If you have a small caravan then blown air is probably a good option however with a large caravan definitely ALDE heating. On a large caravan the air cools down quite a bit before it reaches its destination at the furtherest point away from the source.
Quote: Originally posted by iank01 on 07/11/2023
If you have a small caravan then blown air is probably a good option however with a large caravan definitely ALDE heating. On a large caravan the air cools down quite a bit before it reaches its destination at the furtherest point away from the source.
Not sure how you are defining 'large' here? Ours is 7.4m, (not too many vans that much longer) and the far end washroom is as warm as anywhere else in the van. I think a lot of issues are caused by people not understanding how blown air works. Most of the time, if you get the vent balance right, theres not a problem. IF, you had a very long stretch of hose underneath, and not insulated, you might have a problem. But i dont think theres many like this. Ours is all internal.
Quote: Originally posted by clair8998 on 07/11/2023
Thanks all
Not sure I'm any less confused though!
I certainly won't discount blown air now when looking for our next van
Thanks again
Clair
Essentially, blown air has less problems. Whether ALDE is 'better', i have no experience. But, if you look at the numerous brand forums, there are plenty of requests for 'help' due to malfunctioning. Again, it could just be users not understanding how it works.
Blown air has never failed us, and is far better now it hasnt the old gas fire as part of its make up (older vans). Given a straight choice, it would be BA every time.
Often, improvements and upgrades are not always for the benefit of the user!
Just back from a 10 day break in the chilly wilds of Cumbria, daytime temps up to mid teens on the good days, night time down to only a few degrees C, and my current technology Truma Combi blown air system kept me nice and cosy throughout! - what more can you ask for! At no time was the ambient temp high enough to be comfortable in the van with the heating turned off, tripping in and out on the thermostat kept van perfect.
As to above mentioned 'drafts' and 'noise', absolutely no idea what they are talking about from my personal experience of my system, on the highest blower setting the fan is barely audible, and the air flow is hardly a gale, just a gentle wafting of warm air from vents with no noise whatsoever, it's so subtle you have to put a hand (or bare foot) in front of vent to check it's actually operating!
Mine's a fairly large 4 berth van with separate bathroom, there are three vents, two in the living area and one in the bathroom, everywhere is warm! It you want to increase warmth in one part of van more than another, you simple adjust the vent flap/valve(s) slightly in the areas you wish to be cooler, the bulk of the air is then directed to the area you want warmer, the thermostat and heater timer (if you wish to set limited operating times) take care of everything else. I suspect people who complain of 'cold spots' are simple not using the system correctly!
Oft overlooked, but to me a valuable bonus not available with the Alde wet system, in the hot summer months the blower can be set to blow COOL air too, drawn from the shade under the van, so you can have forced cooling ventilation as well as heating from the system!
I've never used a Alde wet system, and quite simply I wouldn't want one for all the problems that they bring, they have a weight penalty in the first place which eats into potential load capacity/ups the MIRO weight of van, they require expensive (if paying for work to be done, and most people really aren't happy to DIY!) routine maintenance (nothing to service on a blown air system!), and they have several potential points of failure, which from the various posts on here and other forums do seem to occur rather too often. For the potential advantages, which seem to be mere technicalities like marginal speedier heating from cold, and personal preference for a heating system people are familiar with from their homes, personally I see the Alde system as a 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' with a load of risks and ongoing expense that is unavoidable!
I've used my blown air heating many times in chilly times of year, never failed to warm sufficiently or given any problems, happily go for the same system again if/when I change van, made it a preference when choosing my current van, why over complicate life!
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 08/11/2023
Just back from a 10 day break in the chilly wilds of Cumbria, daytime temps up to mid teens on the good days, night time down to only a few degrees C, and my current technology Truma Combi blown air system kept me nice and cosy throughout! - what more can you ask for! At no time was the ambient temp high enough to be comfortable in the van with the heating turned off, tripping in and out on the thermostat kept van perfect.
As to above mentioned 'drafts' and 'noise', absolutely no idea what they are talking about from my personal experience of my system, on the highest blower setting the fan is barely audible, and the air flow is hardly a gale, just a gentle wafting of warm air from vents with no noise whatsoever, it's so subtle you have to put a hand (or bare foot) in front of vent to check it's actually operating!
