[paul ette]

Anyone tried this? All this talk about freeze prevention in van with these bad frosts we've had, thought about using an electric blanket over ro and pumps.
Anyone know if it's safe?

[Jonny 87]

I havnt looked into it but I wouldn't think its safe to use in a wet environment.

But then again.....what if someone wets the bed and there using an electric blanket?

[kempy]

Water condensation from the roof and a electric blanket . I wouldn't take that risk .
My advice and it's been good over the last 3 years is

Extension lead £20
Oil filled radiator £90

Sounds dear , but it's similiar to a price of a Shurflo pump £80 ,RO at £220 , and other numerous parts to break due to ice .

So £90 oil filled radiator - big one - over last 3 years has cost me £30 a winter .
Running costs - I never noticed it .

[PoleKing]

I havnt looked into it but I wouldn't think its safe to use in a wet environment.

But then again.....what if someone wets the bed and there using an electric blanket?

Gotta be fine.
Electric blankets are for old people.
Old people wet the bed.
Never read the headline yet 'old codger electrocuted after weeing the bed'
You'll be fine

[Spruce]

Water condensation from the roof and a electric blanket . I wouldn't take that risk .
My advice and it's been good over the last 3 years is

Extension lead £20
Oil filled radiator £90

Sounds dear , but it's similiar to a price of a Shurflo pump £80 ,RO at £220 , and other numerous parts to break due to ice .

So £90 oil filled radiator - big one - over last 3 years has cost me £30 a winter .
Running costs - I never noticed it .

^^^^ agree.

I also have a large double bed duvet over the tank. As my pumps are mounted on the side of the tank about half way up, the duvet also covers them. If I had an r/o in the van as most are mounted, then the duvet would cover that as well.

I maintain that the water in the tank, even direct from the tap, will help to keep the r/o and any equipment from damage. The duvet helps to insulate the 'warmth' from escaping too quickly.

I have a very old 800 watt convection heater with a frostat fitted. It sits across the back of my Citroen Relay van and have never had a problem with anything frozen in the past 6 - 7 years. (This is my second Citroen Relay.)
However, I'm also the first to add that we don't experience the extremes of temperatures on the North East coast that some do. The coldest winter I ever experienced up until a few years ago was in Reading in Berkshire in 1999.

I believe that the old Omnipole system (they use their own tank design with a large lid) actually had their r/o's suspended inside the tank and submerged in the water unless the tank was pretty empty. I'm not sure whether they still use this system today though.

[paul ette]

the last two nights frosts here have been terrible and im south west, i have sleeping bags over my kit, just thought a warm blanket would gauruntee no freezing as a lot including me have been caught out lately.
thought it seems risky using in damp enviroment, but we all sweat through the night and i imagine more so with an electric blanket and ye old people pee the bed lol, so im told.
the mrs reckons it will catch fire so think ill give it a miss

[slap bash]

I have considered 2 square meters of electric underfloor heating unit.

[Spruce]

the last two nights frosts here have been terrible and im south west, i have sleeping bags over my kit, just thought a warm blanket would gauruntee no freezing as a lot including me have been caught out lately.
thought it seems risky using in damp enviroment, but we all sweat through the night and i imagine more so with an electric blanket and ye old people pee the bed lol, so im told.
the mrs reckons it will catch fire so think ill give it a miss

An over blanket can we used all night. I don't know what the safety aspects are TBH.

An electric underblanket can't be left on all night. It is used to warm the bed and switched off once you retire to a warm bed.

Slap Dash has suggested an electric underfloor heating blanket. There was a thread on here many years ago by a fellow Souh African who felt that fitting one under his tank was a good idea. I'm not sure as the tank 'moves' (it isn't rigid) with driving, filling and empting. (My 650 liter tank swells when full and I see wear marks under the tank when I removed it a few months ago.) I felt that this would wear through the under blanket element wires even if it was between layers of underfelt for example.