Rear of motorhome cold while traveling.

dougA
dougA Forum Participant Posts: 142
edited January 2018 in Motorhomes #1

How do you heat the rear of the motorhome while traveling for the passengers? I find that my Peugeot cab heater is not sufficient to heat the rear while carrying passengers.

 

Comments

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2018 #2

    You don’t heat it unless you have a gas system specially designed for use on the move.

    Coats are an option.smile

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited January 2018 #3

    There is/was an add heater matrix that could be run via the cab heater,into the rear seats

  • KeithandMargaret
    KeithandMargaret Forum Participant Posts: 660
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    edited January 2018 #4

    I'm told that a Maplin Ceramic 12V Heater will do the trick - or thicker jumpers and socks - which ever is most cost effective..

  • Randomcamper
    Randomcamper Club Member Posts: 1,062 ✭✭
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    edited January 2018 #5

    You need one of these.....

    I think Elddis fit them as standard, my previous van had one...

    http://www.southdownsmotorcaravans.co.uk/accessories/truma_drive-safe_secumotion.php

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,860 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2018 #6

    We have one of those fitted to our Bailey although never used it whilst on the move but it could be a solution for the OP. For the two of us we generally find the cab heating enough but can see that in a big motorhome it might be a struggle further back in the van.

    David

  • dougA
    dougA Forum Participant Posts: 142
    edited January 2018 #7

    Hi Tintent115, this would be great if I could fit this to my Elddis.

    ive had a look and I don't have this fitted to my gas hose. There is also a sticker next to the gas bottle advising that the gas should be in the off position while in motion. Can this be purchased and fitted to the whale space heater system?

  • Kartman60
    Kartman60 Forum Participant Posts: 24
    edited January 2018 #8

    Our Chausson has a Webasto heater that runs off the diesel tank and can be used when travelling.  Great for touring in the winter months.

  • Kontikiboy
    Kontikiboy Forum Participant Posts: 304
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    edited January 2018 #9

    My Swift MH has a Heat Exchanger under the front lounge seats which allows me to heat the hab' area from the engine while driving.   This equipment came as standard.    So much for all those Swift knockers who are always having a go at Swift.

    Are there other makes of MH who have a similar system?    Do the German vans have this?      Probably a very expensive option!

    BillC

  • MichaelT
    MichaelT Forum Participant Posts: 1,874
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    edited January 2018 #10

    Probably helps to dry the damp out tongue-out

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited January 2018 #11

    Doug, as stated, a lot of vans now have this system, but as its a Truma 'system' perhaps this is why it isnt fitted as part of a whale system.

    i dont know if its possible to fix, but in simple terms, the regulator and rupture proof hose are there to cut off the gas supply from the heater in the event of a collision....they were previously marketed as CS ('crash safe'....)

    i would have thought that this type of regulator/hose combination would provide similar protection as its not really to do with the heater, rather the cylinder.

    perhaps a call to Whale might help...

    some systems, primarily ALDE, as in Bill's van fully incorporate heat exchangers to make use of otherwise wasted engine heat to warm both cab and to heat a tank of water while en route...

    some also work in reverse, taking heat from the ALDE boiler and warming the engine prior to departure, allowing for instant engine warm up and subsequent cab heating.

    i think there are heat exchangers that can be cab fitted but nothing to do with a separate MH heating system.

  • Randomcamper
    Randomcamper Club Member Posts: 1,062 ✭✭
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    edited January 2018 #12

    Doug,

    As far as I can see you should be able to.......

    My Autoquest was Dec 2012 and had the Truma Secumotion (or Road Safe - they've used several names for them) regulator that allows you to safely have the gas on in motion, assuming your supplied from cylinders, because as BB says above, part of the system is a hose with a rupture protection valve in it as well.

    At the time Elddis were fitting Truma regulators and Whale underfloor heaters so the Truma/Whale combo sounds as though it is compatible. The link here for the 2012 handbook shows the Truma/Whale partnership.

    http://www.elddis.co.uk/documents/Handbooks/2012/autoquest-handbook.pdf

    I think in this months MMM magazine Rhino Installs were offering to supply & fit a Secumotion regulator for about £200 but I'm sure almost any Approved Workshop could do it, you may need to get some quotes. I'm sure they will tell you whether barrelling down the motorway with the gas flame alight would blow it out, but I assume not or Elddis wouldn't have bothered fitting the system in the first place.....laughing

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited January 2018 #13

    a little more from OAL on the heat exchanger thinking ....a 10 uear old thread but a lot of still relevant thoughts..

  • Kontikiboy
    Kontikiboy Forum Participant Posts: 304
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    edited January 2018 #14

    Hi MT, you are a clever dick!     I picked my Swift MH up today after its 2nd hab' service and the damp test was 9.6%, one of the best scores they have ever had at my dealership.   Do you know your score?

