Installing Truma air conditioning into our caravan
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- In this video, I follow the steps involved in installing an air conditioning unit into the roof of our Bailey Alicanto Evora caravan. If you are interested in having an air con unit added to your caravan or motorhome, this is typically what happens during the installation process.
▶ Watch our previous video, discussing A/C options for our caravan : • Caravan air conditioni...
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Very good review Dan thank you. 👍
We do have the saphir compact air co under our fixe bed in our caravan and it s absolutely perfect for the summer.👍
Think I’d rather go somewhere that’s not going to disappear, never to be seen again, it’s worth the extra few hundred quid for piece of mind
Hi Dan
We are buying a new Porto, and i wondered which colour diffuser you settled on ?
Very informative vlog.
Nick
Quick question, I have 320AH of leisure battery in my motorhome. Would this air conditionaer last long off grid? Is it a noticeable drain on power?
Hi Dan, many thanks for this video we had the Truma Compact installed by Truma into our Swift Sprite Major 4EB just before Covid started so this was a great insight into how it was done.
We were away when we first used it and had some issues with it leaking even though I followed the instructions ☹. This was eventually found out to be that a faulty sensor was the cause during build process in Germany. However because it's built in the whole Unit had to be replaced.
We got it back and was away in it when it started leaking once again 😧, I took more videos and photos, I was getting about a 1/4" of water in a bowl this time. So rang our dealer to explain once again between our dealer, truma and ourselves it was causing us all real problems as they couldn't understand or replicate our problem in our dealers workshop. By now we were starting to get really fed up and were thinking of changing to the Under Bed Version.
We were away in it once again when it happened again so for the 3rd time I spoke to our dealer and Truma. This time I spoke to Laurie at Truma who is their most Senior Engineer and he suggested that we had our caravan taken to them so they could put it in their Climate Control Centre to replicate our settings and the conditions when we were using it, which was beside a lakeside pitch because they thought that might be causing the issue. However no matter what they tried they still couldn't get it to leak like we did.
So we were told to try it again and if it happened call Laurie direct, which surprise surprise it did 😠I was really fed up now because this was getting beyond a joke and definitely not what we had paid for as it wa ruining our holidays
Then I had a phone call from Laurie who had been thinking about our issues and then came to the conclusion that we were using it on the wrong fan speed for too long (we use it mainly on low speed as it can be quite noisy inside the caravan on medium or high speed and this was causing the issue, because on low it's not producing enough power to clear any condensation that builds up, so every so often it should be put on High speed to clear it.
So far it's now working as it should be but I'm still dreading it leaking again.
Sorry for the long message but thought you might like to hear what problems I had with mine
Keep up the great work
Michael🍻
I can totally relate to that leakage issue. We found the Truma Ventura leaking condensation through the exterior of the van. Sometimes out of the engine compartment and another time out of the rear left side, kind of going past the garage. I assume that it didn't leak inside anywhere because our hab check didn't show up any damp. But it has kind of worried me. I never did have the leaks checked because we're selling the van. As you say, it is quite noisy but luckily only inside. Outside the Truma is remarkably quiet. Maybe it was the same issue, namely the low fan speed. It was very cool inside especially travelling through the nightmare heatwaves in southern Europe I'm June and July.
Hi Dan.
Can I just point out that it's not a RJ11 cable it's actually RJ12 cable. I made the mistake of fitting an RJ11 but it wouldn't work.
You are 100% correct!
Just out of interest, would the "auger" and the conduit through the core of the roof not create a weak spot where the skin could easily crack if weight was put on it in the future?
Nice job and an informative vlog. I thought about having aircon fitted to our van but not worth it on a 13 year old van! Cheers
Fantastic as always Dan
Really interesting and something we are looking at going forward 👍
Im so thankful we had this in our last caravan, with Chloe suffering from heat stroke and giving the dog a chilled environment during the summer heatwave, it was worth its weight in gold.
The hidden feature of not needing to run the compressor during the night, but keeping the fans running meant that we kept cool without any bugs feasting on us as we slept. Its really an accessory I recommend. We will never be without one going forward.
Excellent job there Dan 👍. If I’m correct 2400w cooling performance is around 8000btu in old money. If I had the available payload, an AC unit would have been fitted years ago. We have to use the Omnivent to extract warm air but on the plus side it’s also used to extract cooking smells. Cheers, Rob
Thanks very useful,think that's the one we're going to get on our new van.
