five Report post Posted February 3, 2017 In cold weather, we run the electric element 24/7, use two Lasko towers for supplemental heat, and run the AH at night and for showers. Don't use the heat pump much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mypopslou Report post Posted March 15, 2017 An update to my questions and concerns about my Aqua Heat System. I left Kansas City, twins are doing great and so is my daughter, thanks for all of your good wishes. On our way back to PA we stopped in Wakarusa Indiana, home to Thor Industries for some additional warranty work on my coach. One of my issues is I do not feel the Aqua Heat System is functioning properly. The coach has not been really cold but it has not been warm and comfortable either. When we are all cloded up and on the road we essentially have no heat at all as the dash heat does not work properly and the most of the vents for the Aqua Heat are covered when the slide outs are in. Thor did find and seems to have corrected the heat issue with the dash heat, hoses were not routed correctly and there was not any sealant around the firewall or for the steps so cold air was blowing in unrestricted. Won't know if it is completely corrected until we hit the road but there is definitely more heat coming from the front now. Here at Thor, they have been working on it since Monday(3 days) and found some kinked hoses which they have corrected. They work on it from 7am to 3 pm move it outside to a parking place with Hookups and we spend the night in it. While in the shop they have cranked up the system and it works really well. When we stay in it overnight I set the thermostat to 70 and the system runs all night and when I wake up it is 55 in the coach. The temperature outside has been as low as 17 but the system cannot keep the coach even close to the temperature we set it at. They have replaced the thermostat and calibrated the sensors but has not made a difference. Today I think they are calling Aqua Heat for some help. Thor has been very helpful has taken care of some other issues for me but we are stuck on this heating system. The system is set up for 3 zones, front and back in the coach and the third zone which is tied to the back zone, covers the basement area and the water tanks. Anybody have any ideas that I could pass onto the techs here at Thor as I really don't want to be here much longer, although with the weather Pa is having at this time it is not a bad thing we are here. Appreciate any suggestions Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted March 15, 2017 Pops, not much I can help you with other than it sounds like its not working properly to me or the coach insulation is allowing to much heat loss. Since the system is running all the time id bet its a problem with the system or the way it was installed. Our Aqua Hot is a different model (discontinued now) and I turn ours on often in the middle of winter to go out and work on the coach. I go out an hour ahead of time and turn on the electric and diesel, go back in the house. We are in PA also and at 20 degrees in the coach and outside it will tank the AH an hour to bring the interior up to 68, then the diesel burner will cycle on maybe 5-10 minutes an hour to maintain that temp after the initial warm up, we also have a three zone system. What strikes me as odd is why they blocked vents with the slides closed, all of our registers are placed through out the interior so not to interfere with the slide outs as you need those while traveling for comfort, it defeats the purpose of the system. Once they call AH they should be on track, their tech support is fantastic. If it were my coach I would request Aqua Hot send a field engineer out, that way they can put their head around the installation by Thor and your concern. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted March 15, 2017 Pops, My suggestion would be to call Aqua Hot and find a tech in your area. Thor, although it seems they have some good techs, they don't know a lot about the operations of the AQ. The AQ is a great heating system but it need tinder loving care all the time. The system work the same as the old hot water and radiator systems in older homes and buildings. Each zone has its own hot water pump. When there is a demand for heat and the unit haven't been turned on for several hours or days, it first must heat the water. The pumps and the fans will come on but will not be warm until the water get hot. So for a while you will think the unit isn't operation up to snuff. The unit must be exercise ever month and serviced once a year. One other thing, the unit has a over flow tank. The tank has a cold and hot level mark. The tank must be up to the cold line when cool and not in use. When hot it should rise to the Hot level. If low on coolant the pumps will work and the fans will blow but it will not heat properly. I have the worlds best tech in Lloyd DeGerald that service my unit each year. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mypopslou Report post Posted March 15, 2017 Herman, thanks for your thoughts, what Thor is telling me is that Aqua Heat told them that with the temperatures at 17 and the way the coach is insulated the system is doing the best it can. They say the heat coming out the vents is the correct temperature but is not capable of heating the coach more than what it is doing. The thermostat is located near the front of the coach and the biggest drag on the heat is the windshield even when parked so although the thermostat is reading 55 it is probably a little warmer than that in the coach. I am not real happy with this news so will have to see what else they tell me when they are finished with it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted March 15, 2017 My reply to Thor would be, "SURE HOPE THAT i DON'T HAVE AN AQUA COOL SYSTEM ALSO, GOING TO HAVE THE SAME WINDSHIELD AND INSULATION THIS SUMMER". