Full Water Tank vs Deisal usage ?

[sweet caroline]

Hi guys, you lovely merry men/women out there !

When I go onto the many forums I belong to, and people say that OFF GRID is the way to go, as the sites have become so expensive, (which is TRUE! even CL sites, with no facilities are expensive !).

Well my question is ? I am up for a 2-week holiday driving from Suffolk to the Penines and the Lake District, but this time I am going to go via Britstops! But the problem is there is no water or electricity in their carparks for most, but some yes, but majority No!

Now as a lady, I like to shower everyday, so where do I get the water from?, to fill my tank up. Was told, NEVER drive with a full tank of water, as your consumption on deisal will skyrocket ! So not too sure, what the heck I do now! Trying to save money on the every increasing sites , or putting water into my tank, which at present, not too sure, where I would get that from anyway ? As most carparks don't have that facilities,

HELP please Advise please, if you have the time, during this xmas rush? hahah

 

[sweet caroline]

ow

www I have just bought the trigger head, I was recommended, for 12.50. if this helps, if not then I will invest in the touchy 60£ one, you have kindly recommended honey

Think they talking about water tank capacity which is differant to your boiler capacity which is 10ltrs.. so with a larger water tank you can fill your boiler numerous times and get more showers..to a max of 10ltr per shower before water gets colder... obviously you have to mix cold water to that boiler water to shower temperature so the cooler you have water the longer shower you can have.

maybe that is where i am going wrong, too hot a shower in the first place maybe? So am I right, you cant get a larger hot boiler system though ? 10 lirs is the largest for any vehicle

 

[sweet caroline]

The LARGEST Trauman heater is 14 litres, so mine is 10, maybe others have a larger heater, and a larger one, will cost around 1500 plus installation, ouchy

 

[poppycamper]

maybe that is where i am going wrong, too hot a shower in the first place maybe? So am I right, you cant get a larger hot boiler system though ? 10 lirs is the largest for any vehicle

Sorry can't answer that for sure,, but I do think it is the case with truma...
Maybe other makes available, but you need to think about fitment, and expense

 

[oldiesontour]

There is a post with a link to a gas powered flow heater somewhere...heat the water as you use it to the temperature you want.Think it was £230 ISH...if it's any good or not ? I have had same principal ones in property very good but use a lot of water ( they are known as tankless LPG water heaters)

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[sweet caroline]

There is a post with a link to a gas powered flow heater somewhere...heat the water as you use it to the temperature you want.Think it was £230 ISH...if it's any good or not ? I have had same principal ones in property very good but use a lot of water ( they are known as tankless LPG water heaters)

ill look into this, thanks

 

[oldiesontour]

ill look into this, thanks

It was linked to e bay ..for camper vans Rv z

 

[Folkranger]

Thank you, so as i am travelling alone, then as you said the consumption wont be a lot of difference anyway! Why did other forums, say my 37 mpg, would then go down to 25 mpg, which is NOT good !

We always travel with full water. A full tank is about 1/40th of the weight of a van so could make about half a mile less per gallon. It's not even that though as weight and efficiency are not linear, much of the fuel is used up on factors such as wind drag which has nothing to do with weight, so hence there is no measureable difference with a full tank.

 

[starquake]

If it helps both me and wife can have a shower on a single 10l truma fill (we use hot/boost mode so it gets the tank nice and hot to allow 2 showers when mixed with cold). Do you have a shower heat that mixes air in, as if not you should look to get one as that lowers consumption (we have one).

We find our 100l tank does a shower a day for each of us minimum + our washing for around 4-5 days off grid, ie we use about a tank every 5 days.

Using a tank on 4 showers is effectively double our consmption, and yes my wife does wash her (long) hair as do I.

The biggest tip is getting the foaming shower gel from (Imperial leather foamburst or similar) as this massively reduces need for water, as you can just turn on wet hair and body, then foam, then rinse.

We also always carry a full tank of water in winter, if we are tevelling in summer we do not if we going to a site with water, but if we going for a festival/off grid place we are full. In winter it is becuase some taps will be shut/frozen on the weather and our tank is inboard so the heat in the motorhome keeps it from freezing. There is a minor impact to mpg, but it's probbaly half a mile per gallon if that.

 

[poppycamper]

The LARGEST Trauman heater is 14 litres,

That only heats the water...no heating
I assumed, rightly or wrongly you have a Truma Combi Boiler which gives you both hot water and heating... which I beleive only come in 10ltr variants..
Edited to add.
Both myself and Mrs Poppycamper can both have an adequate ( not together) shower with contents of a 10ltr boiler..

