Travel with water in tanks. (2 Viewers)

[6894]

Hi all,
Can anyone confirm as to wether it is safe to travel with tank full of half full? I'm wondering if the tank is constructed to withstand the forces and the weight of all that swishing water. Or should I be travelling empty and filling up at sites? It's an Elddis 194 btw.
I have looked at the Elddis website and there is a recommendation not to travel with water, but no reason given as to why. It just seems a bit daft if we're traveling for a few days without using designated sites.
Many thanks.

 

[Rick Axon]

Hi all,
Can anyone confirm as to wether it is safe to travel with tank full of half full? I'm wondering if the tank is constructed to withstand the forces and the weight of all that swishing water. Or should I be travelling empty and filling up at sites? It's an Elddis 194 btw.
I have looked at the Elddis website and there is a recommendation not to travel with water, but no reason given as to why. It just seems a bit daft if we're traveling for a few days without using designated sites.
Many thanks.

We used our motorhome mainly for going to music festivals and did a couple of wild camping jaunts. We always travelled with a full tank of water going and empty tanks returning. I did notice the difference in the handling of the vehicle though. We didn't have much of a payload, camping chairs, an awning, beer, wine and food and a few other necessities.

 

[nicholsong]

OK, "bear with occasionally small brain" here, so be gentle with me: is fred_jb saying that a company as experienced as Hymer (and perhaps other major motorhome manufacturers) are expressly going against the advice given by the chassis manufacturer?

I am currently looking at a van from the Pilote Group (who have been very successfully making motorhomes for 50 years or so . . .) which has a 110 L water tank on one side, and on the other side:
a Truma heater (16kg)
space for two 13kg gas (25kg each = 50kg when full)
two 110 Ah AGM batteries (approximately 30 kg each = 60kg)

Seems pretty well balanced to me . . .

Why would chassis manufacturers be giving advice about water tanks, since they do not know anything about the tanks a MH converter may fit?

 

[bigtwin]

Personal opinion

1 LT of Water equals 1 KG
Fill your water tank and do your figures + full tank of fuel.
My case with a a 4.2 ton Carthago and Fiat Ducato 150 Multi Jet Deisel 2.3
Full tank of water equals gutless wonder
Small amount of water and my buss flies.

As a matter of principle, do you refuse to carry passengers?

A full (150 litre?) tank of water represents 3.5% of your GVW. If I were you, I’d be getting a garage to check over my engine if it suffers with such a small variation in weight.

Ian

 

[dunnah01]

Never noticed any difference in handling whether empty or full of black, grey or fresh water

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[Spriddler]

I'd never thought about it until I read a few posts on Fun. For 25+ years I've only toured abroad and I still always travel with a full tank. Fully loaded I'm 2880kg (vs MAM of 3030kg) on a weighbridge and never noticed any difference in handling. I don't record fuel purchases and really don't care if it reduces my mpg by 3, 4 or 5 miles as the cost is what it is......... As for reduced range I've never had difficulty finding a filling station.

 

[allanr]

No water... no life.

I fill as often as possible...

JJ

Hi I have been informed by an MOT manager that has had several motorhomes and he has been stopped and told to follow the police to a site to be weighed. He said they allow a percentage over for water.

 

[nicholsong]

Hi I have been informed by an MOT manager that has had several motorhomes and he has been stopped and told to follow the police to a site to be weighed. He said they allow a percentage over for water.

More details please.

 

[dunnah01]

Hi I have been informed by an MOT manager that has had several motorhomes and he has been stopped and told to follow the police to a site to be weighed. He said they allow a percentage over for water.

No he hasn't otherwise it would be all over X (fka Twitter)

 

[Oldrat]

Did they secretly open their taps on the way..

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[Wheelnut]

Hi all,
Can anyone confirm as to wether it is safe to travel with tank full of half full? I'm wondering if the tank is constructed to withstand the forces and the weight of all that swishing water. Or should I be travelling empty and filling up at sites? It's an Elddis 194 btw.
I have looked at the Elddis website and there is a recommendation not to travel with water, but no reason given as to why. It just seems a bit daft if we're traveling for a few days without using designated sites.
Many thanks.