I'm looking to get a compact plus or comfort fitted in our 23 model Südwind 580QS. Dealer desperately wants to (understandably) fit it in the existing 400x400 small heiki but its right at the rear of the van and would cut out a huge amount of light. I'd like a new hole cut in the hail resistant roof further forward and for it to be fitted there. How do you insist on truma fitting it? They must have schematics for the fitment where i want it as another 580 QS owner has had it done by Truma (albeit at a different dealer to ours). All a bit conflicting. Trying also not to put our supplying dealers nose out of joint.
Did you pay Truma for the install or Swindon?
Hi Dan we have just purchased this unit and now being fitted. Hopefully it’s not to loud. 👍
Hi Dan, great video as always and a great insight. We purchased a Challenger 670 Grande SE end of last year and had the Truma Aventa Compact Plus A/C fitted. We haven’t had a chance to test it yet as it went straight into storage. We do however only have a remote control. I noticed you retrofitted an iNet device, is this something which can easily be done by myself so we can have the A/C turn on before we get back to van after a long walk during summer? Would love this option.
Cool vid Dan if you'll pardon the pun. 😅
What caravan was it installed on?
I have a compass camino 674 will it work for me?
Hi Dan had the exact same fitted in my Bailey unicorn Cadiz back in 2022 great piece of kit . Was just wondering though do you much about the inet you have as Iv been told it’s not available any more and if you had one you can not use remotely any more us this true? Also the new apparently is called inet x any info on this would be appreciated Keep up the great videos 👍
Having had this model.
The led lights in them were brilliant and gave a great ambience.
The unit is noisy in use. Especially when it's 30 degrees outside. It often gave me a headache.
It normally cools up to 10/15 degrees below outside temperature.
Great Video Dan, I have for the last 3 weeks researched the S*&T out of this product. When i found out the cost of the unit Vs the cost of supply and fit i was shocked the install cost was so expensive. I was convinced i could install it myself given im a Qualified Install Electrician. However this was under the assumption that the Holes were already in the roof for cable access (found on new caravans) on inspection our caravan Hasnt. Added to this, the amount of extra panels that need removing to get the CAT5 cable to the Truma controller, it started to become apparent why the install cost is what it is. And losing the added 5 year warranty its just not worth doing it myself. The thing that does confuse me is that it seems a generic price to supply and fit these units but not everyone's situation is the same, predrilled roofs, Roof light close to the microwave vs being in the bedroom etc so you would think the install cost would differ based on situation but it doesnt. Cool video ;-)
I imagine there is a time scale that these are priced to? There are terrible install times that include cutting a hole in the roof. And the ones that go under a locker and need to be plumbed in.
An interesting consideration. 🤔
The same aircon unit I have had fitted to my Coachman Laser Xcel 875, I can not fault it, I will catch up with the rest of the blog tomorrow Dan.
Did you manage to catch the start up (e.g. full tilt) AC power consumption when in heating mode?
Hi dan random question but where is the spare wheel stored in ur evora?, we have a grande lisbon and our wheel is under the bed just loose is this right? Tia glenn
I had my Truma AC unit fitted to my motorhome for £1900. My dealer wanted £2700
That's very interesting mate. Daft as it sounds, I didn't realise they had to cut such a big area out of the roof. Clever.
brilliant
As with E&P it isn’t worth scrimping on. Just saying.
An air con is something we probably won’t get because we go off grid most of the time, so probably not worth the cost. But what size power bank do you use in storage? I have a Jackery 500 but not to power the van but to run our portable freezer or top up the on board battery if a few dull days. I suspect it wouldn’t run an air con.
I have the Jackery 1000. That runs most things on the caravan apart from the heating. It will run the A/C for just under an hour.
Really interesting Dan, thanks for sharing the experience 😊👍
Hi Dan, great video really interesting, does it cool down the bedroom as quite far away from the unit? Thanks, Mark
Hi Mark, if the cool air distributes anything like the warm, the bedroom will cool down quite well. It does need some adjustment in the fan distribution - but I’ll cover that off in a future “user / owner review” 👍
Had ours fitted last year so really good to see the fitting process. Didn’t know you could get the diffuser swapped that’s interesting to know. Hoping it’s just as easy to swap when it’s time to change the van at some point.
Hi, as I understand it - its quite the simple process to remove and retro fit the rooflight. So when its time to upgrade, it should be part of the swap over etc.
Hope you are all well
Dan
@@TheTrudgians all part of the negotiations at that point. It was a lot simpler than I expected so less of a worry now.
All good thank you, enjoying catching up on all your videos.
Thanks Martin
Thanks for the video Dan, did you consider the dometic versions at all? They also seem a comparable product/price.
Hi, I didn't choose the dometic, purely based upon our experience of the Aventa Compact. it worked perfectly with our on board heating, and I also retro fitted the Truma iNet to join the Alde & Truma systems.
