Mine was leaking inside the van in France this year and it didn't seem to be draining off the roof as well as it had done. I ended up unbolting the unit from inside (really simple job) and discovered that one of the condensation trap drains was partially clogged by spider webs so it filled quicker than it could drain. I cleared both with a cable tie and never had an issue again. Apart from that, it's well worth having as there is nothing better than getting into a nice cool van after a day out in the hot sun.
@@shaunashton3961 You can either get on the roof and about 1/3 along the side from the front you will feel the drains if you feel up under the edge. I use a small cable tie to clear them. When I removed it, I took off the vent panel (pull the side panels off where the filters are and you will see the screws) and unplug the power supply to the lights and you will see the 2 metal plates holding the unit on. Unbolt the bolts and you will be able to push the unit straight up where you will see the drain holes. It isn't sealed like a skylight as it sits into a surround that is sealed to the roof so you can drop it back in the hole when you are done with no issues. Hope this makes sense!!
Hi Graham, great vlog. We've just returned from Spain (Med coast) where we used our Truma a/c unit (on a Coachman :Laser 575) 24 hours a day. Most of the time we left the unit on 'cooling' and 'sleep mode' set at 22/23 C. Worked perfectly. I agree its a superb ac unit.
Hi Graham I take it you have found the night mode on the AC it can only be switched on from the remote not the command panel makes the compressor a lot quieter at night
Great review Graham, I have the Dometic AC unit, retro fit in Spain, fitted on site and no problems, unlike my first one which was fitted in the UK ! However when that went wrong the local Spanish dealer came to me on site. Perhaps I’m just lucky that where I camp there are two nearby dealers who both fit AC. As you say the secret is too keep the blinds and windows closed and to set a sensible temp, not to low. Thanks for the tip for the bathroom skylight, never thought of that. Oh and thanks for the sticker 👍
Graham, I have designed caravans and motor homes for a manufacturer in the north east. They dont give a flying fart for customer service. I am a chartered engineer and it annoys the life out of me when things dont work as they should. But these people dont care. Enjoy your vlogs 😀
Thanks for watching Ian. Yes, I agree. I was really annoyed in France with the aircon. Fortunately it worked for the rest of the trip. I think if it had broken completely I'd have had to tow the caravan to the repairer, which would have been a nightmare!
I’ve had the Dometic Freshjet for 6 months - plenty of opportunities to need it here in France - regularly taking it from 35° to 20° key is, like the ftidge, don’t leave it on max for hours - set a reasonable temperature say 20° and put it on auto - like the fridge stops it icing up. Definitely don’t leave windows or doors open and it works a treat - on the lowest setting almost can’t hear it outside - love it, wouldn’t be without it.
Hi Graham. We have a 2021 Coachman caravan and Coachman tell me we cannot retro fit an air conditioning unit to the caravan roof. I remember you had the Cool my Camper unit in your previous caravan. Whilst in France this summer and temperatures reaching 36 plus degrees I could have really done with an air con unit. What was your views on the Cool my Camper unit v your present unit? Great video. Thanks
Thanks for watching Geoff. I remember someone else had the same issue with the Coachman roof, they had a Truma air con fitted that went under the seat at the front. Just a thought. I'll do a vlog comparing the two at some point, but for now - we loved the cool my camper. Its more of a directional cooler than whole caravan, which is actually ok, because we were either in the front , or in the bedroom. Two main draw backs. It's quite heavy and a little awkward to fit. It has an "umbilical cord" between the two units so you have to move both at the same time. On the plus side, you don't need to carry it around when you don't need it, unlike the roof fitted one. At the time I though Cool my Camper was quite expensive, but the first time you use it, it pays for itself, with that cool air!
Got the same air con unit. It has a sleep mode to reduce the noise at night, so you can leave the air con on. The direction of air flow can be changed to vent to the rear of the caravan by moving the "black" slider control in the center of the unit to the rear. We have had the problem of water dripping into the caravan but in our case we had just travelled through a massive rain storm. Control is best done through the Truma phone app. It can also be controlled through the Truma i-net box, Swift Command box or it's own remote control. Would I buy my next caravan with air-con? Yes excess heat in a caravan can make it very uncomfortable.
