Got our Exsis

[gazdoubleu]

Hi again folks, got our Exsis (well had it a bit) been making it off grid ready with solar, lithium batts and B2B.

If anyone wants to know about doing that without completely upsetting the Elektroblok please get in touch.

Got issues with my freshwater tank, lots of evidence of plastic degradation on the fittings, I’ve had to replace the Reich submersible pump and now the aluminium drive rod which turns the drain plug has snapped (very corroded and pitted)

Tried to post images 3 times but there must be a nack as each time it clears my post so given up on that.

Just wanted to ask you folks if you sanitise you freshwater tank & what you use that perhaps isn’t as caustic as some as I think this is the issue myself. Also, anyone bought tank parts aside from the pump & where did you source them? Struggling to see anything exactly like this set up on the Web?

Happy camping

Gary & Debs

 

[Fred & Gill]

Hello and welcome to our friendly group – what Exsis did you get?

Seems you may have done some pioneering work with the Lithium on the Exsis….perhaps would be of general interest if a short summary was posted.

I use Elsan Freshwater Tank Cleaner diluted into a spray bottle and just spray a few squirts before topping up with a 4 gallon travel quantity. I usually (always  in Covid times) spray the drinking water supply with same and then add one spray into a 6 pint milk container which I use for on site topping up (can carry 4 to tap), If I use hose to top up then I spray into hose and also spray into filler on van. The Elsan is fairly tasteless but I only use small quantiities and we do not use water from tank for drinking or tea making – we use the 6 pint milk containers for fresh water. Lots has been said over the years on motorhome forums NOT to use Milton as this is allegedly corrosive to stainless steel in hot water tank etc – of course there are always contrary claims. The Elsan I do use trouble free.

There have been problems with the fresh water tank valve  – have a look in the ‘Little Exsis Book’ compiled by Tom who still owns an  Exsis (16years?). Its a very useful book of problems encountered and fixed over the years and there are several options available to you on not too difficult fix for the control rod/valve. Not sure that I have heard of plastic degeneration being reported on tank.

Keep posting for any help and best wishes for happy camping in our unique motorhome

Fred

[gazdoubleu]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Hi, thanks for the quick reply Fred (and Gill).</p>
I’ve printed off the whole Exsis book albeit a few months ago. Only reference to the water tank I can find (apart from pump replacements) is page 948 which is a fuzzy schematic.

Am I missing some appendices etc.?

I have an SG, it’s been owned in the past by someone labelled ‘Tony Exsis’ if the private plate and other forums are anything to go on

I’d love to post more on the lithium mod but it would be a helluva lot more useful if I could post numerous pics.

Perhaps if someone could suggest the best browser etc. I’m currently away posting on a phone and the text dissapears off the edge of the phone screen, but all that’s peculiar to this forum page running android chrome.

Best thing about the lithium so far is they have very low internal resistance so actually take all the charge thrown at them, unlike lead acid which takes forever to top balance.

That could also be their undoing though as they could in theory try to pull hundreds of amps from the alternator.

I’ve made sure my wiring is up to the job 35mm2 as opposed to the 10mm2 supplied as standard and for now I’m limiting my B2B to 45 amps. Mine’s only capable of 50 amps anyway as I didn’t want to hammer the alternator, particularly in winter.

First night away I left my absorption fridge on battery all night for the hell of it and it only pulled 40% out of the battery which my alternator put back in 1.5 hours driving do pretty pleased with that so far.

I’m thinking of leaving the drain plug shut, managed to tighten it with the combination of a cold chisel affixed to numerous 1/4″ socket extension pars as I don’t have 3 foot long arms lol. So I might just syphon my tank by mouth, although I do have some childhood trauma over that after seeing my plumber syphon our house toilet bowl by mouth!

Cheers

Gary

 

 

[Fred & Gill]

There is a large section on water tanks at page 289. section 23 headed Water tank – Hein Koop Fix ( he is the guy who first posted a problem a long time ago)

Subsequently there have been additions of various fixes including constructing a whole new drive rod by Tom. A very long time ago someone had a new Hymer plastic valve fitted (there were photos on an older version of the Forum – now lost)……but that is a difficult process as a leak could develop from the seal at the bottom of the tank. Perhaps I should also warn that undue pressure on the plug may cause the fitting to loosen and leak.

There is also a post describing removing the inner plug from the underneath position – I have not had to do that.

I have also described somewhere about an emergency fix whereby you can leave the drain in the open position and fit a pipe under the base of the valve and block it off with a cork. I have such a pipe that I carry as an emergency. I have also modified mine so that it drains to the side of the vehicle.

Hope this helps for now.

Have read about the dangers of overcharging, but you are obviously much more electrically competent than me who has always managed with one leisure battery and no solar and mostly use a CL campsite with no electric.

Perhaps your Exsis SG is red and and was owned by Tony from Manchester with the plate EX51SIS?

He often contributed on the old forum and Motorhome Fun. There is a photo of that van next to mine  at an Exsistravaganza meet (2 red van together)

Best wishes for an easy fix, which ever way you do it….. Mine has never let me down again.

