Dutch Star basement heat

[Davidlcyr]

Hi Guys. Bought a new Dutch Star 4018 this spring. I have questions about the basement heating system. I found the heating unit and I understand that it works off of the Oasis furnace. What I don't understand is how it is controlled. Is there a thermostat somewhere that allows you to set a desired temp in the basement ? Or, is the unit fixed at a set temp and automatically slaves off of the furnace when it is running. How cold can the outside temp get and have this system handle it ?
Thanks for your help.

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by Davidlcyr

Hi Guys. Bought a new Dutch Star 4018 this spring. I have questions about the basement heating system. I found the heating unit and I understand that it works off of the Oasis furnace. What I don't understand is how it is controlled. Is there a thermostat somewhere that allows you to set a desired temp in the basement ? Or, is the unit fixed at a set temp and automatically slaves off of the furnace when it is running. How cold can the outside temp get and have this system handle it ?

Thanks for your help.

No T-Stat for basement, works accordingly to inside set temp. Of course one heating element for the entire basement won’t get that hot.

[Algoma]

Unless the design changed in 3 years there is a thermostat in the basement. It is a fixed one (about 40 degrees) close to the water pump. This turns the basement unit on when the temperature drops below 40, and is independent of the coach thermostat. As long as you have the Oasis unit turned on and electric or burner options on it will work. You can test the thermostat with an ice cube.

[PanJH]

On ours, in the wetbay there is a thermistor that regulates the heat... if you poke around, you may see a wire just sort of hanging there with a bit of a bulbous end.... that's it.

[twojayhawks]

I was told it didn't matter what temp you have your t-stat set at just having either one of the t-stat's set to furnace (burner or ACI/ACII on) tells the Oasis to heat basement. In other words it matters not if stat is set @ 50 or 75 the basement heat output is the same. Pretty much what was just posted by Algoma

[CaptainGizmo]

It’s based on 40° and runs off the Oasis system.

Last trip, I had to refresh my memory by reading the manual (PDF version for easy searching). I suggest you do the same; you’ll learn more than is explained here (It’s an odd system).
And...You’ll have it for future reference!

[Davidlcyr]

Thanks for your replys. I have read both the Newmar Owners Guide and the Oasis manual. They don't mention basement heat at all in my paperwork. Hence my post. Some of your answers conflict with one another. So I'm still somewhat confused. Maybe I should have mentioned that my Dutch Star is a 2018.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by Davidlcyr

Thanks for your replys. I have read both the Newmar Owners Guide and the Oasis manual. They don't mention basement heat at all in my paperwork. Hence my post. Some of your answers conflict with one another. So I'm still somewhat confused. Maybe I should have mentioned that my Dutch Star is a 2018.

With a build number and VIN, a call to Newmar customer support will get you the answers you seek.

[CaptainGizmo]

Originally Posted by Davidlcyr

Thanks for your replys. I have read both the Newmar Owners Guide and the Oasis manual. They don't mention basement heat at all in my paperwork. Hence my post. Some of your answers conflict with one another. So I'm still somewhat confused. Maybe I should have mentioned that my Dutch Star is a 2018.

No conflict, so long as you listen to me since I'm right. LOL...sorry...couldn't resist.

I always love a challenge, so, here ya go. Took me, literally, 1 minute to open my pdf, do a search on BASEMENT, and behold...

FOUND IN THE DUTCH STAR OWNERS GUIDE, PAGE 107:

BASEMENT HEAT CONVECTOR(S)
The basement heat is activated by a separate fixed thermostat in the basement area when the compartment temperature falls below approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If this happens, the hot antifreeze solution in the Oasis system will circulate, and the blower will turn on to supply heat in the basement/water compartment area. The Oasis system must be turned on and the fluid must be above the low temperature cutout for heat output.


So, like I said...the basement heater activates below 40º, and works off the OASIS system.