Hi Graham. Great tip on the Reflective pad in the bathroom Skylight. It's a shame you had the issue with the AC unit. As you know we have the same unit and ours ran faultlessly for the 3 weeks. Like you it cooled the Caravan to a comfortable level. We did have lots of condensation on the outside running down the Caravan but zero water inside. We set the temp we wanted in day mode and left it we switched it to night mode in the evening and it carried on cooling, it was to cool sometimes and we had to increase the temperature. We had no times at all in the night where it got warm. I didn't control it from swift command or remote though. We use the Inte X panel. I don't remember it going into defrost mode. It probably did, I just didn't notice it. The noise was ok during the day and in night mode it got quieter. I bet Red Pennant would have covered the A/C breakdown as well and sent someone out. 😁. Hopefully it will run trouble free for you know.
Mines was fitted by a dealer in June and in U.K. temps of 38 deg coped well and no issues so far. Was curious why you got it fitted to new van when I thought you were happy with unit that fitted to outside a window ? At just over 2k I think it’s worth it and although our van is not top of the range it’s an investment and we will get our monies worth. Good vlog keep them coming and glad you enjoyed your French hols as that’s where we will be going next year.
Thanks for watching. We were happy with the portable unit but in this caravan We had the payload. Also the portable one is a tricky to set up and is better as a direction unit than a whole caravan cooling…Still a good unit though
Hi Graham just watched your video on A/C as it happens our caravan is having the Truma Comfort A/C fitted next week I hope we don’t have the same problem 👍😀
Thanks for watching. Yeah it dripped once, I liked the noise. It broke for a while 🙄 but nothing beats being able to escape the heat 🥵 It’s like a classic car, gets on your nerves a bit, but you love it. Oh and it breaks down just when you really need it😂
I’m just looking to buy the air conditioner unit for my caravan but not going to have it hard wired to the panel but have it on a remote control because I have heard of issues when it’s hard wired. Coming back to you having to take the van to them is ridiculous, if your motor mover fails I believe they will send an engineer directly to you no mater where you are in Europe?
Hi Shaun, if it's any help. I find the Truma A/C remote a little confusing and not easy to use. It also seems to have delayed action, after pressing the button on the remote it's several seconds before anything happens on the A/C unit. I had the Truma X control panel fitted and it works seamless with the Air Con and heating all combined. Really easy to use and understand.
Hiya... Ih boy! you've been having fun haven't you???? That's a nightmare... must admit we just use a fan in our van even though during this Summer it has got very hot indeed in there lol..... hope you're all sorted now anyway best wishes Paolo and Roger aka 'The camp Caravanners'
Thank for watching as always 🙏 Yes I do tend to break things, without doing anything “wrong”. It was stressful at the time. I know it’s 1st world problems but we needed that aircon 😭 It’s been ok since, but you always have that worry every time you turn it on
Thanks for watching. It hasn’t been fixed yet, dealer has looked and ordered a part. We get it serviced in June plan to fix it then. From what Truma has said as well as some on Facebook that had the same issue; it’s to do with a wiring loom. I mentioned this to the dealer and they knew what I meant (even thought I didn’t - well I know what a wiring loom is, but that’s all) When I spoke to Truma as soon as I mentioned red light they said it’s the wiring loom straight away. I have a separate issue of the heat function not working too. Might be all the same thing 🤷🏼♂️
Thanks for your reply Graham, and totally agree with your reasoning about getting the dealer to come to site and as for proof of purchase, beggar’s belief And just so you know your in my top 5 of u-tube bloggers.
Hi, we have exactly the same AC unit. I took delivery of our van in Lockdown and the handover was sketchy to say the least. Also the agent knew very little about the unit and didn’t explain anything about defrost cycles! I have looked at UA-cam clips from Truma but most are designed and explained by foreign people(I mean where the unit is actually made)
Thanks for watching. Yes pretty much the same here. I saw a flashing blue light and had to look in the manual as no one ready told me anything about it. A lot of it isn’t obvious either ☹️
I like your vlogs and I have journeyed with you through the written off 'van and car theft - you deserved a break. Yet I have a feeling that the actual holiday didn't meet your eager anticipation that there were some niggles, worry and anxiety partly brought on by all the technology in your caravan. Our circumstances are entirely different and I make no effort to record a vlog but will mention that I have just returned from a two week trip to Lourdes in a 1982 CI Sprite which being basic has nothing to go wrong and opening the windows in the evening cooled the van nicely as do sun canopies that keep the sun off the sides during the day. I mention this because the lack of anything to go wrong is perhaps the most relaxing part of my caravan holiday. In your case I share your frustration of the Aircon problem, I think there was also a tow hitch indicator issue and even if everything worked you have a big 'van that needs a good turning circle and presumably good power supply on site along with all the tech'. Perhaps in a future vlog you might give an overview of the entire period away, what was good, what wasn't, what you would change next time and lastly if, on your return, the relaxation gained from your break met your anticipation. Thank you again for your vlogs, I enjoy them very much.
