As you will no doubt recall in the last thrilling episode regarding my hot water system that would not work on electricity only gas, I contacted the manufacturers and was informed that I should turn it off and then back on after fifteen minutes and if that did not work it would need a new thermostat/element. I was referred to their local agent who also gave me the same advice. I could not understand how the element could be damaged and so called in a local electrician who happens to own a caravan himself.
The unit is a b*gger to get at being located under a cupboard with access from under the lift up double bed. Anyway, he did a test on the unit which showed a charge was going in and therefore the element would be ok. He then pulled the side off and took out this thing that looked like a motherboard and reinserted it, bolted everything up and voila, the hot water again works on power. There was also the beginning of a slow leak and so he also replaced the fitting and the O ring.
Given that a new element would have cost me $600 plus labour, I am very happy with the result. This bloke is really good and reasonably priced. He is the same fellow that replaced the power inlet on the side of the van when it melted down.
I am now free to work on my next drama. Thanks for all the help and the advice, especially the handbook from Santa which he used.
If anyone needs an electrician in the Northern Rivers area of NSW give me a yell and I will pass on the contact to you.
-- Edited by DMaxer on Tuesday 30th of July 2019 11:32:13 AM
Santa said
01:36 PM Jul 31, 2019
Good outcome DMaxter.
Did the electrician tell you exactly what the board was that he removed and replaced? I have a similar unit, would be handy to know.
As a matter of interest what model/how old is the heater.?
DMaxer said
01:51 PM Jul 31, 2019
Hi Santa. It was just a like an electric circuit board about three inches by three inches with a circuit on one side. He was careful not to touch the other side when he was handling it.
My Truma is a B14 model made in 2012. Up until that occurrence it has worked perfectly and gets a real workout. The electrician was unable to say why it did what it did but it reset itself after it was unplugged and the side taken off and replaced. He even thought it may have just reset itself without him taking anything out as there was always current being accepted.
He informed me that the biggest challenges the HWS face is when bore water ends up in the tank. Apparently that can cause issues with the element.
Tony Bev said
05:43 PM Jul 31, 2019
Hi Santa I have the same heater, TRUMA B14 in my 2006 motorhome
I changed the 240 volt element, (a right royal pain in the you know where)
In my Jayco Conquest (as in my avatar), they fitted the hot water boiler, and then built around it
The 240 volt electric heater element was about $280
I first looked at the PCB Board, (only 12 VDC power to that part)
Below is a picture from the Caravan Plus website, the PCB Circuit Board is about $450 (if you really need one) It has a one point six slow acting fuse, It also has three 12 volt connections that have to be removed, if you wish to remove the board, to inspect the fuse
Perhaps one of the connections may have been loose, and things worked OK after the Electrician replaced the board
Hi Santa I have the same heater, TRUMA B14 in my 2006 motorhome
I changed the 240 volt element, (a right royal pain in the you know where)
In my Jayco Conquest (as in my avatar), they fitted the hot water boiler, and then built around it
The 240 volt electric heater element was about $280
I first looked at the PCB Board, (only 12 VDC power to that part)
Below is a picture from the Caravan Plus website, the PCB Circuit Board is about $450 (if you really need one) It has a one point six slow acting fuse, It also has three 12 volt connections that have to be removed, if you wish to remove the board, to inspect the fuse
Perhaps one of the connections may have been loose, and things worked OK after the Electrician replaced the board
Hope that this info is useful to someone
Thanks Tony.
Don't for the life of me know why they build things like the HWS into such tight spots, it's as plain as the nose on your face that these things will eventually need maintenance, usually at an inopportune time, guess they figure it's not their worry
Mine is and has been running fine, I imagine the day will come considering its been on the go since 2007, recently replaced some John Guest hose which had developed a pin hole leak, bugger to locate.
Mike Harding said
08:06 PM Jul 31, 2019
Tony Bev wrote:Below is a picture from the Caravan Plus website, the PCB Circuit Board is about $450
$450! $450! Four hundred and fifty f****** dollars!
Take it from me... that PCB would cost less than A$20 to manufacture even allowing for the small quantities. I don't mind companies making a profit but ripping customers off is another matter.
And as for $280 for a 240V element... words are beginning to fail me....
The ACCC *really* needs to look at spare part prices.
Bush walker said
08:29 PM Jul 31, 2019
If you do have to replace you element at anytime be very wary of rip off merchants. You can buy the element on line for around $50-$60
Tony Bev said
12:40 PM Aug 1, 2019
Mike Harding wrote:
Tony Bev wrote:Below is a picture from the Caravan Plus website, the PCB Circuit Board is about $450
$450! $450! Four hundred and fifty f****** dollars!
Take it from me... that PCB would cost less than A$20 to manufacture even allowing for the small quantities. I don't mind companies making a profit but ripping customers off is another matter.
And as for $280 for a 240V element... words are beginning to fail me....
The ACCC *really* needs to look at spare part prices.
I honestly believe that TRUMA, are a little too smart for their own good, Mike
When I saw the price of the spare parts, (after I had purchased the 240 volt heating element) I then decided that if the PCB board goes bung, I will probably get a different make of hot water heater
Tony Bev said
12:45 PM Aug 1, 2019
Bush walker wrote:
If you do have to replace you element at anytime be very wary of rip off merchants. You can buy the element on line for around $50-$60
Hi Bush walker
If we are talking about a 240 volt heating element, which will fit the TRUMA
I am sure that many of us would appreciate a website link to the $50, $60 ones
KJB said
01:31 PM Aug 1, 2019
That price sounds more reasonable .