Fred

[gazdoubleu]

Thanks Fred, got it on the online version, not sure want went wrong with my paper version.

I’ve see similar couplings on polypropylene drain rods to one of the fixes.

Half tempted to go down your route though, I create a separate drain. Don’t fancy getting Alzheimers from all that corroded aluminium and I had intended to fit a filter to allow a drinking water tap.

Did you buy a drain plug made especially to seal onto polypropylene tanks via compression? Where did you route your pipe work?

I know part of the floor is wooden at the back so I guess it would be easy to route a drain hose. I’ve already had to re-route the overflow pipe in such a way as it looked like the overflow spigot on the filling assembly had previously broken but been bodge glued back together.

My Exsis is white, I must have got my registration mixed up with the red one as 2 Tony’s with private plates is a bit of a coincidence.

Mine is reads EX51S XX. Sure it must be totally illegal the way they’ve spaced it but not been stopped yet.

Might join the Caravan Club for the CL’s, still working though and don’t like to have to book ahead for the weekends as spoils the whole “get up & go” ethos for me. I guess they’re a bit more than a fiver a night from when I was last a member?

Been doing the Brit Stop style pub stays, out of the way forestry sites, that sort of thing but would be nice to know I was going somewhere with a tap as this van has already had one leaf spring replaced under a previous owner.

If anyone reads this at a later date and wants to know about LiFePO4 batteries etc, please PM me and I’ll swap emails. That is unless I figure the quirks of this forum. I don’t know even why it puts random HTML in my posts.

Cheers

Gary

 

 

 

 

[gazdoubleu]

Hi again Fred

Was thinking of something like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282623292471 when back in stock but wondering if you drilled into the side of the tank low down, how on earth did you reach the back nut?

Cheers

Gary

[Fred & Gill]

Please don’t think about drilling holes in tank and I would advise against removing / disturbing old valve!!

I will re-read the information in the Exsis book when I can, but the favoured options do not involve replacing the valve as I remember

I’ll try to photo open valve & and pipe to edge of van and cork temp fix.

You don’t really need to drain freshwater very often, if you use van regularly -also consider a separate submersible pump to drop into tank and pump out through back hatch.

Fred

[gazdoubleu]

Sorry Fred I thought when you put . “I have also modified mine so that it drains to the side of the vehicle” you meant you had drilled a separate drain hole. I now assume you’ve ran a hose from the underside and carry a bung too in case it goes pear shaped.

I’ve had a sneaky look under mine. Doesn’t look like there’s much room for a jubilee clip etc so would be interesting to see how you did it when you get half a chance.

No intention of removing the old brass plug although still wary of the fixes that keep the aluminium shaft. I reckon even Hymer or whoever makes the tanks would be having second thoughts about putting aluminium in (potentially) drinking water if it’s gonna oxidise as bad as it has.

I’ve got 240 volts on board so could set up a wacking great big external pump if need be put would be interested to see what you did.

Thanks again, so much

Gary

 

 

 

 

[Fred & Gill]

Hello Gary sorry for the delay,

Just read the Water Tank section in the Little Exsis Book and thanks to Tom, just about every option is covered there.

I believe the 20mm blue  pipe stuffed into the end of the valve helps minimise problems with road dirt gunging up the thread – never had a problem since. Originally I connected the waste water pipe directly onto the blue pipe, but I modified it and fitted a washing machine end hose part into the end of the waste water pipe so that it is a loose fitting around the blue pipe and allows the valve to turn normally.

I have attached a photo of the valve outlet/blue pipe/end fitting of drain pipe

Note that I don’t use a cork in the end now as I use a speedfit  end cap into plastic 22mm pipe .

See also the emergency kit that I carry if the water tank valve gets stuck in the open position – in this case the corrugated water pipe has to go directly onto the blue pipe inserted into bottom of valve……if the speedfit mod is not used then the cork in the end will seal it.

[Fred & Gill]

Route of water pipe to side of van

[Fred & Gill]

emergency repair kit if valve sticks open

[gazdoubleu]

Cheers Fred

 

One last question, did you have to bond the blue 20mm pipe in place or is it just a very snug friction fit?

Many thanks

 

Gary

 

[Fred & Gill]

It’s years and years since I touched that little blue pipe and never had a problem

It was a very tight friction fit, perhaps a little PTFE spray would help or even silicon if that’s all you have

Hope that whatever fix you use for the valve goes ok for you, I imagine that you don’t mind little challenges as you sorted  a lithium challenge – that in time may be of benefit to some of us as we need to replace our current batteries

Fred

[gazdoubleu]

Thanks Fred,

Yeah, a lot more rewarding fettling something to good order, or even improving on the original.

The replacement part from one of the Brownhills dealers is £146.41 inc shipping so a little more incentive there lol.

I’ll see if I can write a bit about the lithium setup over the weekend.

If I have any trouble with the forum side of it I’ll tknock up a pdf or word file with a dropbox link, maybe ?Chris, is it could help publish it to the forum.

Thanks, so much

Gary

 

 

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