aandy Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I am currently looking to buy a van and rather like the Chausson Flash 02 and 04, both of which use diesel heating. However, I have heard that it is quite heavy on batteries, and as I will often be reliant on battery power for several days at a time, often without moving the van, that could be a problem. Is it realistic to expect three or four days cold weather use without hook-up or charging, or should I stick to gas? I would also be interested to hear more generally from anyone who has first hand experience of the Flash 02/04. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Hi andy, Of the two choices if you are only using batteries for long stays away,I would think the only answer is gas. Running out of gas when away from all amenities is simple you go and find some. If your batteries are drained, you may not be able to move at all. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Diesel heating is only heavy on batteries at start-up, I had an Autocruise with an Eberspacher combi heater/boiler I only had a single 100amp leisure battery, took about 3 days use ( in the winter) to flatten it. But I never ever let it use the vehicle battery, provided you have diesel in the tank, you use hardly any gas. Which can be very handy if you don't have re-fillable cylinders. Personally I much preferred the Eberspacher to the Truma Combi 4E, which for me has proved unreliable. IMO , go for the Diesel heater and get a second leisure battery 2x 100amps should give you a week off of hook up, without touching the vehicle battery. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I had an Eberspacher on my Autosleeper Duetto and could rarely get the heater to start probably because the original battery had insufficient power. When the darn thing did work it was very noisy until it reached its operating temperature. I would not want another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 We have a Chausson Flash S2, which is similar to the 02 and 04, but with a third very different, and in our opinion, unique layout. It's exactly the same length as the Flash 04 at 5.99m. It was only made for the 2010 and 2011 model years - won a number of awards, but then the company dropped it. Although it has four belted seats, one of them is only a lap belt - which might be the reason it was discontinued?? We only travel with the two of us on board, so not an issue. http://www.caravanguard.co.uk/news/chausson-flash-2-motorhome-review-938/ We bought ours new in October '10 and have been happy with it. We had the option of a Flash. 04 for the same price, but went for the S2 - no regrets. We'd also considered the Flash 02, but again prefer the model we chose. It has diesel heating, which we like - never have any worries about gas on our 4-6 week trips to the continent. We have not had a problem with power consumption, but we do move on fairly regularly and sometimes have a hook-up. I guess if you want to avoid hook-ups and not move very often, then a solar panel might be useful, but we haven't bothered. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandy Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 Thanks gents. Like most things, it seems everyone's experience is different. I wonder if it depends on the particular installation, or perhaps some individual units just are better than others. Been looking for some time, now, but really struggling to make a decison. Problem is there's such a wide range of variables I'm getting more confused by the day. Mike, it was actually the S2 I was looking at, not the 02 as I said initially. It does look a very nice layout and a good comprise between space and compactness. Anyway, back to Ebay, Autotrader etc. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 We too have had Eberspacher heating and we found that two good 110ah batteries backed up by a 50 watt (minimum) solar panel would keep us going with no worries for a long weekend when it was very cold and the heating was on day and night whilst camped off site. When it is good it is very good and when it fails it is a pain in bum to find someone with the expertise to fix it properly and long lasing. Many claim to but few succeed in my experience. How you would find someone abroad with the expertise I dread to think as the motorhome systems differ from the much more widely used truck cab heating systems. You save gas which can be a bonus if gas carrying capacity or payload is limited but you can also use diesel heating on a site with a mains hook up lead in most (but not all) cases. Check before buying and make sure you are not low on diesel when you park up for a few days. On balance we liked the Eberspacher heating once all the problems were sorted but we are just as happy with gas even though the water does not stay as hot in the hot water tank as the Eberspacher used to! Eberspacher likes to be used was the advice given to us and to fire it up once a month especially when the van is not being used to keep it in good fettle. I don't know if it helped but it never gave us any further trouble in almost 4 years of use after that bit of advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxli Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Hi We have a Flash 02 and find the diesel heating great, other than a bit difficult to regulate. i.e. Either Bermuda or Siberia!! I like to turn off the gas at night and we've never had a problem with batteries, even when running the heating all night in sub zero winter temperatures. We did upgrade the original single leisure battery to double 98Ah units. When the gas is off and no power hook up available, I have 8 freeze blocks in the fridge to keep it cool till morning. Has worked well till now and even in warmer weather. I'm considering solar panels but we've never had a problem in practice. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 aandy - 2015-07-01 8:50 PM Mike, it was actually the S2 I was looking at, not the 02 as I said initially. It does look a very nice layout and a good comprise between space and compactness. Anyway, back to Ebay, Autotrader etc. Andy There are a number of aspects we particularly like about the layout of the S2, most especially the remarkable feeling of spaciousness in a sub-6-metre van. As you say, an excellent compromise. A bit like a tardis really. We've travelled reasonably extensively in it: France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and around the UK including the Outer Hebrides! Next week we're off to the Netherlands. We find it perfectly comfortable for 5 - 6 weeks at a time. Just ask if you've got any other specific queries about the model. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawcara Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Would agree with all of the above. Even in summer it is important to run it. We use a lot less gas as a result and it is good for drying wet clothes in th bathroom. ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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