# Dethleffs - how does it work!!



## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

Hi all, I paid for subscription via the Outdoorbits website yesterday - user name on MHF is Klausshouse... Please can you activate my membership please so that I 'Access All Areas'

I need to because I have a 1994 Dethleffs Globetrotter sitting outside that I bought yesterday and I don't have a clue how it works...!



Cheers


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## teljoy (Jul 4, 2005)

*Re: Subscription activation?*



klausshouse said:


> Hi all, I paid for subscription via the Outdoorbits website yesterday - user name on MHF is Klausshouse... Please can you activate my membership please so that I 'Access All Areas'
> 
> I need to because I have a 1994 Dethleffs Globetrotter sitting outside that I bought yesterday and I don't have a clue how it works...!
> 
> Cheers


Is this link any use to you?

http://www.dethleffsowners.co.uk/freeenglishmanualsforcurrentmembers_114.php


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

*Thanks*

Thanks for that.. I've joined them as well but its cheque by post so I don't have access to those bits yet either

However, I do know a bit more than 2 hours ago... cos I've been outside playing with it... trying to figure out what a large tank with 'Zu & Auf' is...


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

Hiya subscription activation is usually pretty much instant am guessing there must be some wee difficulty with it. Occasionally over the weekend there can be a delay. You have 5 free posts at the moment so ask any questions using them till someone sorts you out. Will alert Nukie and Aircool (admin) to your plight.

I would google those terms you have mentioned!1

Meantime welcome to the forum and hope you can get to grips with your van.!!


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## scottie (May 11, 2005)

*Re: Thanks*



klausshouse said:


> Thanks for that.. I've joined them as well but its cheque by post so I don't have access to those bits yet either
> 
> However, I do know a bit more than 2 hours ago... cos I've been outside playing with it... trying to figure out what a large tank with 'Zu & Auf' is...


Hi and welcome

I think it is your control for your waste (grey ) water tank, I think is open and close,but no doubt someone will translate that for you

scottie

Hi again

Just been out and checked,yes waste water tank open and close.
scottie.


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

hi KH

I have advised the boss by PM about this - hopefully he will sort it tomorrow morning (maybe earlier) 8)


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

*Thanks for the help so far..*

Hmmm... confused now!

There is a tap underneath the van, about half way along, which the vendor said was the grey water waste tap.. and I opened it and got soaked so I assumed she was right!

The bit I'm on about is a lever in the cab, on the passenger side floor (its a LHD) which is labelled 'Entluftung' and two positions 'Zu' and 'Auf'. I removed the cabinet lid which this lever pokes through and there is a tank which is empty, and which has various pipes coming from it, a submersible pump/motor? various electrical wires and also a top hose which looks like its for air and a big screw on filler/inspection cap. Underneath the van coming from this is a piece of yellow hosepipe presumably to drain it! Its not a very big tank at all... not much bigger than you'd used for screenwash.. but its not that because I found that under the bonnet!... It also doesn't look like a factory fitting cos the labels are just stick on - though that might be how they were done originally!

I asked the vendor what it was for and she said even though they#d had the van for 6 or so years, they had no idea what it was for and that they always had left the lever in the 'Zu' position...

I don't want to fill it with anything until I know whats supposed to be in it!

Its getting cold and dark now so I will continue my exploration tomorrow!

Thanks in advance


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## TeamRienza (Sep 21, 2010)

Hi klausshouse 

Cant help,

but, entluftung in german means VENTILATE zu and auf mean closed and on

Think you are wise not to put liquid near it. also sounds like it is non essential. so you will be able to research it at leisure with out fear of harm to the van.

Enjoy it.

Davy


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

*Thanks*

Cheers to all of you.. and Davy I think you're right.. I will find out more tomorrow..


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

is it not the drain for the fresh water

joe


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## nukeadmin (Oct 10, 2003)

subs should be all ok now


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

Ah.. is there a freshwater drain as well.. Oops - lol

I thought it went - tap > freshwater tank > shower/sink etc > plughole > Greywater tank > Drain tap

Why would I have a freshwater drain? 

And would it be a smallish tank with pumps and an air pipe and stuff?

Oh.. and thanks too for activating my subscription!


Mod - Now the sub is working maybe you can move this to a more appropriate area.. Cheers!


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

hi KH - good to see Nuke has sortd you out!

moving now....


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

Cheers er Mr Bog erm... Mr Mike!


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## Ozzyjohn (Sep 3, 2007)

klausshouse said:


> Ah.. is there a freshwater drain as well.. Oops - lol
> 
> I thought it went - tap > freshwater tank > shower/sink etc > plughole > Greywater tank > Drain tap
> 
> Why would I have a freshwater drain?


