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Kitchen unit dismantle

C

cebonvieuxmaxo

Messages
3
Location
France
Vehicle
T6 Ocean 150
Hey,
I own a Cali Ocean, and since I travel often in winter conditions, I'd like to have it better insulated. Therefore, I want to dismantle the whole kitchen unite in order to do something clean. Has anyone hear done it (I know it's a pain in the a*s) and has tips on how to do it properly? Thanks
 
Hey,
I own a Cali Ocean, and since I travel often in winter conditions, I'd like to have it better insulated. Therefore, I want to dismantle the whole kitchen unite in order to do something clean. Has anyone hear done it (I know it's a pain in the a*s) and has tips on how to do it properly? Thanks

Hi @cebonvieuxmaxo , welcome on board.

Not sure if you've see this video -
- at 1:28, you can see that the whole kitchen unit is assembled outside of the van and then fitted inside as a single unit.

This will make it impossible to dismantle, unless you follow the reverse process.

My question would be - what is the problem that you are trying to solve? I have stayed in -15 deg C for 4 continuous days and the heater has kept us toasty warm. If the Cali can do that, why would you want additional insulation?
 
Yaeah that's pretty much what I've seen, and I know people who have done it.

My goal is to make sure it does not freeze inside. Last weekend, in Switzerland, temp dropped below -20 and froze the water tank, breaking the pump, and I'm pretty sure it did some damage to the gas unit too as there was gas leak with strong odour.
 
Yaeah that's pretty much what I've seen, and I know people who have done it.

My goal is to make sure it does not freeze inside. Last weekend, in Switzerland, temp dropped below -20 and froze the water tank, breaking the pump, and I'm pretty sure it did some damage to the gas unit too as there was gas leak with strong odour.
Unless you have a heat source inside the vehicle, in such temperatures, insulation is not going to be of much help, just retaining condensation, unless totally sealed and waterproof.
The diesel parking heater can be left running for days, even on the move, as long as there is sufficient diesel and electrical power. That’s what the HGV drivers in Scandinavia do in winter.
 
Yaeah that's pretty much what I've seen, and I know people who have done it.

My goal is to make sure it does not freeze inside. Last weekend, in Switzerland, temp dropped below -20 and froze the water tank, breaking the pump, and I'm pretty sure it did some damage to the gas unit too as there was gas leak with strong odour.

Got it. In which case, what you are looking for is insulating the parts that can freeze. which is essentially the water tank and the waste tank.

You could put a 12 V heating element into the water tank to stop it from Freezing.

See here - https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/heat...1aHAkJ4O1w3he9h8i40aApS4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Stick a few of these around the water tank.

Insulate the visible areas of the tank etc from the bottom of the van and you should be good.

Another simple thing is to leave the cupboard doors open so that hot air from the van can flow into the recess. Try putting a fan near the water tank to circulate the warm air around it.

For -20, look at protecting just the water system.
 
Got it. In which case, what you are looking for is insulating the parts that can freeze. which is essentially the water tank and the waste tank.

You could put a 12 V heating element into the water tank to stop it from Freezing.

See here - https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/heating-elements/7256461/?cm_mmc=UK-PLA-DS3A-_-google-_-CSS_UK_EN_Automation_&_Control_Gear_Whoop-_-Heating+Elements_Whoop-_-7256461&matchtype=&aud-827186183886:pla-336493650622&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fr_BRDaARIsAABw4EvFz-9soknJMZAjC82U_0ngmAE8zdsZCmOd1aHAkJ4O1w3he9h8i40aApS4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Stick a few of these around the water tank.

Insulate the visible areas of the tank etc from the bottom of the van and you should be good.

Another simple thing is to leave the cupboard doors open so that hot air from the van can flow into the recess. Try putting a fan near the water tank to circulate the warm air around it.

For -20, look at protecting just the water system.
Thanks a lot for your tips! Where would you wire that element to the battery? How does it work, on it's own?
 
Thanks a lot for your tips! Where would you wire that element to the battery? How does it work, on it's own?

Personally, to manage ultra low extended temperatures I would do a few things. The element alone wont help. You will need to consider which of these will work for you in your environment.
  1. I would look to cover/insulate the exposed underside (and sides as much as possible) of the water and the waste water tank. This is to ensure that the tanks are not fighting too much against the weather to keep up the temperature. This will also ensure that the exposure to the external elements is minimised.
  2. I would put a fan in the side of the kitchen cupboard and also a fan below the rear cupboard - any way to push warm air from the inside of the van to near the tank. Use slightly larger computer fans. The objective here is to keep the air circulating around the tanks. These are 5V USB or 12V fans and I would connect them to the leisure battery. The diesel heater is very capable and you can put it at a higher heat setting - if that helps at all.
  3. I would put some anti-freeze in the waste water tank and when washing dishes or using the sink, ensure that I add a little more anti-freeze as required. you will need to work out the quantity etc.
  4. When driving/moving, the above 3 items would ensure that the water system does not freeze.
  5. When parked and on hookup is where you may want to look at some kind of a heating element for the tank and the associated connections. Although, I think the above fans should help. But have not personally experienced below -20 in the cali as yet :) (though I suspect it will not be very different from -15 :) )
    1. The heating element that I shared in the earlier post with you is a 240 V one. These ones are most efficient when it comes to keeping the water above freezing. You are not looking to heat water, just don't allow it to freeze. This is only when on Hookup.
  6. When parked and NOT on hookup and only on battery power, there are 12v heating elements that can be plugged into the 12v leisure battery. but it will put additional strain on your battery. The steps mentioned in 1,2 and 3, should help you with the low temperatures.
  7. If you want to use the 12v heating elements, also consider putting a relay that will switch off the heating element if the leisure battery falls below a set voltage.

Below is an example of a 12v heating rod that you can plug into the side of the water tank. Plug in at the lowest point possible so that it warms the water above.


The last thing that you could do - all the pipes that you can see, wrap with some kind of thermal insulation such as - https://www.airconspares.com/armafl...0DCi_HpgXV5whsLzBeKoe52Q1jiIujLgaAnrXEALw_wcB

I would start with the first three and also the pipe wrap with thermal insulation. Then, depending on your needs, do the other items such as the heating element as that will have a big drag on your battery.

Hope this information helps.
 
In our big white mh we always left the waste water tank tap open & stuck a bucket under it to catch to waste. Far easier to tip a lump of ice out of a bucket than thaw out a tank.
For the fresh water tank we had two 12v aquarium heaters - turn both on when travelling if very cold & leave them turned on if on hook up. If you don’t intend having hookup I would just make sure you have a Plan B ie a container or two of drinking water so it’s not a disaster.
The water isn’t really that important on a Cali. In our MH we needed it for the shower & WC flush so if it froze it was a real problem.
 
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