[Nathanael Jones]

Would anyone be interested in a frost protection gizmo for their DIY gas system? I'm talking with some electronic whizz kids at the moment about designing & building one for me,.. and obviously the more I buy the cheaper they get!

The basic principle involves leaving your heater switched on overnight & the end of your hose in the tank,.. so you'd need a vented system & you'd need to be confident its properly installed if you're leaving it on overnight. This could also be an insurance issue, so check with your broker (get it in writing) before you consider going down this road.

The gizmo itself would simply control the pump,.. When the temp in the van drops below 4C it switches the pump on which in turn lights your heater,.. when the temp rises above 6C it switches your pump back off.
Although I doubt it would ever take more than 20 minutes of heat to get your van above 6C again, the unit will have a built in reset & will cut power to the pump for 10 or 20 seconds after 15 minutes, and then start again,.. so if your heater has a 20 minute timer, or for any reason fails to fire up the first time, it will be reset & another attempt allowed.

I reckon there aren't many ppl with their heaters vented outside, so the quantities won't be massive enough to make this really cheap,.. and lets face it an electric heater is an easier option & cheaper to run,.. but if there are a few ppl interested who can't get power to their vans at night, it might be worth clubbing together & getting a unit made up.

It will of course be designed for minimum power drain, have an external temp probe that can be positioned near the equipment most susceptible to frost damage, will be enclosed in a waterproof box, and will not interfere with normal day to day usage of your system.

If you'd be interested, let me know! 

[wazzz]

Hi

Nice idea, but waiting to see what Peters solution is, with his hot wash .

Was looking at this http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=31698.

It's 12v so might get one to play with .

The other things I have been looking at is a simple inline therostat , like in a car engine , or motor bike. The simple type that is bi metallic, ie will just open the water pipe if temps drops , so pressure should drop an pump start. Still looking for that , no joy jet.

Was there a supplier last year who had a van heating system , with frost stat option, and had a 12 v option , but can't recall if it was via an inveter or not .

[ian1972]

How much u talking nat?

[Nathanael Jones]

How much u talking nat?

The design & prototype is prob going to cost about £200 (Just for one unit!!!). Once its designed its looking to be about £50 each.

I'm trying to get prices down, but I reckon there's not going to be hundreds of ppl wanting one, and small quantity production is costly.

[wightsurf]

Nat, you say to get van above 6c again. The prob is it's never above that from the moment  i stop work for the day. So this thermo stat thingy is goging to be running from the minute i get home .
Or have i missed the point somewhere ?
probly as i have had a few Drniks lool 

[Nathanael Jones]

Nat, you say to get van above 6c again. The prob is it's never above that from the moment  i stop work for the day. So this thermo stat thingy is goging to be running from the minute i get home .
Or have i missed the point somewhere ?
probly as i have had a few Drniks lool 

It will measure the temp inside your van, which being small will heat up very quickly. As soon as the van is out of the "danger zone" the heater switches off.

If your van is insulated the heater shouldn't have to run more than 10 mins in an hour.

[Clive McDonald]

Very good idea Nat. I don't have a flue hole.


A tap giving the option of going to the tank instead of fiddling about with the end of the hose is better design.I do have this.Although the warm water wouldn't run through my hose reel and give me this benefit.

I don't want to appear a peter basher but you must have figured by now that he hasn't got a clue.As you point out only a very few systems will be vented(have a hole in the roof), and he states that his attachment is intended for an open door. Ergo his anti frost system is nonsence.A bit like his flow rate figures.For the most part he has no idea whatsoever what you are talking about.You might as well be talking to ewan.

[concept]

Nat, you say to get van above 6c again. The prob is it's never above that from the moment  i stop work for the day. So this thermo stat thingy is goging to be running from the minute i get home .
Or have i missed the point somewhere ?
probly as i have had a few Drniks lool 

It will measure the temp inside your van, which being small will heat up very quickly. As soon as the van is out of the "danger zone" the heater switches off.

If your van is insulated the heater shouldn't have to run more than 10 mins in an hour.

Poseidon do a good frost stat.

If you need any help, Elliot is the man.

[lyndy]

Concept I'm finding it really hard to get hold of Elliot,should be having my kit fitted mon,but he never rings me back,are you happy with your system?

[Nathanael Jones]

Poseidon do a good frost stat.

If you need any help, Elliot is the man.

Does their unit have the 15 minute reset feature?
With most L5's having a cut out timer I think this feature is essential,... if the heater cuts out and the frost stat never re-sets then your whole system will freeze anyway.

[lyndy]

Have a look poseidenproducts.co.uk

[Nathanael Jones]

Have a look poseidenproducts.co.uk

Its £220 extra for the frost stat!!!!
 

http://poseidonproducts.co.uk/Heater.html

[Nathanael Jones]

I'm defo going ahead with this unit,.. even with heaters in the van my gear is frozen today (-12 here at the moment),.. but I reckon if the water was moving it would have still been ok this morning. Besides the fact that the gas heater is a lot more powerful than the electric ones,...

[ian1972]

What heater have u got in ur van nat? I find oil filled rad is working well

[Nathanael Jones]

2kw fan heater,.. the van roof is insulated too & it still froze!!

[ian1972]

Rear of van has that garage door insulation the stuff u get from b and q for £80 ish  tank has that board type cavity wall insulation round it again from b and q think it was a fiver a sheet and at night oil filled rad in it's cheaper than a fan heater seems to work a treat,

[Nathanael Jones]

I've 2" foam board insulation (the one with foil on each side) on my back doors & roof.

The problem with my van is I have shelves built in which stop the heat getting all around. I have my window cleaning gear at the back door & pressure washer etc at the side door. The fan heater blows the heat through the gaps in the shelving better.

I filled my tank with warm water last night too, only 16C but I thought 650 litres of it would help keep the frost away.

Its the coldest I can ever remember it being here,.. max temp today is supposed to be -5.

[ian1972]

It is the worst winter I ever seen

[Nathanael Jones]

It is the worst winter I ever seen

They're saying its the worst winter here for 150 years,.. thats the last time the river froze apparently!!

[Nathanael Jones]

Here is a video of the sample unit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoXX4WZzMZs