# Carthago Heating



## 118348 (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi all Carthago owners out there,Just taken delivery of my Chic 47 best motorhome that I,ve owned yet quality is great and storage space 
is fantastic and easy to use. Just one thing that is being problem is the heatingTried the heating system out last week it took hour andhalf to raise the temperature from 3.5 to 10.5 degrees not having used is system before is this normal.Yesterday it took the same length of time from zero to 11 degrees using both gas and electric.Can this be right ?As we do a lot winter camping are we in for a chilly time or is there something wrong with the heating system Alan


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## bodgerco (May 23, 2005)

It doesn't sound right at all. I don't have a Cathago but which heater is fitted? I have the Truma Combi , the later one with electric heating as well as gas and that would certainly not be correct for that model but I guess it might be a different type in which case I couldn't comment except to say that would not be adequate and probably a fault.


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

alananval said:


> Hi all Carthago owners out there,Just taken delivery of my Chic 47 best motorhome that I,ve owned yet quality is great and storage space
> is fantastic and easy to use. Just one thing that is being problem is the heatingTried the heating system out last week it took hour andhalf to raise the temperature from 3.5 to 10.5 degrees not having used is system before is this normal.Yesterday it took the same length of time from zero to 11 degrees using both gas and electric.Can this be right ?As we do a lot winter camping are we in for a chilly time or is there something wrong with the heating system Alan


Are you sure that the heating is on and not just the hot water.
I would have thought that the hot water and the body heat from 2 people would have risen the temperature to what you say.
I think that you have a problem, sorry!


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Welcome to MHF!

Yes, in a similar vein I tried to be helpful and look up what heating system the Chic 47 had. I gave up and lost patience, therefore said nothing. However, if you had mentioned that in the question, you would not have limited answers to just those few who know about the Chic 47 specification, but rather opened it up to many more who could have helped.

Dave


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## 118348 (Nov 21, 2008)

re Carthago heating or lack of, thanks Dave for your comments the heater is a Alde 3000 warm air system delivered through radiators. Its convection only no fans to assist the flow of warm air through the motorhome.hope that this will assist any one with further information.Alan


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Do all the radiators get equally hot or do you have several that do not get warm? Can one bleed them? Do you have Alde operating manual?

Dave


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## 118348 (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi Dave thanks for your interest, reading the manual you can,t bleed the radiators but the system can be bled down as a whole at the boiler.As i,m not be sure about this may be i,ll get in touch with Lowdhams.Alan


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## EJB (Aug 25, 2007)

Quote:- "Just taken delivery of my Chic 47"

" i,ll get in touch with Lowdhams.Alan"

One telephone call could well have sorted your problem instantly!!

Sorry...but I can never understand why people post questions on forums when they have just bought a product and the experts are only a telephone call away.

After the phone call and hopefully the problem is solved it is then worth posting the result. This may save someone else getting poor information from forums.
Normally once you cut through the 75% of waffle and hijacking this forum is as good as you can get :wink:


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

I didn't say the system NEEDED bleeding. That depended on the answer to the radiator question I never got 

Dave


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## SanDel (Jun 17, 2008)

My tip phone Alde direct i did great help. 01933677765


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Hi Alan,

The Alde system is quite different from the blown air variety and you need to think more about it. Typically it will take anything from an hour or even longer to warm up a van - that's normal. You have to leave it on longer or set it to come on earlier. Once it has heated up that's when the benefits kick in - more even heating, better control, no drafts, hot spots etc.

Do you have a heat exchanger fitted. Normally in the Carthago exchangers are standard - see if this is turned on as this will heat up the van while driving. Also the Alde is designed to be left on while driving.

Many of the new MH's fitted with Alde systems also have the thermostat controller/timer this allows you to set the time and temperature that you want the system to come on and go off at. (up to 6 times per day) If you don't have one fitted you can get the TPS5000 fitted for around £80/90 - magic peice of kit. Even has a frost device so that if unattended and the temp drops below 5 degrees it automatically comes on and prevents any freezing up.

I wouldn't have a MH without the Alde system - once you get used to it you won't want to be without it.

