Camplite Circulating Anti Freezup System

[charliem]

21RBS Water Circulator reposted from original forum:

The circulator is designed to combat overnight subfreezing temperatures with a warm up the next day, but will also function while being towed which allows towing in freezing temps. In operation hot water is allowed to flow from the kitchen sink faucet back into the fresh water tank below. The existing  pump and HW heater provide pressure and heat so these need not be duplicated. Only an electric solenoid valve and inexpensive programmable timer are required for operation. Although designed for the 21RBS the principles can be applied to other models.

Although primarily designed for subfreezing operation with city water disconnected the pushbutton provides manual operation in cases where fresh water supply and/or gray water storage are limited. The pushbutton minimizes wasted water while waiting for HW at the sink or shower. The timer is programmed to open the valve for 1 minute every 45 minutes over a 12 hour overnight period. SW1 powers the timer and indicator light. The switch handle and LED give an easy visual indication of ready and is easier than pushing the timer Auto/On/Off  button and reading the tiny display. The ball valve limits flow to prevent overflow out of the vent hose and is used in conjunction with the section of clear vinyl tubing to adjust for proper flow rate.

Pictures attached.

[thedusty]

The new forum is alive!

I love reading these amazing mods...

[whitefish]

This is a great idea and way easier that what I had planned.  I was thinking of insulating ALL of my water pipes with a heat trace, putting in a fresh water tank heater, and trying to figure out how I was going to keep my outside shower taps from freezing.

A couple of questions:
What temps have you tested this system down to?
Branches that come off of the main loop you have plumbed (e.g toilet) may not/will not see this heated water, correct?  I see in your layout camper layout, the cold water line for the toilet is inside the trailer, is that correct? My line is outside. Any suggestions on how do you protect this lines?
How do you protect the outside taps from freezing? While the lines themselves will be fine (inside the trailer), the tap itself could freeze and crack.

Cheers

[charliem]

This is a great idea and way easier that what I had planned.  I was thinking of insulating ALL of my water pipes with a heat trace, putting in a fresh water tank heater, and trying to figure out how I was going to keep my outside shower taps from freezing.

A couple of questions:
What temps have you tested this system down to?
Branches that come off of the main loop you have plumbed (e.g toilet) may not/will not see this heated water, correct?  I see in your layout camper layout, the cold water line for the toilet is inside the trailer, is that correct? My line is outside. Any suggestions on how do you protect this lines?
How do you protect the outside taps from freezing? While the lines themselves will be fine (inside the trailer), the tap itself could freeze and crack.

Cheers

I'm glad you find it interesting and helpful. Although not exact for the 16s it should give you some ideas. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it doesn't get all that cold in Florida. The temps this winter have only dipped into the twenties but I ran the circulator and it worked fine. I also run a small 1500W heater set to 45 degrees so the inside plumbing stays toasty. The stubs for the shower, toilet, and outside faucets are inside the insulated envelope so they stay warm. Everything else is covered by insulation and the circulator. The outside taps themselves (external shower and low point drains) should be OK with conduction from the heated/insulated sections. Remember this is not replacing long term winterization. I just reposted an article on insulating the external piping that you should read before beginning. 

Someone else dealt with the 16 but it was a much more dramatic rework. Search the archives of the old forum for his post.

[whitefish]

Thanks Charlie. I believe you're right about the plumbing differences between the 21 and 16 footers. I may have to add a heat trace to a few of the lines that can't be protected by the heat loop.

I'm really just looking for freeze protection when the temperature might drop below freezing. For winterization I blow out my lines followed by RV antifreeze.

For the outside shower tap, I have hit temperatures around 23-25F with water in the tap. The tap froze, but didn't damage it (as near as I can tell). I may install a by pass with shut offs similar to the hot water tank to buy pass the outside shower in cold temps.

Daryl