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Date:         Tue, 13 Aug 1996 15:23:38 +0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Timothy Dauth <tdauth@uniwa.uwa.edu.au>
Subject:      Vanagon Trakka conversion - hot water problem

Hi, just got this message from my itinerant geriatric gypsy parents, roaming around somewhere in the north of Oz. They wanted me to pass this on: --- The Trakka Camper has two water tanks underneath, filled by a single filler inlet. One of the tanks has got a heat-exchange coil inside. Radiator water is circulated through that coil to provide hot water for showers etc. (There are hot & cold water taps in the sink and shower on the back.) All works fine until there is a small leak in the coil. Both tanks get contaminated through the filler/overflow fittings. We drank boiled contaminated water for several days before realising that the green colour is not from algae. (radiator coolant is not so healthy.) (I added about 2ltres. of water to the radiator in 100km, believing it to be normal in the heat.) Eventually it dumped all radiator water into the tank at once, causing overheating. We realised immediately and no damage was done. It happened on a bush track, 60kms from Cape Leveque, north of Broome. A temporary fix, blocking the feeder hoses to the heat exchange with wood saw us back to Broome - 180kms. Anyone with a similar system, be aware of potential problems. I would: Isolate the two tanks and have a separate filler system for the hotwater tank. You may drink your cold water with peace in your mind. Check the colour of the hot water regularly. If it has the colour of your radiator water, start cursing. Its the end of hot showers. Block off the radiator hoses that go to your tank. You may still use the tank to store water. -- Other than this, they report that they're having lots of fun and are heading for the Mitchel Plateau, then down to Kunnunnurra, some 900kms on dirt road & tracks. Cheerio, Gerhard & Susan Dauth, via: tim.


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