Warm air heating
Having just had a short break in our new van we have discovered that the warm air heating (Truma Combi) heats the body of the van well, but practically no warm air reaches the rear bathroom. All of the vents are directional but do not close. Has anyone attempted
to retrofit butterfly valves? I do realise that it is not reccomended to fit butterfly valves to all outlets but could I fit, say, two out of the four?
Comments
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If it is ducted air check that all the ducts are properly connected. I know nothing about this system but I do know that when I had blown air previously that the back of the van always felt cook. I checked the ducting and found a connection that was not
properly made0 -
Thanks EasyT, I will check when I get a chance.
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Sometimes they run some of the ducting under the floor i.e. outside, so it struggles to keep warm. Some people insulate it.
Also, there's only so much heat in the system. You may have to close one or two of the other outlet flaps to concentrate it where you need it.
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Not sure what you have as ours does have a fitting to enable you to cut down the air flow through each outlet although not shut it off totally. With this we can reduce the airflow into the main body once that is warm to heat up the toilet area. If you do
not have them they should be available from most dealers although I find it odd they were not fitted in the first place.0 -
is it the latest Truma Combi? if so, these have a fan control which can be set to Eco or High. turning up the fan to High really makes a difference.
also, you should try it in mixed mode (gas + electric) as a Combi 4E will generate around twice the heat (3.8kw) of the Electric 2 setting (1800w)....a Combi 6E will produce around 3 times the heat (5.8kw) on mixed mode.
as others have said, check all pipe connections....the omes which might work loose are the ones in the back of the Combi itself....there are 4 pipes and they need a good firm push to secure them.
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Check at the rear of the fire. There is a adjustable flap that can regulate the flow to the left or right of the 'Y' piece fitted to the ducting at the fan motor outlet. It may not have been adjusted correctly. It simply moves left or right to decrease
or increase flows of air.Tj
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We had a similar problem on our Coachman with the Truma combi but our outlets in the main body of the caravan do have flaps to regulate the flow. I have found that if I partly close the front two nearest the boiler there is still plenty of heat at most outside
temperatures to send plenty of warm air to the rear outlet and the washroom on electric2 setting with fan on Eco setting. In very cold temperatures Mix setting may be necessary. In a previous caravan I did extend the blown air with additional ducting, T joint
and a butterfly outlet from our then local dealer.0 -
We had a similar problem on our Coachman with the Truma combi but our outlets in the main body of the caravan do have flaps to regulate the flow. I have found that if I partly close the front two nearest the boiler there is still plenty of heat at most outside
temperatures to send plenty of warm air to the rear outlet and the washroom on electric2 setting with fan on Eco setting. In very cold temperatures Mix setting may be necessary. In a previous caravan I did extend the blown air with additional ducting, T joint
and a butterfly outlet from our then local dealer.Exactly like ours but without the flaps to control airflow We might have problems regulating the air flow.
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I fitted a 0.5kw wall heater in bathroom (ideal space next to loo) and it works a treat. Left on low, it heats the bathroom easily. Of course, one needs mains hook-up, but as we tend to opt for such pitches/sites, it's not a problem.
Simply took cable through floor in bathroom cupboard and back up under the cooker, to plug into 13amp socket in cupboard.
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I fitted a 0.5kw wall heater in bathroom (ideal space next to loo) and it works a treat. Left on low, it heats the bathroom easily. Of course, one needs mains hook-up, but as we tend to opt for such pitches/sites, it's not a problem.
Simply took cable through floor in bathroom cupboard and back up under the cooker, to plug into 13amp socket in cupboard.
Do check your insurance, at least one company excludes fire caused by non standard heaters.
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I had this problem on my new Bailey Pegasus Rimini. The long pipe run to the wash room lost most of its heat into the R/H bed locker before it got to the outlet. I have lagged the duct pipes with Webasto 60mm pipe insulation available online from Webasto
Marine. Now I have a warm washroom and cool bed locker.0 -
I have a short run under the outside of my van. I fabricated a ply box lined with 1" polystyrene to supplement the existing nominal insulation.
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My last van was very inefficient. A blanking plate had been left off the 4th unused outlet of the combi and the ducting to the front outlet was too short and not connected. The front lockers of the van were roasting hot. The bathroom was always cold. The
van was eventually destroyed by fire by a would be thief. The new replacment van of the same make is much more efficient and has restored my faith in the combi system. Just check all the ducting for any leaks,0 -
we had this problem with our swift challenget. we got in touch with Swift and they authorised the replacement of luverd vents for flappy paddles and that solved the problem by being able to control the flow of heat from the front to the rear..
hope this helps.
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Crazy, but it happens. And if so, of course you'll find it's efficacy is greatly reduced. Check that isn't the case here.
