# Benimar Perseo Heater



## Exu (Nov 21, 2010)

Have recently bought a 2007 Benimar Perseo 590.

The interior heater (living end) does not seem to work properly.

It is a Truma heater for water and space heating (ducted hot air).

There is a control switch on which the outer ring has 5 positions:-
water only 60ºC; water only 40ºC; Off ; Space heating only; Space Heating + water 40ºC
And an inner knob that rotates from 1 to 9

According to the Truma Manual there ought to be a temperature sensor somewhere for the Thermostat and there is even a diagram to show what it look like. (Seems to be just a dome shaped thingy.)

But I cannot find it. Any ideas where it is please?

When the heater is first turned on, it seems to take an age (5 to 20 minutes) before the blower for the ducted air speeds up (initially it is just rotating slowly). Is that normal?

Once the temperature reaches the level set on the inner knob, the fan goes off again - as you would expect. BUT IT DOES NOT THEN COME BACK ON AGAIN - not even when the living end has gone back down to very cold. It seems that it is necessary to have the heater OFF for a long time before you can get it to work again.

Advice please?

(The previous owners say they never received a User Manual about all the living bits, so I cannot look in that!)


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## iconnor (Nov 27, 2007)

Sounds like a dodgy thermostat.
I had a similar issue but with the electric heating of the water.
Apparently it has two thermostats, the first truns off the heat when the required temperature is reached, the second turn it back on when the heat drops below a certain level.
As regards getting it going, yes it does take 5 mins or so to kick in fully. If you have the same equipment level as my Benimar you should have a heat exchanger that works from the engine coolant system under one of the sofas, when you arrive on site you can use this to warm the van quickly, in fact you can use while you are driving along to pre-heat the van.
The thermostat for my room heating is to the right of the door about eye level, it is a brown dome shaped thing.


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## Exu (Nov 21, 2010)

Thanks for your help.

My Perseo is built on a 2007 Fiat Ducato 130 chassis. (It is different to the 2006 chassis that my cousin has.)

There is indeed a living space heater running from the engine. It is under the driver's seat (left hand side) as I found when I was roasted while driving! There is something under the passenger seat - I think it might be an aircon but am not sure (even the Fiat manual is not sufficiently explicit!)

You say there are two thermostats on the Truma (gas fired) living space/water heater. Does the one you have (brown dome) to the right of the door turn it on or off?


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## Exu (Nov 21, 2010)

Hi Iconnor,

I have now been to the Motorhome and, thanks to your description, I *think* I might have found the living space thermostat.

You say it is a brown dome. Is it about 22mm (7/8 inch) diameter with three slots around it? (If I am right then mine has two wires out of the back.)

If so then it might well not be a faulty thermostat - just that it is located in an absolutely stupid place!

We have a double (island) bed with the water tank and Truma heater under it. To one side of the rounded foot, there is a door with a grille to allow cool return air to the heater fan inlet.

The thermostat (if that is what it is) is above and to one side of the door.

When the heater is running this whole area gets hot and the heat is then retained by the duvet hanging down over the edge of the bed. (The duvet hangs clear of the inlet so still allows return air to enter.) But even when the heater turns off it takes hours for the area around the thermostat to cool down.

I wonder if anyone else has a Perseo 590 (i.e. the island double bed version) and if so, have they had any similar problems? 

I wonder if Benimar have relocated the thermostat in later models?

I think I will have to try moving mine to a more sensible place.


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## iconnor (Nov 27, 2007)

Yes the brown dome with slots is the room thermostat, sounds
like a silly place to have it from your description.


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