electric heater

[RobertWitherall_5041517]

My caravan is fitted with a carver electric heater. There does not appear to be any switches for the heater other than what appaers to be a thermostat on the wall. I have put a switch on the thermostat down and a green light is flicking on and off. I have also turned the dial up and could here it click and after a few seconds it clicks off again. The van has not been used for 18months and is quite damp and I am operating the electric heater from the battery. Can anyone please tell me how to get this heater going

thanks

 

[Willy_5041515]

Are you seriously trying to run the electric heater from the battery? They require mains electricity (or gas).

 

[PeterT_5040530]

Confirm what Bob says. The lights and clicking are from 12 volt controls only. The battery will not supply heat, only control/fan functions. Plug the 'van into the mains, or couple a gas bottle up (preferably large for winter heating). Peter T

 

[Damian_5039967]

Robert, the Carver runs on gas or electric (240v). The green light coming on and going off is the heater trying to light the gas, which I presume you have not got switched on.

It will not work at all on just the van battery.

Hope this helps

 

[Zbungle]

You will find that the readers of this forum are a knowledgeable lot and I am sure help is available for you. But can I suggest you try to explain your problem a little more clearly. As Bob so rightly says, running the 240v heater from a 12v battery is a non-starter. Have you not tried plugging into the mains? If you explain your problem a little more clearly, I am sure one of us will be able to help, even if it is only to say, 'Get it checked by an electrician.'

 

[tony_5041674]

You need to hook up your van to your house mains ( you can get an adaptor for the mains lead with a 13a plug on it from any dealer) the switch you mention would then operate the heater circuit. there could be another switch beside the thermostat that has 3 positions - 500, 1000, 2000 for the wattage. On the top of the heater there will be a dial on the LHS that operates the fan in the heater set it to 4or 5 the speed will build up as the heater elements heat up and the stat will then control the elements and the fan speed drop

 

[Richard_5041394]

The heater will only run on MAINS elecricity; there may be another mains switch somewhere in the van (like a domestic lightswitch - may also have a neon), which will turn on the mains circuit to the heater - will probably be another one nearby for the water heater too. Obviously these will only work when the van is hooked up to mains. You can only use gas or 240v electric for these appliances, not battery power!

Good Luck. Richard.

 

[gary]

The switch on the wall and the control board it connects to are powered at 12 volts from the battery. The power for the heating of course is supplied by the mains when hooked up. The yellow light is moved alone by repeated pressing of the 'on' (select) button, it should flash for a couple of seconds and then hold steady on the required setting. If it continues to flash but more slowly then this is a fault condition and the first fault to suspect is low battery voltage. Mains is fed to the heater separately though a 'fused switched spur' which normally has a neon light when switched on and very similar to those found about the home.

With the mains switched on and 'electric auto fan' selected the unit will give up to 2kw of heat with the fan speed rising and falling automatically.

The units 240 volt mains side dependent on age is protected by either a once only fuse or a resettable trip fuse...the latter is pressed to reset at the back and to the left hand side looking over from the front.

In the event of needing spares or repair try www.arcsystems.biz

 

[gary]

Re-reading your question I now realise your problems is with the above gas heater and not the Fanmaster.

This heater is indeed controlled from the 12 volt switch on the wall and only a gas supply is required other than this. When switched on the gas valve opens and you should here a spark as well, this should light the gas and a signal is then sent back to the switch to tell it the gas is alight. The control switch then 'suspends' the start cycle by leaving the gas valve open and stopping the spark, the fire should then switch off as the temperature set on the dial is reached and on again as the temp falls. If at any point the flame goes out, the control instantly re-instates the start cycle and attempts to re-light for about seven seconds.

When the green light flashes, it means the start cycle has completed and a flame has not lit or it does not recognise one is lit?...in which case it shuts down and the light flashes to show a fault.

First thing to check is that you have a gas supply, after this that the gas valve opens, (that I think is the clunk you heard), and that there is a spark. If all three it should light and either it is the wrong type of flame? or the control switch is faulty. Behind the front cover, (two screws hold the front on at floor level), is a 'sight' hole where the flame can be observed and this should be bright blue and dancing on the four burners to make the flame sensor work, any wispy yellow flame and you have a blockage which will need clearing...not a job for the in-experienced. If it does light but goes out then the fault is the control switch or a connection between. Most switches have six wires coming from the fire and the yellow one is the flame sensor, a poor connection here often stops it recognising the flame. The plastic bar connector for the wires pulls off of six pins on the board and doing this several times will scratch a new connection and can often solve this problem.

Damp is also a killer were electronics are concerned so take the switch indoors to dry out over night and see if that cures the problem. You did not mention you heard a spark and if the spark generator is 'dead' you will need a new one, but first you can put 12 volts straight to it to make sure. It should be marked but the green wire is + and blue -. If it works like this then again the control switch is faulty.

The same as for Fanmasters and other Carver product, Arc Systems can supply assistance and most spares.

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