You better check just "WHAT" you have, in terms of manuals. I downloaded ALL of them, so I can find what I need on the fly without having to dig through the Black Box!!


UPDATE:
Stand-by...DUTCH STAR DON has gone out to his 4018 to take a closer look and has discovered there are NO fans. He'll post some photos for us to reference.

[Akdare]

I agree, Captain...and you can’t do Ctrl-F on a stack of paper...

I save mine on Dropbox, and make them available offline, in case I’m in an area with no internet.

[CaptainGizmo]

Originally Posted by akdare

i agree, captain...and you can’t do ctrl-f on a stack of paper...

I save mine on dropbox, and make them available offline, in case i’m in an area with no internet.

smart man!

[Dutch Star Don]

Okay, I read through this thread and I found it confusing too. I went out and looked at my wet bay heater and read the Oasis Owner's Manual. This is what I discovered......I think there is some incorrect information. First, if you don't have the Oasis system, how your bay heats is going to be different.

On my 2019 DS, there is an Oasis radiator in the wet bay (see photos below). The difference between the radiator in the photos and the ones INSIDE the coach, is that the ones inside the coach have attached blower units with fans behind them. The unit in my bay has no fan(s), it's just the radiator screwed to wood.

The fans in your coach are thermostatically controlled by the main thermostat with 1, 2, or 3 wall sensors depending on the length of the coach. You turn on Zone 1 and all the radiators (which have fans) will come on.

As an option for builders, Oasis makes a radiator/fan assembly that has it's own thermostat attached to it, BUT that attached thermostat turns on the fan, it does not open valving to the radiator. Consequently, you have to have a radiator with blower for it to operate on as a separate Zone.

Here's something else to think about. As long as your coach thermostat is set to heat, your Oasis system is circulating coolant through the radiators, as needed, to keep them ready to go when there is a demand for heat. We discovered this on our very first trip in our 2014 DS.. We ran the heater all night at a beach campground in January, but during the day, we left the heater on, but lowered the thermostat. We found the coach, even with the windows open was staying hot. The reason being.....the coolant was still circulating to the radiators. Hence, the reason for the summer loop. Turn the heater off at the thermostat and just the summer loop operates, keeping just hot water available at the faucets.

From what I've found, it looks like the heater in the wet bay is just a radiator that will radiate the coolant temp as it passes through, but does not blow it out like the other heater/blowers do. I haven't traced the hoses, but I'm guessing it's running off Zone 1.

So......I can't say the above is Gospel per Newmar or Oasis, but as you reason out the system, this is what I see it doing. An important note, if in cold weather and you leave the coach, turn the thermostat down, but don't turn the heater off, or you'll lose that circulation to the wet bay radiator.

[wishalls]

[QUOTE=Dutch Star Don;4979441

Here's something else to think about. As long as your coach thermostat is set to heat, your Oasis system is circulating coolant through the radiators, as needed, to keep them ready to go when there is a demand for heat. We discovered this on our very first trip in our 2014 DS.. We ran the heater all night at a beach campground in January, but during the day, we left the heater on, but lowered the thermostat. We found the coach, even with the windows open was staying hot. The reason being.....the coolant was still circulating to the radiators.

Don, if I am reading this correctly, the system is circulating hot fluid any time the furnace is selected even if the thermostat is not calling for heat. This would explain the loop pump failures due to continuous operation. I may be miss understanding the above.
Thanks for any clarification
Bob

[Dutch Star Don]

Yes and no.....there's not fluid running continuously. My understanding....and I may be wrong, but they're only pumping coolant when the coolant temp gets down to a certain temp. With that said, typically, its the Summer Loop pump that is going bad, the one that circulates hot water.

But.....you may have a point. No matter what time of the year you camp, you'll always have the Summer loop pump running for hot water, but may only use the furnace pumps for part of the year. With heated floors, we've only turned the furnace on a couple of times. Consequently, the Summer pump, which fails the majority of the time is on every trip.