# Eberspacher space heating



## Sparks6569

Having purchased a '54 Starspirit a couple of months ago, and only having used it on hook-up with an electric fan heater during the one outing we have managed so far, I recently took it out for a day trip to keep everything loose & to rotate the wheels etc. 
Parking up overlooking the coast at Devils Mouth for lunch (you can't beat that view from your portable lounge), the wife said "lets try the Diesel heating" so on went the Eberspacher. 
No problems inside, the heating was brilliant with only a bit of fan noise, but, going out to "inspect the gorse bushes" (it was only a day trip so I hadn't primed the loo) the noise of the heating unit from just beside the exhaust was a bit like a private jet on tick-over.
Is this noise level normal, and has anyone been lynched for starting one up on a camp site?


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## DABurleigh

Yes. No. Though I do consider others, just as I don't put on roof aircon on a still day you can hear a pin drop when there are sweaty campers sitting outside on the next pitch! 

Dave


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## TR5

The eberspacher heater is somewhat noisy, especially if mounted under-floor but out of any form of box.
Some are contained in a metal box, which reduces the noise somewhat.

However, you could check the exhaust pipe for damage, in case it has been compromised in any way, or loose.

The unit will not be anywhere near as noisy when the van reaches or nears the set temperature, and the unit is "ticking over" to maintain the temperature, as set.


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## grumpyman

At present I have no option but to run mine on derv. as if I attempt to run it on 230volt it throws the trip switch on the camp site box.


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## rogerandveronica

TR5 is correct in stating that the Eberspascher is very noisy on start-up and is reasonably quiet when the thermostat starts to reduce the fan speed. I fitted one to a boat, worked in three or four stages of reducing fan speed and after the set temperatrue had been reached the fan just whispered and the exhaust could be heard only by standing within six feet.

I agree that when going full blast they make one feel that it will be upsetting the occupants nearby, especially if they are in tents!
rogerandveronica


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## geordie01

i woundnt be bothered chances are the noise from the from the kids or dogs in the next door caravan would drown out the noise from your heater.


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## joedenise

we were at a rally all doors and windows shut sounded like a helicopter
taking off. early morning no difference that and genny

Joe


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## brockley

We had a problem with ours last year and had to send the whole thing to an Eberspacher specialist to have a new control unit fitted, very expensive it was too, funny how these days you can't fix things by replacing components, it needs to be a whole unit, anyway when it came back and I re fit it, I noticed that the exhaust pipe between the outlet and the silencer box had a split in it. When I renewed that it became much quieter, the split was difficult to see at first glance. Hope this helps.


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## skiboycey

You should check it actually has both the intake silencer and the exhaust box on it. I noticed when looking around at motorhomes to buy that some manufacturers seem to be fitting them without one or the other. It runs perfectly well without but is noisy. If you need to buy them look on ebay and find the seller 'sark blue' who does all the components for them cheaply.

Other than that as the other posters said they get quieter as they approach the set heat level and the unit throttles back to it's maintenance setting. I have one of these on my self-build and I must say I'm most impressed with the heat output compared to the blown air Truma gas fire on my Autotrail whick seems to struggle to put out enough heat to really keep that warm in colder weather in spite of having the same power output. This is probably because the Autotrail is a lot bigger and has more windows etc. so they can't be compared but I've got to say I'd fit the diesel heater every time if I was building one again...

Cheers, Mark


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## wakk44

skiboycey said:


> You should check it actually has both the intake silencer and the exhaust box on it. I noticed when looking around at motorhomes to buy that some manufacturers seem to be fitting them without one or the other. It runs perfectly well without but is noisy. If you need to buy them look on ebay and find the seller 'sark blue' who does all the components for them cheaply.
> 
> Other than that as the other posters said they get quieter as they approach the set heat level and the unit throttles back to it's maintenance setting. I have one of these on my self-build and I must say I'm most impressed with the heat output compared to the blown air Truma gas fire on my Autotrail whick seems to struggle to put out enough heat to really keep that warm in colder weather in spite of having the same power output. This is probably because the Autotrail is a lot bigger and has more windows etc. so they can't be compared but I've got to say I'd fit the diesel heater every time if I was building one again...
> 
> Cheers, Mark


Never had a problem with the Truma blown air system(3kw on gas)in our Autotrail,even in the recent cold snap the van is warm in 5-10 minutes,having said that it's only 6.5metres,yours has probably more area to heat up.

I too am impressed with the diesel heating system,very efficient and it saves space,negated the need for a gas fire,ideal for a PVC.

