wild rover Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Hi everyone, hope you all had a great Christmas! One of the disappoinments I've had this winter with my LMC Liberty has been that I can't use the gas heating while the system has been drained of water in the cold weather. Does anyone know of a motorhome heating sytem where you can operate as normal, but without having water on board? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 What heater do you have? All the Truma Combi heaters (C6000, C4000 etc,) can be run on the heating position with the tank drained. Just had a browse and all Liberties I found had Truma blow air heating which would indicate a C6000 or C4000 which is fine to run the heating with the water drained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wild rover Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 Thanks for your reply! The number is TRAUMA 6002, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wild rover Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 Should have added that we were told the heating could only be run on the minimum position and for two hours max. Problem is that it doesn't put out much heat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Ours has a Truma gas/electric boiler with warm air system, and specifically has a setting for use of heating without the boiler. However, even if away in the winter we use the water system, as the fresh water tank is inboard under the seat, and has heating pipes running around inside the seating box! The only downside is of course you have to drain the system when not using the motorhome, and refill when you wish to go away in the motorhome. Where we lived previously we were lucky enoght to park on teh drive,and kept the elctrics connceted, and used a small oil-filled radiatior on a timer, so never drained the system. I would agree with the comment above, thought, that the low setting (900w) is barely good enough to keep the motorhome warm adequately in the very cold temperatures, and we have tended to use the high(1800w) setting,and just left it on very low when away from the motorhome during the say. Overnight, we found generally, it kept warm enough without heating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berti Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 hi wild rover we are travelling through france and have been unable to get any water for our tank for a week our boiler is a truma C6000 it has been bitterly cold and we have been running the heating every night with no adverse effects have checked our manual and it says the boiler can run with no water cheers berti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 You can find Truma operating instructions here:- http://www.truma.com/_anweisungen/Truma-Katalog/gb/trumatic_c/trumatic_c.html Your van is German made & will be fully wintereised as Keith points out you only need to drain it down when not in use. It's only the stupidity of British manufacturers who would consider fitting an external water tank & plumbing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wild rover Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 Thanks everyone, you've all been very helpful! Pam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 The original question was that Wild Rover wanted to use his gas heating (not electric) whilst without water. I'm assuming that he is not happy with the performance on electric only or that he is a wild camper and therefore off hook up. Can you really use the Truma system on gas without water as has been suggested? The Alde heating system allows you to do this but then its heating up an anti freeze solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Yes the Truma boilers can be run on gas with the water tank empty, most German vans the boiler is gas only, it's only UK supplied vehicles that have the electric option as standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Three categories of Truma combination air/water gas-fuelled heater may safely be operated with their water-tank empty. There are no technical reasons why operation of those heaters when empty of water should be restricted output- or duration-wise. 1: C-3402, C-4002 and C-6002 models. All of these appliances can be fitted with a 230V 450W water-heating 'collar' that may be used together with, or separately from, gas operation. The 230V collar may be factory-fitted (when the heater will have been re-designated a C-3402(EL), C-4002(EL) or C-6002(EL)), or the collar can be retro-fitted. The heating collar provides no air-heating capability and (obviously), if the heater's water-tank has been emptied, the collar can't do anything useful! 2: C-6002EH. This differs from the above heater models by having two 900W 230V elements integrated into its central heat-exchanger, providing air and/or water heating via mains electricity together with, or separately from, gas operation. (The 900W elements CANNOT be retro-fitted to C-3402, C-4002 or C-6002 models.) 3: Combi-4 and Combi-6. These appliances were introduced in mid-2007 and bear little technical resemblance to the preceding "C-Series" units. Combi-4(E) and Combi-6(E) include a 230V air/water heating capability similar in principle to that of the C-6002(EH). Note that it's not a realistic proposition to attempt to convert a Combi-4 or Combi-6 into its "E" equivalent - you need to select the Combi-4(E) or Combi-6(E) version to begin with. lennyhb - 2010-01-17 1:58 PM ...All the Truma Combi heaters (C6000, C4000 etc,) can be run on the heating position with the tank drained... This advice is inaccurate as the original Truma C-3400 and C-6000 combination heaters MUST NEVER be operated with the their water-tank empty, otherwise there's every chance that the tank's interior enamel coating will be damaged. As C-3400/C-6000 models are, to all intents and purposes, irreparable nowadays, owners of motorhomes with these elderly heaters should take particular care. Truma combination heaters became immediately popular with Continental motorcaravan manufacturers for their relative compactness, simplicity of installation and (in 6kW format) high heat output. Because Continental-built motorhomes usually have large gas capacity and 'wild camping' is a time-honoured pastime 'over there', there has always been a tendency to fit gas-only heaters and boilers, hence Truma's 230V heating-collar was seldom specified even as an option. UK motorhome manufacturers generally ignored combination heaters until quite recently, preferring to stick with the tried, tested (and eminently sensible) 'caravan' format of a convector fire and separate water-boiler. As motorcaravanning within the UK revolves predominantly around campsites with powerful 230V electricity supplies, gas/230V air or water heaters have tended to be the norm and, when combination heaters are fitted, any available 230V option is often added into the motorhome's standard specification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickt Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Whilst on the heating subject has anybody fitted a catalytic heater. With this heater you do not have to rely on 12 volt power a used in blown air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Mickt - 2010-01-18 6:27 PM Whilst on the heating subject has anybody fitted a catalytic heater. With this heater you do not have to rely on 12 volt power a used in blown air. I had one installed on a boat many years ago and found it gave good service but we had a lot of condensation which we, rightly or not, put down to the heater output into the cabin. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Most of the effluent from burned, or catalysed, LPG is water. Proper space heaters are flued, so it goes outside, the portable catalytic variety ain't, so it stays inside! Simples! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Catalytic heaters are simple to install, relatively cheap and can be portable or wall-mounted. With no blown-air capability, the heat they produce will be concentrated in the area near to the heater and (has already been said) condensation will be a by-product. Output also tends to be on the lowish side, with the catalytic heaters I've seen being advertised on UK websites providing less than 2kW. Their attraction for boat usage is plain, but you wouldn't actively choose one for a motorhome unless cost or ease of installation were all-important. There are 'proper' leisure-vehicle heaters (like piezo-ignitor versions of Truma's S-2200 and S-3002 appliances) that need no 12V power supply and side-step the condensation issue. The downsides are that they are trickier to fit and significantly more expensive than catalytic heaters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickt Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Thanks re your comments on catalytic heaters, regarding the condensation problems that make them no go for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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