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 Topic: Overnight heating
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09/11/2009 at 8:40pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: http: www.arcsystems.biz
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My thoughts on the use of the Truma Ultraheat are these;
The Ultraheat’s wattage settings are there so you can make use of low amperage hookups, 500W for 6A, 1000W for 10A and 2000W for 16A hookups, their not there to adjust the temperature of the van.
The Ultraheat is thermostatically controlled, therefore the wattage used will simply mean the fire is heating for shorter or longer periods. Where the problems arise then is if the temperature control is not working correctly, this is often due to the heat from the elements directly affecting the sensor itself, it’s within the control switch. This means the heat brings the temperature sensor up to that set on the dial and the elements switch off, you and the vans are still cold but the sensors toasty and takes forever to cool before switching the fire back on!!
Due to this and particularly overnight, it's become something of an urban myth to set it at 500w or 1000w, this or that number on the dial and fan speed setting. In truth what's happening is the available heat is not capable of reaching the set temperature so never switches off, it's a useful work around but not how it should work.
The real solution is to fit a ‘remote’ temperature sensor and attach it to the gas fires sensor, if a remote is already fitted, it to will usually react better if moved to this location.
Setting the fan on manual speed means the fan runs at this speed regardless of the amount of heat being produced, I would suggest manual fan is only for use without heat for cooling in summer, if infact it has a use?!
Setting the fan to ‘A’utomatic allows the heat produced to control the fan speed ‘up’ to the speed set on the dial, you can then, keep this set maximum low and therefore quiet over night perhaps
Automatic means the fan will run slowly initially and speed up as the air passing through gets warmer, doing it this way allows heat and fan to be switched on together and doing away with waiting xx minutes as often suggested.
I would suggest as a start and during the day, the wattage selected is as high as the hook up allows and then fan speed set to maximum on Automatic.
This provides the maximum heat if required and the fans speed will respond to change in temperature, ie, fast when heat cycle is on and slow when heat is off.
After that you can fine tune to suit your own needs
Other heating problems concern the control board, the elements are switched on and off by relays and the contacts burn out, particularly the two 1kw relays. If this happens you may think you have it set to 2kw but only one element is working, finally perhaps leaving you with just 500w working when both 2kw and1kw settings no longer work.
(Note, relays will still be heard to ‘click’ but unless you have heat, their not working)
The 12v for control also comes from this board and the transformer sometimes packs up, apart from no heat, you will lose the green light in the switch if this happens
Lastly and also if no heat is forth coming, there are two safety thermostats, one at least of these has a habit of self destruction which stops all heating on electric! If the lower 125C thermostat trips, it automatically resets when it cools. However, the 175C limit stat is a ‘self hold’ and cannot reset once tripped until the mains supply to the heater is switched off, once mains supply is off, it will then cool and reset automatically.
The control switch itself seems generally reliable but the odd one does fail.
The numbers on the dial represent roughly 4degs and 9 is 32degs or thereabouts, this in theory makes 6 or 7 'normal' but it's what feels comfortable that matters not the number.
Another problem not caused by the heater itself is long runs of un-insulated blown air pipe running outside under the floor, insulating this will improve matters considerable.
Everything installed and working as it should, there is no good reason why the electric heating should not work very well and keep an even temperature to suit your needs.
However, it must be remembered the van needs to be warmed through thoroughly, not just the air, before the heating is turned down. While the vans cold it will constantly drag heat from the air and this in turn needs constant topping up or the van will always feel ‘draughty’. It's most useful then while particularly cold to use gas as well for the first couple of hours, also, if the heating is off during the day to turn it back on at the first sign of a chill.
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10/11/2009 at 10:56pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: http: www.arcsystems.biz
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As far as wattage settings are concerned and in simple terms, if a van on a particular day took 2hrs on 2kw to reach full temperature, it would take 4hrs on 1kw and 8hrs on 500w.
So while it's switching on and off topping up, it will be on longer on lower wattage and shorter times on higher wattage, the total amount of heat produced remains the same.
During the night to keep fan speed/noise to a minimum a lower wattage setting will be best.
Luke/Pete so I'm not setting anything in stone, but suggesting starting at maximum and see how it goes as I said 'you can then adjust to suit yourself'.
However if the fan speed is on auto, the actual speed is governed by temperature inside the fan housing so unlikely to go as far as maximum speed, unless the available heat from the elements allows it to?
Setting to 3.5 on auto sets 3.5 as the maximum but it should still rise up to and fall below this set maximum as elements switch on and off and temperature rises and falls.
Michael, if your setting the room thermostat to 9 which is 32C!! it should certainly roast you on 2kw and probably on 1kw, on 500w your probably not allowing it to switch of so get a constant 500w of heat as per the 'work around' I mentioned.
If though you feel compelled to use it this way as is often the case? it's quite possibly because you don't have a remote sensor or it's fitted but in the wrong place. Or, perhaps one of the relays has packed up?
A quick test of relays is to switch onto 1kw without fan, and after a minute or so feel the amount of heat coming from the fire. Now switch to 2kw and you should very quickly feel a lot more heat, if not then something's amiss
Same with the sensor, if you have problems with the heating switching off early and the van cooling down, then expose the back of the switch to the general area of the van. IE, if the back of the switch pokes out in the wardrobe, open the doors and move any cloths always.
You should now get some improvement to the temperature control, if you do then fitting a remote sensor, (particularly one of mine), will improve matters tremendously.
As for you foxy lady, leave me out of it 
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10/11/2009 at 11:24pm
Location: Nottingham
Outfit: Motorhome
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Hi Gary,I dont know if you remember but in a post a long time ago I was the one who bought a 240 v kit off the bay for less than £20 and fitted it myself,it had all that was needed,it did take a bit of time to find what was the best settings for us,but and a big but I did not fit the remote unit,and Ha Ha fitted the controle unit inside the wardrobe so the outside of the unit was near the other controles on the back wall,but since fitting the remote unit an possisioning it near the other one at the bottom of the fire it now works great,
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Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
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11/11/2009 at 12:44pm
Location: Lancashire
Outfit: Caravan now Sold
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Michael, if your setting the room thermostat to 9 which is 32C!! it should certainly roast you on 2kw and probably on 1kw, on 500w your probably not allowing it to switch of so get a constant 500w of heat as per the 'work around' I mentioned.
If though you feel compelled to use it this way as is often the case? it's quite possibly because you don't have a remote sensor or it's fitted but in the wrong place. Or, perhaps one of the relays has packed up?
A quick test of relays is to switch onto 1kw without fan, and after a minute or so feel the amount of heat coming from the fire. Now switch to 2kw and you should very quickly feel a lot more heat, if not then something's amiss
Same with the sensor, if you have problems with the heating switching off early and the van cooling down, then expose the back of the switch to the general area of the van. IE, if the back of the switch pokes out in the wardrobe, open the doors and move any cloths always.
You should now get some improvement to the temperature control, if you do then fitting a remote sensor, (particularly one of mine), will improve matters tremendously.
thanks gary will do a few test and return.
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the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
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