Where's the fire gone?
Our latest van is a 2010. Its great but due to family changes (+age) we're thinking to change. We like going off-grid sometimes but notice that new vans all seem to be ditching the good old Gas Fire! Blown air heating is great but flattens your battery the fire is simple. Where have they gone? Same with simple fridge click n go! now all electronic. Alde heating - how does that work? Does the Club want to be "green"? I see the mains cables glowing red hot at night now! I even saw someone running a Halogen heater in their awning when they weren't even in it! I despair.
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It disappeared along with the foot pump for water, manual toilet flush and plugging into the car for battery power. They say that's progress.
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Our present van is the first one we've had without a proper gas fire. I have not missed it in the slightest. The Alde heating is excellent and I certainly wouldn't go back to blown air/ gas fire.
Philnjune: Alde heating is a radiator type system which you can run on either gas or electric. Instead of using water (like a household system), it uses a mixture of water and a sort of antifreeze which circulates to small radiator type units stratigically placed and mostly hidden from view. Like a house central heating system, you can set the thermostat to the required temperature.
David
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Although we had a fire in our fist van, it could also be used in blown air mode as well. We only ever used it in that mode, as I thought it got too hot for the surrounds in fire mode only. Certainly the wardrobe above it used to get really hot and also contained the battery charger. On blown air the amount of heat going up into the wardrobe was much reduced. We only ever use sites with EHU, but I understood the 12 volt pump on the Alde was not very energy hungry. Also of course, just like house central heating it is only on when circulating the heating fluid.
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I'm another mohican or maybe that's a Dodo? - been searching for a caravan that's newer than the one I have but without the modern Alde or perish the thought the one with a really noisy pump/fan? For me its probably something to do with the way I keep warm at home. Proper fire and the rest of the house chilly!
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I suspect a major reason why the convector fire is now rarely offered is that getting a safe practical location for one has too great an influence on the layout?
It needs to be near the centre, and needs to be placed so the convected heat presents no possible safety hazard and the rising heat is effective and does no damage; actually, a tall order compared to secreted away gas heat exchanger, air ducting or wet radiators.
Non-convector systems do place a load on batteries so care is needed going off EHU, though now with LED lighting greatly relaxing the battery drain and the use of solar panels going off EHU is far from impossible.
Also, with us having CH homes with all bells and whistles there is a declining market for rudimentary caravanning, no doubt the makers note and respond to what sells.
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I used to enjoy scrapping the ice off the inside of the windows on a winter's morning but then we had proper winters back then not the tropical apologies we get now.
I now employ a proper wet central heating system - without a gas fire - to do the job for me.
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We're fine with our heater, there are vans which still have one. Our van is well insulated and the latest designs in our type of van just have blown air. We like a combination of convection and blown air. We go off EHU sometimes and there's no extra drain on the battery.
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7 years ago our caravan at the time was blown air. Worked fairly well after I connected the ducting sections leading to the rear that had been left unconnected. We certainly was warm enough that break with temperatures down between -12 and -14 at night and not above freezing all day.
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Last point first- That's because people have 'paid for the electricity so they are entitled to it' !, I despair too philnjune. To just burn electricity because you feel entitled is nothing short of wasting a valuable resource. Alde heating is a wonderful addition giving you a warm van with no cold spots. I had gas fires in the past, they were good but I wouldn't go back to one. Alde saves space too. The Alde heating runs on very little electricity- 1.2 amp. I am a non EHUer and have no problem running it off batteries powered by a Solar Panel. The fridge runs on gas to and all from a Safefill refillable cylinder with gas 1/4 price of rented cylinder gas. No, the Club is not bothered about being 'green' it's bothered about getting bums on pitches and making profit. One Bolero Boy described it perfectly the other day as 'a holiday company selling pitches!' The manufacturers are not green either- producing vans that are power hungry but they have made a small concession to the environment by including 100w panels now!!! The non EHUer who has a Solar Panel , perhaps an extra battery and a SF cylinder is your 'green' caravaner. Please look at the section Tips on making Caravanning and touring cheaper. Then the 'How to thrive on a non 240v site' you may be surprised just what can be achieved by modern technology. We are on site at the moment and are perfectly comfortable with all mod cons. Central heating, Hot and cold running water, Fridge on gas, Charging of all phones, tablets and USB chargeable toothbrush, Music and current affairs streamed from the internet using milliamperes, - progress has been made and the fire is a museum piece!
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We bought a new house many years ago and the builder forgot to install an electricity meter. Sounds daft but it's the honest truth. So we had free power for 3-6 months over a cold winter until they caught up with us. What did we do - exactly what Club caravanners do when they connect to their "free" electricity. We borrowed as many electric fires as we could and made sure we used the electric oven as much as possible. Sound familiar?
The Club by providing a substantial power supply inclusive in the rate has resulted in British caravan manufacturers fitting electric hobs which you can't use anywhere in Southern Europe. We also have electric kettles, microwaves, electric fridge etc. Most of this is totally unnecessary. I am no evangelist for self sufficiency but we have become profligate with electricity usage and I don't see the Club doing anything to moderate consumption.
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