My only reservations about the diesel heating are that it has an auto cut out when the diesel tank is 1/4 full for obvious reasons.You would have to ensure there was plenty in the fuel tank when parked up in this current weather.


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## davesport

I was wild camping & a very nice PVC rolled in beside me. They were a lovely couple who asked if I minded if they pulled alongside. They put the diesel heater on last thing at night & it could plainly be heard from inside our van. It was never intrusive though & it quickly settled to a level where my hearing could'nt tell if it was running. 

If I had this type of heating & was concerned about the noise, I'd make sure that the van was up to temp before the time people are expecting peace & quiet IYSWIM. 

It's admirable that you've given this a bit of thought  

D.


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## orian

davesport said:


> I was wild camping & a very nice PVC rolled in beside me. They were a lovely couple who asked if I minded if they pulled alongside. They put the diesel heater on last thing at night & it could plainly be heard from inside our van. It was never intrusive though & it quickly settled to a level where my hearing could'nt tell if it was running.
> 
> If I had this type of heating & was concerned about the noise, I'd make sure that the van was up to temp before the time people are expecting peace & quiet IYSWIM.
> 
> It's admirable that you've given this a bit of thought
> 
> D.


On my motorhome you can run the diesel heating whilst on the move and therefore it is possible to get over the initial start up roar by switching it on before you arrive at your stop. I too was worried by the noise when I first used it but a year on and I have never received a comment or complaint.


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## Sparks6569

Thanks to everyone who posted suggestions .
Once the ground temperature gets above freezing, and the subsequent puddles evaporate I'll crawl under and take a look at the unit to check for missing bits/cracks. I'll admit that we weren't stationery for long enough for the unit to reach temperature.


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## zappy61

This might seem a daft question but have you got one or two silencers on the exhaust? I have two and the noise level is very low and should not cause any nuisance to neighbours. I know some have only one silencer and this does make a difference.

Graham


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## Gavel

*Autocruise heater*

We have the same make and model as yours and find the esbacher fabulous. We run it before driving to warm up the cab and use it when driving if we have passengers.
We fed and watered 10 family members with bacon rolls and soup at Holkham beach after Christmas. The U shaped layout is very good for this.


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## 96706

Ours also sounds like a jet taking off when first turned on but certainly quietens down rapidly as it warms up. The heat it throws out is certainly impressive and it warms the van extremely quickly. 

However, we also have a question - we were away last weekend and New Years Eve didn't bother to leave our oil fired electric heater on overnight (it wasn't that we were too p****d to switch it on, but we felt warm enough without it). In the morning it was sub zero outside the bed covers so **** stretches out his arm and turns on the diesel heater but although the fan came on it didn't fire up. (It also turned out that our water tank and pump were frozen as it had been -5C overnight). Tried the heating again later in the day and still nothing although it had been running perfectly the day before. I suggested running the engine to see if it would pump some diesel through. Got poo-poo'd by OH but he agreed to humour me (probably just to say "I told you so" :roll: ) and lo and behold the heating then worked. (Hee hee - not so stupid as I look, see 8O :lol: :lol: ) Was this coincidence and what could have caused the problem in the first place - could the diesel in the heater unit have frozen? 

Not too much of a problem in this instance as were were on hook up so had the radiator and fan heater, but if we had been without EHU we would certainly have turned into a couple of ice blocks.

Mrs. D


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## DABurleigh

Mrs D,

Tell him it was low battery voltage.

Dave


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## auntygranty

*Eberspacher Heater*

My heater also sounds like the last flight of Concorde (2003 Starblazer) but it pumps out the heat well... I was told to run it once a week in damp weather to stop it rusting !! I have 4 heat outlets 1. in loo.1. near kitchen an 2 in living area....one of the last only pumps out cold air..!! anyone else had this trouble? doesn't seem as if a hose is off.. just cant figure it Auntygranty


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## TR5

*Re: Eberspacher Heater*



auntygranty said:


> My heater also sounds like the last flight of Concorde (2003 Starblazer) but it pumps out the heat well... I was told to run it once a week in damp weather to stop it rusting !! I have 4 heat outlets 1. in loo.1. near kitchen an 2 in living area....one of the last only pumps out cold air..!! anyone else had this trouble? doesn't seem as if a hose is off.. just cant figure it Auntygranty


I think you will find that the one nearest the cab is the air INTAKE!
It is not pumping out cold air, it is taking in the cold air and pushing it out of the other three vents!


