Irish Mike Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Hi all, Happy new year to you all. Looking for some advise on how to heat a large motorhome while driving. 6 metre so a lot of cold space to heat. The cab has aircon only so no good for heating remainder. The children find sitting in the back very cold. I checked all vents to ensure closed etc. Maybe I need a suitable 12 volt heater?. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. Kind regards, Mike. Limerick Ireland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Mike I would forget the idea of a 12 volt heater, in order to get 2Kw output, you would need 167 amp input and this is probably beyond the capability of your alternator. Our 'van (Autosleeper Duetto) has a diesel powered heater and this can be used whilst on the move. It produces 2.2 Kw and has only about a 5 amp (maximum) current requirement. Webasto and Erbespacher make suitable heaters and a quick Google will give you lots to read. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 IMO, if you already have adequate static heating, the best option on the move is an auxiliary heater tee'd into the vehicle's cooling system. They're very effective (I've had them factory fitted on my current and previous van, and they throw out more heat than the original Fiat heater). In addition, there is no running cost after fitting. You need a 'void' in which to fit them, (under rear seat or similar is common), and you will need a 12V connection as they are effectively fan-driven through a heat exchanger. CAK Tanks (www.caktanks.co.uk) do the parts, but it will be around 200ukp for parts, and teeing into the vehicle cooling system could be a bit daunting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 If your van has a Truma Combi heater, check what the Truma manual says about your model. However, so far as I know, most, if not all, of the Combis are designated as usable while travelling.The safety caveat is that you should ideally have the Truma Drivesafe regulator and "pigtails" fitted, in lieu of any other regulator and flexible cylinder connectors. The Drivesafe regulator (Secumotion in Europe) incorporates a pressure shut off valve that ensures the supply from the regulator is isolated should a leak develop on the low pressure side. The flexibles have similar valves, adjacent to the cylinder connection, that ensure the supply from the cylinder is isolated should there be a leak on the high pressure side. Thus equipped, and subject to the instructions for the Truma Combi (but note not the Trumaheater), it is permissible throughout Europe to travel with the gas turned on at the cylinder, and so to use the Truma heater while driving. Just needs to be turned off when refuelling!If your Truma is suitable, this would probably be the cheapest remedy overall, and almost certainly the most effective due to the way hot air is distributed within the vehicle. You'll also arrive with hot water on tap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romir Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 *-) Read a lot about these diesel heaters but I'm afraid I struggle to see the benefit. With diesel running at or near £1.00 per litre I find it difficult to understand the logic. Perhaps it might be different if it were possible to use an auxiliary tank filled with heating oil or red diesel to keep costs down, and in France you could use 'fioul' that is available at many filling stations. I'm sure other eurozone countries have similar opportunities. Seems somewhat bizarre to pay full fuel tax plus VAT and then use it heating a van, particularly when we complain about the cost of diesel anyway. My Transit manages to throw out enough heat to make travel in the dinette quite comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Hot water bottles? Its surprising how nice and warm they can keep you coupled with a warm blanket to keep the draughts off! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 I notice that Pilote has begun to fit a "Favex" gas regulator, manufactured by the CAVAGNA Group, that is claimed to offer the same pan-European legality as the Truma SecuMotion/DriveSafe system mentioned by Brian. SecuMotion/Drivesafe is not intended to be DIY-fitted to a motorhome as the regulator needs to matched to the vehicle's gas system to provide optimum protection. I'm a mite doubtful that retro-fitting the Truma (or Favex) product to a motorhome that was not originally equipped with it from brand-new genuinely 'legalises' the vehicle for running a (suitable) gas heater anywhere in Europe. Truma may be able to advise on this point. Having said that, I agree with Brian that using the Truma C-Series gas-heater (that I'm pretty sure the A6881 has) would be the simplest, cheapest and most effective means of heating the motorhome while travelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Ord Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Romir; as far as I am aware Fioul is what we regard as Paraffin or Kerosene. Bill Ord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Bill Ord - 2009-01-10 11:21 AM Romir; as far as I am aware Fioul is what we regard as Paraffin or Kerosene. Bill Ord Fioul in France is heating oil used in central heating systems etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Both Kenlow and CAK sell heaters that use the exising engine cooling system and 12v fan to adjust the output. Our Swift and Rapido had thisarrangement and works well. rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Mike Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 Thanks to all for the input and advise. I checked and I have the Truma C EH 6002 heating system installed. So I will chase up and see if a retrofit of the secumotion regulator is possible and if so then to get a specialist to fit it as Derek mentions that its not a DIY job. Extra hassle getting parts and specialists in Ireland as the motorhome "hobby" is not as advanced here as it is in the UK. I import all I need as bugger all over here!!! Kind regards, Mike :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Try contacting Truma UK first, they are usually helpful and responsive. E-mail or phone. I think you'll need to start with the technical department, it seems to be where most of the sense resides. They won't (wouldn't!) sell direct, but they should know a man who will, and he'd probably be the best place to get the job done. However, it really isn't rocket science. The regulator is very similar to look at, and similar in size, to the standard Truma regulators. There is a heater element that can be incorporated to prevent the regulator icing in very cold weather, which I believe will have its own installation instructions. Ours just seems to be wired to the heater switch, on the presumption that if you need the heating on it will be cold! OK if you're on a hook up, but it may over-tax the battery if not! Otherwise, apart from getting the capacity or the reuglator right for the installed appliances (mainly, it seems, a matter of selecting the outlet connection of the regulator to suit the diameter of the installed gas pipe!), a reasonably competent DITer shouldn't have any great problem, though I never said that! :-)It might help if your existing regulator is a Truma item, as it should be clear from its type No or whatever, what capacity it has, which will presumably be the target capacity for the replacement. If you need an auto-changeover valve for two cylinders, that comes as an addition and connects direct to the DriveSafe unit. If you already have the changeover valve, and it is a Truma item, it seems possible it might connect striaght to the DriveSafe unit. However, it is all these details you'll need to get Truma to advise on. Collect the details, and Type/serial numbers, for anything on board with a Truma lebel as I suspect they will help Truma tech to sort out what is needed. Regarding legality, the following is taken From Truma's manual for the Combi 4 series (latest) heaters. However, the Directive carries a 2004 date, so I can see no reason why it should not apply to your heater. Our SecuMotion unit is factory fit, but the Combi is a C4002, so the same generation as yours."Directive 2004/78/EC stipulates that a safety shut-off device is required if motor homes are being heated while driving.The Truma SecuMotion gas pressure regulator meets this requirement.If no safety shut-off device is installed (e.g. the Truma SecuMotion gas pressure regulator), the gas cylinder must be closed while driving and information signs must be attached to the gas cylinder protection box and in the vicinity of the control panel."Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romir Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 >:-( As Randonneur points out Fioul is sold at the pump in France to supplement the visit of the delivery lorry, apparently quite popular with Brits abroad who use holiday homes, but who either don't have large tanks or use CH infrequently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikethebike Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Hi all Romir we have the Eberspacher diesel fitted in our Autocruise and we have just returned from a weekend rally where we had it on all weekend day and night the amount of diesel used was negligible the fuel gauge hardly dropped at all. Even with the fuel price increase I still think its pretty economic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Mikuni also make a heater like eberspacher, think it may be cheaper. Works well, we had one in our boat, it was very cosy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Seat your passenger in a sleeping bag, plus a hot water bottle as has already been said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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