Good heating is essential for comfortable touring. Here, John Sootheran answers 21 key questions
1 Are caravan heating systems effective?
A properly maintained heating system in a modern, well-insulated caravan is very effective indeed.
It will not only heat the interior space quickly – typically reaching your target temperature in around 20-60 minutes – it will also be able to maintain that level of warmth very efficiently.
UK caravans are frequently tested in industrial-size cold chambers, which can generate temperatures below -20°C.
So a modern tourer could keep you very warm, cosy and comfortable, even in those conditions. These days, they really are four-season leisure vehicles.
2 Are caravans fitted with separate heaters for hot water and space heating?
Many modern caravan heating systems will heat both the interior space and the water in a single combi unit.
Clever engineering means that these combination heaters are small enough to fit underneath a settee in the living area, and are quiet, reliable and efficient.
That said, you can actually purchase separate space and water heaters, although these are far more commonly found in campervans and smaller motorhomes.
3 How does caravan space heating work?
Caravan ‘central heating’ systems generally work in one of two ways: blown air or wet (radiator) heating.
The simplest of these systems are the blown-air designs, which are basically large fan heaters that distribute warm air throughout the caravan interior, using a combination of flexible ducting and adjustable vents.
The other option is wet heating, which is like domestic central heating, with a boiler, and radiators distributing the heat.
4 What do I need to know about blown-air heating?
The two biggest manufacturers in this sector in the UK are Truma and Whale. Truma makes combination heaters that warm the caravan interior and heat your hot water, while Whale manufactures separate water and space heaters, many of which can be mounted underneath your caravan’s floor. The two Whale units are monitored and adjusted from a single control panel.
To heat the caravan’s interior, air is warmed using either gas or electricity, or a combination of the two. The gas is burned in a central combustion chamber, and the heat from it passes into a series of heat-exchanger fins.
Ambient-temperature air is drawn in by a fan and passes over these fins, heating up as it does so. This can be b
