Truma combi 6
Good evening
We have just purchased a Bailey Messina 2024 and find the heating is poor compared to our previous Elddis.
I'm currently liaising with the dealership but just wondered others thoughts (mainly as the dealer thinks the very wonky drawers are factory standard I don't want to be fobbed off further!!).
So we have 2 vents in the living area at the very front, 1 in the middle toilet and 1 in the end bedroom.
Overall the heat is just warm on Elc 2, 30oc and on boost. 45 mins in I was still in a hoodie, it wasn't warm. Bedroom has a trickle of air. 3" away you can't feel it coming out. The others you can feel but it's not hot just warm.
There is the eco, high and boost option and changing between high and boost you cannot hear a difference like you can between eco and high.
In our previous van (of similar size and same amount of vents), in 20 mins I would be warm and my husband would have stripped off being too hot!
It doesn't seem right but would be interested in hearing other people's thoughts with the same heating. Our previous van had a different brand heater.
Thank you
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I think you are confusing two settings. You refer to the heating on 30C and then boost. The boost function relates to the water heating and if selected will turn the space heating off to more quickly heat the water. Once boosted the space heating will resume. The same elements do both and on electric 2 are only 1800 watts. In our Motorhome we find it adequate but nowhere near as good as the Alde in the caravan we had previously, which had a 3000 watt setting. You can use gas which will produce much more output or mix gas and electricity, which will achieve the same.
Perhaps one further thing to check is that both elements are working, there is one for Elec 1 and a second for Elec 2. A year ago one of ours failed and we had to have both replaced. I was able to check by coupling up the van at home and observing what was happening on the smart meter display. Although it was showing elec 2 it was only ever pulling 900 watts.
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We have had the same heating in two Bailey motorhomes and have always found it perfectly OK. Perhaps try turning the water off completely and then check the heating. May sound silly but have you checked behind where the vents exit into the living area just the check the pipe has not come adrift?
David
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We have the Combi 6 in our Knaus and find it extremely good and, in some respects, better than the Alde in our previous Barcelona. On elec 2 and switched to 'High', it heats the main body of the van from cold in a matter of minutes - even in the depths of winter. Running on gas, it does it even more quickly and I find I soon have to turn it down.
The Alde used to take a lot, lot longer to get up to temperature but it was a more 'all round heat' whereas, as you say, the Truma pushes out most of the heat from the first couple of vents and the remainder just trickle the heat out.
Adjusting the flaps on the outlets can balance things out a bit more - perhaps even to the extent of closing the first couple of vents almost completely.
Since our van is 'open plan' with two single beds and an end bathroom, the main living space heats up quickly, regardless of which of the four vents are pushing the heat out. The end bathroom, however, is a different matter and this might be what you are experiencing with your rear bedroom.
Being on the end of the run, the bathroom vent is pretty useless in terms of the amount of heat it pushes out. As a consequence, I fitted an electric towel rail which, in winter certainly takes the chill off. I also use one of those plug-in ceramic heaters for 10 minutes or so when it's really cold and that's really effective. It only uses 600w.
One thing I will warn you about is that the electric heating elements don't last that long. We are away every month, throughout the year and it equates to about two year's use. Having researched it on the 'net' - this seems about normal which is annoying (and expensive!). Our van is now coming up to 6 years old and they have been replaced twice - the last time, costing over £700. It's a major job to change them, involving removing the boiler and changing the whole heating matrix. The only light at the end of the tunnel is that Truma have now significantly changed the design of the matrix and I'm hoping that, this time, they last a bit longer. Hopefully, yours will have the new heater matrix.
Can I suggest, that since you have only recently acquired the van, that you need to 'fiddle about' with it a bit more until you get the balance to your liking. Overall, I am more than happy with ours (other than in respect of the elements) to the extent that I now prefer it over the Alde - and at over 8m overall length and 8' wide, the living space is quite a lot of volume to heat.
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Hi thank you for your reply. The boost reference is the fan strength. Eco is 1 fan part coloured in, high is 2 and boost is all 4 which the dealership said if it was really cold pop it on boost for maximum power.
We popped it onto elec and gas mixed yesterday but didn't make a difference.
Will try the smart meter tip thank you as this sounds a possibility. Thank you!!
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Hi thank you. We have tried closing flaps but doesn't change things. We have noticed each pipe has its own outlet from the heater.
We had it on the maximum heat for around 45 mins yesterday but it wasn't overly warm in there but there isn't anything further we can do it increase the heat. Tried gas last night and also no difference.
Ours too is 8ft wide and nearly 8ft long but I would expect the heating to be adequate especially with a new van.
That doesnsoujd very annoying about replacing the parts, very costly.
Thank you for responding
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I could be wrong but I don't think closing flaps is recommended? Perhaps the problem is the thermostat? There was a post on here some years ago where the thermostat was too near another heat source, in that case a TV! You seem to be trying the heating at home so perhaps that is not so likely. Having said that its not been particularly cold recently. What I noticed with ours was that in cold weather when first starting the heating the fan would for a few minutes sound as though it was on full blast and then after a short while would slow down to normal speed. If you can't solve it by experiment I suspect the only answer will be to take it back to the dealer to sort out.
David
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We have the Truma system with the same vents but a different layout and it gets hot set at 20c. If you are setting it at 30c and it is not roasting I think something is very wrong and it needs the system checking.
Your model is a bit bigger than ours though and will take a bit longer to warm up. Our rear vent is into the toilet and certainly gets less heat than the others. To be acceptable the heating has to work to a reasonable standard, and yours clearly does not.
Having had the Truma system on several caravans I have found the thermostat setting is not that accurate.
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Amy3897 - based on what you say, I am also coming to the conclusion that something is seriously wrong. If ours had been on full heat - especially on gas - at this time of year - for 45 mins, it would have been uncomfortably hot in a lot less time than that. I wouldn't get too concerned about the heater elements - as I said, they have had a significant re-design - which yours should have, being new - so hopefully that should sort previous problems. I do know what they were but I won't bore you with details just now.
I also have a power meter installed in the van and when on full heat, it should be pulling about 7.5 amps, plus whatever else is switched on. If it's less than that, then there's something wrong. Another thought - how hot is your water getting? If it's anything less than scalding after about 40 mins on boost, then that's another indication of a faulty element.
DavidK - I agree with you that the vents shouldn't be closed completely - that's why I said 'almost'
Wildwood - our thermostat sensor is by the door and the Truma panel and is within a degree or so of the one built into our digital clock on the rear bulkhead, so not really had a problem in that respect.
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