    BillC

  • ValDa
    ValDa Forum Participant Posts: 3,004
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    edited January 2018 #15

    In 1976 |(forty-two years ago) (she says, hardly believing it) we hired a motorhome from somewhere in Essex and set off on a four week trip (which turned into nearly six weeks) to Prague setting off in early September.  There were two couples, and one three year old. 

    The motorhome had some sort  (obviously advanced) of heating. (I have no idea how it worked, but it was warm)..... which heated the back so much that we had to open some windows, even on the way home in October.  Can here really have been so little progress since then that passengers in a (possibly) £50,000 plus motorhome have to be cold whilst travelling?

  • dougA
    dougA Forum Participant Posts: 142
    edited January 2018 #16

    Thanks again all. I like the idea of the secumotion. My Autoquest is due it’s first habitation service in May so il enquiry if fitting is possible and the cost.

    Until then it’s extra clothing for my rear passengers and I’ll also have a look at the portable 12v ceramic heater as a stop gap. 👍

  • dougA
    dougA Forum Participant Posts: 142
    edited January 2018 #17

    This is what’s currently fitted to my Autoquest.

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited January 2018 #18

    Doug, this looks like a std generic Whale regulator along with a std black hose.....cant see any green button as this would be out of shot at the bottle end...

    i think it would be very easy to change the regulator and hose to the one described by TT earlier....

    i cant see any compatibility issue, but worth a check re the Whale heater.

    i assume ypu have some heating vents in the location of the rear passengers....ie the double dinette?...

    good luck...

  • TonyIshUK
    TonyIshUK Forum Participant Posts: 296
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    edited January 2018 #19

    Stand alone Webesco underfloor heater would fit the bill, and work without using up gas cylinders !   Travelling with gas heating on does use up a lot of gas, even if you use auto gas.  

    The problem with Autogas is that you can get left with butane residue in winter that will not evaporate in colder weather. 

    Not to useful if you are a winter mhomer !  

    There are kits which use the heater coolant  to warm the Motorhome on the move.  This ok if you are continually on long runs. The major problems nowadays is that the vehicle particulate filters can be very fussy if the engine does not get hot enough To to allow regeneration.  The extra coolant can slow down the warming up process of the engine.

    my Fiat takes a good 10 / 15 miles to get to a sensible engine temperature ie oil temp of about 90 / 95 deg C.

    The heater is warm by 5 miles, but all you are doing is robbing the engine of heat delaying the time to get to working temperature if used in cold weather.

    rgds

     

  • dougA
    dougA Forum Participant Posts: 142
    edited March 2018 #20

    I have decided to go for the Truma monocontrol cs regulator as this is what Truma recommends for using gas heating while driving.

    just one thing I understand how this monocontrol cs regulator works if involved in a bump but what I’m not sure of is yes I can run the gas when in motion but do I need power to run the blow air heating.

    As far as I’m aware when you turn on the ignition it switches of all the electrics in the habitation area so how does the heating blower work.

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited March 2018 #21

    Doug, yes I have heard of this and, from what I have read, this seems to be a 'rule' to do with UK build regs?....ie 12v systems go off when the engine is on...

    this is not an issue with our van, or other continental models...

    as a quick test, before you buy all the kit, start the van, turn in the gas, try and fire up the heater and check what the fan does....

    or do it the other way round...fire up the heating I gas mode, ensure the fan is running, then start the van.....if it goes off you have your answer and may ay need to check with the dealer re thise regs I mentioned..

    something to do with NCC?

    good luck.

     

  • dougA
    dougA Forum Participant Posts: 142
    edited March 2018 #22

    Hi BoleroBoy, thanks again I’ll switch on heating with the blower on with gas this evening then start the van and see if it stays on or goes off. I’ll post the result this evening.

    cheers 👍

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited March 2018 #23

    MMM article

    ,ay or may not be relevant to heating fan...

  • Paolo Imberino
    Paolo Imberino Forum Participant Posts: 86
    edited March 2018 #24

    I make my wife sit in the back whilst travelling. She has enough hot air to heat our 7.77m passion wagon. laughing

  • dougA
    dougA Forum Participant Posts: 142
    edited March 2018 #25

    Good reading there BoleroBoy. As we thought, switched heating on with the gas but as soon as you start the engine all the habitation 12v shuts down so heating doesn’t work when driving in the 2017 Elddis 😂. Looks like passengers in the rear will need to wrap up after all 😀.

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited March 2018 #26

    the contributor aandacaravans is the regular battery/electrics guru and he is baffled as to why the 12v systems switch off...

    however, as posted by Bill (Kontiki) he has an ALDE system which can make use of engine heat to heat the radiator fluid (in lieu of gas) but this would need the 12v to pump the fluid around the radiators...

    im sure he would also have the Secumotion Crash Safe regulator and hose for gas heating on the move....it rather defeats the object if the 12v  goes of and it can't work.....perhaps other UK vanners can do the same test as you....

    either way, if I really wanted this working, I'd be checking with a few other owners and then chat to Elddis....

    anyway, good luck....