland Autos. 01772 695 000

Simon

[elliott cleaning]

My kit was all frozen up this morning, oh ,yes , the handle on the buffer was so cold when I went to pick it up 

Always knew there was a real downside to this LM malarkey, Jason

[colin thomas]

if you use an oil filled radiator to keep the van warm as i do, also put a small fan in the back pointing at the rad to move the air around the whole of the van, no hot spots!

 

[Griffus]

I was going to recommend using a 'night heater'. As a former trucker I can vouch for the heat these things are capable of.

Haven't been on a night out for well over 15 years    but they used to be quite noisy in operation.