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[RV-AL]

so are you saying that fuel stations allow you to fill up with water ? I've never done this before, or is there a cost involved for this service ? as it takes about 20 minutes to fill up my tank

The issue with carrying water isn’t so much fuel economy as it is payload. For lots of people a fully laden van with full fuel and water tanks will be over weight limits. Make sure you have the payload before you just fill the water tanks.

 

[Bessy765]

At the end of the it’s what suits, we always travel with a full water tank never noticed any difference to the fuel in the winter if windy keeps the van more stable (125 litre + 10 litre can)

 

[VXman]

80 liters, enough for 2 showers, usually,

So no difference to carrying a passenger. Would you refuse to allow passenger in your van as it upped fuel consumption?

 

[VXman]

im

im not sure how big the Truma boiler is, but yes, after a very quick 4 minute shower, it runs cold.
Then I have to wait for the boiler to fill up again, and heat up, which doesn't take long but by then I'm out and dried. so tend to shower in the morning, then wash my hair in the evening!

Truma holds 10 litres. The problem i find is that as soon as the hot water leaves the tank it is being refilled with cold so that dilutes the hot. Put it on HOT setting and it's too hot but you can dilute it with cold via the tap. This means the hot will last longer.

4 mins is a long shower in a motorhome! Need to use the Navy shower technique.

Navy shower - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Cal54]

Have you considered the adult shower wipes for a top to toe wash down rather than using the shower every day. There are numerous varieties available and the thickness/quality is quite good. I always carry a pack in my campervan

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[hja]

it is the dreaded knock on the door from Mr plod, that worries me, or worse unexpected visitors, many as a man, that is NOT a worry, but in this day and age, it is all us women travellers anxieties sadly, mmmm

We do a mix of sites. I’m not keen on pub stops because we don’t like pub food, and it often turns out more expensive than a site. We use search for sites, and it is surprising how many aire type facilities there are now in the uk, and put together with none ehu CLs and CSs we keep our site fees down.
We always start of with a full tank of water. We dont shower every day, just a good wash. Our tank of 120 l lasts us four days, using it for everything.
Science will tell you that the heavier your van, the more fuel it will consume, but all these things are relative. We have never noticed a measurable difference in consumption relative to amount of water.

 

[hja]

A couple of points, we very rarely pay £30 for a site. We only paid £25 for a hardstanding CL with electric included, on a frequent bus route into York, and that is pretty close to our max.
With showers, I think you need to forget the norm of showering self and hair separately. Wet hair and body. Shampoo and soap. Rinse all. I also find it more water efficient to hold the shower head rather than stand under it when rinsing, it that might be our shower design.

 

[cyberyacht]

An 80L tank should last you four days without too much frugality. The other consideration is getting rid of grey and black which is often tricker than finding fresh. C&CC sites allow members a "splash and dash" visit which includes using the shower block for, I think, £7, so you can do a "housekeeping stop every 3-4 days. Needless to say, visiting aires with these water and waste facilities is so much easier on the continent. I've kept overall site/aire costs down to less than £11 per night this year, 42 nights abroad including some posh sites and 29 in the UK, a mixture of car parks, CLs and sites.

 

[Razamataz]

Thank you, so as i am travelling alone, then as you said the consumption wont be a lot of difference anyway! Why did other forums, say my 37 mpg, would then go down to 25 mpg, which is NOT good !

Think I would ditch the Other Forums

 

[Outdoors Dad]

For longer trips in the UK we like the ccc THS (cheap) sites as this allows us to fill up with water and drop waste. If your lucky you could find a couple on your planned journey and take advantage of this. We then chuck in a couple of cheap sites to go posh (use launderette on site) for a few nights and these are usually in an area we would prefer to be. Add a few p4night or pub stops and you've found your areas for your fortnight. Using the shower uses gas and creates grey water, so find a way to be frugal! Petrol stations usually charge a small fee at water point and it's usually slow but hey hoo.

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[meanders]

The issue with carrying water isn’t so much fuel economy as it is payload. For lots of people a fully laden van with full fuel and water tanks will be over weight limits. Make sure you have the payload before you just fill the water tanks.

I concur that payl;oad is likely to be the issue. 1 litre of water weighs 1kg (at standerd temperature and pressure), so an 80litre tank weighes 80kg more when full than when empty and the heater an extra 10kg. That can be significant, so shows the benefit of having the van weighed in running order. While it will have minimal effect of mpg, travelling with a full tank may push you over the limit. However, if you get stopped and weighed on the road, losing the water is possibly the easiest option to be allowed to proceed.

 

[Kannon Fodda]

The more weight that has to be moved the more energy needed i.e. diesel used. But in the scheme of things that will be marginal.