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## CliffyP

*Re: Eberspacher Heater*



TR5 said:


> auntygranty said:
> 
> 
> 
> My heater also sounds like the last flight of Concorde (2003 Starblazer) but it pumps out the heat well... I was told to run it once a week in damp weather to stop it rusting !! I have 4 heat outlets 1. in loo.1. near kitchen an 2 in living area....one of the last only pumps out cold air..!! anyone else had this trouble? doesn't seem as if a hose is off.. just cant figure it Auntygranty
> 
> 
> 
> I think you will find that the one nearest the cab is the air INTAKE!
> It is not pumping out cold air, it is taking in the cold air and pushing it out of the other three vents!
Click to expand...

Ya beat me to it   
I thought that at first, but upon reading the handbook its all to obvious when you know though.


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## auntygranty

*Eberspacher Heater*

Hi TR5 and CliffyP...This vent may suck in air in your vans but in mine it's blowing cold... thats for sure.. I tried covering it whilst feeling chilly before van had heated up but there is quite a lot of pressure about the same as that comes out the hot vent. This means the front of the van takes quite a while to heat up as the active two vents are nearer the back. When the weather gets back to norm !! I'll get under the van and look further. I only have a basic instruction manual and it's not mentioned. Auntygranty keep smiling.


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## inkey-2008

Try to balance the system, the vents closes to the heater only just open and a bit more then full open the furthest from the heater. 
The same as the rads on your central heating.

Andy


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## TR5

Hi

What model Starblazer have you got, is it the SL, LL and is it the standard length or the XL (defined by a seperate shower, or a wet room).

If it is not the XL, usually the eberspacher unit is under-floor slung, mounted in a metal box, and takes it's air from within the MH. It is probably the D4 model.
If it is the XL, then it may be the Combitronic, and have the option of electric heating when on hook-up. In this case it may have a box inside the seat locker, and take air in from the side of the box.

You can get more information on the installation and use from here:-

http://www.eberspacher.com/support-and-downloads/technical-documents.html


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## CliffyP

*Re: Eberspacher Heater*



auntygranty said:


> Hi TR5 and CliffyP...This vent may suck in air in your vans but in mine it's blowing cold... thats for sure.. I tried covering it whilst feeling chilly before van had heated up but there is quite a lot of pressure about the same as that comes out the hot vent. This means the front of the van takes quite a while to heat up as the active two vents are nearer the back. When the weather gets back to norm !! I'll get under the van and look further. I only have a basic instruction manual and it's not mentioned. Auntygranty keep smiling.


#

Mine blows out cold air as well, but the digram say this in the air intake, I have a similar thing on my static caravan where the heating system is Ducted warm air, again the intake blows cold air


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## ingram

Auntygranty, The Eberspacher systems fitted to Autocruises seem to vary so much that I won't go into details just now: but on mine ( a 2006 Standard Locker long wheelbase [SL, XL ] ) there are two outlets from under the offside front lounge seat, plus one near the bed and one in the washroom: oh! and one into the garage.

The air *inlet* grill is in the forward facing panel of the same lounge seat, so faces the back of the driver's seat. This grill is different from the outlet grills: is much larger, as is the actual hose, being larger diameter then the outlet hoses. My system is a Compact Combitronic and is *all* under the 'van except for the cooling water header tank, and the previously mentioned intake / outlet hoses. Is your system using a Hydronic Eber, or an Airtronic? Does it heat the water as well as warm the 'van?

What happens if you close off the outlets which are blowing warm air: does the 'cold' one then start to blow hot?

At the moment my ( expletive deleted ) Eberspacher is not working and as soon as it is a bit warmer I will be removing the Hydronic unit and taking it to pieces and giving it a good talking to ....................

Harvey


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## trigrem

When we first used our Eberspacher we noticed the jet engine noise.
I fitted an intake silencer and it made a great improvement
Doug


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## CliffyP

trigrem said:


> When we first used our Eberspacher we noticed the jet engine noise.
> I fitted an intake silencer and it made a great improvement
> Doug


How do you do that please


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## trigrem

I obtained unit by going to e-bay and doing a search on Eberspacher intake silencer. The unit fits to the intake end of the heater. it is 3 years since I fitted it and the details escape me, but I believe I had to measure the diameter of the intake pipe spigot.
If you are not in a hurry I am going to the van over the weekend and will crawl underneath and check details. Possible photo.
Doug


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## b2tus

Is this the one on eBay?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....akeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en


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## CliffyP

trigrem said:


> I obtained unit by going to e-bay and doing a search on Eberspacher intake silencer. The unit fits to the intake end of the heater. it is 3 years since I fitted it and the details escape me, but I believe I had to measure the diameter of the intake pipe spigot.
> If you are not in a hurry I am going to the van over the weekend and will crawl underneath and check details. Possible photo.
> Doug


That would be great,your a gent  
If on an aire ir whatevever, dont want to upset the chap next door, I dont bthink its that loud but every lttle helps.


