Conditions required for Tank Enclosure Heating

[Mike Groves]

Regarding the Hurricane System on 1999 and 2000 Marquis, what needs to be on in order to allow the tank section heater to work?  Also is this on the same loop as the 3 inner coach heating areas or is it a separate loop/pump?

My system is upgraded to the Oasis Combi and my status lights show 1 and 2 loops on, with fan 2 and fan 3 on, but "Fan 4" (which I would think would indicate the tank heater) is NOT ON.  Fan 1 is not on because we're heating the solon area with a small heater.

I don't remember whether the Hurricane had the same status light panel beside the unit but if so would someone tell me what their lights indicate please when the tanks enclosure heating is activated?

Mike

[Gerald Farris]

Mike,
The original equipment Hurricane system that came in your coach did not have status lights and it only had one circulation pump for the coach heating loop. So all that was needed for the basement heater to work was for the Hurricane system to be turned on.

If you have questions about the design and operation of an aftermarket system, you should contact the installer because there are several ways that a heating system can be designed and/or installed.

Gerald

[Rick Daniels]

I also have the original Hurricane system.  In the bay housing the Hurricane and Seaward hot water system, there are two circulation pumps. What does each one do?

[Mike Groves]

Rick,

I suspect that one is for the heating loop to the coach and the other is to circulate the C12 Engine coolant when you turn on the Pre-Heat Button.

I also have a Coach Heat button on the console as do you.  When ITR swapped out my hurricane they didn't hook that switch up (the coach heat switch).  Does anyone with a Hurricane system know what that switch does in the hurricane system.

Mike

[Grant Ralston]

Mike
I have a single pump system on the original Hurricane Boiler, and I have an heat exchange tank beside the engine but no electric pump to circulate the engine coolant.  On our coach the dash switch turns on the Hurricane circulation single pump independent of the circuits in the Boiler.  While driving in cool weather, I keep the diesel switch turned off for the boiler, turn the room thermostats up for heat so the fans run and turn on the circulation pump with the dash switch.  The engine coolant provides heat thru the coach and the domestic hot water gets warmed while you drive.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Rick,
One is the circulation pump, the other is the preheat pump. If the preheat pump doesn't work when the preheat switch is on, check the PC board version in the Hurricane. See http://beaveramb.org/forum/index.php/topic,5258.msg39497.html#msg39497
Steve

[Mike Groves]

Now that we've been in cooler weather and I've placed a temperature sensor into the water bay by Velcro-ing it to the back of the towel dispenser, I see that just by the circulation of the hot fluid of the Oasis that this closed tank space keeps plenty warm as long as the interior is being warmed by the Oasis heating system.  When I removed the towel dispenser I could see the heat exchanger sitting above the tanks so its close by (within foot and a half of my sensor) and probably heavily influencing my temperature sensor but I wanted to be able to replace the batteries on the sensor easily by simply removing the towel dispenser.  (note - when I removed and looked at the back of the towel dispenser I did note that the workers at Beaver used some salty expressions on the back of this towel dispenser - "Beaver Sucks" and another - I suppose they were not happy in their work conditions which is unfortunate for the original buyer of this coach and myself too.)

If using space heaters rather than the hydronic system there is no circulation of the fluid so we use a space heater up front but keep the bathroom and bedroom using the Oasis.  I still have not verified that the thermostat/fan works in that bay but if there is a possibility of it getting to freezing in there I will make sure my heat tape is on, and we're using the hydronic heater.

Mike

[Rick Daniels]

I have had the need to remove the water bay stainless steel panel that the towel dispenser is attached to to service the electric dump valves.  In so doing I discovered a small rheostat style numbered dial on the far left wall inside the water bay behind the stainless steel panel.  I also read somewhere that there was a factory pre-set heat control in the water bay and assumed that the rheostat I discovered was just that.  Not being in there for heat reasons I ignored it's existence until now.  Now I wonder what that dial or rheostat really is.  If I understand previous post, on this and other threads, the water bay heat is provided by my hurricane which is controlled by the coach thermostat.  If that is the case, what is that rheostat dial thing-a-ma-job really for?  My thermostat is a four zone thermostat.  I have three roof top AC's, each assigned to a zone and I assume the heat is also three zones in the coach and have assumed that the fourth zone might be basement heat.  Now i really don't know.  I am looking for someone to shed more light on the subject.   

[Roy Lewis]

Sorry phone acting up this morning. How hard is panel to remove?

[David T. Richelderfer]

Rick - Our coach is a 2004 Marquis Sapphire - 45 feet, 3 roof airs/heat pumps, 12.5kw quiet diesel, 50,000 btu AQUAHOT heated by engine coolant and/or 120v electric and/or its diesel burner in any or all combinations,........

We have four heating zones - Zone 1: Kitchen living/dining rooms with three furnaces with one adjustable thermostat; Zone 2: Bathroom with one furnace with a common switchable thermostat working with Zone 3; Zone 3: Bedroom with one furnace with the common thermostat with Zone 2 (one adjustable thermostat located in the bedroom controls both the Zone 2 and Zone 3 devices); and Zone 4: The basement with one furnace and a preset thermostat I assume located in with the two waste tanks.

Those coaches with a Hurricane seem to have a slightly different management system.  Since we have the AQUAHOT I am most interested in how our system is managed.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Rick,
We had a 2000 Marquis with a Hurricane system. I pretty sure the water bay heat exchanger /fan is controlled by a thermostat in the bay, probably the rheostat you saw. (On Aqua hot systems they went to a 40 degree button-stat). In any case I'm sure the water bay is not controlled by the thermostats in the coach living area. As long as the Hurricane is on, the bay will heat when the temp drops to the bay thermostat temp.
Steve

[Gerald Farris]

Rick,
Your Hurricane heating system only has one circulation pump for all four heating zones, and all heat exchangers receive heated coolant if any zone calls for heat, but the fans run only at the heat exchanger that calls for heat. If your basement thermostat is adjustable, it has been replaced because the original basement thermostat was a fixed 40 degree snap disc thermostat. Therefore, the interior thermostats have no control over your basement heating system, but the Hurricane has to be on before it will work.

David,
Your AquaHot system works just like the Hurricane system that I explained above except your system has four circulation pumps. Therefore, it only circulates heated coolant to the heat exchanger that calls for heat.

Gerald   

[Edward Buker]

Gerald and David,

I am not sure of all Aqua Hot configurations but on mine there were three circulation pumps and they handled the basement zone by running the bathroom zone pump. The basement heater was in series with the bathroom heat exchanger. When the bathroom called for heat the bathroom heat exchanger fan ran and when the basement called for heat it did not, sending the majority of the heat to the basement heat exchanger. This may be yet another configuration used on some coaches if some also had the
4 zone pumps.

Later Ed