# Tank heaters



## ThePrisoner (Jan 13, 2009)

Hi All,

Have had the aspire 255 now for a couple of months. We requested that the van be fitted with winter tank heaters. When we look under the van we can see the cladding on the tanks but there is no switch inside the van to operate them.

The van has been back at elddis now for a couple of weeks whilst they sort this and other problems out. (In fact, they have had it longer than us).

We were called by them today to say that the tank heaters don't have manual switches they just work by themselves. Is this right?

Am i not able to operate these manually? I am worried about battery drain etc when the van is laid up. 

I must say the handbook that came with the motorhome is pretty appalling so cannot refer to it for help with quite a few components on the van.

Do any of you have the factory fitted heaters and what do you think of them.


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## pgjohnso (Jan 8, 2009)

I have a Winter Pack fitted to my Sundance. As I understand it, the heaters are controlled by a thermostat in the water tank but the system control is selected from the Control Panel, so if you shut the Control Panel from the Main ECB, there should be no drain of the battery but you could end up with frozen tanks unless you totally drain the system.


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

ThePrisoner said:


> Do any of you have the factory fitted heaters and what do you think of them.


Hi

We have them on our Autocruise and I do realise that it may not be much help as you have an Elddis but you were asking what we thought of them. As far as I know most manufacturers use the same tank heaters so this info may help.

In our van they are controlled firstly by the Sargent control system, there is an option to have Frost Protection, On/Off is indicated by the control panel .... then if they are switched on they only come in to play if the tank/s are more than 1/4 full and the temperature is below 5C.

The temperature control is built into the heaters themselves and the heater ( DFE-02 from CAK Tanks) has inbuilt automatic thermostats, turning it on at 5°C and off at 10°C and the 12v supply is only connected by the Sargent control unit if it can "see" that there is more than a 1/4 of a tank of water indicated from the tank level sensors.

Last winter I tested them at home during the very cold weather, they work as in they "heat the water in tank" but we have not used them on a trip yet so how effective they are in actual working conditions I do not know. I would not expect to be able to use them for long unless I was on a hook up as they are rated at 30watts @ 12v = around 2.5 amps so the leisure batteries would not stand it :roll:

What make of control panel/electrics do you have in your van?

Mike

Edit P.S.

Just looked up your instruction book at Elddis .... not much help in there is there :roll: and I can see that you have a BCA power unit that does not seem to have any control over the tank heaters....so can only assume that when they were fitted that a switch was added somewhere ...if it was not then there must at least be a fuse for the citcuit that the heaters are wired into maybe you can find that fuse and remove it when you do not want the heaters to operate..... having said that I cannot imagine that there is no switch fitted :roll:


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## ThePrisoner (Jan 13, 2009)

spykal said:


> ThePrisoner said:
> 
> 
> > Do any of you have the factory fitted heaters and what do you think of them.
> ...


Hi Mike

Thank you for taking the time to look into this for me and sorry for the late reply.

We got the van back this morning from elddis, after fixing a couple of problems we had and supposedly checking the installation for the tank heaters. There is deffo not a switch to operate them.

The control panel is a CBE PC320-EX unit. There is no auxhilliary button. I have now put the motorhome back into storage so when it comes out again at the weekend I will check the fuses as you suggest. (If I can find them as I have never been shown where they are) :roll:

I am a little annoyed with elddis to be honest. I emailed the homolgation manager yesterday to request info about the tank heaters, but as yet have had no reply. I feel a little bit fobbed off, especially at the winter pack cost me £250. :evil:


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## gibb (Dec 25, 2007)

Hi i had tank heaters fitted to my 255 and they fitted me a switch at the bottom of the bed next to the heating electrical switch hope this helps . 
GIBB


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Heaters*

I have a Sargent EC 450 power supply unit in the Swift. There is manual switch aove the hab door that controls the heaters.

Russell

PS - I used them last winter - fab!


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## ThePrisoner (Jan 13, 2009)

gibb said:


> Hi i had tank heaters fitted to my 255 and they fitted me a switch at the bottom of the bed next to the heating electrical switch hope this helps .
> GIBB


Hi Gibb

There is only one switch at the foot of the bed. The man from Elddis told me it was the main power switch to the van and needs to be switched on at all times. You mention a heating electrical switch....?????.

I have looked through the CAK tanks and VanTracks brochure and found a switch which looks the same. Is it like yours?

http://vantracks.co.uk/details.php?Clv=3&C1=1&C2=10&C3=65&id=56

I cannot believe that no one at Elddis can give me a definite answer.


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## gibb (Dec 25, 2007)

Hi yes that is the same switch it is for using the central heating on hookup , they put me another switch the same next to the heating one and this is to turn the tank heaters on/off.
Gibb


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Hi

I too am very surprised that there seems to be no switch for the heaters on your van, as without a switch you will never be able to disable them. 

So now I am wondering if the answer may be that the heaters have never actually been fitted to your motorhome during manufacture. If there are no heaters there will be no switch :wink: .

Are you able to see either the heaters or the wiring that leads to them? On our Autocruise I can remove the fresh water tank inspection cover and with the aid of a torch the heater can easily be seen sticking into the tank. On the outside of both tanks I can see the wiring and the cover end of the heaters where the electrical connections are made. 


Mike


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## ThePrisoner (Jan 13, 2009)

gibb said:


> Hi yes that is the same switch it is for using the central heating on hookup , they put me another switch the same next to the heating one and this is to turn the tank heaters on/off.
> Gibb


Hi Gibb

There is definitely only one switch. (Same as in the link). So I think I have been had over a little by Elddis.


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## ThePrisoner (Jan 13, 2009)

spykal said:


> Hi
> 
> I too am very surprised that there seems to be no switch for the heaters on your van, as without a switch you will never be able to disable them.
> 
> ...


Hi Mike,

What is annoying me is the fact that Elddis have had my van back in the Consett manufacturing depot for 10 days and they still cannot come up with an answer to my queries. I have spoken to people in the workshop and emailed the manager.

Even more annoyingly, they have added 400 and odd miles on my clock, put a paltry £30 of diesel in and still have not sorted the problem. :evil:

My van is in storage till tomorrow so I will look at the wiring as you suggest. But if memory serves me well I may have a problem finding the inspection cover as they have been covered by a false section of floor.

Thanks for your time, it is appreciated.


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Hi

Also not van specific, sorry, but during my recent small van investigations i was told they came on at 5deg by themselves.

I hadn't thought about what they do with no water in the tank, but they must have a cut out within the heater for overheating protection?


Soooooooo, why do you need a switch? If its too warm they won't do anything, if its too cold then they will but only when needed, the thermostat will mean they won't draw 24hrs a day? 

If you have water in the tank and its cold enough why do you want to turn them off? A choice between overly flat batteries or frozen water would be the only scenario, but then the management of what battery power is available has gone a bit awol? And a frozen tank would have to mean get the batteries charged up asap?

A switch would be ideal I suppose, but when in reality would you use it? Do they have a small residual drain?

Just wondering really how they work in practice?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I would deffo not want a switch, because as we know a thermostat never ever breaks down, so would never come on when not needed and flatten my battery


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