TRUMA GAS HEATER

Dougwe · Chief one feather

TRUMA GAS HEATER

KFT · Guru

Hey Dougie, hope you are healing up ok mate.

Depends on how cold it was your gas cylinder may have been freezing up and not producing enough gas. Especially if the cylinder is getting low.

Change to the full cylinder and see how it goes. OR pour some hot water over it.

let me know how you get on mate.

KFC(PITA 216???)

Bill B · Guru

Did you take the outside cover off ?

Brenda and Alan · Guru

Propane boils at -42 degrees at atmospheric pressure ( lower if under pressure ) so I don't think cold gas bottles would be a problem.

Alan

Dougwe · Chief one feather

G'day Frank, it was a full bottle mate. I don't think the outside temp of 16c could have been cold enough for the heater to kick in properly. It worked fine late afternoon when the temp was 11c.

I thinking is maybe there is a way of setting a slightly higher temp for the heater to operate.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Yes the cover is off Bill. I have used the heater a few times first thing in the morning lately but temps have been under 10c.

KFT · Guru

Doug did you turn the temp control knob to a higher setting

Dougwe · Chief one feather

What you say'n Willis? :)

Sure did Frank.

In fact the switch is on high most of the time to keep my cold blood and this old Indian Chief warm, when I'm feeling cold.

The tropics are still nearly two months away yet. Still on the farm in Young til then.

Whenarewethere · Guru

You are all getting soft! A couple of weeks ago I had 0°C outside the car in the morning in Tassie. Inside was 9°C with the windows covered.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

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The outside water pipes froze over night.

Cheers,

Peter

Tony Bev · Guru

Just a thought, Doug

My Truma gas hot water boiler, (assuming same ignition type as a Truma Gas Heater?), will not start/goes out, whenever the wind is blowing directly into the opening, where the cover was removed

I therefore ask the question, was/is it windy at the times that your Truma Gas Heater, will not start

Dougwe · Chief one feather

G'day Tony,

It was not windy at the time mate. The cover outside is just a small round cover that covers the exhaust outlet only. The main unit is fitted under the bed and fires up in that. It is protected from weather,

It is definitely something to do with a internal setting of a temp. As I have said above, it didn't fire up at 16c but did at 11c and again today at 13c.

As also said above, I am trying to find out if there is a control on the unit or in the wiring panel that I can adjust for the heater to fire up at say 16c or under.

It's no big drama but would like it to fire up 16c or under if I am cold. I feel the cold and heat very quickly with my health the way it is and it will be like that from now on.

This is all when I am not hooked up to 240v as I have a small 240v fan heater I can use. My Aircon is reverse cycle but when off the grid need to let Gene out of the Collie to run the aircon on heat. That's why I had the gas heater installed.

Tony Bev · Guru

OK Doug, egg on my face again, as I jumped in without taking my boots off

Not knowing what model Truma Gas Heater you have, I found the operating manual for the Truma "Trumatic E 2400 Australia)"

Link Below

https://www.truma.com/web/downloadcenter/files/truma-heating-trumatic-e2400-installation-operating-aus-en.pdf

What could be a problem is that the room "Teepee", may have been hotter, @ 16ºC that what the heater was set at
Which was one of your theories, when you asked if there was a setting for temperatures

According to the Fault finding the heater will not work, if the room temperature is hotter than the settings

Snip from the operating manual below

Fault code.png

On this particular model, which may or may not be the same as yours
The room temperature adjustment is the centre dial numbered 1 to 5
I will assume that when the room temperature setting is reached, then the heater should switch itself off

I would assume that the best way to adjust this room temperature setting, (as it does not say which way to turn, or perhaps number 4 setting = 24ºC), would be to

Start the heater in low room temperature
Hold the outer ring so that it does not move, and switch the heater off
Turn the inner ring, (the one numbered 1 to 5), until the heater switches off.
This should mean, that the setting is now colder than the room temperature
Turn the inner ring the opposite way, as this should mean (I think), that the gas heater "turn off setting" is now warmer than the room temperature
Start the heater again

Picture of Rotary Control switch is below

Rotary switch.png

Hopefully those who are more tech savvy than me, or someone with the same model, can interpret the manual better, and give a better understanding

Hope that the info is useful

reglynn · Guru

Hi Doug, i have had the same problem as you have, what the problem was an small hole or crack in the exhaust pipe, it is inside the air intake to the heating chamber of unit. If there is a hole there the exhaust will mix with the intake air and a sensor will detect the exhaust and will shut down, this could be your problem. i have pm you my number if needed cheers reg

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Thanks for all your input everyone but seems to be a Thermostat thing for sure and no actual fault. I am unable to find a way to change the temp setting so it will kick in 16c ambient temp. No drama I can get around it another way and keep warm when needed.

Reg, I check things out and no problems found.

Sarge9 · Senior Member

Dougwe, I have got one of those loverley gas heaters, and have not had gremlins interfere with her desired furnace blasts when required, regardless of outside temp. Taking the cap of the exhaust does improve its efficiency I have noticed, but it is only left on when it is pitch dark, pouring rain, snowing, sub zero outside and I cant find my slippers or a torch. I also didnt know you could pick a kick in temp, I found the thermostat control a bit vague to get a nice balance when watching a movie etc, got to manually assist to stop the cold or alternative roasting.

How/what did you fix yours with?

Sarge.

