Whilst I am parked up over the Xmas school holidays I have getting a few maintenance jobs out of the way. The other day I noticed that there is a slight drip coming from near the HWS on the outside. I checked the inside and it is not a fitting and then noticed that after removing the cowl from the outside there is a little bit of water there. I realise there is an overflow valve but this dripping occurs even with the HWS turned off.
Could this be just something simple or does it mean the HWS is on it's way to Hot Water Heaven. It is Truma electric/gas system that holds about 14 litres and is 10 years old.
Leave it on, blowing hot water will clean it better - ensure you don't kill lawn under van with hot water - ice cream tub should suffice to catch water.
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The pressure release valve is there just in case the the heater thermostat fails & has a thermal run away to over 100°C & the tank explodes because the water has turned into steam increasing tank volume by 300 times in a instant.
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Whilst I am parked up over the Xmas school holidays I have getting a few maintenance jobs out of the way. The other day I noticed that there is a slight drip coming from near the HWS on the outside. I checked the inside and it is not a fitting and then noticed that after removing the cowl from the outside there is a little bit of water there. I realise there is an overflow valve but this dripping occurs even with the HWS turned off.
Could this be just something simple or does it mean the HWS is on it's way to Hot Water Heaven. It is Truma electric/gas system that holds about 14 litres and is 10 years old.
DMaxer hi.
Our Truma is about the same vintage and is loosing a bit of water.
My plan was to do it now in my lay up period, the Mistress for finance said "no". Wait until it is really leaking.
We turn our heater on when we are going to have shower and then off again when finished, only about a litre of water in hour loss in that time.
It been like that for 12 months now and no water inside the caravan doing any damage.
Yes, I do a couple of times a year, work the pressure valve.
Mostly use my pump and stored water as I believe town water pressure shorten the water heater life time.
The pressure release valve is there just in case the the heater thermostat fails & has a thermal run away to over 100°C & the tank explodes because the water has turned into steam increasing tank volume by 300 times in a instant.
Ain't that the truth! Some years ago I was analysing a Solar customer's power bill, which had skyrocketed, and it immediately became apparent that there was a problem with the Hot Water system, so outside we went. His Hot Water cylinder was well out of sight, sandwiched between his house and a high wooden boundary fence, with water bubbling out of the top of the cylinder. "Ah" he said, "that'll be why my water bill is so high"!
Problem solved after I sold him a new 315 litre tank to replace his much smaller model. People think they're saving money by installing small HW systems, but it's false economy as large systems are cheaper to run.
Most builders today install 250 litre tanks because they're better for the builder. Cheers
Things expand when they are heated. That water needs to go somewhere, hence the pressure relief valve.
On every refill and reheat after using some of the hot water there will be drips coming from a hose directly under the heater under the van.
I would be worried if there were no drips, that the valve has stuck closed with scale/corrosion.
Thanks Hylife. I think it is stuck in the open position as it has only been the last few days that it has continued to drip. I tried opening and closing but nothing changed. I have someone coming to look at it tomorrow so will find out then.
The saga with the HWS continues. The serviceman attended today and checked it out internally and informed me all was good and there were no internal leaks. We then proceeded outside after he had given the outlet a good blast and the water came out through the tube underneath the van. He then removed the outlet grill thing and the source of the leak is the opening of the outlet valve. It is only a light drip every twenty seconds or so. He is a caravan owner himself and he told me that his HWS did exactly the same.
He has taken a photo of the model and is going to ring the manufacturer and call me later today. There is no internal leak that would signify a leak in the boiler or tank, no leak in any of the hoses or fittings. Just a slow drip from the outlet which obviously is what it is there for.
Stay tuned in case this happens to you, or alternatively, if you like reading boring posts about other people's problems and enjoy schadenfreude.
Do you have a hose attached to the pressure relief valve, which extends through the floor?
If no hose was fitted you would dump water in your van over the floor.