Thanks for watching Ian. I think when I do vlogs like that it's in "the heat of the moment" so to speak and I like to let people know any issues we get as it's real life. Yes, the ATC light went red, but then was ok. Whilst it is true, the more you have fitted to the caravan the more you're likely to have issues, those things, at least for us, make it more pleasurable. A bit like having children, or a family member that sometimes gets on your nerves. Yes, they do annoy you and let you down from time to time, but you wouldn't be without them. Ok, not the best analogy in the world :-) I was thinking about a summing up vlog 👍
Graham I’m in total agreement with you, I would have expected Truma in UK to ring their French counterpart on your behalf and for a Truma Engineer to have visited you on site. Do we have unrealistic expectations?
Thanks for watching Colin. It's not something I even considered. I rang the UK office and just expected them to say "No problem, we'll get you an engineer" especially being on holiday in the caravan. Someone suggest I should have rung Red Pennant, but not sure that's covered that way. I guess if my movers were stuck and I could move it, I'd ring Red Pennant, but, for example, if the Fridge packed up, I probably couldn't ring anybody? Anyway, apart from that one day it did work the rest of the holiday, but I wasn't happy at the time..
Thanks for watching. Good point, although they might come and get it if you were broken down. If I was at home I’d have expected to take it to the dealer, but TBH didn’t enter my head until I had the problem 🤔
that's a good drop in temperature. If you did not have the air-conditioning I reckon it would be 40 in there..As it's so hot in France and you need air-conditioning.. as you have no young children. Why not go when it's cooler?
Thanks for watching. We didn’t really want to go that time if the year. We had some issues with booking and by the time they were resolved we couldn’t get the dates we wanted.
Our Aventa Comfort is very unpredictable. Currently, no heating and cool - NOT cold air. The compressor is massively intrusive, makes a very loud humming noise - maybe it has passed it's best? Much noisier that yours and too loud to be used now. I don't see your review as positive - you have had a lot of inconvenience - and you were NOT being unreasonable. For the price of these units, they should be 100% reliable and they are not. Pairing the handset is erratic - after changing batteries, the unit and handset were unpaired and getting them to communicate again (instructions in the manual are vague- "press the button twice and hold" - does that mean hold on the second press, or hold on a third press?) took over 30 mins. When it's working properly, it is excellent BUT that is not that often. It is fitted now - but if we ever change our caravan and want A/C - we would consider a different manufacturer.
So , water pissing out , noise to loud to sleep at night , all from a 15 month old van and you're giving it a positive review . You are drinking to much wine my friend.
Mine was leaking inside the van in France this year and it didn't seem to be draining off the roof as well as it had done. I ended up unbolting the unit from inside (really simple job) and discovered that one of the condensation trap drains was partially clogged by spider webs so it filled quicker than it could drain. I cleared both with a cable tie and never had an issue again. Apart from that, it's well worth having as there is nothing better than getting into a nice cool van after a day out in the hot sun.
@@shaunashton3961 You can either get on the roof and about 1/3 along the side from the front you will feel the drains if you feel up under the edge. I use a small cable tie to clear them. When I removed it, I took off the vent panel (pull the side panels off where the filters are and you will see the screws) and unplug the power supply to the lights and you will see the 2 metal plates holding the unit on. Unbolt the bolts and you will be able to push the unit straight up where you will see the drain holes. It isn't sealed like a skylight as it sits into a surround that is sealed to the roof so you can drop it back in the hole when you are done with no issues. Hope this makes sense!!
Hi Graham, great vlog. We've just returned from Spain (Med coast) where we used our Truma a/c unit (on a Coachman :Laser 575) 24 hours a day. Most of the time we left the unit on 'cooling' and 'sleep mode' set at 22/23 C. Worked perfectly. I agree its a superb ac unit.