T1 Terry · Guru

Tony Bev wrote:
OK Doug, egg on my face again, as I jumped in without taking my boots off

Not knowing what model Truma Gas Heater you have, I found the operating manual for the Truma "Trumatic E 2400 Australia)"

Link Below
https://www.truma.com/web/downloadcenter/files/truma-heating-trumatic-e2400-installation-operating-aus-en.pdf
What could be a problem is that the room "Teepee", may have been hotter, @ 16ºC that what the heater was set at
Which was one of your theories, when you asked if there was a setting for temperatures
According to the Fault finding the heater will not work, if the room temperature is hotter than the settings
Snip from the operating manual below
On this particular model, which may or may not be the same as yours
The room temperature adjustment is the centre dial numbered 1 to 5
I will assume that when the room temperature setting is reached, then the heater should switch itself off
I would assume that the best way to adjust this room temperature setting, (as it does not say which way to turn, or perhaps number 4 setting = 24ºC), would be to
Start the heater in low room temperature
Hold the outer ring so that it does not move, and switch the heater off
Turn the inner ring, (the one numbered 1 to 5), until the heater switches off.
This should mean, that the setting is now colder than the room temperature
Turn the inner ring the opposite way, as this should mean (I think), that the gas heater "turn off setting" is now warmer than the room temperature
Start the heater again
Picture of Rotary Control switch is below
Hopefully those who are more tech savvy than me, or someone with the same model, can interpret the manual better, and give a better understanding
Hope that the info is useful

So, if position 4 roughly equals 23*C, then position 1 would be the coldest setting, but is that the temp it aims to maintain? or the temp it turns on at?

T1 Terry

Tony Bev · Guru

Hi T1 Terry, (Terry)

I have been known to be wrong, in the past

From reading the manual, (I do not have a gas heater)

I assumed that whatever setting you put it on, was the temperature which the heater would aim to maintain, and then turn off when that temperature was reached

I also assumed that if the temperature of the van, was higher than the temperature the gas heater was set at, then the heater would not start up

Hope that this makes sense

T1 Terry · Guru

I was thinking along the same lines, but would anyone try to maintain more than 26*C which I'm guessing would be position 5, (position 4 roughly 23*C, position 3 roughly 20*C, position 3 roughly 17*C and position 1 roughly 14*C) I could be way off with those temps, but they seemed to be reasonable expected temperatures.

T1 Terry

Baz421 · Guru

Installing the room temperature sensor

When selecting the location, bear in mind that the room temperature

sensor must not be subjected to any direct radiant

heat. For optimum room temperature regulation, we recommend

that the room temperature sensor be fitted above the

entrance door.

Fig. 29 10 mm

Please ensure that the room temperature sensor is always

attached to a vertical wall. There must be no obstructions

preventing the room air from flowing around it.

Baz421 · Guru

From the manual the rotary dial type thermostat has 0 to 5 range, which equates to 4 to 23 degrees. Not sure why you would need a setting of 4 degrees but:
0 = 4, 1 = 7.8, 2= 11.6, 3 = 15.4, 4 = 19.2 and 5 = 23

Then if the heater thermostat cuts out at 23 degrees the temperature will need to drop 2 degree to 21 degrees before the heater will cut back in.

As said the thermostat sensor location would be very important if you ever want to get temperatures up near 21 to 23 degrees inside the van.

Sarge9 · Senior Member

i find that the sensor in mine is not very sensitive, it often rises much too high before cut out (or before i cut it out) and then sinks very low and needs a twitch of the dial to restore her good humor. I dont carry a thermometer to check actual temps but on very cold days if left down at 1 or 2 it does not kick in as expected. Three ish usually starts up and depending on the ish part my cycle like we want but often runs up too hot. Still would not be without it. Wish it cam with a timer.... might need to think about fitting one, for the frosty mornings (in a poptop)

Hotrob · Newbie

Hi Dougwe,

My first post so look out.
I've been reading your post about your problem.
I have the same heater in my van but mine works perfectly. I got to thinking (which is generally dangerous) and as a quick & easy work around you could try this.
We have some old ..... very old ...... small metal beakers. They came as a set of six in different anodized colours. You could try placing a couple of these beakers in your fridge or freezer & then place one of them over the thermostat sensor. This would then trick the sensor into thinking it was a lot colder than the real temp & would allow you to get warm. As the beaker warmed you could change it over for another cold one out of the fridge.
I realize this is not a permanent fix but could help you out short term.

Rob.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Thanks everyone but problem solved. It was a lack of gas flow from regulator. See my new post in Techies dated, 21/5/19.

-- Edited by Dougwe on Tuesday 21st of May 2019 01:16:37 PM

Bazzle · Member

Hi Doug ( other members who might read this and csre to respond),

I realise your request for help is some months old, and perhaps you are no longer even on the forum.

Here goes anyway,

I had a Truma E2400 gas heater fitted in 2013, and while it worked for a number of years, I find that it will not currently ignite. I found out from a caravan repair company here in Adelaide that it is to do with the fan itself. They had recently sent one like mine back to the Australian agent to fix it, and that was the story that came back. $700 later !!

Not sure if your issue is at all related. I am having mine looked at here by Dario Caravans. I am a bit confused however because my fan will work on the ventilation setting, but not on the heater setting. Surely there are not two separate fans are there ?

Thought I would see how you finally finished up with your unit. Hopefully your problems are long gone.

Thank you, Barry