Symbol/Dorset Heater Vents

Out for the first time last week in my 2012 Dorset and having been told by the dealer that the heater vent near the sliding door was a outlet was surprised to find it was a inlet and thus caused a cold draft around the feet.
Is this normal or should this vent be an outlet and there has been a error in connecting up somewhere just seems a bit of a design error if it is inlet as there in only one other heater vent in the main habitation area plus one in the bathroom which gets very warm indeed.
David

It is not unknown for the heater piping to detach behind the panel, they seem to be just pushed on. I have put a small screw through mine to retain them.

HEANORBOY wrote:
Is this normal or should this vent be an outlet and there has been a error in connecting up somewhere just seems a bit of a design error if it is inlet as there in only one other heater vent in the main habitation area plus one in the bathroom

As a starting point, you need to find how many other inlets to the heating system there are. How many additional inlets do you have?

It's definitely the inlet - the only inlet.
Presumably it is located in such a position to minimise uncomfortable draughts.
Maybe there is a flap in the bathroom outlet to adjust the amount of warm air entering the small room.

G

Have just come back home from Peterborough mud bath show and still getting used to the van.
Having been away in almost every weather that God made I did find that the Dorset is not the warmest of vans
So simple question has anybody already added addition heater outlets as only one blowing away from where you sit and it dragging cool air back to where you do sit seems to me to be a design fault.
Thought about re routing the intake pipe to behind the cooker area and making the current inlet pipe a outlet plus maybe another somewhere so looking for ideas or copy someone who has done similar on a van conversion
All help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
David

Heanorboy wrote:Out for the first time last week in my 2012 Dorset and having been told by the dealer that the heater vent near the sliding door was a outlet was surprised to find it was a inlet and thus caused a cold draft around the feet.
Is this normal or should this vent be an outlet and there has been a error in connecting up somewhere just seems a bit of a design error if it is inlet as there in only one other heater vent in the main habitation area plus one in the bathroom which gets very warm indeed.
David

I too have just purchased a Symbol and am appalled at the number of draughts coming in around the fridge, microwave, back doors and as you say through what appears to be an inlet vent built into the step. You may also find if removing some of the side covers that Auto-sleepers have not been very generous with the insulation material, there are gaps everywhere. We have just returned from a few days break and the heating system could not cope even on the 1900w setting. The sliding door is a nightmare to close.
There are quite a few other things we are not too happy about as well. Having just changed from an Autocruise Starburst which was a superb van we are very disappointed. The change was to downsize but wish now we has kept what we had.

Heanorboy wrote:Have just come back home from Peterborough mud bath show and still getting used to the van.
Having been away in almost every weather that God made I did find that the Dorset is not the warmest of vans
So simple question has anybody already added addition heater outlets as only one blowing away from where you sit and it dragging cool air back to where you do sit seems to me to be a design fault.
Thought about re routing the intake pipe to behind the cooker area and making the current inlet pipe a outlet plus maybe another somewhere so looking for ideas or copy someone who has done similar on a van conversion
All help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
David

Spent a couple of days trying different ideas and finally decided and fitted two new heater vents
one coming out on the step and one out of the small bench seat facing into the van. I have shortened the inlet pipe so that it now finishes under the floor near to its original position so this way it can still get all the air it needs but should stop the draught that direct connection to the vent caused

Just bought a Dorset and as winter approaches we will  soon be using the heating. having moved from a very well insulated and warm caravan I read this post with interest and it looks like a may have a few more mods to do.
I tested the heating and was not impressed with the fast and noisey fan which is not adjustable like it was on the caravan but I did not realsie that the vent on the side of the small seat was an inlet just assumed it fed warm air around the sliding door area.
I have not looked as we are away at the moment and it is raining !!!! but I assume from your comments that the pipe goes under the van? I thought it went under the false floor?  how did you run additional piping from the fan to the other side of the van?

I am also interested in the comments on insulation did you manage to add more to improve things?

You are correct the inlet pipe does go under the false floor and this unscrews off of the inlet grill. I found it a lot easier if you take off the black covering around the step

On my van when you take off the cover where the battery is housed you can see both the inlet and outlet piping.

I pulled the inlet pipe back so that I could shorten it and this now lives under the false floor loose.

I cut the outlet pipe and used a y junction piece to connect new pipe to and fed back under floor. Inside the seat near the door I used a 62mm hole cutter to cut through the floor  and again a hole cutter to mount a vent into the van, the new outlet pipe was then threaded under the floor with a T piece connector positioned and a new pipe was push fitted onto this, the pipe then continued to the other outlet which I mounted on the black covering around the step,

If would like I will try and take some photos tomorrow if someone will advice me how to put them on

David

that sound great, so I could just reposition the current inlet to the side of the step(black surround)and connect the other end via a Y peace to the outlet pipe thus utilising the existing pipe?  do you need a inlet pipe or will leaving the connector open ended not work?
I can only assume that the intention is to draw outside air in rather than recirculatiing.
Steve

I thought this out before beginning, you will need some inlet pipe otherwise it can only draw air from a closed box hence me pushing back under the floor but leaving the original grill in place. The air has always been recirculated as the existing set up has no external connections, I also thought that if there was no pipe connected to the inlet it would be a lot more noisy
My thoughts were that it was not a good idea to use the existing pipe/grill as it would only blow onto the closed door but as you/I  state put a outlet pipe in the step. I also wanted to put an other outlet on the side of the slide seat to blow directly to the main seating area

David

makes sense David, we have yet to use the heater other than a few moments with the bed down so did not notice the draft. we plan to use during the winter months so need to get prepared and all this advise is very helpfull.
Steve