Hi Klausshouse,

There is usually a fresh water drain valve to make it easier to drain the fresh water tank when you are not using the van - particularly when there is a danger of the contents of the tank freezing.

Any chance of a picture of the mysterious device?

Dethleffs - a good choice by the way .

Regards,
John


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## dethleff (Jun 25, 2005)

joedenise said:


> is it not the drain for the fresh water
> 
> joe


yes,lift the seat cushion behind the drivers seat you may find a larger fresh water tank.


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

Thanks for the advice... Will post some pics here tomorrow

Night!


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

*Pictures?*

Hi Again

I've taken a couple of pictures? how do I add them to this post?

Doesn't seem be available - do I need to host them somewhere else and then link?

Cheers
Steve[/img]


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## boringfrog (Sep 22, 2006)

*fresh water*

Most definitely fresh water. One way is drain down other/opposite is closed. Right angles to that I thought were so you could isolate tanks. One under passenger and one behind driver. If you need any more advice PM me.


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## Ozzyjohn (Sep 3, 2007)

*Re: Pictures?*



klausshouse said:


> Hi Again
> 
> I've taken a couple of pictures? how do I add them to this post?
> 
> ...


Adding pictures?
Easy when you know how - difficult if you don't.
Post a reply as normal, but scroll down past the box you put text in, past the SpellCheck box and you should then see "Add an Attachment". 
Below that is a bit that says "Filename" and then "Choose File" - select this and then browse to wherever you have stored the picture on your computer and select it.
Where it previously said "no file selected" it should now have your attachment filename. 
Add a comment in the "File Comment" field (if you want to), preview or submit your post - and the job is done.

Also see
Web Page Name for sizing information.

Regards,
John


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

*Hmmm*

Ok... so now it makes sense a bit. The tank in question is the freshwater tank, the yellow tap underneath the van is the grey water waste, which just leaves red tap, in the floor behind the drivers seat (its a LHD). Any ideas what that is for? (I have a picture but there is no 'Attach' button after the Spellcheck box)

Thanks loads for all the help so far.. couldn't do it without you :wink:


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## Ozzyjohn (Sep 3, 2007)

Hi,

Does your screen look like this?


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

Ah no.. its doesn't!

Mine is the same up to the Notify me when a reply is posted bit then it goes straight to the Preview and Submit buttons!

How odd? I've tried it in two different browsers too... Maybe its because I am a new user and haven't yet earned my stripes!

Steve


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## Ozzyjohn (Sep 3, 2007)

klausshouse said:


> Ah no.. its doesn't!
> 
> Mine is the same up to the Notify me when a reply is posted bit then it goes straight to the Preview and Submit buttons!
> 
> ...


Hi,
Previous screen was using Safari, the one below is using Firefox.
I'd never really noticed the differences before....


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

klausshouse said:


> Ah no.. its doesn't!
> 
> Mine is the same up to the Notify me when a reply is posted bit then it goes straight to the Preview and Submit buttons!
> 
> ...


Hi Steve there is an alternative way to do it but its a bit convoluted!!

You need to go up to the top of the page click on Resources and on the drop down list select Motorhome Photos. From there on the top of the page in wee writing should be text which says MY Album.

On the left of this page it will say a whole lot of stuff but you want to click on ADD Items. It will then open a thing similar to what was posted on that screenshot. Click on Browse and add the pic from the file on your computer.

Once this is done and assuming you don't need to resize it. Click on the photo you have just added. Underneath it is a wee dropdown select GET Item URLS. This opens another page with a whole lot of stuff. Go to the bit that says BBcode and put picture in post and copy that url.

Come back and post a reply but this time just above this box where you are typing click on the wee icon which is 6th from the left between the envelope and the red F. This brings up a dialogue box which you paste your URL into. Then remove the extra one at start and one at end of URL and hit submit!!!

Job done!


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

*Hmm*

Cheers for that - it does sound convoluted!...

Erm I'd kinda like to figure out why I don't have the add attachment faciltiy.. Thanks for the suggestion though.. lol I thought I would only struggle with the motorhome!


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## Ozzyjohn (Sep 3, 2007)

*Re: Hmm*



klausshouse said:


> Erm I'd kinda like to figure out why I don't have the add attachment faciltiy..


Out of interest, which browser are you using?

I'm starting to feel as though I'm not helping much here - all I seem to do is respond to your questions with ... more questions .

Regards,
John


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

Hi John

I've tried it with IE8 and Firefox.... same (lack of) options with both!

and I've just tried it with a different PC and the same applies..

Odd!


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## ToffeApple (Nov 21, 2009)

Do you have a Pop-up Blocker on your computer? I've often found that mine stops me doing lots of things. Try disabling it, and you MAY find this works? 

