steveandlisa Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 Hi, Can anyone tell me how this switch (subject tittle) works. Its located on the wall panel below the Truma controls. The switch incorporates a red led, but when switched to the on position it doesn't light up and nothing appears to happen. I cant seem to find any information in the users manual anywhere. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 Hi Steve If you know the heater model number, there is manuals / operating instructions on the Truma website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 You have checked that you have 240 volts from the EHU? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveandlisa Posted June 7, 2018 Author Share Posted June 7, 2018 Yep, Even on electric hook- up there`s no difference. Thinking back now the dealership said to just leave the switch to on, can`t remember for why though!!! Thanxs anyway Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 The heater in my MH says not to switch mains on if there is no water. Not sure about your dealers advise. Can you not return to dealer to resolve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 steveandlisa - 2018-06-07 6:55 PM Hi, Can anyone tell me how this switch (subject tittle) works. Its located on the wall panel below the Truma controls. The switch incorporates a red led, but when switched to the on position it doesn't light up and nothing appears to happen. I cant seem to find any information in the users manual anywhere. Steve. I believe your 2012 Bailey motorhome will have a Truma “Combi” combinatiion air/water gas/230V heater (either a Combi 4E or - more probably - a Combi 6E). Operating a Truma Combi “E” appliance involves using the heater’s own Truma controls (either a pair of rotary switches or a single digital control-panel) and there’s not normally any requirement for a separate switch of the type you’ve described. It’s possible that Bailey has installed a separate switch for the heater’s 230V power-supply (I’ve always thought Bailey was idiosyncratic!) but a) there’s no obvious need and b) doing this could cause confusion when the heater was being used. And then there’s the fact that the switch’s LED does not illuminate... Motorcaravanners are notorious DIYers and it’s anybody’s guess what a previous owner of your motorhome (that I note you haven’t owned long) might have done. If the switch was originally installed by Bailey one might reasonably expect (Maybe!!) there to be a reference to the switch in the Bailey Handbook, and you say there isn’t. So the switch might be a DIY addition and might, or might not, still have a function. As you remember that the dealership that sold you the motorhome mentioned the switch (so presumably knew what it did) I suggest you do as a sshortcircuit has advised and ask the dealership about it. It’s permissible to operate a Truma Combi heater empty of water (using gas and/or 230V) so the switch should not be some sort of safety device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 I agree that the Truma Combi can be operated without water, however my warning is just in case it was not a combi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 There are some YouTube video clips of 2012 Bailey Approach 740SE motorhomes, and there’s an on-line a September 2011 Bailey advertising brochure for the Approach range. They all indicate that the 740SE model then would have a Truma Combi ”E” heater (probably housed beneath the rear bed) operated by a pair of Truma rotary control-switches mounted one above the other on the wall opposite the kitchen furniture. The Truma control-switches are clearly seen on the video clips, but below the lower Truma switch is a square ‘thingie’ and there’s a rectangular ‘thingie’ below the square one. I can’t identify either of those ‘thingies’, but I’m wondering if one of them carries the mysterious switch with a red LED, or if that switch is completely separate. I also wonder whether the switch + LED carries any maker’s name (eg. Truma) that might actually link it to the heating system. I’m tempted to think that, if the switch were linked to the Truma Combi in some way, if the switch were in its Off position the operation of the Combi would be affected (eg. if the switch controlled the 230V supply to the Combi, if the switch were Off the Combi would not heat using mains electricity). Presumably Steve will have experimented and confirmed that the switch being Off does not affect the Combi heating on 230V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adiebt Posted June 9, 2018 Share Posted June 9, 2018 It’s a mains elecrtricity isolation switch for the Combi boliler , it doesn’t illuminate , we leave it permanently on , when it comes back from it’s hab check it’s always left off by the hab checkers . I have no idea why it is there to isolate the combi ! If you have it in the off position and try to use the combi on mains you will get the red flashing light on the trauma control above the mains isolation switch indicating no mains feed ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 9, 2018 Share Posted June 9, 2018 Is there nothing at all in the Bailey handbook to explain the purpose of the switch? Or nothing on the switch itself to indicate what it’s for? It’s obviously essential that the switch be in the On position if using the Truma Combi on 230V electricity is required, and the switch’s LED not illuminating is definitely unhelpful. I did wonder initially whether the switch was for a ‘booster’ fan for the heating system, but concluded that it was likely that one should be able to hear a fan running and - if a fan had been installed - that its control would have variable settings. The booster-fan speculation was because the Combi-based heating system in a 2012 740SE rides roughshod over Truma’s installation instructions, as siting the appliance right at the motorhome’s rear must unavoidably result in there being short air trunks for the bathroom and bedroom and really long ones to reach forwards to the ’saloon’ area. This MHFun discussion complained of a very high under-bed temperature https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/bailey-heating-problem.59121/ which is hardly surprising... I notice that Bailey soon switched from the Combi to ALDE heating, which allows more flexibility in positioning the heater/boiler without this harming the efficiency of the heating system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adiebt Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 It actually says 230V water heater There is no LED in the switch it simply has a red bar visible when the switch is in the on position. There is NO mention of it in the manual. I’ll ask my guy at A and E Leisure tomorrow what it’s official description / usage is . For what it’s worth my heater in my van keeps me proper toastie warm . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 I notice that - in the Bailey section of their website - PRIMA Leisure Accessories advertise a 10A 230V fused-spur switch (with an LED integrated into the On/Off switch itself) and a "230V WATER HEATER” label. (Photos attached). It’s not unknown for a motorhome converter to insert this type of switch into a heater’s 230V power-supply. My 1996-Herald had one (and its neon-indicator did illuminate), but the Hobby motorhome that I bought next had no equivalent switch. I don’t know if there’s a heater-related 230V-switch diktat in the NCC rules that UK motorhome converters adhere to, but it would definitely help if the switch were mentioned in the Bailey handbook. As a Truma Combi “E” can heat air via 230V as well as water, the labelling is a mite confusing. I note that a “230V ROOM HEATER” label is also adverrtised on the PRIMA website (Steve’s Bailey 740’s switch is seemingly so labelled) but that’s really no better. I don’t doubt that your Bailey’s Combi heater can keep the vehicle warm, but Truma’s advice on siting a Combi says "For evenly distributed heating of the vehicle, the heater should be installed as near to the CENTRE as possible, e.g. in a wardrobe or in storage space with sufficient height. It is to be installed in such a way that the air distribution ducts can be routed with approximately the same lengths. Appropriate openings must be present in the installation compartment so that air can be drawn in – see relevant sections concerning circulated air intake and warm air distribution." I’m not claiming that Bailey is the sole offender when it comes to overlooking that advice - my Rapido’s Combi installation is no better and the Trumatic-C installation on my Hobby motorhome was similarly flawed until I rejigged it - but having a mixture of very long and short air trunks will unbalance warm-air distribution throughout a motorhome and there’s usually not much that can be done to correct this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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