'71 Starcraft Wanderstar- "The Hilton"
Thought I should post this up because the "Search" feature doesn't return any results and there might be some useful info for older Starcraft owners or those that are mad enough to embark on a complet...
Forum Discussion
JaredWPhillips wrote:
Thoroughly enjoyed this post. I feel like a child by even suggesting something after reading your wealth of knowledge and experience, but I do have a suggestion about your tank heating issue. You mentioned using the heated gutter cables, which as you said may be overkill except for extreme cold. What if you used the heated cables as the primary heat source, but also supplemented that with standard heated pipe tape? The stuff you see on water spigots and home plumbing. Wrap it around the exit/valve and back under the tank. Use it for moderate conditions but have the ability to "turn on the heat" of the gutter cables during extreme cold.
The heat tape alone probably wouldn't keep a full tank from freezing, but it should work around the valve/exit area and pipe.
Hey,Jared,
Thanks for your advice on the heated pipe tape. I have some of that and your description of using it on the pipe ends was exactly what I thought might work. If I insulate around the heat tape and pipes, it may be all that is needed if I can insulate the waste tank well enough. It may be that the heat tape heats the pipe and liquid inside to the point that it is the only thing needed.
I thought ahead on this tank heating affair and installed a 120v GFCI that has two switches. It's located just outboard of the tank and pipes, mounted in an all-weather box attached to the frame. What I fogot to include in my engineering is how easy it will be to access if I choose to have skirting around the Hilton at a pemanent location.
There is still some trepidation on my part to building this all out. It seems to be a difficult thing to construct and the worthiness of the result is going to be in question until needed, I guess. My progress was interupted by a visit from relatives over the last few days. They stayed in the Hilton so I didn't want to start welding and such while they were using the TT. I'll start building the box around the tank in the next few days. It's raining today so that will give me a chance to round up some more of the materials needed, aluminum sheet, insulation, and such. I have enough steel to get the frame built, scrounged a couple of bed frames that should be just the right size for this effort. I'll try to get some pictures up when the weather has cleared.