Yes. However I have seen them fitted without an extension pipe to the outside. I am not familiar with the specific HWS & when I read "and then noticed that after removing the cowl from the outside there is a little bit of water there" in the OP, I wondered if the cowl is inside or outside of the vehicle?
I seem to have both Cuppa. There is a little hose that protrudes about four inches underneath the van and when you turn the drain tap the water pours out of the hose (as expected).
When you remove the cowl from the air intake on the outside of the van there is a little plastic grate. when this is unscrewed there is the air intake and at the bottom of the air intake is the opening for the pressure release. It is out of this little opening that the water drips. There is no leak from the drain pipe unless the drain tap is activated.
To my novice eye it seems that the water keeps filling the tank and the excess just drips out of pressure release opening. I have disconnected the mains connection and just let the van operate on the 12 volt pump and every so often the pump starts for a few seconds, probably topping up the hws tank.
The other thing I have thought about but has probably no merit whatsoever is that maybe the van is a bit low at the front (where the hws is located) I check the side to side level with a spirit level and only ever do a rough calculation with line of sight on the fore and aft level. I then get the jack stand and lower the A Frame onto that and loosen the jockey wheel. I don't know if an uneven fore and aft tilts the water level in the tank that then runs out of an overfill or whether that means nothing at all.
The service bloke and the people he rang at Truma don't seem to think it is anything to worry about as there is no internal leak from the fittings, hoses or tank. the strange part is that it only happens sometimes at various locations. That is why I thought about the level.
DM, The water heater is an enclosed pressurised system so it will operate at any incline without problems. The seating of your pressure valve is the only cause of leak so it is either replace it or have a permanent leak.
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Sent from my imperial66 typewriter using carrier pigeon, message sticks and smoke signals.
Thanks for that Possum. Science and hydraulics is not exactly a strong point of mine as you would have gagthered.
I spoke to a person from Truma yesterday and described the problem to him. I told him about the model Truma that I have and from where the water was exiting. He told me the tank itself is stainless steel and it is enclosed within another tank that is not. He said without being able to look at it in situ, that it would more than likely be a leak from the stainless steel tank that dripped into the outer tank and then exited through the pipe. He told me that his model had a condensation pipe and that is where the water was draining out.
He suggested I use the HWS by way of the 12 volt pump, turn it on and off when needed and consult a Truma or caravan repairer. Its was his view that if left unattended in time the outer tank would rust away and water would then leak into the caravan.
There is Truma bloke not far from me so I will give him a ring on Monday. I imagine all the fittings I have in the van and the outside vent will remain and it will just be a new boiler that gets installed. The Truma bloke told me there is no issue with supply.
I will keep you posted on this thrilling chapter of Caravan Life. Thanks for your help everyone.
I had a leak. No, not me but the water heater. It was at the back and at the John Guest fittings. After a long search, I finally found a mobile caravan repair bloke. He came out and within 30 mins top and bottom fittings replaced and leak gone. Turns out he has had extensive experience building and servicing all flavors of vans etc and is now out on his own. He's only in his 30's I reckon and has a wife and very young daughter, so I am very happy to help people like that.
Have you searched for a mobile person to come check it out?
Keep Safe out there.
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I just joined up but reading your post DMaxer I can tell you I was in a spot where I ignored a slight leak from my hot water unit and it eventually flooded all under the bed and into the caravan main floor as well. I was away when the heater decided to do this and then I had a big job to fix the damaged timber as it was like a chipboard and as well as I had to dry everything out including all the personal stuff I had under the bed. I was lucky my electrics were under a dining sear and in a high cupboard.
I still had to replace the heater. I will never ignore a leak again just thinking that the HWS was venting.
Yes Billy I have travelled that road. I had a fitting give up the ghost a few years ago when i was away. I was lucky in that I had turned off the mains before I left so the only water that came out was the 14 litres in the tank. Having said that, 14 litres is a lot when it is all over your floor. I had to clean up, dry out the floor, total pain.
I have checked the fittings and floor and so did the service guy and that is all okay but I won't be leaving it. Monday the cavalry will be summoned.