Tony LEE said
07:33 PM Aug 24, 2019
Webasto leave truma for dead. $600 for a diesel cooker control board which is similar size and less complex than that one
quark said
08:14 PM Jan 27, 2020
Bush walker said - "If you do have to replace you element at anytime be very wary of rip off merchants. You can buy the element on line for around $50-$60"
Please where did you find this price - many would appreciate it?
Truma has designed the element so that you must buy their unit - found it for AUD $280 - $400 which is a very large rip off. Total cost of new unit is $850-900.
An element should be under $100 if not under $50.
This is my first Truma and my last - what a heap of overcomplicated & overpriced crap that is designed to make money from spare parts.
I am one pissed off sparky - wrote to Truma but they ignored my as expected. I agree - they are outsmarting themselves......bad reputation
Santa said
10:38 AM Jan 28, 2020
quark wrote:
Bush walker said - "If you do have to replace you element at anytime be very wary of rip off merchants. You can buy the element on line for around $50-$60"
Please where did you find this price - many would appreciate it?
Truma has designed the element so that you must buy their unit - found it for AUD $280 - $400 which is a very large rip off. Total cost of new unit is $850-900.
An element should be under $100 if not under $50.
This is my first Truma and my last - what a heap of overcomplicated & overpriced crap that is designed to make money from spare parts.
I am one pissed off sparky - wrote to Truma but they ignored my as expected. I agree - they are outsmarting themselves......bad reputation
Welcome to The Grey Nomads forum quark, hope you feel better now, nothing like a big whinge as an introductory post.
As you will no doubt recall in the last thrilling episode regarding my hot water system that would not work on electricity only gas, I contacted the manufacturers and was informed that I should turn it off and then back on after fifteen minutes and if that did not work it would need a new thermostat/element. I was referred to their local agent who also gave me the same advice. I could not understand how the element could be damaged and so called in a local electrician who happens to own a caravan himself.
The unit is a b*gger to get at being located under a cupboard with access from under the lift up double bed. Anyway, he did a test on the unit which showed a charge was going in and therefore the element would be ok. He then pulled the side off and took out this thing that looked like a motherboard and reinserted it, bolted everything up and voila, the hot water again works on power. There was also the beginning of a slow leak and so he also replaced the fitting and the O ring.
Given that a new element would have cost me $600 plus labour, I am very happy with the result. This bloke is really good and reasonably priced. He is the same fellow that replaced the power inlet on the side of the van when it melted down.
I am now free to work on my next drama. Thanks for all the help and the advice, especially the handbook from Santa which he used.
If anyone needs an electrician in the Northern Rivers area of NSW give me a yell and I will pass on the contact to you.
-- Edited by DMaxer on Tuesday 30th of July 2019 11:32:13 AM
Good outcome DMaxter.
Did the electrician tell you exactly what the board was that he removed and replaced? I have a similar unit, would be handy to know.
As a matter of interest what model/how old is the heater.?
Hi Santa. It was just a like an electric circuit board about three inches by three inches with a circuit on one side. He was careful not to touch the other side when he was handling it.
My Truma is a B14 model made in 2012. Up until that occurrence it has worked perfectly and gets a real workout. The electrician was unable to say why it did what it did but it reset itself after it was unplugged and the side taken off and replaced. He even thought it may have just reset itself without him taking anything out as there was always current being accepted.
He informed me that the biggest challenges the HWS face is when bore water ends up in the tank. Apparently that can cause issues with the element.
Hi Santa
I have the same heater, TRUMA B14 in my 2006 motorhome
I changed the 240 volt element, (a right royal pain in the you know where)
In my Jayco Conquest (as in my avatar), they fitted the hot water boiler, and then built around it
The 240 volt electric heater element was about $280
I first looked at the PCB Board, (only 12 VDC power to that part)
Below is a picture from the Caravan Plus website, the PCB Circuit Board is about $450 (if you really need one)
It has a one point six slow acting fuse,
It also has three 12 volt connections that have to be removed, if you wish to remove the board, to inspect the fuse
Perhaps one of the connections may have been loose, and things worked OK after the Electrician replaced the board
Hope that this info is useful to someone
Thanks Tony.
Don't for the life of me know why they build things like the HWS into such tight spots, it's as plain as the nose on your face that these things will eventually need maintenance, usually at an inopportune time, guess they figure it's not their worry
Mine is and has been running fine, I imagine the day will come considering its been on the go since 2007, recently replaced some John Guest hose which had developed a pin hole leak, bugger to locate.
$450! $450! Four hundred and fifty f****** dollars!
Take it from me... that PCB would cost less than A$20 to manufacture even allowing for the small quantities. I don't mind companies making a profit but ripping customers off is another matter.
And as for $280 for a 240V element... words are beginning to fail me....
The ACCC *really* needs to look at spare part prices.
If you do have to replace you element at anytime be very wary of rip off merchants. You can buy the element on line for around $50-$60
I honestly believe that TRUMA, are a little too smart for their own good, Mike
When I saw the price of the spare parts, (after I had purchased the 240 volt heating element)
I then decided that if the PCB board goes bung, I will probably get a different make of hot water heater
Hi Bush walker
If we are talking about a 240 volt heating element, which will fit the TRUMA
I am sure that many of us would appreciate a website link to the $50, $60 ones
That price sounds more reasonable .
Please where did you find this price - many would appreciate it?
Truma has designed the element so that you must buy their unit - found it for AUD $280 - $400 which is a very large rip off. Total cost of new unit is $850-900.
An element should be under $100 if not under $50.
This is my first Truma and my last - what a heap of overcomplicated & overpriced crap that is designed to make money from spare parts.
I am one pissed off sparky - wrote to Truma but they ignored my as expected. I agree - they are outsmarting themselves......bad reputation
Welcome to The Grey Nomads forum quark, hope you feel better now, nothing like a big whinge as an introductory post.