Carver Trumatic SB 1800 Heater

[RogerNE]

Is anyone familiar with this model of heater?

I have got the front panel off OK, and I'm pleased to say that the internal steel pipes are not at all corroded (I gather this can be a frequent problem)

However, I can't see any spark from the Piezo Igniter through the small window.

How on earth do you get to the spark gap, and the Thermocouple? Do you have to remove the whole heater from the floor?

 

[IanB1485]

Welcome to forum. The Truma unit is a rebadged carver 1800 ( truma took over carver , prof has more detailed info on this ) then developed the S3002 , there are two ways to get at the spark electrode , but before that if you remove the front panel the unit may not spark as the piezo requires two connections , one is actually connected to the front panel , which needs the front panel to be connected to the main chassis , also the spark can be difficult to see through the window. To get round this I carry a battery powered unit which I connect one output to the original wire from the piezo unit and the other to the chassis. The battery spark unit can supply about 10 sparks a second which allows you to view the spark better , also it will start the pilot jet more consistently and allow you to check out the rest of the system. One point to note is that to work on a gas appliance you really need to be qualified, another point is if you do remove the unit , then the gas line will need disconnected and again it needs to be done by a qualified person particularly when reassembling.attached is the photo of the gas ignitor I bought as I got really cheesed off with the piezo ignitor. The more modern Truma S3002 have auto igniters which trigger as soon as you turn the gas valve control .

 

[RogerL]

Welcome to forum. The Truma unit is a rebadged carver 1800 ( truma took over carver , prof has more detailed info on this ) then developed the S3002 , there are two ways to get at the spark electrode , but before that if you remove the front panel the unit may not spark as the piezo requires two connections , one is actually connected to the front panel , which needs the front panel to be connected to the main chassis , also the spark can be difficult to see through the window. To get round this I carry a battery powered unit which I connect one output to the original wire from the piezo unit and the other to the chassis. The battery spark unit can supply about 10 sparks a second which allows you to view the spark better , also it will start the pilot jet more consistently and allow you to check out the rest of the system. One point to note is that to work on a gas appliance you really need to be qualified, another point is if you do remove the unit , then the gas line will need disconnected and again it needs to be done by a qualified person particularly when reassembling.attached is the photo of the gas ignitor I bought as I got really cheesed off with the piezo ignitor. The more modern Truma S3002 have auto igniters which trigger as soon as you turn the gas valve control .

The Carver SB1800, referred to in the thread title, was made by Carver in the UK, under licence from Truma - so pedantically, it's the other way round - it's a rebadged Truma 1800.

 

[RogerNE]

Having got the front panel off, now it's dark I can see through the tiny widow that there IS a Spark each time I press the Piezo Button. So don't understand why the Plot Light isn't lighting.

Even if the Thermocouple was faulty, it would light, but go out when I release the button.

 

[trevormonty]

Before you decide starter is faulty make sure rest of heater is working correctly.

Light gas with match and see if it stays on across range of heat settings.

 

[IanB1485]

@RogerNE , yes you are correct , however the one spark may not be enough or there may be a blocked pilot jet or even oil in the gas pipe , ( small amounts can collect overtime and will block the gas , which only has a pressure of 0.03 Bar (0.441 psi) )
There is a post back in 2010 on a another caravan forum which details disassembly of the carver unit I'm not sure if I'm allowed to show the link(Forum rules and all that)

 

[RogerNE]

Sadly there seems to be no way to get a match anywhere near the pilot jet . . . or poke anything down it to clean it !

That is the problem, (it looks like you have to completely remove the Heater from the Van to work on it)

 

[ProfJohnL]

Welcome to forum. The Truma unit is a rebadged carver 1800 ( truma took over carver , prof has more detailed info on this ) then developed the S3002 , there are two ways to get at the spark electrode , but before that if you remove the front panel the unit may not spark as the piezo requires two connections , one is actually connected to the front panel , which needs the front panel to be connected to the main chassis , also the spark can be difficult to see through the window. To get round this I carry a battery powered unit which I connect one output to the original wire from the piezo unit and the other to the chassis. The battery spark unit can supply about 10 sparks a second which allows you to view the spark better , also it will start the pilot jet more consistently and allow you to check out the rest of the system. One point to note is that to work on a gas appliance you really need to be qualified, another point is if you do remove the unit , then the gas line will need disconnected and again it needs to be done by a qualified person particularly when reassembling.attached is the photo of the gas ignitor I bought as I got really cheesed off with the piezo ignitor. The more modern Truma S3002 have auto igniters which trigger as soon as you turn the gas valve control .

As Roger correctly stated, the Carver SB1800 was a licenced version of the Truma SB1800 and the same applied to all Carver space heaters up until the late 1990's when the Carver heaters in fact used no parts sourced from Truma.

Truma did not "buy" or "took over Carver."

Carver specifically only sold its leisure heating manufacturing and related products to Truma in 1999.

Carver Group Ltd, as a family owned business continues to operate in the commercial HVAC systems and Industrial clamping sectors internationally.

 

[RogerNE]

That re-post about the Front Panel clearly doesn't apply to this unit.

 

[Dustydog]

That re-post about the Front Panel clearly doesn't apply to this unit.

Did you know caravan gas fires removed and incorrectly fitted can be a major source of Carbon Monoxide poisoning?

In the unlikely event you pull it out do not reassemble without replacing the O ring flue seal!
If you are in the U.K. and have never dealt with a caravan fire before please consult a qualified engineer eg a AWS engineer or similar.

 

[RogerNE]

Yes I appreciate that.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Before you decide starter is faulty make sure rest of heater is working correctly.

Light gas with match and see if it stays on across range of heat settings.

That is dangerous and false advice. The SB1800 and indeed any of the other Carver or Truma heaters must not be ignited by a match or other flame manually introduced to the heater.

 

[Beachball]

Hi RogerNE Welcome to forum sorry cannot help on this matter but you should receive plenty of advice, what to do .

 

[IanB1485]

@ProfJohnL thanks for the correction , I know you did write about the correct history of Carver before on another thread , but I forgot it , which is why I said you had more info

 

[toad a caravan]

I don't have much tech notes on the 1800,the bottom image is from a 3000,I believe the 1800 vents from the underneath the caravan/motor home,never had a 1800 so I can't be certain,hope however you get it up and running safely

 

[RogerL]

I don't have much tech notes on the 1800,the bottom image is from a 3000,I believe the 1800 vents from the underneath the caravan/motor home,never had a 1800 so I can't be certain,hope however you get it up and running safelyView attachment 10070

The basic 1800, as shown above, had both inlet and outlet under the floor but there were versions where the inlet was under the floor but the outlet went through the wall or the roof - I believe there was also a version suitable for boats where both inlet and outlet went through the wall.