Hi Graham I take it you have found the night mode on the AC it can only be switched on from the remote not the command panel makes the compressor a lot quieter at night
Thanks for watching. Yeah I noticed it on the remote.
Hi Graham. Thanks for the caravan sticker . Will put it on at the weekend. Cheers Andrew .
You are right mate.
Great review Graham, I have the Dometic AC unit, retro fit in Spain, fitted on site and no problems, unlike my first one which was fitted in the UK ! However when that went wrong the local Spanish dealer came to me on site.
Perhaps I’m just lucky that where I camp there are two nearby dealers who both fit AC.
As you say the secret is too keep the blinds and windows closed and to set a sensible temp, not to low.
Thanks for the tip for the bathroom skylight, never thought of that.
Oh and thanks for the sticker 👍
Graham, I have designed caravans and motor homes for a manufacturer in the north east. They dont give a flying fart for customer service.
I am a chartered engineer and it annoys the life out of me when things dont work as they should. But these people dont care.
Enjoy your vlogs
😀
Thanks for watching Ian. Yes, I agree. I was really annoyed in France with the aircon. Fortunately it worked for the rest of the trip. I think if it had broken completely I'd have had to tow the caravan to the repairer, which would have been a nightmare!
I’ve had the Dometic Freshjet for 6 months - plenty of opportunities to need it here in France - regularly taking it from 35° to 20° key is, like the ftidge, don’t leave it on max for hours - set a reasonable temperature say 20° and put it on auto - like the fridge stops it icing up. Definitely don’t leave windows or doors open and it works a treat - on the lowest setting almost can’t hear it outside - love it, wouldn’t be without it.
Hi Graham. We have a 2021 Coachman caravan and Coachman tell me we cannot retro fit an air conditioning unit to the caravan roof. I remember you had the Cool my Camper unit in your previous caravan. Whilst in France this summer and temperatures reaching 36 plus degrees I could have really done with an air con unit. What was your views on the Cool my Camper unit v your present unit? Great video. Thanks
Thanks for watching Geoff. I remember someone else had the same issue with the Coachman roof, they had a Truma air con fitted that went under the seat at the front. Just a thought.
I'll do a vlog comparing the two at some point, but for now - we loved the cool my camper. Its more of a directional cooler than whole caravan, which is actually ok, because we were either in the front , or in the bedroom. Two main draw backs. It's quite heavy and a little awkward to fit. It has an "umbilical cord" between the two units so you have to move both at the same time. On the plus side, you don't need to carry it around when you don't need it, unlike the roof fitted one. At the time I though Cool my Camper was quite expensive, but the first time you use it, it pays for itself, with that cool air!
@@CaravanVlogger I and I'm sure many Coachman owners would appreciate the comparison. Many thanks for your reply
Got the same air con unit. It has a sleep mode to reduce the noise at night, so you can leave the air con on. The direction of air flow can be changed to vent to the rear of the caravan by moving the "black" slider control in the center of the unit to the rear. We have had the problem of water dripping into the caravan but in our case we had just travelled through a massive rain storm. Control is best done through the Truma phone app. It can also be controlled through the Truma i-net box, Swift Command box or it's own remote control. Would I buy my next caravan with air-con? Yes excess heat in a caravan can make it very uncomfortable.
Hi Graham. Great tip on the Reflective pad in the bathroom Skylight. It's a shame you had the issue with the AC unit. As you know we have the same unit and ours ran faultlessly for the 3 weeks. Like you it cooled the Caravan to a comfortable level. We did have lots of condensation on the outside running down the Caravan but zero water inside. We set the temp we wanted in day mode and left it we switched it to night mode in the evening and it carried on cooling, it was to cool sometimes and we had to increase the temperature. We had no times at all in the night where it got warm. I didn't control it from swift command or remote though. We use the Inte X panel. I don't remember it going into defrost mode. It probably did, I just didn't notice it. The noise was ok during the day and in night mode it got quieter. I bet Red Pennant would have covered the A/C breakdown as well and sent someone out. 😁. Hopefully it will run trouble free for you know.
