Saw a man putting diesel into his freshwater tank today

[steve69]

After a trip to Garlieston I had to fuel up in Newton Stewart this morning, but just getting into the garage was bloody awkward.
A guy in a 70plate Bailey motorhome had come onto the forecourt against the normal flow of traffic & he couldn't give two hoots about the people who were trying to point out that he had jammed the whole place up.

So I sat in the open yard next to the filling station for the chaos to clear, I was busy chatting while waiting & just looking around when it dawned on me that he was busy filling his fresh water tank with diesel!
He looked a bit perplexed by the amount of diesel he was putting in & the damage was already done. I couldn't have got near to him, so there was no point in me doing anything.
I've probably caught it on dashcam, but not had a chance to download it yet, I think it was a hired motorhome, when I got a bit nearer I spotted in large writing FRESH WATER ONLY on the filler.

What on earth makes these people tick?

What worries me most is that he is probably the driver too......

 

[Otter Spotter]

If its a hire van will he report this or just keep quiet?

Probably not, he will not have got back as he would have run out of diesel in the diesel tank
I wonder if he has been shown how to suck at a pipe to siphon off

 

[BigYin]

I dare say if his wife had filled it up she'd have checked then double checked then if she still wasn't sure she'd have read the manual

I really can't imagine how much that's going to cost to sort out , new water tank at least then depending how far it's got into the system, boiler , what's the betting it goes down the drain and he leaves a hosepipe in in for a day before returning it

£6,500 to replace full water system in my Rapido when a friend did the same thing. Luckily I made him take his own insurance so they stumped up but cost him £1,000 excess. I got a full new system in my 11 year old van but did have it off the road for 3 months during the summer. Lesson learned, don’t give Motorhome to friends lol

 

[Essgeebee]

When I got my Autotrail last December I was disappointed it didn't have a water filler cap that screwed on and off because I wanted to attach my hose with one of those Hoselock-type adapters. As it is, you just stick the hose end in and turn on the tap.
Perhaps a blessing because I'm unlikely to make the same mistake as this guy... and with my god-awful memory these days, I wouldn't put that beyond possibility.

 

[IRHP]

All he's got to do is empty the fresh water tank, complete with diesel, down a stormwater drain, preferably near a river or the sea and then return the motorhome to the hire company. Then he walks away.
That's what some French tourists did in my home town.

Not if the OP has details of the van and hire company......

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[ambulancekidd]

Not if the OP has details of the van and hire company......

Didn't have time yesterday to download the dashcam footage. I'll try to get to that today.

 

[Mclouis700]

After a trip to Garlieston I had to fuel up in Newton Stewart this morning, but just getting into the garage was bloody awkward.
A guy in a 70plate Bailey motorhome had come onto the forecourt against the normal flow of traffic & he couldn't give two hoots about the people who were trying to point out that he had jammed the whole place up.

So I sat in the open yard next to the filling station for the chaos to clear, I was busy chatting while waiting & just looking around when it dawned on me that he was busy filling his fresh water tank with diesel!
He looked a bit perplexed by the amount of diesel he was putting in & the damage was already done. I couldn't have got near to him, so there was no point in me doing anything.
I've probably caught it on dashcam, but not had a chance to download it yet, I think it was a hired motorhome, when I got a bit nearer I spotted in large writing FRESH WATER ONLY on the filler.

What on earth makes these people tick?

Perhaps he was using it as a reserve tank as refuelling for a long journey!!! Or just a Plonker

 

[Brains]

Perhaps he was using it as a reserve tank as refuelling for a long journey!!! Or just a Plonker

I think a 'Plonker' will take on a new meaning now that we have limits and tariffs between the UK and the home of cheap 'plonk', France.

I envisage queues forming at 'Plonk Stations' near Calais as lines of motorhomes wait to fill up their water tanks with 100 litre cargos of cheap French 'Plonk'

("It's just a cleaning agent, officer" ....)

 

[IRHP]

Didn't have time yesterday to download the dashcam footage. I'll try to get to that today.

Would be worthwhile notifying the hire comp if you could find out. Might avoid the next person getting the blame and a ruined holiday

 

[bb746]

A Bailey motorhome has 2 methods of water intake. 1) using a water hose directly into the top of the tank. No one in their right mind would use this method since it involves removing carpet and floor panel to gain access to top of tank. 2) using the Whale filler (usually from an Aqua-Roll or equiv.) So I think this is a spoof!! Good fun though. And yes, friend of mine recently did add £60.00 unleaded into his diesel tank so misfilling is not uncommon!!

Only the Autograph ranges feature the Whale filler system. The Advance ranges have a standard water filler and cap.

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[Gillym]

For future reference before going to the expense of replacing the tank (and all pipework and boiler) it's worth trying to clean it out with dishwasher tabs and lots of water.
It may take as many as 8 cycles of filling with water/dishwasher tabs before you notice a difference.

For the sake of 800 litres of water and 2-30 dishwasher tabs it's worth a try.

Doesn't work. I know someone who did this and despite using Milton and washing liquid plus many, many, many fills of water, new tank, pump and pipes.

