Yes, I fitted one to our caravan and the installation was straightforward and well within the capabilities of a competent DIY enthusiast. The comprehensive fitting instructions are easy to follow. Having the heater fitted should add value to your van or at the very least make it easier to sell when the time comes.

Having heating available at the flick of a switch is very convenient and in very cold weather, it can be left on permanently at a low setting. The element is actually designed as supplementary to the gas heater but we have never felt the need to use gas and electricity together even in sub-zero conditions.

I'm sure some will argue that the cost of installation would pay for a lot of gas but we wouldn't be without ours. The choice is yours.

The remote thermostat is useful and one of our members may be able to make one for you at a substantial saving on the Truma price if you ask nicely.

Quote: A guest wrote in post #3

---

The kit we have seen is complete including the thermostat so we shouldn't need a separate one.

---

I am not sure which eriba you have, but the attached photograph of an Adax VP11 500 watt heater11 - adax heater-800.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) fitted might be of interest if the ultra heat element is prohibitive. These cost about £55 supplied with a 5yr warranty.They are compact, silent and look good. I went this route as it means I do not need to carry the very useful 500watt oil filled radiator I have in the past.

Colin

Chris,
I fitted it to my new van in Feb this year and tried it out at the April eriba meet. I turned the heater on each evening and was happy to leave it on over night. [I am as yet still working out how to set the thermostat on it] This gave a nice comfortable temeprature. 500 watt seems to be about right for end and start of season camping. You may need a 5 or 10 minute boost from the gas at times to initially get up to temperature at first in cold weather though.

Colin

The Ultraheat operating instructions state:

The heater operation is regardless of the operating mode (gas oder (sic) electricity) also possible without the the Trumavent fan.

To ensure an even and rapid warm air distribution as well as lower surface temperatures on the heating unit, we do recommend that you always operate the heater with a running Trumavent warm air system.

When using electrical only we recommend to set the fan control on position 3 (manual or auto), remembering to set the output level to 2000W (ensure that the fuse protection for the power supply for the camp site is sufficient.)

I have to agree that operation of the heater is much more efficient when fan-assisted circulation is used.