Mine's a fairly large 4 berth van with separate bathroom, there are three vents, two in the living area and one in the bathroom, everywhere is warm! It you want to increase warmth in one part of van more than another, you simple adjust the vent flap/valve(s) slightly in the areas you wish to be cooler, the bulk of the air is then directed to the area you want warmer, the thermostat and heater timer (if you wish to set limited operating times) take care of everything else. I suspect people who complain of 'cold spots' are simple not using the system correctly!
Oft overlooked, but to me a valuable bonus not available with the Alde wet system, in the hot summer months the blower can be set to blow COOL air too, drawn from the shade under the van, so you can have forced cooling ventilation as well as heating from the system!
I've never used a Alde wet system, and quite simply I wouldn't want one for all the problems that they bring, they have a weight penalty in the first place which eats into potential load capacity/ups the MIRO weight of van, they require expensive (if paying for work to be done, and most people really aren't happy to DIY!) routine maintenance (nothing to service on a blown air system!), and they have several potential points of failure, which from the various posts on here and other forums do seem to occur rather too often. For the potential advantages, which seem to be mere technicalities like marginal speedier heating from cold, and personal preference for a heating system people are familiar with from their homes, personally I see the Alde system as a 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' with a load of risks and ongoing expense that is unavoidable!
I've used my blown air heating many times in chilly times of year, never failed to warm sufficiently or given any problems, happily go for the same system again if/when I change van, made it a preference when choosing my current van, why over complicate life!
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 08/11/2023
Just back from a 10 day break in the chilly wilds of Cumbria, daytime temps up to mid teens on the good days, night time down to only a few degrees C, and my current technology Truma Combi blown air system kept me nice and cosy throughout! - what more can you ask for! At no time was the ambient temp high enough to be comfortable in the van with the heating turned off, tripping in and out on the thermostat kept van perfect.
As to above mentioned 'drafts' and 'noise', absolutely no idea what they are talking about from my personal experience of my system, on the highest blower setting the fan is barely audible, and the air flow is hardly a gale, just a gentle wafting of warm air from vents with no noise whatsoever, it's so subtle you have to put a hand (or bare foot) in front of vent to check it's actually operating!
Mine's a fairly large 4 berth van with separate bathroom, there are three vents, two in the living area and one in the bathroom, everywhere is warm! It you want to increase warmth in one part of van more than another, you simple adjust the vent flap/valve(s) slightly in the areas you wish to be cooler, the bulk of the air is then directed to the area you want warmer, the thermostat and heater timer (if you wish to set limited operating times) take care of everything else. I suspect people who complain of 'cold spots' are simple not using the system correctly!
Oft overlooked, but to me a valuable bonus not available with the Alde wet system, in the hot summer months the blower can be set to blow COOL air too, drawn from the shade under the van, so you can have forced cooling ventilation as well as heating from the system!
I've never used a Alde wet system, and quite simply I wouldn't want one for all the problems that they bring, they have a weight penalty in the first place which eats into potential load capacity/ups the MIRO weight of van, they require expensive (if paying for work to be done, and most people really aren't happy to DIY!) routine maintenance (nothing to service on a blown air system!), and they have several potential points of failure, which from the various posts on here and other forums do seem to occur rather too often. For the potential advantages, which seem to be mere technicalities like marginal speedier heating from cold, and personal preference for a heating system people are familiar with from their homes, personally I see the Alde system as a 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' with a load of risks and ongoing expense that is unavoidable!
I've used my blown air heating many times in chilly times of year, never failed to warm sufficiently or given any problems, happily go for the same system again if/when I change van, made it a preference when choosing my current van, why over complicate life!
Agreed! Best comment/explanation yet1
You beat me to this. I totally agree, and say its the best, most straightforward, and honest post ive ever seen from Monty. (and there are a lot! )
I'd hardly started on my coffee and biscuits and it was over.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Something I would consider if buying new is the amount of electric they use when running on gas as we use a lot of non hook sites.
Our blown air uses next to nothing
I had truma blown air in my Swift and it was not good. The heating pipes ran under the caravan and cooled down a lot.
In my new Elddis we have Whale blown air, all the pipes are inside and do not lose any heat to the outside and it heats up the van very quickly.
------------- We camped for years. In 2019 we bought an Elddis Avante 454. We like it as it is short (6.9m) and fits in our driveway and has a fixed bed.
We had 127 nights away in the caravan in 2023.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Blown heating or Alde wet heating
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