I have just built a camper and installed a Truma 14litre HWS. I am not having much luck getting the thing working. I have been on the blower to Truma and checked off everything they suggested to get the thing going, gas pressure, changed regulator, wired directly to the battery, volts and amps are OK it still faults. Truma seem to be trying everything they can to avoid warranty repair which is a little frustrating. Anybody else had the same issue?
Possum3 said
01:08 PM Jun 5, 2021
Welcome to GN's,
Who installed Truma? Should be certified gas fitter to be compliant with signed sticker on it. Seek information from Dealer that sold it - he is responsible to attend to warranty repairs. Has the unit ever worked?
-- Edited by Possum3 on Saturday 5th of June 2021 01:09:25 PM
Malibubob said
02:03 PM Jun 5, 2021
Yep. Gas fitter did the installation and have certification. He has been back three times to get it going but no luck.
mischief said
07:23 PM Jun 5, 2021
Yep, they are good units, but hang in there with warranty. This one sounds not fit for purpose.
Stretch60 said
10:06 PM Jun 5, 2021
Did you check the small 12v fuse?
Malibubob said
07:17 AM Jun 6, 2021
No but it has been back to a caravan dealership, Truma authorised repairer, and they couldn't fix it! So they sent me home to get the regulator replaced. So I got the plumber back and replaced that. It made no difference. Re wired direct to the battery instead of the MPPT controller. That made no difference either. No surprise there.
It comes on, I can hear it clicking and then the poof of the gas igniting and 20 seconds later it shuts down. Little red light comes on the remote switch.
jebs said
08:20 AM Jun 6, 2021
It sounds like its not getting gas through or only a small amount the cutting out
Possum3 said
10:13 AM Jun 6, 2021
Bob, Just a thought - You've changed the regulator but did you change the Gas Bottle with a full one? I recall a similar issue on this site when there wasn't enough gas left in the bottle. Can't hurt to check.
2happy said
11:44 AM Jun 6, 2021
OP doesn't say type of camper. About 14 - 15 years ago on a new Jayco Eagle we had there was an ongoing issue with the flexible gas line between the regulator and the bottle. Jayco replaced the flexible hose with a copper pigtail under warranty and all was well. Worth a look to at least. Good luck!
2happy
Malibubob said
02:57 PM Jun 6, 2021
Yeah I would have thought gas issues would have been picked up. It has been pressure tested 3 times now. The Truma distributor keeps pointing to items outside the unit rather than deal with the possibility that their unit is faulty. I think it has to be a sensor somewhere. I will persist obviously.
Possum3 said
03:25 PM Jun 6, 2021
Malibubob wrote:
The Truma distributor keeps pointing to items outside the unit rather than deal with the possibility that their unit is faulty. I think it has to be a sensor somewhere. I will persist obviously.
They do have a thermocouple that will shut it down if flame is not sufficient.
Malibubob said
03:38 PM Jun 6, 2021
I reckon that's it. We won't find out now until we get back to ballarat in September.
oldbloke said
04:02 PM Jun 7, 2021
Possum3 wrote:
Malibubob wrote:
The Truma distributor keeps pointing to items outside the unit rather than deal with the possibility that their unit is faulty. I think it has to be a sensor somewhere. I will persist obviously.
They do have a thermocouple that will shut it down if flame is not sufficient.
TBH I dismissed that because it runs for abt 20 seconds. Thermocouple would normally cut off gas long before that. But u never know.
laurieoz said
05:17 PM Jun 7, 2021
Malibubob wrote:
Hello
I have just built a camper and installed a Truma 14litre HWS. I am not having much luck getting the thing working. I have been on the blower to Truma and checked off everything they suggested to get the thing going, gas pressure, changed regulator, wired directly to the battery, volts and amps are OK it still faults. Truma seem to be trying everything they can to avoid warranty repair which is a little frustrating. Anybody else had the same issue?
I hate to say the obvious but is the cover on the outside off
Malibubob said
05:25 PM Jun 7, 2021
Yep. Cover is off. I even tried with the cover on and it behaves exactly the same!
bgt said
06:51 PM Jun 7, 2021
Our unit will often turn on and off after about 20-30 seconds. In our case it's a matter of no gas in the line. 2-3 tries and it fires up.
mischief said
10:16 PM Jun 11, 2021
its risky, but have you disconnected the unit from the gas at the shut off valve near the unit,just to quick check if there is sufficient flow Turn off ALL elec. first.
Malibubob said
07:33 AM Jul 8, 2021
Solved but not fixed. I have found if I park with the exhaust facing into the wind it will work. I can also make it work if I blow into the exhaust everytime it is about to trip out. So not a gas issue but an air issue. Because it is camper and I have had to put the truma extension cowl on which might have something to do with it.
