Tech help!
TECH HELP EDITOR
Q Why does my motorhomeâs alarm keep going off?
We have a problem with the alarm on our Elddis Majestic 175. When we lock the âvan using the remote key to set the alarm, three loud double beeps sound and then, after about a minute, the alarm goes off.
I have checked the cab and habitation doors and bonnet and can see no obvious faults. Can you advise please?
Charlie
A I believe that your Elddis is factory fitted with an Autowatch 695RLC alarm system, which is classed as Thatcham category 2-1.
This system features a wireless remote control and connects to the base vehicle via the CAN bus.
It provides two-circuit immobilisation to disable your engine once the alarm is set, and connects to the habitation door, cabin doors and bonnet sensor (if fitted).
It has ultrasonic sensors, which can detect any movement within the vehicle once it is set by sensing air movement.
And, if connected, it also operates electric central locking.
As you have already checked the doors and bonnet sensors, then this leaves the ultrasonic sensors, which may be one each side of the dashboard or a single low, centrally mounted unit looking down the centre of the vehicle.
We have found that spiders and flies trapped inside the vehicle can affect these ultrasonic sensors and give you similar symptoms to those you describe.
However, I suspect that your alarm is triggering immediately after the settling time because you have a bad connection to a door or bonnet switch. Or perhaps the sensor or magnet associated with the habitation door or the bonnet has got moved and it sees the habitation door as open.
Any more detail requires use of a technician and a multimeter to check that the door switches and sensors are all closed when they are supposed to be.
Clive Mott
Q Does my gas tank need checking?
I recently took my eight-year-old WildAx Aurora Leisure for its annual habitation service and was âremindedâ that it would soon need a test on the LPG tank. I am an avid reader of the MMM technical section but canât recall seeing a reference to gas tanks requiring a specialist test after 10 years in service. The inference was that this is something that not every Approved Workshop can (or perhaps is willing to) offer.
John Adsett
A My understanding is that, under current UK and EU law, private end-user-owned refillable gas bottles or gas tanks are not legally required to be tested every 10 years as normal gas bottles are. However, most recommend that they are inspected and tested 10 years from date of installation.
Underslung bulk gas tanks tend to be installed in the âline of fireâ of road grit thrown up by the tyres. Close inspection after eight years of regular use will likely show that the leading surfaces of the tank are now devoid of paint and possibly rusty.
If the installer was very
