Warwick XL 3 duct heat outlet query

Sheppy, I have the Whale system, and it works well with plenty of heat.

You are right that they only put 3 outlets for Whale (4 for Truma), but don't know why.  As Kdc says, the small bore pipe to the front step provides little heat anyway.

It's a small drawback to a great motorhome.  We sometimes leave the bathroom door ajar to give some heat to the front, but we also carry a small 500w electric heater

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I have had a 13a socket put in the front, and it's easy to just plug in and leave up by the front dash.

Craig,

If you have seen my response to your other question re condensation, you will see that we had alde heating in our last Moho, a Laika A Class.

It was a big decision to change, but over the years we have come down, and down in size, and I find the WXL the easiest to drive, and it's a 'go anywhere' vehicle.

We fitted the Truma compact plus to the roof; it was made for vans.  It's smaller but has the same cooling capacity as the larger aventa.  The size reduction is because it cuts out the heating, and only has cooling.  Forget heating from a roof aircon - we've had both Truma (best) and Dometic, and neither produce any reasonable heat.

You cannot use gas on the move.  If you are getting a 2024 model (same as mine) it will have the EC970 control panel and a central gas masterswitch, although there are still individual valves.  The masterswitch turns off the gas when the engine starts.  I like the system.  The EC970 panel is a huge improvement over the EC700 panel.

I also have the compressor fridge, and you will probably get the same.  It does not use gas, and is just 12v.  You might find it a little noisy to start with, but we don't notice it now.  The compressor fridge is deeper because it doesn't have all the absorption gubbins at the back.

We have not looked back.  In the 7 months we have had the van we have been to Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, and have just spent 7 weeks in Norway going up as far as Tromso.  I am writing this on board the Gothenburg - Fredrickshavn ferry as we start our long trek back across Denmark/Germany/Nethlands/Belgium to get to Calais.  The van has been faultless (touching lots of wood) and a pleasure to drive (get the automatic version).

The only point you will have to consider carefully is storage.  We were used to a large garage, so this is a very different way of life and you have to consider minimalising everything.  Hasn't been a problem, but you need to think about it.  We have avoided boxes on the back, and you need to think about overall weight.

Hope this helps.  Let me know if you have anymore questions.

In our Warwick Duo's the Truma heater system had 4 outlets, one blanked off. Reading about this, the system is designed to only have 4 outlets, presumably to dissipate the heat and balance the airflow better.

So we fitted a 4th outlet in the fwd end of the driver side bed base to give it 4 outlets, worked just fine...

IanH wrote:In our Warwick Duo's the Truma heater system had 4 outlets, one blanked off. Reading about this, the system is designed to only have 4 outlets, presumably to dissipate the heat and balance the airflow better.

So we fitted a 4th outlet in the fwd end of the driver side bed base to give it 4 outlets, worked just fine...

When I originally asked why the Whale system only had 3 outlets, I was told that was all they could fit, which I think is bu!!sh@t.  They originally fitted a 4kw whale system but upgraded to a 6kw, which is plenty for 4 outlets.  Design is different (it's underfloor), but a 4th outlet could be run up to the front if necessary.

Craig,

I think you are worrying about nothing regarding the heating.  Even in our A Class with alde heating, there was little in the cab and it was always a bit cooler.

I also thought about putting in more heating ducts and possibly having something on the nearside.   Two reasons I didn't:

- I like to be cool at night, so I sleep on the nearside.  The wife likes to be hot, so she has the hot water tank under her, and all the heating pipes, which we programme to come on about 30-45 minutes before we get up.

- More importantly, all the food storage we carry for long journeys, and the gifts we bring back (often biscuits or chocolates), are under my bed with no heating, and I wouldn't want any heating near any of that.

What I did do, was completely line the nearside under the seat with additional insulation (bottom and sides) to make up for the lack of ducting.

We make do with the small electric heater I told you about upfront, and that is sufficient.  The Whale system is good, and it gets hot quickly.  On the move, the engine heating system is good.

I disagree on the gas.  The masterswitch on the control panel is a brilliant addition, and I am happy with the crash sensor.

If you have ever had the old comfortmatic, you will realise how wonderful the ZF 9 speed box is - it's a pleasure to drive.  This holiday has proved to me the utility of the PVC.  We have gone to some pretty remote islands in Norway, and I wouldn't have wanted anything bigger - I certainly wouldn't have taken my old Laika A Class to some of these places.

Let me know if you have any further questions - or PM me.