Hi

Have just bought a viking 28 and everything is working fine except the blown air heating - it fires up for a couple of minutes (maybe 4 or 5mins) and then the red light comes on. Is there a sensor or something that may be causing it to cut out ?

Thanks
Matt

There are a number of safety features/sensors in the Propex heater. The heater will switch off if the flame is low (due to low gas, blocked inlet or exhaust), if it overheats and/or if the voltage drops to 9.8 volts.

Regards Derry

If it is the Propex heater that you have,
I keep a copy of the fault codes on a label next to the heater, as it depends on how many flashes:

Number of flashes
1 Failed to ignite
2 No gas while operating
3 Low battery less than 10 Volts
5 Combustion Air flow
6 Gas solenoid valve faulty
8 High Voltage greater than 15.5 Volts
9 Heat Exchanger high Temp

Manual overheat, reset switch.
On mine it was caused by an obstruction of the air intake inside the boat. Only took 10-15 minutes to sort following an email from Propex.

The most common one is 2 flashes... no gas, I've also seen 3 flashes, low battery, both solved by having 2 gas bottles and 2 batteries. Cheaper than a divorce.

Best regards, Richard

Hi thanks - I will have to look if it is a propex or not. It does not flash just steady red. Today my parents tried it with the engine running and it stayed on for about 15mins - we were told that maybe because both batteries are brand new they may not have a full enough charge.

Hi mine is not propex it is a Trumatic unit. Does anyone have experience of these?

Thanks

Silly question! But have you remembered to remove the spider trap from the flue.
Truma heaters, water heaters and combination boilers are fitted to nearly all makes of caravan so I am sure there must be a service agent close at hand.

http://www.truma.com/uk/en/home/index.php

Thanks - I am completely new to being an owner so I will need to check for a spider trap- unlikely to be able to check till the weekend.

Regards
Matt

The spider trap is a screw on cap where the flue exits the hull, This must be removed when in use and replaced afterwards.
Regards,

Chris.

Matt,

I didn't reply before as you said it was a propex heater. My friends had exactly the same problem on their viking sedan. Taking off the cap cured it instantly. Hopefully all will now be well.
Regards
Ken

Great I will have a look when I go to the boat at the weekend. I also must join this club properly ! We have only managed to go out in our boat once and I am hoping that we may squeeze the odd short trip in before I bed it down for the winter.

Thanks to all who have replied.
Matt

Hi

Had a look yesterday but my flue does not have a screw on cap - it is just a metal vent on the outside. I can see the vapour coming out so it must be a different problem

Matt

Hi Matt, in this months Boat Owner, there is a section on how to service the Esparcher diesel hot air heater, and one of the faults that happens to it is exactly as you describe. Ok different model, but same principle.

The problem is caused by the overheat sensor that feeds back to the controller, and if the sensor is out of spec, then the heater will shut down within a few minutes of start up.

Your sensor could be out of spec, OR the input flow to the heater is restricted, Wasps at this time of year like to nest in small pipes so you may have a blockage.

Best regards,
Richard

Hi
Thats really helpful thanks - off to have a look tomorrow, it has to be something like that or it is actually overheating but I do not think so because there is plenty of exhaust coming out of the vent etc.
Matt

I changed the gas bottle last week and tried the heating again with the same result - today I tried it again and guess what? it worked perfectly all afternoon. Could it be that there was some dirt or something in the pipes and a new bottle cleared it?

low gas pressure or low battery causes this issue on my boat! I have never had a spider trap what ever that is as an issue! just the two thing mentioned above. hope this helps had my boat for 8 seasons now and prety used to her and her quirks!