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## trigrem

cliffyp I have sent you a PM

b2tus Yes that is the item, good link foe cliffyp

Doug


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## auntygranty

*Eberspacher Heater*

To ALL when ? the weather gets better !!! I'll crawl under the heater and work out how all the heating pipes are connected, blocking off the hot air outlets does not alter the cold air jet. I also intend to feed a hot vent to the garage and rear bed area as a project so will keep you informed of my progress but I hate the cold so its a spring job Auntygranty, incidently my model is a D4.


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## Manchego

I have a Webasto version fitted. I have hardly used it as i suspect it is very power hungry when not on hook up. Am i right in my thinking ?. I also suspect it's connected to the vehicle battery rather than the leisure batteries. I know i could check but it's never really been a pressing need.


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## ingram

*Re: Eberspacher Heater*



auntygranty said:


> To ALL when ? the weather gets better !!! I'll crawl under the heater and work out how all the heating pipes are connected, blocking off the hot air outlets does not alter the cold air jet. I also intend to feed a hot vent to the garage and rear bed area as a project so will keep you informed of my progress but I hate the cold so its a spring job Auntygranty, incidently my model is a D4.


I too am waiting for the end of 'the weather' before I get underneath to remove mine.

btw there is an 'Airtronic D4' and also an 'Hydronic D4' ......... just to clarify things 

Harvey


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## Sparks6569

*Re: Autocruise heater*



Gavel said:


> We have the same make and model as yours and find the esbacher fabulous. We run it before driving to warm up the cab and use it when driving if we have passengers.


 :?: Hmmm. The possibility of running it "on the move" was not mentioed during hand-over. 
I will have to investigate further and see if I can get it to go.
Have you crawled underneath to examine for intake/multiple exhaust silencers as our Starblazer colleagues have mentioned? Thanks for those btw.


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## ingram

Even though the 'Habitation 12volt' shuts down when the engine is running, the Eberspacher has a dedicated 12v supply and can be run while .on the move'. It does in my Starblazer anyway.

This is the 'Compact Combitronic' in my 2006 Starblazer, mounted underneath. The cover has been removed from the 'Hydronic' unit as I had had it out for repair. The 'black box' in front of the Hydronic contains the hot water tank, and above the Hydronic is the heat exchanger and fan for the room heating. ... at least that seems to be where things are located judging by the positions of hoses, pipes, connectors etc..

The 'coolant hoses come into the front of the unit, as do the cold water inlet and hot water outlet hoses: also the air intake which comes from inside the 'van behind the driver's seat. ( picture to follow ). The short black 'convolute' tube is the intake hose and the shiny one, the exhaust. The exhaust does have a sort of silencer but if you *really* want to see a picture of that, you'll have to wait until it stops raining.


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## ingram

This is a close view of the Hydronic ( It is a D5W SC ). The 'blue line' is the diesel fuel line which comes from the main vehicle tank. The big fat black hose is the hot air hose to the 'lounge area' outlets. The thick rubber is insulation: you can just see the actual black convolute tube coming out of the 'heat exchanger' box before it gets to the insulation. There are two other hot air outlets, one going under the 'van to the wash room, and the other goes up through the floor, behind the kitchen to the rear near the bed and also diverting to the under-bed locker.


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## ingram

This is the 'coolant' header tank under the lounge seat. This is the water / anti-freeze' mix which circulates through the Hydronic, through the calorifier to heat the water and through the heat exchanger for the room heating.

The large black hose to the left of it is I believe, the air intake for the room heating blower. Placing the hand near the intake feels as though it is blowing cold air out, but testing with a sheet of paper proves that it is sucking air in.


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## ingram

This shows the hot air outlet coming through the floor from the Combitronic and the cold feed to the hot tank and hot feed from it...... and the water pump nicely mounted next to the electronics!

The white box is part of my modification to the wiring from the leisure battery to reduce voltage drop due to original insufficient size cable.

I hope that is all of some interest to 'Autocruise Eberspacherers'


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## ingram

This is the exhaust on the Compact Combitronic on 2006 Starblazer. I *think* that the smaller diameter pipe goes right through the larger one which is used as a sound 'dampener': not really sure though. The second picture is the Compact Combitronic with all covers fitted.


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## NicknClair

Manchego said:


> I have a Webasto version fitted. I have hardly used it as i suspect it is very power hungry when not on hook up. Am i right in my thinking ?. I also suspect it's connected to the vehicle battery rather than the leisure batteries. I know i could check but it's never really been a pressing need.


