Message Forums

Quote: Originally posted by iank01 on 07/11/2023

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If you have a small caravan then blown air is probably a good option however with a large caravan definitely ALDE heating. On a large caravan the air cools down quite a bit before it reaches its destination at the furtherest point away from the source.

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Quote: Originally posted by clair8998 on 07/11/2023

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Thanks all

Not sure I'm any less confused though!

I certainly won't discount blown air now when looking for our next van

Thanks again

Clair

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Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 08/11/2023

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Just back from a 10 day break in the chilly wilds of Cumbria, daytime temps up to mid teens on the good days, night time down to only a few degrees C, and my current technology Truma Combi blown air system kept me nice and cosy throughout! - what more can you ask for! At no time was the ambient temp high enough to be comfortable in the van with the heating turned off, tripping in and out on the thermostat kept van perfect.

As to above mentioned 'drafts' and 'noise', absolutely no idea what they are talking about from my personal experience of my system, on the highest blower setting the fan is barely audible, and the air flow is hardly a gale, just a gentle wafting of warm air from vents with no noise whatsoever, it's so subtle you have to put a hand (or bare foot) in front of vent to check it's actually operating!

Mine's a fairly large 4 berth van with separate bathroom, there are three vents, two in the living area and one in the bathroom, everywhere is warm! It you want to increase warmth in one part of van more than another, you simple adjust the vent flap/valve(s) slightly in the areas you wish to be cooler, the bulk of the air is then directed to the area you want warmer, the thermostat and heater timer (if you wish to set limited operating times) take care of everything else. I suspect people who complain of 'cold spots' are simple not using the system correctly!

Oft overlooked, but to me a valuable bonus not available with the Alde wet system, in the hot summer months the blower can be set to blow COOL air too, drawn from the shade under the van, so you can have forced cooling ventilation as well as heating from the system!

I've never used a Alde wet system, and quite simply I wouldn't want one for all the problems that they bring, they have a weight penalty in the first place which eats into potential load capacity/ups the MIRO weight of van, they require expensive (if paying for work to be done, and most people really aren't happy to DIY!) routine maintenance (nothing to service on a blown air system!), and they have several potential points of failure, which from the various posts on here and other forums do seem to occur rather too often. For the potential advantages, which seem to be mere technicalities like marginal speedier heating from cold, and personal preference for a heating system people are familiar with from their homes, personally I see the Alde system as a 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' with a load of risks and ongoing expense that is unavoidable!

I've used my blown air heating many times in chilly times of year, never failed to warm sufficiently or given any problems, happily go for the same system again if/when I change van, made it a preference when choosing my current van, why over complicate life!

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Quote: Originally posted by jaiash on 08/11/2023

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Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 08/11/2023

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Just back from a 10 day break in the chilly wilds of Cumbria, daytime temps up to mid teens on the good days, night time down to only a few degrees C, and my current technology Truma Combi blown air system kept me nice and cosy throughout! - what more can you ask for! At no time was the ambient temp high enough to be comfortable in the van with the heating turned off, tripping in and out on the thermostat kept van perfect.

As to above mentioned 'drafts' and 'noise', absolutely no idea what they are talking about from my personal experience of my system, on the highest blower setting the fan is barely audible, and the air flow is hardly a gale, just a gentle wafting of warm air from vents with no noise whatsoever, it's so subtle you have to put a hand (or bare foot) in front of vent to check it's actually operating!

Mine's a fairly large 4 berth van with separate bathroom, there are three vents, two in the living area and one in the bathroom, everywhere is warm! It you want to increase warmth in one part of van more than another, you simple adjust the vent flap/valve(s) slightly in the areas you wish to be cooler, the bulk of the air is then directed to the area you want warmer, the thermostat and heater timer (if you wish to set limited operating times) take care of everything else. I suspect people who complain of 'cold spots' are simple not using the system correctly!

Oft overlooked, but to me a valuable bonus not available with the Alde wet system, in the hot summer months the blower can be set to blow COOL air too, drawn from the shade under the van, so you can have forced cooling ventilation as well as heating from the system!

I've never used a Alde wet system, and quite simply I wouldn't want one for all the problems that they bring, they have a weight penalty in the first place which eats into potential load capacity/ups the MIRO weight of van, they require expensive (if paying for work to be done, and most people really aren't happy to DIY!) routine maintenance (nothing to service on a blown air system!), and they have several potential points of failure, which from the various posts on here and other forums do seem to occur rather too often. For the potential advantages, which seem to be mere technicalities like marginal speedier heating from cold, and personal preference for a heating system people are familiar with from their homes, personally I see the Alde system as a 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' with a load of risks and ongoing expense that is unavoidable!

I've used my blown air heating many times in chilly times of year, never failed to warm sufficiently or given any problems, happily go for the same system again if/when I change van, made it a preference when choosing my current van, why over complicate life!

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Agreed! Best comment/explanation yet1

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