Brilliant Job Dan will you get the same level of service from other dealers? Or is it because you filmed it.?
As I understood it, this is exactly the same process you would get if Truma completed the installation.
Hi Dan good vlog but whats the reason they drilled another hole across the roof instead of using the existing ducting?
Hi, the existing cabling for omini vent is 12v. It doesn’t route in a useable path to run a new 230v. Also, the data cable needs to go to the right hand side of the vehicle, not the left. So even if a new power cable could use the existing route, a new exit would need to be created for data. 👍
Looked a very professional install.
Really interesting to watch for us geeks!
I agree. Interesting that they used a socket to power it and not via a Spur. I'm sure mine was a spur. Yorkshire caravans installed my last one.@@TheTrudgians
Dan, Summer? what madness are you talking for heavens sake. Been a long wet winter.
lol, it’s been awful hasn’t it. I remain hopeful though that we will be away for the 72 hours of summer this year 😳
Hi Dan, I have just recently been in touch with my dealership who had Truma fit our A/C in ref to your comment regarding the ‘Minor Works Cert’
Their workshop have stated ‘They have said that they don't fill them in as the unit is already prewired, So no change is made to the preexisting circuit’
Would it be Truma who fill these sheets in when they arrive and have copies?
Hi Lee,
thats an interesting comment they have made. The AC unit is prewired, however to wire it into the caravan, a change has to be made. This may only be minor, like adding an extra socket (like in my case), but a change is made nonetheless.
I would be interested to know where you stand with warranty if you had an issue with your on board electrical system. furthermore, how do you know that the installation has been electrically tested correctly?
Dan
Hi Dan, thank you for this video, just goes to show what info your advised on Practical Caravan forum (some telling me duff info). Today I finally received my Minor Electrical Installation Works Cert for fitting the Truma A/C. Having not watched this video, I would never have known to chase it. Thank you again 👏
As I am thinking of have one of these fitted to my new van due May this was very interesting thanks Dan. Can you tell me what size portable lithium unit you use at your storage yard as I am also having a 2000 watt inverter with a 2.4 amp lithium battery fitted in the new van and was wondering if this inverter would run the heater for a short time to heat up the van first thing in the morning, say 15 to 20 minutes? Thanks - Eddie
Hi, the power station I use is a Jackery 1000. I also use an Anker 1500w too. Both will run the A/C in storage for an hour or so.
Thanks that's a big help @@TheTrudgians
Hi Dan what happens if you have whale heating ? Is this still possible
Morning, if the A/C doesn’t integrate with your heating (I don’t know about Whale - sorry) then the A/C will run independently 👍
Brilliant video Dan just what i have been waiting for to get a good insight to a caravan air con. You mentioned you have a portable power unit to power the van in storage. I think a quick video on this would be fantastic as never thought of that. I am sure your followers would be keen to see. Thx Dan
Hi, i think ive covered the use of a power station before, but happy to re-share this. Have a look at the Anker power station review I created some time ago, that gives some good insights.
Ah ok thx will follow that up 👍
Hi Dan ,I am about to fit my truma air con myself , I noticed that your fitter was useing hodgson seamseal cv ,however I have been in touch with hodgson and they recommend hodgson HS30 , What are your thoughts
Hi Ian, this is way above my pay grade, I really dont know the difference. I trust the installation of this unit, afterall they fit thousands of units each year across many different caravan and motorhome surfaces.
Maybe its worth asking Truma directly?
Sorry I cant help further.
Dan
Just had reply from Truma , they say they use the seamseal cv . ,regards Ian
Great vlog, we have a motorhome 3 years old, the manufacturer has told us if we have AC fitted we will forfeit the outstanding 7 year warranty, even if fitted by an accredited and registered fitter.
That doesn't sound right. Does your motorhome need a hole cut into the roof?
@@TheTrudgians They said it may need to extend the one roof light
Hi Dan great video as usual but one thing you neglected to mention was the exact weight of the aircon unit as this would eat into my pay load I would be grateful if you could let me know many thanks colin
Hi Colin, correct i didn't give any details of the unit, not its weight, size, current consumption or other characteristics. This is purely an installation video - I will be covering the details in our future comparison video, where these details will be more useful. If you do want more technical specifications, click on the various links in teh description to visit the Truma website..
Hope that helps
@@TheTrudgians thanks Dan look forward to the next video I
Is the caravan roof strong enough for people to kneel on?
Yes it is on an AluTech body. 👍
They used spreader boards* to kneel on.*which as the name suggests spreads the weight across the roof and into the whole structure.