 

[Wheelnut]

Hi as some of the other Motorhome Funsters. Have said it’s all about payload and whether your tank is up to travelling with a full tank. Fill your water tank and petrol up fully load the Motorhome as going away and take it to a weighbridge. Weigh front and back axle and total weight
Make sure you are not exceeding any if you are don’t do it
Not only are you driving an unsafe vehicle but you are now not insured as it’s not complying with the vehicle specifications which some do not realise. Personally I travel with only 20 litres as specified and fill up when I get to my destination. Hope this helps

 

[JJ]

he has been stopped and told to follow the police to a site to be weighed.

I haven't ever experienced this...

...indeed I have never ever been stopped and weighed ever.

JJ

 

[Spriddler]

Not only are you driving an unsafe vehicle but you are now not insured as it’s not complying with the vehicle specifications which some do not realise.

I don't say it never happens but would an insurer arrange to weigh a vehicle for which there's a claim? And how would they know it was still the same weight that it was at the time of the claim event? In pics I've seen of serious collisions some motorhomes tend to have virtually disintegrated, spreading contents along the road - bicycles, BBQ, TV, beds, gas cylinders, garage contents, bursting fuel and water tanks, etc.
It's my understanding that an insurer would decline a claim only if the overweight was a significant factor in the cause of the event leading to a claim.
The payload/overweight/invalidating insurance topic crops up quite often on here so it would be interesting to get an official comment from an insurer (unless you are one), but I'm pretty sure that they would say it depends upon the facts in each claim..

 

[Lenny HB]

Personal opinion

1 LT of Water equals 1 KG
Fill your water tank and do your figures + full tank of fuel.
My case with a a 4.2 ton Carthago and Fiat Ducato 150 Multi Jet Deisel 2.3
Full tank of water equals gutless wonder
Small amount of water and my buss flies.

Never notice the différance in our last Hymer that was 4.5t with the 150hp engine. New van has the 2.2 180 engine only ever driven it with a full tank & it flies.

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[Jim]

Never notice the différance in our last Hymer

I've never noticed any discernable handling difference between empty and full in any motorhome. Maybe I'm just insensitive

 

[The Old Man]

I've never noticed any discernable handling difference between empty and full in any motorhome. Maybe I'm just insensitive

+1

 

[gpat]

Never notice the différance in our last Hymer that was 4.5t with the 150hp engine. New van has the 2.2 180 engine only ever driven it with a full tank & it flies.

The key point being "you haven't noticed". But it would be faster with an empty tank. Fact.

 

[Barriesimpson]

The key point being "you haven't noticed". But it would be faster with an empty tank. Fact.

And consume less fuel.

 

[fred_jb]

And handle better!

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[bigtwin]

The key point being "you haven't noticed". But it would be faster with an empty tank. Fact.

I’m not sure about that, I think that it’d take longer to reach its top speed but I don’t think that it’d be any slower.

Ian

 

[dunnah01]

The key point being "you haven't noticed". But it would be faster with an empty tank. Fact.

Not if it was the diesel tank

 

[fred_jb]

True. But it would be faster in the sense that it would accelerate faster which is what matters more than top speed in the real world.

 

[Bramidan]

The key point being "you haven't noticed". But it would be faster with an empty tank. Fact.

Marginal????

 

[Bramidan]

And consume less fuel.

Marginal for a motorhome.

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[Bramidan]

True. But it would be faster in the sense that it would accelerate faster which is what matters more than top speed in the real world.

Accelerate faster? Are you flooring a motorhome?

 

[Spriddler]

The key point being "you haven't noticed". But it would be faster with an empty tank. Fact.

Being retired, if I want to be somewhere sooner I leave earlier.

 

[gpat]

I’m not sure about that, I think that it’d take longer to reach its top speed but I don’t think that it’d be any slower.

Ian

You don't see many formula 10cars with 100l water tanks strapped to them.

Would it have a lower top speed. That's a good question. I think it would as too speed is governed by the available power. Some of the power would be used by overcoming the extra weight. .. .I think.

 

[Jim]

So one extra person in your car and you guys are sweating and gripping the wheel then.

 

[fred_jb]

Accelerate faster? Are you flooring a motorhome?

For any given throttle opening a more heavily loaded vehicle will accelerate slower than the same vehicle with less load, no need to floor it to see the difference.

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[gpat]

So one extra person in your car and you guys are sweating and gripping the wheel then.

Yeah. If they are 100kgs.