VEHICLE HANDLING - TIPS AND TRICKS FOR STARTING

Finally, the day arrives and you can take ownership of your new motorhome. You have probably been looking forward to this as much as your first impending trip. When the motorhome was handed over by your dealer, you were probably given lots of tips and tricks for operating the vehicle. As a little reminder, or to jog your memory, we have listed a few tricks here so that your enthusiasm for mobile travelling isn’t tarnished by any operating mistakes.

Filling and draining the water system correctly

If you want to fill the water system, make sure beforehand that all of the drain valves are closed. With Truma heating you also have to ensure that you don't forget the frost control, since the water will otherwise run out at the bottom, since it uses the same drain valves. You must also ensure that all service openings of the tanks are closed. Now set all of the taps to hot and open them. It is important for the water taps to be set to hot water so that the boiler is filled with water. Secure the shower head in the shower and also in the garage. The shower head and the water tap may open there, and the water would flow into the garage without you knowing it. Now, you can add the water (min. 25% of the tank capacity) and then switch on the water pump.

Now allow the water to flow until it no longer contains any bubbles. Now set all of the water taps to cold until the water is flowing without any bubbles. Then test all of the water taps to see if cold and warm water comes out. Now check whether the water pump switches off after the pressure has built up. If not, you may have a leak somewhere.

Tips for water system leaks

If you determine that your water system is leaking, this can be for various reasons. Possible causes of the leak:

• The frost control of a Truma heater is open
• The overpressure valve of an Alde heater is open/stuck
• The drain valves are not closing properly due to deposits
• The water tank is still open
• If the water pump is running and the water is coming out in spurts, the pump filter is probably cracked and is drawing in air.
• If the water pump does not reach its pressure, a water distributor or the water tap may be defective
• If water is coming out of the base of the water tap, the cartridge in the water tap is defective

Draining the water system

Switch off the water pump and set all water valves to the middle position and open them. Now, open all drain valves (don't forget the frost control). When no more water is flowing out, briefly switch on the water pump and allow it to run for a short time (max. 60 seconds). Flush the toilet several times. Then switch off the water pump. Excess water can be simply wiped off. The water taps can remain open if the water pump is switched off.

Tips for the fridge in summer and winter

Summer operation

According to climate class N1 for subnormal temperatures, the optimum working range of the fridge in the motorhome is between 10°C and 32°C.

The fridge has the highest performance level if it is operated using gas. The maximum cooling performance is not usually achieved when operating with 230 V. Since the voltage is not the same everywhere and voltage fluctuations up to 210 V can occur but the fridge only displays an error message from a voltage of 200 V, it is possible that considerably less power is being generated for the fridge without you noticing it. The cooling performance is at its worst if the fridge is operated with 12 V while driving. At best, only the cooling effect will be retained. In summer, it is therefore advisable to operate the fridge with gas.

Don’t forget to remove the winter cover when the temperature is 8°C or above, and also remove the ventilation grilles if necessary. Install a fan during very hot temperatures and clean burners of the fridge at regular intervals in order to achieve optimum cooling performance.

Winter operation

Put on the winter cover at temperatures below 8°C.

Please note that gas can freeze. You should therefore only use propane gas (frostproof up to – 42° C) in freezing temperatures. Only use butane gas up to 0 ° C.

Quick help for the electrical system

Fuses

First, get an overview of what isn’t working (12 V or 230 V / just one light or several). If, for example, only one light is not functioning, the light itself may be defective or the cable connector is no longer connected to the power circuit because of a cut. If several lights belong to the same circuit are not working, either a fuse is defective (can be replaced) or the cable, connector or distributor are defective. Repair is then only possible in a workshop.

If a device (e.g. TFT, socket, water pump) is no longer working, check beforehand if the fuse in the electronic block is still intact. The location of the fuses can be found in the operating instructions.

230 V connections are only protected by FI fuses. This is a residual current circuit breaker which interrupts the circuit if it detects irregularities in the power supply. Therefore, if something is wrong with a component, it may be that multiple components will no longer work, since it is a complete circuit. With Dometic inverters, the button (3) in the internal trip switch must therefore be pressed.

Other influences can also come from the exterior – such as a cable reel which has not been completely unwound, a defective cable, insufficient protection at the junction box or insufficient voltage in the power supply.

If the problem persists, it is advisable to notify the service partner of the following facts:

• Which fault has occurred
• What happened 
• When and how often something happened 
• The circumstances under which it occurs 
• Frequency of fault
• Always the same procedure
• Provide chassis number