# Problem with truma water heater



## Bondy1 (Sep 6, 2009)

Looking for help with a problem with my Swift Motorhome. 

When i turn the water pump on water is pouring out of the hot water overflow pipe so the water system will not pressurise. Not sure why this would happen as i cant see any evidence of a one way valve in the outlet 90 degree pipe. 

Im stuck with this as it was working fine then now is just constantly emptying the water tank through the overflow.

Any help would be very apprieciated.


----------



## Guernsey Donkey (Sep 6, 2009)

Hi Bondy1 - .
Welcome to the club and hope you enjoy pageing through the site, plenty of help and plenty of friends you will find. 
Sorry I can't help with your problem but I am sure somebody will be along very very soon that can help.

Guernsey Donkey
(Stornoway)


----------



## Bondy1 (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks for the welcome I hope someone can steer me in the right direction with it as im going mad with it at the moment was all fine last week and now it is just pumping out the contents of the water tank all over the floor.
need to get it sorted quickly as im of to the isle of mull wild camping in a few weeks.


----------



## andytheplumber (Sep 6, 2009)

how about following the overflow pipe right from outside to the water heater and maybe you will find a valve,if theres not one it could be that one time the heater has been frozen and thats the safety releif valve-have you tried truma website?


----------



## Bondy1 (Sep 6, 2009)

I have traced the pipe back right to the tank and it just goes to the hot water outlet. On the outlet is a 90 degree conection which has the hot water pipe attached to it and has the overflow pipe connected to it, this is the pipe which the water is pumping out of. On the truma site it says this is an air pipe but for some reason it is now a discharge pipe. I have turned on the pump and put my finger over the outlet with all the taps turned off all this did was build up a lot of pressure in the tank but the water pump did not stop pumping which i thought it would when it reached enough pressure.


----------



## Nosha (Sep 6, 2009)

I have a Truma system, but the only vent I can see is the frost protection valve which pops the red knob up well above frost/freezing and has to be physically pulled up to close it.

The pump shuts off with a reasonable amount of pressure... so perhaps your pump is the problem... or should I say the pressure switch, some of which are adjustable - good luck!


----------



## Bondy1 (Sep 6, 2009)

Thought about the pump but it cant build up any pressure as it is just pumping the water out of the pipe which is on the hot water outlet.

I think the pump is running okay and i have looked at the 90 degree fitting but it has no valve in it.

If anyone knows of a good service guy in the cheshire area feel free to let me know as i really need to get this problem sorted out quickly.


----------



## tissy (Sep 6, 2009)

Are you sure its not a frost protection valve? if its not that its got to be a safety valve of some sort.
Its hard to tell with out seeing


----------



## Bondy1 (Sep 6, 2009)

Pretty sure it is not the frost protection vave, looking at the tank it has the cold water feed in from the pump through a valve which if i put in the middle dumps the water out of the system (this is the frost protection valve according to the truma diagram) the pipe then goes into the bottom of the tank then above that is the hot water outlet which is where the connection fit's on to it, this connector has a thick pipe connected to it which is a hot water pipe and also a thin pipe (looks like a piece of car washer pipe)which goes out through the floor This is the pipe that the water is pumping out off.


----------



## tissy (Sep 6, 2009)

Im not an expert on your system but a qualified heating engineer and think that there is some sort of temperature or safety relief in this pipe that you may have to strip down to find your problem now days these are disposable items that cant be repaired just replaced. Try ring the manufacturer in the morning there technical department may be able to help


----------



## Bondy1 (Sep 6, 2009)

Think that is the best option at the moment so will give them a ring tomorrow morning, Hoping it is not a major problem but knowing my luck it will be. I have seen the connection part for sale but I cant for the life of me find it tonight.


----------



## Bondy1 (Sep 7, 2009)

Okay I have spoke to Truma who inform me that it is the hot water outlet that is faulty as it should have a valve in it and mine has nothing in it  so i have ordered a new one which hopefully will be here tomorrow and i can fit it tomorrow night.


