Van cold at front end.

I have a 2015 Warwick XL, the problem I have is that the front end of the van is always much colder than the rear when the heating is on. There only appears to be 3 outlets on the system, 2 under the rear offside bench seats and one in the shower cubicle. There are no outlets at the front. I make sure the cab vents are on recirc and I set the temp offset so we have a comfortable temp in the rear lounge but it is still really cold up the front end. If I up the temp to heat up the front then the rear is like a sauna. Anybody have a solution for this.

Our Gatcombe is the same, so we have a small oil filled radiator which we put in the front footwell.
Takes the chill off ,and we sometimes leave it on during the night if it is cold. We don't leave the heating system on when we are abed !
Rob 

We like to wild camp sometimes so the oil fired heater would only be a solution whilst on site. We do carry one for use on site.

Have you looked here?

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I have seen that post in the past, same problem but no real solution. I called Autosleepers 're the problem with the step vent and they informed me that it has nothing to do with the heating system. This needs fur the investigating as there are other posts that say there is a feed from the boiler to this step vent but is stepped down in size hence the low/no flow. I don't know what to believe. There certainly nothing coming out of mine, heater on max all other vents shut and tissue held in front of vent still nothing.

I presume you have an external windscreen blanket such as a Silverscreen or Taylor Made?

I prefer the latter as they are quite a bit cheaper, fit better (on our van anyway) and are more thickly padded. Without the cover the front of our van is also like a fridge.

As Gromit says, although your picture shows you already have them. Also make sure you cab vents are all closeed.

Leighton.

greycaster wrote:I have seen that post in the past, same problem but no real solution. I called Autosleepers 're the problem with the step vent and they informed me that it has nothing to do with the heating system. This needs fur the investigating as there are other posts that say there is a feed from the boiler to this step vent but is stepped down in size hence the low/no flow. I don't know what to believe. There certainly nothing coming out of mine, heater on max all other vents shut and tissue held in front of vent still nothing.

The vent should absolutely do something or it wouldn't be there, could the pipe have disconnected from the heater?
Rich..

The OP started a similar thread in October 2016 and this is following the same route!

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According to the handbook, the aperture in the step is part of the van ventilation, not the heating. Whether van or coachbuilt, there is always a vent at the lowest point, invariably in the step well.

We have a 2014 Broadway, new from the dealer. We were told it was fitted with the Winter Pack but, when we looked at the Truma heater it was the 4kW version not, as should be, 6kW.

AS fitted a new boiler and, when they did this, added another vent right at the front of the van as this was necessary with the 6kW version. The van is lovely and cosy - all over- in winter.

What size is your boiler ? Could you have another vent fitted ?

AutoSleepyDon wrote:It was a little tricky to determine the model of boiler in our Warwick Duo. Maybe the XL is easier but I wouldn't expect so.
I used a mobile phone camera and a torch and eventually got an image of the white label through one of the vents "Combi 6 E UK" so I know I was not short changed with my winter pack

I believe vans without the winter pack get the Truma Combi 4. That's 4kW versus 6kW.
4kW should be enough because even the 6 is only rated at 1.8kW on electric.

Also interesting to note the smaller Duo has more (4) heater outlets than the larger XL (3)

When AS added -unasked- the extra ( 4th) vent in our van after changing the boiler we were told it was necessary in order to dissipate the heat produced by a 6kW heater as opposed to a 4kW one.

We can't remember ever using the 6kW setting, even when it is very cold, but having the extra vent at the front makes all the difference to heat distribution.

I posted earlier about finding my internal temperature at 0.0 degrees centigrade this morning, so I switched the heating straight on and set the thermostat to 5 degrees.

I popped back out after half an hour or so just to check everything was working as it should and checked all the heating outlets, including the front one, which was definitely blowing warm air. It wasn't as warm as the rear outlets, but better than nothing at all.

