Top_ted Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Hi all Im brand new to the forum and motorhoming so please bear with me. My Bessacar 765P has a Trauma C heater installed for room and water heating. My problem is that on electrical heating mode the air flow is very low and the heater takes forever to warm up the motorhome. Have tried all settings on the control panel still the same,any suggestions would be most welcome Thanks Ted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Hello Ted. It would help if you could give the year of your van, and the type of Truma fitted. But, in general, the electric elements are not really powerful enough to heat a van from cold, although they should be able to maintain the heat once the van has warmed up. Bring it up to temperature on gas (or gas and electricity), let it stabilise, and then switch over to electricity alone. If it can't then cope, it may be that one of the electric elements has failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken the kontiki Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Without knowing the heater model, this could be pre Truma C series (6002/6002EH) and if it is the case, the boiler may well have a wrap around heating collar and not elements. Unfortunately, more info's needed from the OP. Here's a similar thread http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Is-this-normal-/29051/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top_ted Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thanks for that Brian The unit fitted is a Trauma C-6002EH, have also now checked the outlets above the habitation door and the over cab bed both of which have little or no air flow Thanks Ted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken the kontiki Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Do some of the outlets have air flow and some don't? This might just be a case of the ducting becoming detached somewhere in the MH. As for whether the heating elements are working or not, there's a simple way to test and a not so simple way. With the boiler full of cold water, how long does it take to get hot water out of the taps when on 1800w? Should take around 30-40 minutes if mine's anything to go by but then it's just had two new elements. If you can get access to the 240V pcb control box, you can check the resistance across each element. One element has white wires, the other red. Resistance across a good element should be 60 ohms. Our knackered element had a resistance of 1100 ohms. In fairness, 1800w is never going to give you much heat at this time of year. A lot also depends on the length of ducting runs and the associated heat loss. Even a 2kw domestic fan heater won't push the air that far around a MH and into every corner. I'm typing this in our 8.5m Kontiki with the heating on 1800w plus an 800w quartz heater at the front - all's roastie toastie lol. With the C6002EH, the more heat there is in the heat exchanger, the faster the fan runs. That's why on max gas (6kw?), the fan will run very fast. Compare that when on 1800w electric and the fan runs slower. If it ran faster, the heat exchanger wouldn't have time to heat up as all the air is being blown over it at a rate of knots. Thus, on 1800w, the fan needs to run slower than on gas so there's at least some "warm" air at the outlets. HTH ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top_ted Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thanks Ken Will check the elements in the morning. Glad your warm in your Tiki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Ted A C-6002EH’s electric air heating feature can only provide ’background’ warmth - that’s why the appliance has a mixed-mode electric+gas capability. Check that all four air trunks are firmly attached to the four outlets at the heater’s base, as the trunks can spring free. As Ken advises only one of the 230V heating elements may be operating, but the best that can be obtained from a fully-operational C-6002EH and a system that fully complies with Truma’s installation instructions (and I’ve yet to see one that does!) is gentle warmth from the air outlets. If the heating system is ‘unbalanced’, with radically different length air trunks, or there’s a socking great gas drop-vent next to the heater, or the location where the heater is installed is inadequately ventilated to the motorhome’s living area, the heater’s efficiency will be much reduced. The 765P is a large motorhome and it may well be that your C-6002EH on 230V air-heating is performing as well as can reasonably be expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top_ted Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 Thanks Derek, This might be the case as There is little or no heat in the overcab or above the habitation door. Did'nt have time to check the heating elements today will try over the weekend. Thanks Ted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Truma’s advertising literature has included ‘sample’ diagrams of quite complex air-heating systems based around their combination air/water heaters. There’s a recent example here: https://www.truma.com/downloadcenter/truma_camping_world_int_en.pdf Years ago, when Peter Leivers was Truma(UK)’s Service and Training Manager, I asked him about the layouts shown in the diagrams as I was doubtful that they would be effective in practice. He just laughed and said “That’s advertising for you!” The ‘efficiency' rule of thumb with a Trumatic C-Series or “Combi” heater is to locate the appliance centrally in the leisure-vehicle, make sure that the heater’s enclosure is well-ventilated to the vehicle’s living area (these heaters are recirculatory) and have similar length air-trunks that are as short as possible and with the minimum number of right-angle bends. How closely does your Bessacarr meet those criteria? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken the kontiki Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Having just returned from Truma HQ after having new elements fitted on our 2008 C6002EH, Truma informed me that the C series was never designed to have electric heating, just gas only. The elements were added in the boiler's latter days until such a time the "new" (at the time) Combi series was to be launched. The element arrangement on the Combi is completely different to the C series and was designed with electric AND gas operation in mind. On our 2008 Kontiki, Swift in their wisdom, fitted an external vent in the boiler cupboard. We've blocked this off and Swift subsequently dropped the vent from 2009/10 models. The warmer the boiler compartment/cupboard the better. This can be proven as if you disconnect one of the heating ducts in he cupboard on the boiler, very hot air will be drawn back into the boiler and subsequently the fan will ramp up to dissipate the excess heat. Let us know how you get on Ted. BTW, whereabouts are you in the country? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 ken the kontiki - 2016-03-11 9:03 AM ...The warmer the boiler compartment/cupboard the better... In principle a Truma C-Series or “Combi” heater would be most effective if it were not in a compartment/cupboard at all, just free-standing in the middle of the motorhome with air-trunks leading off to various parts of the living-area. Obviously that’s not going to happen in practice, but adequate ‘circulatory' ventilation must be provided to the heater for it to function efficiently. This is explained in Truma’s installation instructions for the C-6002EH https://dealernew.truma.com/_anweisungen/Truma-Katalog/pdf_verzeichnis/30_000/34010_03700.pdf in the statement "Circulating air return The circulating air is sucked in again by the device, either directly via an aperture measuring about 150 cm2 from the living room to the installation room, or via several smaller apertures with the same surface area.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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