Al-Ko ATC Light Weatherproofing

I think many Cadiz owners at sometime during their ownership of the van have had a problem with the Al-Ko ATC light taking its bat and ball home,we have certainly had one replaced a few months after purchase.

If out of warranty they aren't cheap at about £35 or so if my memory serves me correctly.

There may be various reasons why they go west but one may be water getting into the LED.

Came across this simple wheeze during the week,can't really remember where,but it involves simply gluing a plastic medicine pot ( like what comes with cough mixture or Gaviscon ) over the LED to keep the water out.

If it comes off or doesn't work then little is lost,worth a try.

Ian

Elsil

We tend to use Elsil in the Aquaroll to keep the water and pipework sweet.

I have found that it can be quite difficult to obtain from dealers and there wasn't even any at the Manchester Caravan Show.

Managed to locate some from Boroughbridge Marina via Amazon at a very reasonable price.

Elsil via Amazon

They charge £5 plus 18p delivery when other sources,including E-Bay are charging £7,£8 £9 and even £10 plus postage in some cases.

So if you want some then that is the place to go.

I have no association with Boroughbridge Marina.

Ian

Bailey Roof Join

A few days ago I e-mailed Simon Howard,one of the heads of Bailey,to express my concern regarding the leak prone roof joint.

Today I received a reply from Michelle Fleet,Senior Customer Service Manager:-

Hello Ian,

Thank you for your e-mail and sorry to learn of the issue you have experienced with your Unicorn III Cadiz caravan.  I have been asked by Simon to respond upon his behalf.

You are correct in that we have received a number of reports of the problem you have described in recently built caravans. We have subsequently reviewed both the processes and materials used for the construction of this body shell joint and are confident that the modified assembly provides a robust union of these two panels.

Please bear in mind however that this method of assembly was first used when the Unicorn III range was first introduced in September 2014 and has subsequently been rolled out to all other new caravan and motorhome ranges. In total, we have built in excess of 16,500 Bailey leisure vehicles using this method. 

That said we are always looking at ways to improve the performance of our products and the overall integrity of the body shell is one of the areas which is currently under investigation. I cannot confirm at this stage if and when any changes will be made but we will want to ensure that they are thoroughly evaluated before bringing new product to market.

Best regards

Michelle Fleet
Senior Customer Service Manager

Ian

Alde External Temperature Sensor

Up to storage today to install an Alde external temperature sender,which is a very easy fit in which I was assisted by the previously mentioned Mr.Roscoe ( available for barmitzvahs,weddings and the repair of outboard motors if you have a broken one ).

Before commencing work it is advisable to plug the sensor into the plug at the top of the boiler to make sure it works after removing the black plastic boiler cover.

Nothing worse than getting it all installed and the thing is buggered.

The external sensor plug is the red one on the right with the grey lead,plugs in easily but make sure you have it the right way up,it is plugged in securely,and don't bend the pins,fiddly but not difficult.

The correct socket is shown on the diagram which can be seen beneath the plugs.

Once you have ascertained that it is working by checking the Alde control panel ( thermometer outside the house ) :-

unplug it and proceed outside.

The Alde instructions say to locate the sensor on the underside of the caravan floor out of the wind so I fixed it as close to the side skirt as possible,there is plenty of cable ( 2.5m ).

Fixing was by cleaning the floor with some brake cleaner,applying some No More Nails to the flat side and securing with two small screws through the provided holes,I don't think the No More Nails was strictly necessary but I thought it might keep any water out and wouldn't do any harm ( I took a photo of the fixing but it turned out to be crap so you will just have to believe me ).

Thread the plug and cable up through a small hole where the Alde drain pipe is:-

and secure the cable to the underside of the floor with some cable clips.

I tried to utilise the brown plastic drop out hole in the picture but the plug is too big to go through the holes so you can forget that one.

Connect the plug back into the boiler,check it is working by looking at the control panel,calibrate it with an external thermometer,replace the black plastic cover on the boiler and there you have it.

SWMBO will be over the moon by this upgrade I am sure.

Once again I got the sensor from Halesowen Caravan Centre, £22 with free postage.

Ian