----------



## Deleted member 5816 (Sep 7, 2009)

Swift have a very good technical helpline this is the place to go.
Alf


----------



## Bondy1 (Sep 13, 2009)

Hi all just a quick mail to say that after fitting a new hot water outlet pipe all is well with the water tank now, Seem's as though the valve had popped out of the old one (God knows where that is now) and this was allowing the water system to pump out the water through the overflow.

As a side note had great service from Waudby's if not Royal mail will deffo be using them again.

Thanks for all the replies.


----------



## Mastodon (Sep 13, 2009)

I've got a similar valve in my home shower - there's a ball that pops out if the system is over pressurised. Sounds like my truma heater is the same as yours - I wondered what the pipe did, now I know. If you have a problem with the safety valve dumping water before it gets really cold, I make a gag thet stops it. Works better than the usual peg...


----------



## scarrabri (Sep 13, 2009)

The only time i have ever seen any thing like this ,i may add was not on this heater,was when a inner vessel burst so causing pressure in the outer vessel,and sending water out of the releaf tube ,sorry i cant be of much help ,Brian


----------



## scarrabri (Sep 13, 2009)

Very pleased you sorted it,best wishes Brian


----------



## Bondy1 (Sep 13, 2009)

Hi scarrabi not as pleased as I was when I turned on the water pump and it all stayed in the tank and system.

Phoned the Truma helpline and they diagnosed it straight away so not sure if it is a comon problem im half tempted to buy a spare to keep in the van now.

Anyway it is time to start geting ready for my next trip up to the isle of mull for a long weekend of wild camping.


----------



## Tony Lee (Sep 15, 2009)

On my Truma, that valve is actually an air inlet valve so that when you drain the tank - either manually with the pressure relief valve or a frost protection valve - air gets in at the top and lets the water flow out at the bottom. Without it the water would not drain freely.


----------



## Mastodon (Sep 15, 2009)

When I open the frost valve on mine, the heater and the entire water tank empty...


----------



## Tony Lee (Sep 15, 2009)

Mastodon said:


> When I open the frost valve on mine, the heater and the entire water tank empty...



And that will happen with all taps off so air is getting in somewhere for that to happen otherwise it would be like turning a bottle full of water capped with a small hole in the cap upside down - lots of glugging but not much flow.






Outlet fitting for Truma Ultrastore- for flexible piping

Hot water outlet connection for Truma Ultrastore. Connects to 1/2" flexible piping. Includes clear tubing for vent.
There is another version for JohnGuest tubing


----------



## Bondy1 (Sep 16, 2009)

That is the part that i have changed and you are right it is an air pipe but in the connector there is a valve which had popped out on mine so not allowing the system to pressurise as it was just pushing the water out of the clear pipe.


----------



## Tony Lee (Sep 17, 2009)

Bondy1 said:


> That is the part that i have changed and you are right it is an air pipe but in the connector there is a valve which had popped out on mine so not allowing the system to pressurise as it was just pushing the water out of the clear pipe.


Similar thing happened to me. Cheap nasty RV stuff. I was a long way from any spare parts place so I shoved it all back together and it has been OK for two years. I suspect it is jammed together and won't ever work as an air inlet valve again - but as long as it doesn't function as a water outlet valve, I don't care.

RVs here aren't fitted with frost protection valves so it is unlikely to matter.


----------



## Bondy1 (Sep 17, 2009)

That's because it is warm there not Freezing like we get here I will make sure mine is fully drained down this year after nearly getting caught out last year.


----------



## Tony Lee (Sep 17, 2009)

The Hobby is stored in Germany so I have had to learn all about winterising from this and similar forums. Usually learn the best tricks from those who have made the big mistakes and are kind enough to admit them so others can learn the easy way.

Come March i will refill the tanks and turn the pump on and hope it shuts off pretty soon after. If not, I'll know my winterising wasn't as thorough as I thought it was.


----------

