Truma heater

by Gazza1750 Wed Sep 18, 2024 9:02 am

Calling all Broadway EKTBLP owners!
My Truma heater is installed in a transverse position (looking from the front) which means the control panel is at the rear and the combustion fan is to the right, up against the bathroom wall.
Just been away and the dreaded solid red light came on my dial and the heater cut out within 30 seconds.
Googled it and the information referred to codes!
Stumped, so I rang Truma and a very helpful lady told me the lights are on the heater control panel.
The only way I could see these was to use my wife's makeup mirror and count the flash stages.
It was a code 5 which meant a problem with the combustion fan
I removed the cover and noticed the small fan was static so I flicked it, nothing.
I tweaked the power connector and it started to spin.
Everything has been working well since.

So here's my question. Is every Broadway model fitted like this? How on earth can you get access to either the control panel or the combustion motor?
Servicing of the Truma must be time consuming and expensive. Also if you had to change the motor, this would be straightforward if it was accessible, but it isn't and may need the whole boiler to be removed.
I'm wondering if the Truma heater could be rotated so I have access to all parts and the combustion motor was at the front. obviously I would do this with a certified gas engineer.

Any tips and ideas welcome.

Gazza

by Paulmold Wed Sep 18, 2024 9:22 am

https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t34510-how-to-rotate-your-truma-boiler-through-180#297664

There's always someone who's sorted it before.

by RogerN Mon Sep 30, 2024 10:14 am

Interestingly, my Autosleepers Warwick Duo has the Truma Combi 4e mounted with the combustion fan facing the middle of the van, hot air outlets at the opposite end, by the side wall and the exhaust/inlet on the right as you look at it.
Cold water in, hot water out and gas connection being at the front facing you so everything is easy to get to.
There's no reason why it couldn't be turned around, if it will fit.

by Gazza1750 Mon Sep 30, 2024 10:50 am

RogerN wrote:Interestingly, my Autosleepers Warwick Duo has the Truma Combi 4e mounted with the combustion fan facing the middle of the van, hot air outlets at the opposite end, by the side wall and the exhaust/inlet on the right as you look at it.
Cold water in, hot water out and gas connection being at the front facing you so everything is easy to get to.
There's no reason why it couldn't be turned around, if it will fit.

Hi Roger,

Thanks for the response.

I agree, I can't see why it can't be rotated.
I put a call into Autosleeper last week, spoke to a young lady on reception who said she would enquire for me and call me back.
This she did, but the response from the shop floor was 'you can move it, but we wouldn't recommend it'. I asked what the reason was and she said 'don't know, he didn't seem that interested!'

Spoke to my local approved gas engineer who said he can gas check it for me, which is the most important check I need.

I'm going to leave it now until spring and warmer weather and give it a go.

by Pete F Mon Sep 30, 2024 12:43 pm

It’s not as if A-S don’t know about this problem. I had to go to Truma to have a fault rectified and lo and behold they were just as baffled as everyone else as to the installation. The mechanic there thought that the best answer was a 90 deg turn.
Whatever, it just goes to show the factory’s continuing devotion to the £ and not to the customer.

by RogerN Mon Sep 30, 2024 1:22 pm

Gazza1750 wrote:
RogerN wrote:Interestingly, my Autosleepers Warwick Duo has the Truma Combi 4e mounted with the combustion fan facing the middle of the van, hot air outlets at the opposite end, by the side wall and the exhaust/inlet on the right as you look at it.
Cold water in, hot water out and gas connection being at the front facing you so everything is easy to get to.
There's no reason why it couldn't be turned around, if it will fit.
Earlier this year I had a problem with the water pump and ended up having to change it.
In the process, I had to disconnect the flue/air inlet pipe(s) and in doing so I didn't realise that the inner flue pipe had come away from the flute plate on the side of the van.
Only when I tried to start it up again did I find it would fire up but then stop after a few seconds with the red error light showing.
I realised it must have been something to do with the flue pipe(s).
So I removed the jubilee clips on the Truma end. As I removed the outer pipe from the heater followed by loosening the jubilee clip from the inner, I realised that the inner was completely loose and it came right out.

Looking at the end which had been connected to the flue plate on the van wall, it became obvious that it have corroded quite badly.

I therefore had to peel back the fabric under the seat base and cut a hole in the plywood behind to gain access to the flue plate.
Once I'd got access to that, it was easy to remove it from the van.
Thankfully it was only the inner exhaust pipe that had corroded away, so I was able to remove the clip and clean up the aluminuim casting.

I trimmed about 3cm off the corroded end of the flue exhaust pipe and when I connected it onto the exterior plate I turned it around to put the cut end on the Truma Combi.
Refitting the outer pipe was easy and it didn't need trimming because it squeezed up sufficiently to reduce it's length.

Once I'd connected both ends, I powered it up again and it worked fine.
So I then refitted the plywood and re-glued the fabric and so far everything is fine.

by Caraman Wed Oct 02, 2024 9:01 pm

When one of the two mains heating elements fails, the Combi has to be removed and stripped down. When this happened to me, I had the Combi rotated through 90 degrees so that the PCB faces the bathroom rather than the sidewall. This makes the PCB and other things far more accessible.

by Gazza1750 Thu Oct 03, 2024 8:44 am

Caraman wrote:When one of the two mains heating elements fails, the Combi has to be removed and stripped down. When this happened to me, I had the Combi rotated through 90 degrees so that the PCB faces the bathroom rather than the sidewall. This makes the PCB and other things far more accessible.

Morning Caraman.

Thanks for the reply. This is something I will definiltely get around to doing myself very soon.

Did you do yours yourself?

by Caraman Thu Oct 03, 2024 10:37 am

Gazza1750,

No. The workshop that replaced the heating elements did it. I originally intended it to be turned through 180 degrees as gassygassy had done but the workshop thought 90 degrees was better. They couldn't understand why A-S had fitted it they way they did. After it was fitted and I took the above photo, I tidied up the hot and cold water pipes a bit but that's all.

by The Bargee Thu Oct 03, 2024 10:48 am

Fellow Kingham owners might like this. I got fed up with emptying the back out to unscrew the box over the Truma if it needed resetting, so cut a little access hatch.

by Gazza1750 Thu Oct 03, 2024 11:03 am

Caraman wrote:Gazza1750,

No. The workshop that replaced the heating elements did it. I originally intended it to be turned through 180 degrees as gassygassy had done but the workshop thought 90 degrees was better. They couldn't understand why A-S had fitted it they way they did.

Caraman

The way you have it fitted now, is exactly how I intend to place mine. Just turned 90 degrees.
The main fuse and electrical connection panel on mine is at the rear and the combustion fan is to the right. Almost impossible to access.

180 deg turn would put the electrical connection at the front on mine, which some say is the preferred option as this is up against a grill on the panel that the heater sits behind under the wardrobe and helps keep it cool, but I agree with your fitter as the combustion fan is the part that needs the airflow and is easier to access.

by Caraman Thu Oct 03, 2024 11:30 am

Its a shame that turning the Truma doesn't help with the heating elements. The Truma still has to be removed for that and stripped right down. The chap doing the job said:

"It would never be possible to change the elements in situ on any heater in any installation due to requiring a complete nut/bolt stripdown.

What you have gained is the ability to replace the combustion blower motor, circuit board, gas valves, electronic ignitor and possibly the air circulation motor."

I would add to that the mains fuse which is below the PCB. In the early days I discussed the mains fuse access with the A-S Service Centre. They said they would have to remove the Truma if that blew although I understand some have managed to change it without removal. They gave me the impression that they also thought the Truma had not been fitted the best way around.

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