Pete


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## gandj (May 11, 2005)

Hi
We have a Chic T47 with the Alde heating system. Our previous vans had the usual selction of Truma blown air systems and we would never go back to them. The Alde is wonderful. True, it will take longer to heat up the van initially - this is in the nature of the system, as you have to wait for the water to be heated and pumped round etc. However, we have never found this a problem.
When on the road we switch the Alde on half an hour before stopping (no need for 12v to be on, set the Alde thermostat high, say 26) and you will arrive at your destination with a heated van and hot water.
During the night we drop the Alde thermostat to, say 17, so it never gets too cold, and in the morning just turn up the thermostat an hour before you get up.
If you are on a site with low amperage (our present site is only 6amps), then the Alde will be very slow at raising temp - but so will most other systems at 1Kw. It that case you can boost with gas, of course, until you are up to temp, then go back to 1Kw to maintain. We have the Webasto diesel heater also fitted and can use this to boost the temp if we want to save gas.
I could never use the Truma running all night because of the dreadful racket it makes, clicking on and off whooshing wheezing.
It is fabulous - just get used to how to get the best out of it. For us, it is the single best feature of the Chic.
Any other questions?
Graham


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## davesport (Nov 12, 2006)

> I could never use the Truma running all night because of the dreadful racket it makes, clicking on and off whooshing wheezing.


There must have been something wrong with your system. The only time I can hear mine is during the warm-up.

D.


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## gandj (May 11, 2005)

Sorry, Dave. I was being extravagant with my lanuage. The Truma system was fine, but I am a light sleeper. The normal operating clicks and whirring of the fan were enough to disturb me. The Alde is much quieter in operation and has no fans blowing air around, of course.
Graham


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## Crindle (Feb 2, 2007)

Hi all.....having recently taken delivery of a Concorde Charisma we are new to the Alde wet system (Compact 3000) which has a problem. Just can't get the system to operate correctly briefly as follow's:

(1) Select gas and heating only.
(2) Boiler fires up and runs for short period then shuts down. 
(3) Pipework adjacent to boiler stone cold.
(4) Liquid not circulating and transfering heat from the boiler into the van.
(5) Have systematically bled the system as instructed by the dealer several times.
(6) Have talked to Alde technical who can't offer anthting other than booking the van in with them but they are 150 mls away and would prefer to try and solve ourselves.
(7) If we run the vehicle (The heat exchanger valve is open) and the engine warms up the above problem goes away only to return when everything cools down. 
(8) Even taken the vehicle to B & B Motors in Lancashire who are Motorhome/Caravan habitation experts as suggested by Southdowns. 
(9) B & B contact me today saying the system is working perfectly the very thing we don't want to hear. Would definately prefer the fault to manifest its-self........Anyone out there with suggestions ?.....Crindle.


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Hi Crindle,

The man you need to speak to is Graham Cutmore - he has 25 years experience of working with Alde systems. He knows EVERYTHING there is to know about the Alde. Now set up on his own telephone 01933 622593

web site www.grahamcutmoreengineering.co.uk

He's your man and will come to your home if required.

Pete


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Hi again Crindle,

Just thought. Have you checked the fuse to the pump motor. The pump motor is usually situated in a wardrobe or somewhere. The inline fuse is close by. I have heard that these pumps are prone to failure (not that I have ever had any trouble since our first Alit in 1980) however the symptoms you experience seem to indicate that the water is not circulating and the Alit boiler is cutting out through overheating. The heat exchanger when driving around has its own circulation system and is separate to the Alit one. You can put your hand on the pump (on top of a small header tank) and feel the vibration if it is working. I am assuming that you have switched on the pump at the Alit control and that the temp is turned up high etc.?

Pete


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## Crindle (Feb 2, 2007)

Hi with thanks......pump is definately running can place a finger on the top of the pump and feel the shaft turning, just not moving the liquid round the pipework which causes the boiler to shut down within minutes. Collect the van from B & B Wednesday. Should the problem re-appear, which we are sure it will, then your man seems the route to go. Will update in due course.....Crindle.


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## gandj (May 11, 2005)

Sorry, Crindle, cannot add anything to comments already made, ours is the Compact 3010, rather than the 3000.
Vennwood; thanks for the link to Graham Cutmore. I had been meaning to get a spare pump - just in case - but it seems that GC is just the man to install a timer switch for us.
Graham


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## ruthiebabe (Aug 16, 2005)

Beware that Alde operated con electric will take longer to warm up and not reach as high a temp as gas, so my tips would be 

1. check with dealer/Alde in case you have a fault
2. warm up the living area whilst driving to your destination using the heat xchanger
3. warm up on gas only then change to electric where you have it to maintain the temperature.

hth, Ruth

p.s. once you get the knack you will love the Alde heating.


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