Sliding Flyscreen for habitation door

A recent post on fridge vents mentioned that the 2016 Broadway has a new style of stay and a sliding fly screen on the habitation door.
Does the door now open fully all the way back against the van wall?  I can see that a sliding fly screen might work when the door is open but, unless it is mounted several inches inside the van then it would be completely smashed if the wind blows the door closed.
This is a development that many of us would like to retrofit but how practical is it?
I would love to se a picture.  Anyone going to NEC?

Its a brand new Hartal design of habitation door and from what I can see it would not be possible to retro fit. Whilst the screen appears to be part of the door it is fixed on the inside wall around the door and also into the foot-well area of the door - so full fly protection is afforded.
No the door does not fold back fully to the wall but it is now held with a pneumatic/gas struts stay (as per the seat tops in the lounge). Whether that will hold in windy conditions is another question but it has to be better than the current friction stay!!
No pics - sorry - but it might be on the Hartal site.
Liam

Thanks, Liam
Got it!  The fly screen looks great and the door is much flatter so, even if it did slam, may not cause a problem.
Here are the links:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
and
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

There is a bin on the bottom of the door but it looks as though it does not protrude
Coats on the hooks might be a different matter, though.

That's the one (door and screen), the bin is also flatter and there is a small storage pocket between it and the window which would be useful. I think there might be enough flex in the screen to accommodate the occasional inadvertent door shutting whilst the screen is in place 
The fly screen which is described as "a sliding door" is essentially a sliding foldaway.  
I also noted that the on board gas tank is now advertised as 25ltr compared with the previous 20ltr - so reducing trips to the garage for LPG refills!
Liam

inspiredron wrote:This is a development that many of us would like to retrofit but how practical is it?
I would love to se a picture.  Anyone going to NEC?

I spoke to Mark at the AS  Stand in the NEC and he says this is a common request and they have done some work to see if it would be possible but the end decision was that it is impossible to retrofit.

Liam wrote:Its a brand new Hartal design of habitation door and from what I can see it would not be possible to retro fit. Whilst the screen appears to be part of the door it is fixed on the inside wall around the door and also into the foot-well area of the door - so full fly protection is afforded.
No the door does not fold back fully to the wall but it is now held with a pneumatic/gas struts stay (as per the seat tops in the lounge). Whether that will hold in windy conditions is another question but it has to be better than the current friction stay!!
No pics - sorry - but it might be on the Hartal site.
Liam

Again at the NEC discussed with Mark the possibility of fitting this new stay to 2014 Nuevo models. The answer is no BUT their is an updated version of the friction stay available which is now fitted with a sur-clip to stop it jumping out of the guide.

Liam wrote: . . . it is now held with a pneumatic/gas struts stay (as per the seat tops in the lounge).
Liam

You sure about that Liam?

If it is a proper gas strut like the seat tops, surely the door will be either self-opening or self-closing??

Might it not be the older style strut which is only a friction stay (and a fairly pathetic one at that) which just looks like a gas strut?

What it really needs is a gas damper which will limit the speed at which the door can be closed. It could be adjusted to offer little or no resistance to normal opening or closing of the door, but if the wind caught the open door it would slow it enough to prevent it slamming into the door frame.
Dave

Dave,
Short answer is I don't know - it was a passing glance at the show - it looks metallic and appears to be very similar to the fore mentioned seat top struts - probably a question for AS.

Whilst reference is made to the new Hartal door and fly-screen in the latest 2016 brochure, the new stay does not appear to get a mentioned.

In any event its different to the previous useless arrangement so it has got be better!!!

BTW you can now have your heating (and any other gas appliance you wish) on whilst on the move - yes on the move - its via the latest Truma Drive Safe Regulator which is fitted as standard.
Not sure of its use from my perspective but I would guess some might think its progress!

Liam

Thanks Liam.

I'm inclined to agree with you about gas on the move. Our cab heater is more than adequate and the fridge stays perfectly cool on 12 volts.

I would be very concerned in case some idiot tried to use the oven while on the move. Ours is right in the middle across the rear of the van, and in the event of a crash I really don't fancy a boiling hot casserole in the back of the neck!!

I would hope the oven is disabled from use on the move - but I wouldn't be too confident.

Sorry - off topic, but interesting.

Dave

I spoke to Mark at the NEC and he said the only way to have a fly screen fitted as a retro fit, is to change the habitation door for the type on the new models.

 He said the new door costs £1500 and to remove the old door it has to be cut out as the whole unit is bonded on.
Cost of labour put the total cost about £2500 as it entails a lot of work. So a very expensive fly screen.

I'm afraid that is the option. 

As a footnote, I must say  Mark is very knowledgable, helpful and a nice guy to talk to.

Regards Leighton.

Bad Penny wrote:

As a footnote, I must say  Mark is very knowledgable, helpful and a nice guy to talk to.

Regards Leighton.

I can certainly endorse that - and knows our vans inside out!
A GREAT GUY!

Let's hope Mark never moves on! He has has dealt with our long list of issues with our Broadway from the very beginning and has made our frustrations much easier to cope with. He communicates very well and keeps you informed at all stages. A rare thing these days!

Pete

I can live without a sliding flyscreen as our homemade one does the job. What does embarrass me is the lashed-up door restraint we have to use to enable us to have to door open on warm days.

How I wish AS could come up with a neater, built in, solution that could be retro-fitted.

I am sure that the existing stay is fitted so that the frdge vents are not covered. I am unsure whether that is actually over-cautious. When I have a free monent I will try to ascertain whether, if the door was allowed to go right back against the wall with a conventiknal retainer, it would infringe Thetford's recommended ventilation needs. If it would not then the problem of having the door open would be solved by removing the stay and fitting a suitable retainer to van wall and door.
I agree that the existing arrangement does not work well because the wind gets behind the door and blows it shut.

The snag with ours Ron is that the door strut has now been adapted and replaced many times and the danger is not so much blowing the door shut but blowing it open against the side of the van. The wires for the central locking of the hab door are not quite long enough for this to be allowed to happen and , without our guy ropes and screw in peg arrangement we would not now be able to lock the hab door centrally.

I understand also that there is nothing solid behind the wall where the door would open to to provide a strong place to bolt a door restraint peg.

I had a quick look at ours while I was gardening this afternoon. You could not fit a conventional retainer that holds the door fully open because the skirt at the bottom of the van wall protrudes and would stop the door opening far enough. And, in any event, the door would probably completely cover the fridge vents.
Your van is still under warranty so you may want to make a fuss about the strut so that if the door does blow back and causes damage you have covered yourself.
As far as the central locking wires are concerned, if you take out the screws that hold the grommet you can see the connector block behind.  I have clipped my cable against the wall to avoid my awning winder pole catching it at the bottom. (I store the pole behnd the door as it won't fit anywhere else.)