As far as I can recollect, away from hook ups in really cold conditions, running the heater without water is the only way to warm the van sufficiently to enable the dump valve to be reset and the boiler to be refilled.

AutoSleepyDon wrote:

Wargenwolf wrote:I posted earlier about finding my internal temperature at 0.0 degrees centigrade this morning, so I switched the heating straight on and set the thermostat to 5 degrees.

is it OK to run these Combi units for just hot air with no water in the system?
I have the impression that they can be hot water only, or, hot water and air, but not air only as the water jacket is around the burner/heating element. I am not at all sure about this. But your van will have an empty boiler if the temp is 0@C. (Drain valve will have popped at that temperature).

I wish I had asked them about that at the motorhome show as Truma had a good stand. Oh well, next year.

Don,

Good point - I wouldn't run my van heating with an empty boiler but I'm fortunate enough to be on a permanent EHU with an oil filled heater.

When at home and in the winter I have regularly warmed the van up on gas and electric with no water in the boiler without problem.

StewPotch wrote:

AutoSleepyDon wrote:

Wargenwolf wrote:I posted earlier about finding my internal temperature at 0.0 degrees centigrade this morning, so I switched the heating straight on and set the thermostat to 5 degrees.

is it OK to run these Combi units for just hot air with no water in the system?
I have the impression that they can be hot water only, or, hot water and air, but not air only as the water jacket is around the burner/heating element. I am not at all sure about this. But your van will have an empty boiler if the temp is 0@C. (Drain valve will have popped at that temperature).

I wish I had asked them about that at the motorhome show as Truma had a good stand. Oh well, next year.

Don,

Good point - I wouldn't run my van heating with an empty boiler but I'm fortunate enough to be on a permanent EHU with an oil filled heater.

If you're off hookup when you're out camping and the temperature suddenly drops below the trigger point the dump valve will open, then the only way to close it, and consequently refill it, is to fire up the heating - I would check your user manual.
Rich..

Good point - I wouldn't run my van heating with an empty boiler but I'm fortunate enough to be on a permanent EHU with an oil filled heater. wrote:
If you're off hookup when you're out camping and the temperature suddenly drops below the trigger point the dump valve will open, then the only way to close it, and consequently refill it, is to fire up the heating - I would check your user manual.
Rich..

Rich...
Too qualify the above point in the context it was originally written - I wouldn't run my van heating with an empty boiler for a prolonged period.
If others chose to do so, then carry on - I'm expressing my opinion as the water actually acts as a 'heat sink' to the system.
If I put an empty kettle onto a gas burner it might not damage the kettle immediately, but after time it might damage it. Owners choice really.

If you're out camping and the dump valve opened, then the internal temperature of the van would have to drop to 3 degrees - I think most of us would have had the heating on before it got this low.
If I managed to get myself into this predicament not knowing that the internal temperature was around 3 degrees, then I would manually hold the dump valve closed, fill the system, then start the heating.
I would be very reluctant to start the heating, get the boiler hot then introduce cold water but as I said before, it's the owners choice!!!

Taken from the Truma operating manual.
The interior can be heated in gas, electrical or mixed mode, either with or without water, depending on the setting.

Anyway back to the original post, there is no real route to the front of the van due to the position of the toilet. I have considered running some trunking under the van and create another vent in the step. I'm just not sure how difficult it would be. Has anyone with a Warwick XL solved this problem?

We just leave the over heated bathroom door open , I'm looking at it now.. At least 45 degrees does it..

StewPotch wrote:
If I put an empty kettle onto a gas burner it might not damage the kettle immediately, but after time it might damage it. Owners choice really.

A fair point regarding kettles, but they're not designed or intended to be used without water, whereas the boiler in question is.

Ken.

That's what we used to do but my wife uses it for storage if we are on site. When we do use it we do the same and leave the door open, but if someone forgets and shuts the door the toilet then becomes a sauna.

We find the sauna very good for drying wet waterproofs though.. I did briefly consider a small computer fan to extract from bathroom to cab....