Chris & Tilly.


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

Hi.. I tried that and the same I'm afraid...

Maybe if I bought a Hymer... :wink:


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

*Eureka!*

Ah.. It works

I'd been using the 'quick reply' option... oops sorry.. When I scroll further down there is a 'Post reply' option.. and now I have the attachments option

So here are the pics!

Sorry about the pic quality!


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## Ozzyjohn (Sep 3, 2007)

Hi,

Well done with the pictures.

The red toggle is a drain valve.

The green cap looks like an access point to allow internal cleaning of a tank - have you tried unscrewing it? Might be a good idea to wipe round the area first to avoid debris falling in to the tank.

Where does the blue hose come from? Is it connected to this tank? Looks like a filler hose to me if it is connected.

I'll ignore the Hymer comment ... 8O 


Regards,
John


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

*Thanks*

Cheers John and thanks for your patience

Yeah I was think the green capped tank looks a bit minging especially as I am likely to be drinking out of it? Are you supposed to sterilise these tanks? The blue hose does indeed go to a filler cap on the outside of the van...

And as for the red tap - I suppose once I have water i board then I will know what position the tap should be in based on the puddle or absence of underneath the van.. Cos it was red I thought perhaps it was for 'Hot' water and maybe was for draining the boilier which is also on that side of the van in a top locker...


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## Ozzyjohn (Sep 3, 2007)

No worries, happy to help.

Reminds me of our first trip out in ours - the same day we had picked it up from the dealer. Everything was explained in detail to us, but I was way too excited to absorb it all.

Got to camp site, spent fifteen minutes partly filling the 200+ litre fresh water tank - went inside and switched the water pump switch on. Bled the taps by running them for a bit but then couldn't understand why the pump carried on running - simple really, the pump was pushing all of the water out through the open drain valves 

The sort of mistake that only surprises you once (I still keep doing it, but it doesn't surprise me any more .

Regards,
John

ps Yes, I would sterilise the tank if it hasn't been used in a while. 
See here  for details.


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

Thanks.. will do that before we use it...

Thats a good link too.. cheers!


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## Camilla (Mar 21, 2011)

Hi Klasshouse, it sounds like we have the same campers, sorry, motorhomes! I've only had mine a few days and I'm trying to figure these things out too. 

The red valve behind the driver's seat (mine also LHD) does indeed appear to drain the boiler in the top cupboard. Your second picture shows the frsh water tank, which I have just completely removed and refitted to repair a leaking drain valve. It's not as you would intuitively expect... the tank is in three parts, the one you can see in your photo, another under the passenger seat and yet another under the driver's seat with the submerged pump in it. They are all actually the same tank and are connected by what is almost another tank in it's own right running across the front of them all. It is one large moulded tank with no joins. The section with the green lid also has the sensors in it which is what the small ribbon cable is about. There should be a control panel somewhere (mine is on the dash) that shows how full it is. It goes up in 1/4 tank increments. The lever I think you're referring to is to drain the tank to protect against frost damage as already mentioned. A word of warning... this is the reason I had to take mine out. The valve is surprisingly feeble and prone to siezing up. If it appears stiff, start removing panels and dig down to it rather than forcing it as the metal lever is attached to a flimsy bit of plastic that may break if the valve has become stiff. The good news is that you can easily pull the valve up and out of the housing, clean it up and apply some silicone grease to rejuvenate it. I hope that's of some use to you.

I wonder if you have experienced long waiting times for the taps to start to work? I accidentally drained my boiler while finding out what the red tap does and now I've had the pump running for about half an hour and the taps still aren't running. They were working before. I _think_ it must be refilling the boiler but you can't actually see any water running through any of the pipes can you so difficult to be sure.


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## klausshouse (Feb 19, 2011)

Hi Camilla

Ah... Yup I'd also discovered the Never Ending fresh water tank.. I put a new pump in mine whilst I was exploring as they are only a tenner off Ebay.. its much quieter now and the water is instant!... my freshwater tank also leaks a touch from the drain.. but If I play about with the lever I can make it stop!.. Have you explored the waste water tank yet? Mine doesn't seem to read any levels at all on the gauge... Also I have noticed that the van is very susceptible to voltage (after some hints from the excellent chap at the Dethleffs Owners UK site). I have now fitted a new charger and two new batteries and the difference is amazing.. Everything now works really really well.. Overall I am very pleased.. been camping in it whilst visiting family for about 3 weeks now non stop and and going well.. Want to find an 'tent' now that fits the Omnistor wind-out awning.. Did you buy yours from Ebay, saw an identical one to ours sell on there very recently?

Cheers
Klauss


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