Bob
Olpha said
12:13 PM Sep 25, 2021
Hi everyone,
I had occasion to have a look through the forum recently about this same issue. Some good leads came out of it and I have made an interesting observation.
Before leaving home I checked everything was working ok and was satisfied all was good. I then gave the whole van a spray with spider kill due to the build up of webs.
When we got to intended destination the Truma worked fine for a day and then started the same faulting as described by Malibubob.
While looking around the cowling area I noticed a spider web on the inlet side. It had obviously been there before so I partially discounted this as the problem but being mildly OCD I removed the cover to clean it out. WELL! There was Ipsey Whipsey Bloody Spider dead in the middle of his web (can recommend Biflex as Spider killer), right in the area of the airflow to the burner.
Removal of said Ipsey Whipsey Bloody Spider has resulted in a much happier wife having hot shower and me enjoying drinks much more.
Lesson for me and maybe others - be very attentive to anything that may change the airflow to these units. As Bob noticed I have found if I park with the exhaust facing into the wind it will work. I can also make it work if I blow into the exhaust everytime it is about to trip out.
Good luck everyone.
Pete
Saaby said
01:02 PM Jun 24, 2023
After much fault finding effort, I discovered our Truma HWS wouldn't operate on gas as one of the 2 leads from the gas bottle to the regulator had a faulty return valve in the end of the hose. Oddly the stove top and the oven worked on that line but our Baby Q wouldn't, nor did the HWS. The leads are less than 4 years old. Some days thinking outside the square is mandatory. Truma suggested that it would probably be an electrical wiring fault. I wired a separate 12volt source temporarily to the unit and spent an hour cutting through the mastic to remove the external vent.
Sad face.
Bas + Eve said
09:52 PM Jun 27, 2023
Make sure you use plenty of high temp mastik on the heat plate behind the outside vent.
Malibubob said
03:32 AM Jun 28, 2023
In the end I cut a section of the vent out to let more air in. Works most of the time now but yeah the thing has a problem in that very sensitive to how much air is in the vent. Too much or not enough and it trips out.
Possum3 said
08:15 AM Jun 28, 2023
Malibubob wrote:
In the end I cut a section of the vent out to let more air in.
Hello
I have just built a camper and installed a Truma 14litre HWS. I am not having much luck getting the thing working. I have been on the blower to Truma and checked off everything they suggested to get the thing going, gas pressure, changed regulator, wired directly to the battery, volts and amps are OK it still faults. Truma seem to be trying everything they can to avoid warranty repair which is a little frustrating. Anybody else had the same issue?
Welcome to GN's,
Who installed Truma? Should be certified gas fitter to be compliant with signed sticker on it. Seek information from Dealer that sold it - he is responsible to attend to warranty repairs.
Has the unit ever worked?
-- Edited by Possum3 on Saturday 5th of June 2021 01:09:25 PM
No but it has been back to a caravan dealership, Truma authorised repairer, and they couldn't fix it! So they sent me home to get the regulator replaced. So I got the plumber back and replaced that. It made no difference. Re wired direct to the battery instead of the MPPT controller. That made no difference either. No surprise there.
It comes on, I can hear it clicking and then the poof of the gas igniting and 20 seconds later it shuts down. Little red light comes on the remote switch.
2happy
They do have a thermocouple that will shut it down if flame is not sufficient.
TBH I dismissed that because it runs for abt 20 seconds. Thermocouple would normally cut off gas long before that. But u never know.
I hate to say the obvious but is the cover on the outside off
Bob
Hi everyone,
I had occasion to have a look through the forum recently about this same issue. Some good leads came out of it and I have made an interesting observation.
Before leaving home I checked everything was working ok and was satisfied all was good. I then gave the whole van a spray with spider kill due to the build up of webs.
When we got to intended destination the Truma worked fine for a day and then started the same faulting as described by Malibubob.
While looking around the cowling area I noticed a spider web on the inlet side. It had obviously been there before so I partially discounted this as the problem but being mildly OCD I removed the cover to clean it out. WELL! There was Ipsey Whipsey Bloody Spider dead in the middle of his web (can recommend Biflex as Spider killer), right in the area of the airflow to the burner.
Removal of said Ipsey Whipsey Bloody Spider has resulted in a much happier wife having hot shower and me enjoying drinks much more.
Lesson for me and maybe others - be very attentive to anything that may change the airflow to these units. As Bob noticed I have found if I park with the exhaust facing into the wind it will work. I can also make it work if I blow into the exhaust everytime it is about to trip out.
Good luck everyone.
Pete
Sad face.