Mines was fitted by a dealer in June and in U.K. temps of 38 deg coped well and no issues so far. Was curious why you got it fitted to new van when I thought you were happy with unit that fitted to outside a window ? At just over 2k I think it’s worth it and although our van is not top of the range it’s an investment and we will get our monies worth. Good vlog keep them coming and glad you enjoyed your French hols as that’s where we will be going next year.
Thanks for watching. We were happy with the portable unit but in this caravan We had the payload. Also the portable one is a tricky to set up and is better as a direction unit than a whole caravan cooling…Still a good unit though
Hi Graham just watched your video on A/C as it happens our caravan is having the Truma Comfort A/C fitted next week I hope we don’t have the same problem 👍😀
You said you like it but it’s loud, keeps the wife up, drips into the van and is broken. What bit did you like? 🤣
Thanks for watching. Yeah it dripped once, I liked the noise. It broke for a while 🙄 but nothing beats being able to escape the heat 🥵
It’s like a classic car, gets on your nerves a bit, but you love it. Oh and it breaks down just when you really need it😂
I’m just looking to buy the air conditioner unit for my caravan but not going to have it hard wired to the panel but have it on a remote control because I have heard of issues when it’s hard wired. Coming back to you having to take the van to them is ridiculous, if your motor mover fails I believe they will send an engineer directly to you no mater where you are in Europe?
Hi Shaun, if it's any help. I find the Truma A/C remote a little confusing and not easy to use. It also seems to have delayed action, after pressing the button on the remote it's several seconds before anything happens on the A/C unit. I had the Truma X control panel fitted and it works seamless with the Air Con and heating all combined. Really easy to use and understand.
Hiya... Ih boy! you've been having fun haven't you???? That's a nightmare... must admit we just use a fan in our van even though during this Summer it has got very hot indeed in there lol..... hope you're all sorted now anyway best wishes Paolo and Roger aka 'The camp Caravanners'
Thank for watching as always 🙏
Yes I do tend to break things, without doing anything “wrong”. It was stressful at the time. I know it’s 1st world problems but we needed that aircon 😭 It’s been ok since, but you always have that worry every time you turn it on
What was the outcome Graham, was there a fault or did you never find out?
Thanks for watching. It hasn’t been fixed yet, dealer has looked and ordered a part. We get it serviced in June plan to fix it then. From what Truma has said as well as some on Facebook that had the same issue; it’s to do with a wiring loom. I mentioned this to the dealer and they knew what I meant (even thought I didn’t - well I know what a wiring loom is, but that’s all)
When I spoke to Truma as soon as I mentioned red light they said it’s the wiring loom straight away. I have a separate issue of the heat function not working too. Might be all the same thing 🤷🏼♂️
Thanks for your reply Graham, and totally agree with your reasoning about getting the dealer to come to site and as for proof of purchase, beggar’s belief
And just so you know your in my top 5 of u-tube bloggers.
Thanks 🙏 I will make it my mission to be in your top 3 👍🏻😂
Hi, we have exactly the same AC unit. I took delivery of our van in Lockdown and the handover was sketchy to say the least. Also the agent knew very little about the unit and didn’t explain anything about defrost cycles! I have looked at UA-cam clips from Truma but most are designed and explained by foreign people(I mean where the unit is actually made)
Thanks for watching. Yes pretty much the same here. I saw a flashing blue light and had to look in the manual as no one ready told me anything about it. A lot of it isn’t obvious either ☹️
The manual isn’t much use as most was just pictures as it is designed for numerous countries.
I like your vlogs and I have journeyed with you through the written off 'van and car theft - you deserved a break. Yet I have a feeling that the actual holiday didn't meet your eager anticipation that there were some niggles, worry and anxiety partly brought on by all the technology in your caravan. Our circumstances are entirely different and I make no effort to record a vlog but will mention that I have just returned from a two week trip to Lourdes in a 1982 CI Sprite which being basic has nothing to go wrong and opening the windows in the evening cooled the van nicely as do sun canopies that keep the sun off the sides during the day. I mention this because the lack of anything to go wrong is perhaps the most relaxing part of my caravan holiday. In your case I share your frustration of the Aircon problem, I think there was also a tow hitch indicator issue and even if everything worked you have a big 'van that needs a good turning circle and presumably good power supply on site along with all the tech'. Perhaps in a future vlog you might give an overview of the entire period away, what was good, what wasn't, what you would change next time and lastly if, on your return, the relaxation gained from your break met your anticipation. Thank you again for your vlogs, I enjoy them very much.
