Upgrading Truma Heater...can I do this?

[andrew_5089729]

Hi there

We have the original heater fitted in our '94 Bailey Discovery and although it's working fine we'd like a bit more heat output as we travel all year round.

We've looked into this quite thoroughly and decided that it would be replaced with a new Truma S3002 heater (not blown air) and wondered if replacing the original Carver 1800 is a job I can do myself and then get all the work properly checked by a dealer for safety - I'll add that I would have NO intention of using it until it had been checked for safety first - messing about with the gas supply is not a job to undertake lightly.

I am fairly confident in my DIY skills but if anyone had already done this I would really appreciate your comments and thoughts about my (possibly ridiculous) plan!

Regards

Andrew

 

[gary]

It's a lot of work as you need to provide a roof flue for the new heater, that's to say nothing of the cost!! However it it more or less a direct replacement.

What I would say though is the real problem is with the amount of floor level ventilation in your 94 van and it's this that stops your present fire coping.

Sometime after gas lights disappeared the rules on ventilation changed, basically they added more floor level ventilation and less at roof level. Seemed logical but this caused considerable problems for motorhome builders with fumes coming in while on the move so they set about creating what became a third standard and this was fully adopted in the latter half of the 90's.

What I think you have is, so much low level ventilation that air entering is not able to be heated sufficiently before it exits through the roof vents!. Given that, putting in a bigger heater will have little or no effect save the speed at which the air travels through!!

Given the heater is an 1800 would suggest your van is no more than 15ft long internally, in this case you need a minimum (and permanent), 14000sq mm roof ventilation, equivalent to one standard 400mm square skylight. At floor level though you need just 1500 sq mm and it's this then that controls the speed of incoming air. Always remembering these are minimums and some backup is required if one becomes blocked, this can be fridge vents, normal gas drop holes and with older vans poorly fitting doors all count.

The other thing is which model 1800? there are nine! and some have their temperature sensor in the wrong place. Problem here is they can shut down to early by responding to the heaters temperature rather than the vans?

 

[Surfer]

And we are thinking of upgrading our S3002 up to a S5000 for increased heat output. I think the S3002 is just that bit too small for a large twin axle especially if you have a bedroom at the rear. Lounge heating is adequate if heating on full but bedroom is rather cool.