under the sofa

hi everyone this is my first post more will follow as i have loads to learn.we have just bought a duet to auto sleeper 1996.i have been checking things out and on lifting what appears to be an inspection hatch under the sofa i have come across a velcro type strap and some wiring that is not connected to anything.one wire comes off the back of the plug socket,the other comes from the loom and has a plastic connector on it.can anyone tell me what they are for?,is something missing? have i been stitched up. i wait in great anticipation.

Probably best to put up a photo (there's a guide on how to do this elsewhere on the forum).

i think i have worked out whats missing.the water heater.absolutely gutted is it easy to fit a replacement? they seem quite expensive.ebay looks my best bet.

That's a bit of a puzzle - at that age you should probably have a Carver Cascade water heater, but they are hard to remove without someone noticing, as they stick out through the side of the van!

Think carefully before you buy secondhand on Ebay - some will have been recovered from very old vans/caravans, and it's not unusual to find that the burner assembly is corroded beyond use.

Before you rush to remedy this, are you sure that you ~need~ a water heater? I owned a van with one for 8 years, and I probably only used it a dozen times. When I bought a new van I decided I just didn't need one...

the vent is still on the side so i never thought anything about it plus i am new to all this so my naivety plays a big part i have now sourced one from a caravan breakers.he is going to test it before i buy so hopefully all will be good.he has even told me how to install it seems easy enough,but i might get a mate who's a plumber to connect the gas.as for needing one we had it on our list of what we wanted so i suppose time will tell.will keep you posted on the installing bit

Ok - make sure he gives you all the bits, including the control board attached to the heater itself and also the wall-mount control panel - there's no way to know if any bits the previous owner left in your van are still in working condition. If the replacement one still has the white plastic connector spigots, it may be worth considering replacing them with the newer black plastic ones - they get very brittle with age and the non-return valve in the lower one tends to fail as well...

As -mojo- suggests, check the burner before parting with cash for S/H.

Our water heater was apparently working when we bought the van but it became difficult to light soon after.

The burner had corroded away at both ends, allowing unburnt gas to escape and ignite with a loud pop.

New burner - £45 ish - fixed it.

Hi Mickenbacker,
don't beat yourself up about being naive, we bought our 1994 Duetto on a really snowy day in Essex some years ago without checking all the things you should be looking at.Looked fine inside but didn't look properly underneath and in due course find quite a lot of the dreaded transit rust!!
Our Carver water heater was all there but didn't check it and later found the centre rod in the boiler tank was broken which is very common because of freezing problems or corrosion of the rod but ours was a simple fix.

Tony