Thanks for watching Ian. I think when I do vlogs like that it's in "the heat of the moment" so to speak and I like to let people know any issues we get as it's real life. Yes, the ATC light went red, but then was ok. Whilst it is true, the more you have fitted to the caravan the more you're likely to have issues, those things, at least for us, make it more pleasurable. A bit like having children, or a family member that sometimes gets on your nerves. Yes, they do annoy you and let you down from time to time, but you wouldn't be without them. Ok, not the best analogy in the world :-)
I was thinking about a summing up vlog 👍
Does the air con run on the 12 volt system or is it mains only? We go off grid a lot.
Thanks for watching. No, it's mains only..
@@CaravanVlogger Thanks Graham looks like holidays in Iceland then😂
I just saw a video about it and the guy was showing how you could switch the source from gas to battery or switch both ? @@CaravanVlogger
I KNOW WHY YOU'RE AIR CON IS HUMMING.... BECAUSE IT DOESN'T KNOW THE WORDS!!!.🤔😂😂😂💕🇬🇧🇺🇦
Graham I’m in total agreement with you, I would have expected Truma in UK to ring their French counterpart on your behalf and for a Truma Engineer to have visited you on site. Do we have unrealistic expectations?
Thanks for watching Colin. It's not something I even considered. I rang the UK office and just expected them to say "No problem, we'll get you an engineer" especially being on holiday in the caravan. Someone suggest I should have rung Red Pennant, but not sure that's covered that way. I guess if my movers were stuck and I could move it, I'd ring Red Pennant, but, for example, if the Fridge packed up, I probably couldn't ring anybody?
Anyway, apart from that one day it did work the rest of the holiday, but I wasn't happy at the time..
I've had them factory fitted in 4 new caravans and never had water dripping inside.
Thanks for watching. Ours was fitted at the dealer from new. Swift don’t fit them in the factory as far as I know..
When you have a fault with a new car so you take it to the dealer or have them come to you ?
Thanks for watching. Good point, although they might come and get it if you were broken down. If I was at home I’d have expected to take it to the dealer, but TBH didn’t enter my head until I had the problem 🤔
that's a good drop in temperature. If you did not have the air-conditioning I reckon it would be 40 in there..As it's so hot in France and you need air-conditioning.. as you have no young children. Why not go when it's cooler?
Thanks for watching. We didn’t really want to go that time if the year. We had some issues with booking and by the time they were resolved we couldn’t get the dates we wanted.
Where is the bloody filter in truma aventa
I don’t know 🤷🏼♂️ Probably somewhere inaccessible 😫
Thanks a lot lol
Definitely put me off one pan on floor for water😳🙄
Thanks for watching. Wasn’t ideal 😂Only did it once 🙏
Every penny and a bit more.Closely followed by AWD motor movers.
Thanks for watching. And maybe E&P levelling 🤷♂️🤔
@@CaravanVlogger not unless the money tree growing in the garden starts bearing fruit 🍎😂💦
So am I right in believing it's a great unit if it works 😂
Thanks for watching. That what I said isn’t it 🤣
It’s not perfect 8.5 out of 10. I wasn’t happy when it stopped working, but it was only for one day 🙏
Our Aventa Comfort is very unpredictable. Currently, no heating and cool - NOT cold air.
The compressor is massively intrusive, makes a very loud humming noise - maybe it has passed it's best?
Much noisier that yours and too loud to be used now.
I don't see your review as positive - you have had a lot of inconvenience - and you were NOT being unreasonable.
For the price of these units, they should be 100% reliable and they are not.
Pairing the handset is erratic - after changing batteries, the unit and handset were unpaired and getting them to communicate again (instructions in the manual are vague- "press the button twice and hold" - does that mean hold on the second press, or hold on a third press?) took over 30 mins.
When it's working properly, it is excellent BUT that is not that often.
It is fitted now - but if we ever change our caravan and want A/C - we would consider a different manufacturer.
So , water pissing out , noise to loud to sleep at night , all from a 15 month old van and you're giving it a positive review . You are drinking to much wine my friend.
Thanks for watching. Now you mention it, I'm selling it 😂
1st world problems 😢
Thanks for watching. Yes, absolutely1st world problems 👍🏻