There will be some motorhomes, where the overall payload allowance, is insufficient for a full water tank when driving. This will typically be those limited to 3500kg for those without a C1 drivers licence.

There are also some motorhomes, usually with underslung tanks, where the manufacturer has been pathetic with their build quality and the fixings are inadequate for the weight of full water being bounced around whilst being driven.

It was notable that a number of vans, especially pvcs, at the last NEC show had stickers on the tank taps for the tanks to be emptied before driving. Personally that defeats the benefits of the motorhome being ready to pull up where you want, and would be a reason to not buy that van.

As for use of the shower in the van itself, the overall quantity of water available, even with a full tank, means it is not practical to use as at home with water running continuously. As others have hinted, brief dowse to wet the skin and water off, then soap up, then rinse down. I suspect I use only about 10l total of hot mixed with cold, and for some that would still be a lot of water. A trigger operated head on the hand held shower hose helps.

 

[PeterCarole29]

Yes your right, i turn off water in between soaping up,then back on again, a definite ART hahaha

We always change the shower head to one with a trigger on it it allows you to leave the shower valve set to the temperature you like once its warm

 

[PeterCarole29]

We always change the shower head to one with a trigger on it it allows you to leave the shower valve set to the temperature you like once its warm

just noticed its already been said

 

[poppycamper]

We always change the shower head to one with a trigger on it it allows you to leave the shower valve set to the temperature you like once its warm

Or alternatively fit one off these... once temp set, simply turn water on and off with lever without altering temperature

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[Broadway]

I always travel with a full tank. I’ve stopped at a number of BritStops places, mainly pubs. I’ve found most have an outside tap to connect a hose to. Just ask the owner/landlord.

 

[Minxy]

Thank you, so as i am travelling alone, then as you said the consumption wont be a lot of difference anyway! Why did other forums, say my 37 mpg, would then go down to 25 mpg, which is NOT good !

Because they are idiots! What are you doing on another forum anyway, you traitor!

hahah, shower off, soap, shower on, remove soap, shower on, and do it all again for the hair, is that the shower Shuffle? coz if it is, I'm just getting used to it. But why aren't the boilers bigger for hot water anyway ?

You've got it wrong, most economical way is to wet hair & body, water off, shampoo hair and use the suds to wash body, rinse off. Not only do you save water but soap too!

 

[iandsm]

Thank you, so as i am travelling alone, then as you said the consumption wont be a lot of difference anyway! Why did other forums, say my 37 mpg, would then go down to 25 mpg, which is NOT good !

It doesn't always pay to believe everything you read, the other forum member who said "down to 25 mpg" was talking rubbish, you would be well advised to go with the advice you are getting here, that it makes little or mo different. You can conform this by checking your fuel consumption with and without a full tank. You should be able to shower with about ten ltrs if you are frugal with the water so take a separate 10 ltr container for tea/coffee and you will be fine for three or four days at time. As you say some pubs have water but you next problem will be get and waste disposal. I would suggest you stay on a CL as required for these purposes

 

[Happy Jack]

Hi guys, you lovely merry men/women out there !

When I go onto the many forums I belong to, and people say that OFF GRID is the way to go, as the sites have become so expensive, (which is TRUE! even CL sites, with no facilities are expensive !).

Well my question is ? I am up for a 2-week holiday driving from Suffolk to the Penines and the Lake District, but this time I am going to go via Britstops! But the problem is there is no water or electricity in their carparks for most, but some yes, but majority No!

Now as a lady, I like to shower everyday, so where do I get the water from?, to fill my tank up. Was told, NEVER drive with a full tank of water, as your consumption on deisal will skyrocket ! So not too sure, what the heck I do now! Trying to save money on the every increasing sites , or putting water into my tank, which at present, not too sure, where I would get that from anyway ? As most carparks don't have that facilities,

HELP please Advise please, if you have the time, during this xmas rush? hahah

We take body wipes with us for when we are short of water and not on a campsite.
They are similar to baby wipes but bigger and stronger, very refreshing and they do the trick.
We get them from QVC.
Good fun helping each other, but I see your on your own.
I volunteer for allsorts, I'm a real good guy

 

[Just smiffy]

Wild camping is all about being comfortable but frugal, it’s not like instagram living the dream…

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[Reallyretired]

Whatever forum told you that rubbish should be avoided in future. I always travel with a full tank and swmbo and myself can have a daily shower on 10L total, only half of which will be from the hot tank as we always have it on its highest setting.
Layout of the van can have a big effect. My last motorhome had the shower and boiler about as far apart as possible so wasted a lot of water before any hot came through. Present one is just the opposite, with boiler just the other side of the shower wall so hot in seconds.