Initial start-up can take some power but once flame has been detected, it should reduce it's consumption by a large amount. 
Pending on which model, power consumption eg on a dual top is no more than 90W @ boost function of 6.0kw heat power. Most of the time, this unit has a continuous power drain of 27W. However I would suggest a sensible sized leisure battery capacity of more than 160ah, fit you are doing alot of "Wild Camping".


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## Sparks6569

ingram said:


> Even though the 'Habitation 12volt' shuts down when the engine is running, the Eberspacher has a dedicated 12v supply and can be run while .on the move'. It does in my Starblazer anyway.


 8O Thanks to "ingram" for all those photos  
The heater in the Starspirit is not the water/space heating combo - space heater only, but I now have a good idea of what to look for when the 2 inch deep puddle under the MH dries up


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## bevjohn

We have Eberspacher wet central heating with a header tank in the wardrobe,I have been told to top this up when required with blue antifreez but i am unsure if this needs to be diluted or not. Can anyone help.



Regards Bevjohn


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## TR5

bevjohn said:


> We have Eberspacher wet central heating with a header tank in the wardrobe,I have been told to top this up when required with blue antifreez but i am unsure if this needs to be diluted or not. Can anyone help.
> 
> Regards Bevjohn


It wouldn't really matter if you dilute it, or not. The main thing is you do not top up with just water, as you are then diluting the original solution, and increasing the risk of freezing over time. I would suggest a 50/50 mix would be fine!

With regard to the other Eberspacher posts, a good insite from Harvey I must say. There are so many variations of models and ways of installation that Autocruise used, that it is difficult to advise efficiently for any one unit. The Starburst, for instance (certainly on mine) the Eberspacher was underslung, with no cover, and the heat exchanger box, also containing electric elements for electric heating, was in the offside under seat locker. Harvey's heat exchanger is under-slung, my current Starblazer has no hot water option from the Eberspacher (I have a separate gas fired water heater), and so the Eberspacher is underslung, but in a sealed metal box with an access plate bolted to the side, and I've seen others with the Airlectric unit fitted, which is an inline electric element heater fitted to the outlet side of the Eberspacher - the variations are never-ending.

With regard to inlet and exhaust silencing, if the unit is exposed then this is an option. If it is mounted inside a container, certainly the inlet damper may not suit.

HTH


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## ingram

I will open a new thread for Eberspacher in the 'Technical' section because I have some comments which are not specific to Autocruise and I see that bevjohn actually has a Frankia.

Harvey


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## ingram

An update:

Having had a fresh water leak I needed to remove the Combitronic Compact unit from the 'van to find it. Here are some pictures.

This is the unit on the bench with covers removed; on the right are the inlet and outlet pipes for both fresh water and the 'coolant'.

In the centre is the insulated hot water tank / calorifier.

On the left is the D5W Hydronic unit and underneath that is the heat exchanger matrix and fan for the warm air; picture to follow.

Note that the Combi. is upside down with respect to it's orientation when installed in the 'van.


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## ingram

This is the view of the 'hose connections' end as would be seen when installed in the 'van. The device at the top with the black knob is the mixer valve. This mixes the 80 degree hot water with cold to reduce to a safe temperature. See how that plastic pipe is fitted into it! Did a plumber do that or the tea boy?

In the centre is the 230v immersion heater with cover: under which is the thermostat. The other thermostat to the right senses the water temperature when water heating with diesel.

At the bottom, the red knob is the pressure relief / drain valve. This is what I thought to be leaking but it turned out to be the sealing ring for the immersion heater that was split.


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## ingram

This shows the mounting plate for the Hydronic ( removed ) and the cover for the heat exchanger and fan unit.


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## ingram

This picture shows the fan unit for the room heating ( cylindrical black thing ) and to the left of it the heat exchanger matrix. To the very left; the silver thing, is the 230v heating element for room heating.


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## ingram

To test for the leaking component I attached the garden hose to fill the water tank and allowed it to pressurise slightly having blocked off other open pipes.

I used the same method to test after repair.

I sourced a new immersion heater seal from a plumber's merchant, from his box of odds and sods.

The whole unit was removed from the 'van by Angela undoing the fixing bolts from inside the 'van while I lay underneath to take the weight and lower it down. It reminded me of that 'Chandelier' scene in 'Only Fools and Horses. It probably weighed about the same.........

Refitting was a reverse of the removal procedure. ( Blimey, I could write a 'Haynes' manual. )  

I hope that is of interest to some.

Harvey


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