Heating your van and water in winter?

Pudsey Bear said:
Never used those.
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I've fitted the proper covers on this van. Over the years the crud and muck and rust on the old flue on the fridge in the old van caused havoc with the fridge every year. I reckon a lot of it accumulated where it was parked over winter on the drive and just general exposure. The two LS200 covers I have now cover the flue and the vents with a tiny ventilation gap at the bottom. Apparently they help the fridge efficiency in temperatures below 10c but for me the important thing is keeping the crap out. You would need to remove the top one though if using gas.
 
Some of the vans have had them I just never fitted them, none have been your type at the top though, they were always shorter so the fridge could work on gas.

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Well the inevitable happened. This morning just before we went out I got a W18H error code on the control panel. I googled it and it seems its a possible blockage of the vents. Presumably the blown air vents in the van but they were all fine. What alerted me to it was the boiler fan suddenly turning up high. We usually have it on eco which is quiet. So I turned the heating off and water off and the fan was still going and ran for about three or four minutes before shutting down.

So we went out of for the day with everything left off. Got back just now and tried the heating and hot water. Immediately I got an error code E89 which on googling sounds more serious.

I then found this thread. Bloody hell. Sounds like loads of people have had a nightmare with this combi boiler.

Truma Combi boiler/heater fault

We have recently suffered a fault with our boiler whilst on holiday.
clubtogether.caravanclub.co.uk

So just now after reading what someone had said in the thread I set the electric to electric 1. Then I turned on the heating and it clicked on. Then I turned on the water to 40c. So I wondered is one of the elements working and one isnt. So then I turned it onto electric 2 which presumably is more power. Ten minutes later its still working. WTF?

No idea whats going on but Ive lost confidence in it now. Any thoughts?
 
barryd said:
Well the inevitable happened. This morning just before we went out I got a W18H error code on the control panel. I googled it and it seems its a possible blockage of the vents. Presumably the blown air vents in the van but they were all fine. What alerted me to it was the boiler fan suddenly turning up high. We usually have it on eco which is quiet. So I turned the heating off and water off and the fan was still going and ran for about three or four minutes before shutting down.

So we went out of for the day with everything left off. Got back just now and tried the heating and hot water. Immediately I got an error code E89 which on googling sounds more serious.

I then found this thread. Bloody hell. Sounds like loads of people have had a nightmare with this combi boiler.

Truma Combi boiler/heater fault

We have recently suffered a fault with our boiler whilst on holiday.
clubtogether.caravanclub.co.uk

So just now after reading what someone had said in the thread I set the electric to electric 1. Then I turned on the heating and it clicked on. Then I turned on the water to 40c. So I wondered is one of the elements working and one isnt. So then I turned it onto electric 2 which presumably is more power. Ten minutes later its still working. WTF?

No idea whats going on but Ive lost confidence in it now. Any thoughts?
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Get a big kettle and boil it on the gas stove, save all that farting about. 😂
 
Heating and water seems to be working ok on Elec 1 option now. Bloody thing.

If these things go pop it sounds to me like they are a proper lottery to repair. When they do pack up is it possible to replace them with something better like a diesel heater perhaps?
 
Road Devil said:
I go away on a regular basis during winter. I have a desial blown air heater and gas water heating. I also have a low wattage oil radiator which we use just to keep the ambient temperature. Two solar panels and an inverter fitted, however in winter due to the lack of the sun I need to start the engine from time to time to keep my batteries topped up.
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I have 600watts of solar + i can tilt them up to 90 degrees and it make a huge difference in the winter .
 

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number14 said:
I am also concerned about the longevity of the Truma so have been using a convector heater like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daewoo-Standing-Convector-Settings-Thermostat/dp/B01MRQK1AE/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2U5Y4E5GY82FV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Adly0DRrkAbO8qe_-xH4rCKwP_ZQytO3nrRRGjGOQWi4W0khlZZDkC1uFAeciCabJ88ZBXgacPvk8_3X-nNenq1tvd1nsvx0nnV9KiBE840d-4jyoVwAFqY7j8BaMmYZoSwTzoqMaVPL7hGPH-WmtaInudAqv1OwIOUflGo2Wq_tPivu1j8OvJhSO9eU_gdskmHHCtHaUZ6Niqvvly4Nkn1_eeiSirYRq9frsPGl0EU.nRnycaCPuX-2gxMKnXE-lOFK-9HPMJevmQwAodfVFPE&dib_tag=se&keywords=convector+heater&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1734893663&sprefix=convector+,aps,87&sr=8-3.
Not the actual one but there's loads which are much the same. It heats well but is not a good shape for our 6.4m PVC. SWMBO found she was always having to dodge round it.
As an alternative we have bought one of these as its proportions will work better for us;- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dreo-Oscil...g-ECO-Mode/dp/B09W9DTMDL?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1. Not tried in the van yet but it seems OK at home and no noisier than the Truma fan.
We're away New Year's so will see how it goes then.
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So here we are at Fforest Fields near Builth Wells with sub zero temperatures last night and even colder tonight. I can report that the Dreo heater is keeping us really cosy. The fan is about the same sound level as the Truma and a not unpleasant background white noise. Certainly easy to fall asleep to.

SWMBO is very happy and that's the main thing!

Edit: just to add that heat is now reaching right to the back of the van which is a big improvement over both the truma and the old convector.
 
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barryd said:
... I did start wondering with us spending so much time away in it if the Truma units were designed for constant use. Would it make sense perhaps to just use a convector heater for space heating? We carry one anyway and a fan heater back up just in case. My thinking is you can replace a convector heater for twenty quid but I bet the Truma system will be a heck of a lot more if it fails. Just interested in peoples thoughts.
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Yes, indeed. The electric elements in these heaters have very short lives and cost four figures to replace, because of how they are built into the unit.

If it is only for when you hooked up at home, I would suggest an oil filled radiator heater rather than a convector heater. Leave the bathroom door open and put the heater just outside it.

If you plan to take it on the road, a convector heater is lighter.
 
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