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarlAda Report post Posted March 15, 2017 Have to agree with the above comment. Sounds more like an insulation issue than the working of the AH unit. Do you utilize any sort of thermal barrier on your windshield at night (beyond the flimsy curtain)? Might try placing some thermal foam sheets or windshield sun visors between the curtain and the windshield on those cold (or hot) nights if that is not something you've already done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted March 15, 2017 Sounds like a Thor screw up to me! They just looking for a excuse not to re insulate...lots of bucks for that. I agree with Kay totally! Pop just need to take it one step further! I don't have or need any "after market" thermal sheets...if the thermostat is in the wrong location, tell Thor to move it and fix the Heat/AC problem. Carl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted March 16, 2017 While the system is on, is there hot air coming from the vents? Do you have condensation inside? I would think if the cold is that close to you it would create water. I'm sorry to say but I would give them two choices; 1, Invite Aqua Hot to come out and be 100% certain all is working property. A phone conversation with a tech that doesn't know much about the system wouldn't cut it with me. If the diesel burner is on all the time something doesn't sound right. I.e. Improper flame BTU. 2, Hand them the keys to THEIR new coach. Carl, you have a late model Aqua Hot, does your burner run like that or does it cycle throughout the hour? Mine is Cast iron so it holds some heat, not sure about the newer versions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted March 16, 2017 Joe. Mine cycles and I have side vents 3 inches of the tile floor. I have also, heated tile. The AH is 3 zone, inside and bay! The coldest outside temp that I have had, was 14 and I set my inside temp at 74, no problem at all. My day/night shades was all down in front. I'm currently at 7,000+ feet and got it on at 72 degrees! It's 5:10am and 35 outside! Carl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted March 16, 2017 One problem I found in our coach was the vents. The vents were not AQs fault but the mfg. In the rear the vents really put out the air when on. In the front we have three vents and the air came out really strong out of the one under the front consul, but the other two barely put out any air at all. What I found was that those two the AQ registers and the vents were not aligned properly. The fans were blowing but the air was diverted away by misalignment. I made some modified duct work to route the air out. Those two now produce better air flow but still not as well as the other. Another thing I found was the registers needed a good cleaning. Got-it-done. Toasty warm here in Amarillo with the outside temp at 48 degrees. One of our warmest mornings in some time. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
five Report post Posted March 16, 2017 The best analogy for the AH is that it should run just like a natural gas furnace at home. It should cycle on and off, and when on, blow strong warm air out all vents. Installing the vents where they are blocked by the slides in is incredibly stupid. Thor should make their design engineers spend a week in coaches they design. Another suggestion for the OP is, assuming this coach has a forward slideout generator, is to slide the gen full out. Then go in the gap between the gen and the outside of the dashboard and patch all the gaps in the dash, that are letting air in, with insulation and Gorilla tape. Did that on a previous coach and it was a big help. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted March 17, 2017 Thor should make the coach work or buy it back. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted March 17, 2017 Bill. First part, I agree! Second part, good luck with that ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted March 17, 2017 Pop, A call to AH and ask about having a tech looking at your unit. It being in a 2016 unit, it should be still under warranty and they would be the ones to correct any issues if the unit is the problem or it is Thor. I can never hurts to explore each and every avenue to resolve your issue. It appears that Thor could care less about bad advertising and customer relations, where Aqua Hot might care enough to help satisfy a customer for Customer Relations and their reputation. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted March 17, 2017 Did we loss Pop? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mypopslou Report post Posted March 27, 2017 Thanks to everyone for your help and suggestions, Thor did a good job fixing everything else wrong with this coach but the Aqua Heat is still only able according to thermostat heat the coach to 55 degrees when it is 17 outside. As I stated earlier it is probably warmer in here than 55 and was never uncomfortable. My bride and i like it a little cool when sleeping so as long as we are not frozen we are OK. Sorry for being absent we left Thor and traveled home to PA and am trying to get caught up on everything. I will take your suggestions and call Aqua Heat and see what they tell me. Appreciate everyone's help Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