 

[Coolcats]

For future reference before going to the expense of replacing the tank (and all pipework and boiler) it's worth trying to clean it out with dishwasher tabs and lots of water.
It may take as many as 8 cycles of filling with water/dishwasher tabs before you notice a difference.

For the sake of 800 litres of water and 2-30 dishwasher tabs it's worth a try.

I understand the wish to make things right but there is no way I would knowingly use a water tank and associated pipe work and connections etc that had contained hydrocarbons the health implications are worth more than a few grand.

 

[MattR]

I understand the wish to make things right but there is no way I would knowingly use a water tank and associated pipe work and connections etc that had contained hydrocarbons the health implications are worth more than a few grand.

Ironically, most water tanks are made out of polyethylene which is made from hydrocarbons.

If the water / fuel mix had not been circulated through pipe work, I doubt that there would be any contamination beyond the tank. Rinsing it with water and detergent might do a reasonable job of removing the contaminant but I suspect that the smell would linger for a long time so a replacement tank would be necessary.

 

[Michael Rennison]

Many years back I almost did the same. took the cap off and just touched the nozzle on the lip of the water filler. Didn't put a drop in but you could taste the diesel for a couple of tanks.

I'd find it hard to even get near it on the Knaus - well back from the cab and it's a locked flap with all the other services. ☺

 

[tonyidle]

If the tank has some water in it prior to putting in Diesel the fuel will be on top of the water. By far the best first attempt at removal would be to continue to fill the tank with water until only water overflowed. That way only the upper part of the tank would be contaminated. Alternatively siphon off the fuel.

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[HarryML7]

If the tank has some water in it prior to putting in Diesel the fuel will be on top of the water. By far the best first attempt at removal would be to continue to fill the tank with water until only water overflowed. That way only the upper part of the tank would be contaminated. Alternatively siphon off the fuel.

It’s a bit early for me - but this a joke - isn’t it?

 

[Coolcats]

Ironically, most water tanks are made out of polyethylene which is made from hydrocarbons.

If the water / fuel mix had not been circulated through pipe work, I doubt that there would be any contamination beyond the tank. Rinsing it with water and detergent might do a reasonable job of removing the contaminant but I suspect that the smell would linger for a long time so a replacement tank would be necessary.

Yes you are correct regarding the tank whilst far from ideal it is not in ‘free’ form as a liquid is and if you can smell it the contaminant is still there......

 

[tonyidle]

It’s a bit early for me - but this a joke - isn’t it?

No. Why exacerbate the problem by draining through additional pipework and bringing the Diesel close to the pump/filter? "Draining from the top" means that only the tank needs to be replaced. I didn't suggest "then carry on as if nothing happened".

 

[PaddyM]

My first gen Bailey Approach has the Whale filler point .

 

[SomeoneElse]

My first gen Bailey Approach has the Whale filler point .

And mine, I dislike the Whale system intensely, but I suppose this is one advantage of it.

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[Monkeynuts2215]

After a trip to Garlieston I had to fuel up in Newton Stewart this morning, but just getting into the garage was bloody awkward.
A guy in a 70plate Bailey motorhome had come onto the forecourt against the normal flow of traffic & he couldn't give two hoots about the people who were trying to point out that he had jammed the whole place up.

So I sat in the open yard next to the filling station for the chaos to clear, I was busy chatting while waiting & just looking around when it dawned on me that he was busy filling his fresh water tank with diesel!
He looked a bit perplexed by the amount of diesel he was putting in & the damage was already done. I couldn't have got near to him, so there was no point in me doing anything.
I've probably caught it on dashcam, but not had a chance to download it yet, I think it was a hired motorhome, when I got a bit nearer I spotted in large writing FRESH WATER ONLY on the filler.

What on earth makes these people tick?

I think you can say that it was Karna

 

[TR5]

I think even those who skipped chemistry might ask what WATER O2 is.

They'll probably over-think it, and expect it to be something to do with the mobile phone signal!

 

[Brightonboyz]

Phew - diesel in the water tank !! That makes us feel a lot better - worst we did on our first outing last week was forget to close down the cockstop when filling the water

 

[Two on Tour]

Phew - diesel in the water tank !! That makes us feel a lot better - worst we did on our first outing last week was forget to close down the cockstop when filling the water

The other one is forgetting the boiler winter drain down valve is still open, ................. where's that noise of running water coming from !!!

 

[MattR]

They'll probably over-think it, and expect it to be something to do with the mobile phone signal!

I tried not to skip chemistry but couldn't work out what it was... Thanks for the suggestion

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[AndyPK]

Phew - diesel in the water tank !! That makes us feel a lot better - worst we did on our first outing last week was forget to close down the cockstop when filling the water

Been there, done that too!

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Phew - diesel in the water tank !! That makes us feel a lot better - worst we did on our first outing last week was forget to close down the cockstop when filling the water

……as do many of us. Even now I still do it

 

[Spriddler]

I spent ages looking for a motorbike headlamp bulb after stopping to make a brew. I found it a couple of hours later in the fridge.

 

[Two on Tour]

Left the EHU cable attached and drove off, but only the once ............... so far, ................... twang ........ what was that ?

 

[AndyPK]

I spent ages looking for a motorbike headlamp bulb after stopping to make a brew. I found it a couple of hours later in the fridge.

Whaaaaaat…..???

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