Cascade Rapide Heater wont heat on Mains 230V

Sep 30, 2008
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Hi all I purchased a Swift Challenger 2 berth 99 model and have used it a couple of times but both times we have been unable to get the water heater to work on mains elec, works great on gas but has soon as the gas is turned off I get the heater fault light !

I do switch on the mains heater switch located front rhand bunk area but cant seem to find any other switches/fuses etc any ideas ?

Thanks in advance
 
Jul 15, 2008
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Hi

Your water heater electric control panel for controling gas operation will show a fault warning light if you switch it on with no gas being supplied to heater.

First thing to check if not working on 240v is that all the MCB's are switched on at the control panel.

Then check the overheat red trip button mounted on the end of the hot water storage tank. This is situated under one of the front seats.

Make sure it is pushed in.

If you are lucky this will be the problem!

It may have been switched on with no water in the tank.

Otherwise you have a wiring fault or faulty element
 
Mar 14, 2005
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If you turn the gas off while the heater is running on gas, then you will get the red fault light, other than that you should not see it at all.

Your heaters mains electric heating side being 99, may well have a relay within the element housing, a failure of this or perhaps one of the two thermostats are more possible reasons for no heat.

Overview:

The Carver Cascade 2 is a 9 litre storage water heater, which when running on gas will heat the water to 65deg c in about 45 minutes. On 240V mains assuming it has this facility, the time can be somewhat longer or shorter depending on the wattage (630w 3amp to 840w 5amp) of the element fitted, you can use both gas and electric together for faster times.

To operate the gas there is a wall switch or a switch within a main control panel, either way both have three lights green, amber and red. When switched on the green lights, (water tank must be full, i.e. water coming from hot taps), if it stays on after about 8 seconds then the gas has lit and all is well. If the green is joined by the red then you may have a problem, but if the gas bottle has just been changed then air in the pipes will have to be bled through by repeating the above 2 or 3 times. Once lit, and it should light without any pops and bangs, (this would indicate it needs a service), the heater looks after itself and gives constant hot water. Any problems will cause it to shut down safely and show the red light. Forget the amber light, it's to show low voltage and won't light unless the voltage is so low the heater and everything else packed up long since, though you may notice it 'flash' as the switch is turned on or off.

The 240v emersion heater if fitted is totally separate, and lies behind a white plastic box on the inboard end of the water tank. It is controlled by a switch, often close by and at floor level, but again sometimes as part of a remote control panel. The switch has a red light to show it's "on", not that it's working, this will be determined by the water getting hot. If it does not then it may have "tripped" Two types exist, early circa 1990 are non-re-settable but are repairable. Later models have a Red button on the end of the plastic box which is sometimes behind a little flap. Switch off mains, and press to reset.

Other faults concerning the gas side very often come down to the "Burner Module". This handy little unit contains the burner, gas valve and all the electronics which control it and is accessible from behind the cover outside of the van. In the event things go wrong it's a 5 minute job to replace it, with a new or serviced exchange unit. One other safety device is a wax filled 'fusible' plug, this again is behind the outer cover and shows itself as a 13 mm nut set in the fins above the burner. The wax will melt if things get too hot allowing hot water from the tank to spray over the burner and put the flame out. This will render things safe but will require a new module because it's control circuitry is faulty. However given if the fuse 'blows' without the water apparently getting to hot then replacing the plug will be sufficient. The point to note here is that over time the wax in the plug degrades or the threads leak, at the very least allowing water to seep onto the burner causing it to rust and eventually will still require replacement of the whole burner module.

Further problems that come to light in spring is the discovery of frost damage to the water tank, the non-return valve which is part of the cold water inlet and other plastic fittings. Failing to drain the heater when there is a chance of temperatures dropping below freezing can be very expensive to repair and should be avoided by removing the drain bung and allowing the heater to drain completely. Later models have a valve above the drain hole in the top left corner of the flue cowl, these have a 'toggle' showing that when turned a
 

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