Duetto Carver heater removal

Hi again - I have an issue with cosmetic corrosion just behind and below the rubber strip below left of the carver heater terminal and assume that the heater may need removing to get it repaired. I see this corrosion is quite common on these vans in this area and dont know if it possible to repair withoput removing heater but nonetheless, I have been puzzled by the gas connection access on the heater as it would be impossible from inside the van. It looks to me like you would either have to pull the heater forward and flex the pipework to get access from outside or there maybe a way of getting at it from underneath if the water tank is removed?

I am sure that someone here knows exactly what is required or has had similar repair. If I am going to keep the van, I will get this bit sorted as it spoils the otherwise very tidy bodywork (wings, doors and arches pretty solid)
thanks

Hi there,

Check out this Factsheet ....

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Hope this helps.

Best regards

Do you mean the Carver space heater or the Carver Water Heater? From your write-up I think you may mean the water heater. The above link is for the space heater.

I was referring to the water heater as you correctly deduced (the heater outlet is just a dangling  under the van anyway). I have seen a few of these duetto`s with similar corrosion on the bodywork in the same area and guess it is to do with the heater flue gases when it is on condensing on the body around the terminal. I saw one van with a big hole in its side that would have taken the heater with no cutting! It was a mess everywhere though and I was amazed to see it on the road (1994 M reg). Thanks for input

I have a Carver water heater on a 2001 Symbol. I know this is a different base van (Peugeot ) but the basic fitting is very similar. You need to withdraw the unit from the outside of the van a few inches. You can then reach in and disconnect the gas line and the water hosed and finally the electrics. If you search on the forums you will find one or two good writeups. If you have specific questions there are several of us who have removed these heaters for one reason or another and can probably help. The reason for the corrosion is sometimes due to poor water connections. It's also important that the gasket between the heater the van body and the outer cowl is sealing properly otherwise water leaks into the sill when you open the drain plug.

There is a guide to removing the Carver Water Heater in the Fact sheets section.

Hello i had the same problem with my duetto and my friend thierry did a good job but we had to remove the carver cascade and then  cut the rust out. then we put a panel in from a citroen ax door because it was a perfect fit with the rubber door protection
   if you want i can send you some pics and you will have a good idea. 
regards pascal

Thanks for the replies - I would be interested in seeing your pics Pascal - sounds like you did a great job and innovative too!

Pull the heater out about 12cm from the outside of the van.
Undo the two water hoses , if you  have to cut them off then leave 5cm of pipe, as otherwise you will cut into connectors , there is plenty of spare length left.
Gas pipe is at the bottom (right hand side)
Control wiring is a connector underside (tilt the heater upwards from inside to pull off.
230v wiring If fitted is under a cover on innermost point.
Cause of rust is from poor original fitting , rain enters from side plastic moulding  where it joins the heater surround moulding , so this is well worth dealing with before refitting.

Thanks for that Art - The heater is working fine but it was the rust issue that needs sorting out hence query - am surprised that AS did a poor job of sealing it given the overall quality of the vans and their subsequent high resale values!  Probably be a good idea to get new valves at the same time and replace them to save any grief with leaks afterwards!

thanks for the photos Pascal - what an incredible job that has been done on your van! amazing what can be done with these vans in skilled hands. Will look out for an AX door - was it front or rear or doesnt matter?

Hello it was a front  citroen ax door  now the duetto is back to england for a few month i drove 2000 km during this week and it was really good on fuel 
regards pascal

I agree that the main cause of the problem is poor installation by A-S, compounded by the fact that there is a joint between the floor panel and the side panel just below the heater which is not well rust protected by Ford. Of course the Ford designers did not expect that piece of bodywork to get wet regularly inside, but A-S (in my experience) made a bad job of sealing around the shaped plastic moulding - so it did. Mine had already started to rust through from inside by the time the van was 5 years old!

If my experience is anything to go by, repair panels for the side there are very cheap, though perhaps the situation for a LWB van is different (mine was the SWB Flair). However, it would not be possible to make a satisfactory repair without removing the water heater and probably some of the interior.

Incidentally, it is actually possible to get the plastic trim strip off without ruining it - it will probably end up a bit bent and wonky, but if you put it under an infrared heater it can be persuaded to bend back and with a bit of patience can be made to look almost as good as new (certainly better than the rather bent but supposedly new one that Ford sold me for IIRC £90!).