Truma dis-appreciation society (1 Viewer)

[monzer]

Not entirely sure if this will fall foul of the 'review section only' rule but is anyone else really starting to hate Truma?

My boiler packed in a few months back, it was built when they made them good so lasted many many years. I thought for a long time on what to replace it with and despite numerous threads on here stating various fault codes being received I still decided to go with them and had their 4E fitted.

The thing is constantly throwing up fault codes. The fitters have been great and have me back round for anything they can do to help but these new boilers just seem to be over sensitive. Air lock?... fault code... connect to hook up? ... fault code.... disconnect from hook up? .... fault code.

To add balance I should add that after the initial errors, it has worked perfectly on gas only. But now I am plugged in for some reason it is throwing a hissy fit.

Discontinue spare parts and force the customer to buy new. Issue is their new units seem absolute garbage.

Anyone else had bother with them?

 

[Lenny HB]

Now on our 3rd van in ten years with a C6 no problems, although only had the new van a week.

 

[fred_jb]

Sounds like it might be a good idea to fit a mains controller and surge arrester box. These disconnect the supply if the voltage is too low or too high, and also filter out spikes such as might be caused by plugging and unplugging the EHU. I use the AVS30 which is available for about £50, but there are lots of similar ones, though worth making sure the one you buy also does filtering against spikes and surges as well as under and over voltage protection. You just wire these in after the EHU socket but before any mains distribution wiring, so it will then protect the supply to the Truma.

The instructions for my van said to always turn the mains master RCD breaker to off when connecting or disconnecting the EHU. I guess there is a reason they say that. However it is not recommended to use an RCD for that purpose so I fitted a master two pole circuit breaker, though since fitting the AVS30 I don't always bother using that as the AVS30 only connects the supply after a short delay while it checks for problems so connection surges are less likely.

 

[rod_vw]

Sounds like it might be a good idea to fit a mains controller and surge arrester box. These disconnect the supply if the voltage is too low or too high, and also filter out spikes such as might be caused by plugging and unplugging the EHU. I use the AVS30 which is available for about £50, but there are lots of similar ones, though worth making sure the one you buy also does filtering against spikes and surges as well as under and over voltage protection. You just wire these in after the EHU socket but before any mains distribution wiring, so it will then protect the supply to the Truma.

The instructions for my van said to always turn the mains master RCD breaker to off when connecting or disconnecting the EHU. I guess there is a reason they say that. However it is not recommended to use an RCD for that purpose so I fitted a master two pole circuit breaker, though since fitting the AVS30 I don't always bother using that as the AVS30 only connects the supply after a short delay while it checks for problems so connection surges are less likely.

Fred, that's a great write up but one can but dismay at Truma, and other equipment makers for the leisure industry for not building such protection into their products. I bet such items supplies to the emergency services and military have to be so equipped as standard.

 

[yorkiebar]

At our van handover, loads of time was spent on how to treat the Truma sysyem! Golden rule was before unhooking from EHU or switching off the leisure power then switch off both the water and heater controls of the Truma, then power the Truma down. After that unhook from EHU or power off the 12v supply. Deviating from this makes the Truma grumpy!

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[Otter Spotter]

At our van handover, loads of time was spent on how to treat the Truma sysyem! Golden rule was before unhooking from EHU or switching off the leisure power then switch off both the water and heater controls of the Truma, then power the Truma down. After that unhook from EHU or power off the 12v supply. Deviating from this makes the Truma grumpy!

What Faff

 

[fred_jb]

Our Truma 6E has been OK, but then it doesn’t get a lot of use. We are mainly on campsites so don't bother with hot water in the van, and as for heating, we are using the aircon to cool down on this trip, currently in Provence!

I think the major mains vulnerability in our van is the Schaudt EBL 31 power unit as apparently the charger, which charges leisure and starter batteries while on hook up, is a bit fragile and prone to blowing up if the mains supply is not perfect!

 

[rod_vw]

At our van handover, loads of time was spent on how to treat the Truma sysyem! Golden rule was before unhooking from EHU or switching off the leisure power then switch off both the water and heater controls of the Truma, then power the Truma down. After that unhook from EHU or power off the 12v supply. Deviating from this makes the Truma grumpy!

That is electronic equipment design at its absolute worst!

 

[Pausim]

If the mains power goes off unexpectedly the boiler shows an error code. The boiler is not going to know the difference between a deliberate disconnection and an unwanted one. I frequently forget to shut the system down before disconnecting the ehu and the iNet box sends me an error message text. I accept it as operator error and tell myself to do things in the right order next time to save the 10p charge for the text.

 

[monzer]

If the mains power goes off unexpectedly the boiler shows an error code. The boiler is not going to know the difference between a deliberate disconnection and an unwanted one. I frequently forget to shut the system down before disconnecting the ehu and the iNet box sends me an error message text. I accept it as operator error and tell myself to do things in the right order next time to save the 10p charge for the text.

I suppose that's my point. The boiler I replaced wouldn't throw up errors or malfunction if I pulled the mains out.

It just got on with the job. If it was possible to replace like for like I would have in a second.

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[TheMachMan]

Our E6 played up earlier this year when the gas ran out. We switched it off, connected full bottle and restarted.
However the error code wouldn’t clear.
Had to press a tiny hidden reset button on the boiler itself. Our boiler is installed under the bed hidden away. With no sight of any of the buttons, was like keyhole surgery!
Thanks to a fellow Funsters post I wouldn’t have known what to do

 

[steve69]

At our van handover, loads of time was spent on how to treat the Truma sysyem! Golden rule was before unhooking from EHU or switching off the leisure power then switch off both the water and heater controls of the Truma, then power the Truma down. After that unhook from EHU or power off the 12v supply. Deviating from this makes the Truma grumpy!

It's just a boiler!
What ever happened to just switch it on and off as required?.......Like my 14 year old Truma.

 

[monzer]

Our E6 played up earlier this year when the gas ran out. We switched it off, connected full bottle and restarted.
However the error code wouldn’t clear.
Had to press a tiny hidden reset button on the boiler itself. Our boiler is installed under the bed hidden away. With no sight of any of the buttons, was like keyhole surgery!
Thanks to a fellow Funsters post I wouldn’t have known what to do

Exactly. Why are these boilers throwing a wobbly when something as common as running out of gas happens?

 

[Spriddler]

Exactly. Why are these boilers throwing a wobbly when something as common as running out of gas happens?

Probably because the company's R&D whizz kids have never used the product in situ in real life applications.

 

[TerryL]

Had to replace old Truma due to no parts and got 4E. We're on our first trip out with it operating perfectly so far, although haven't needed the heating yet! The fitter was very specific about turning it off before unplugging EHU although he did explain how to reset it.
No operating instructions with it so downloaded from Truma website, all very clear.

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[rod_vw]

The idea of turning the heater off when disconnecting the 240v is OK if the EHU is your only supply but I have an auto-switching inverter which is usually but not always on. I've no idea if the supply is truly 'No break' when it switches so wouldn't ever think of switching the Truma off.
Also my gas supply is from an under slung tank with an electric valve. Occasionally I forget to switch the gas on and the Truma throws an error if I try to fire it up. This error disappears when I switch the gas on and restart the heater.

 

[Bramidan]

At our van handover, loads of time was spent on how to treat the Truma sysyem! Golden rule was before unhooking from EHU or switching off the leisure power then switch off both the water and heater controls of the Truma, then power the Truma down. After that unhook from EHU or power off the 12v supply. Deviating from this makes the Truma grumpy!

I had that, the dealer even supplied their own sheet explaining it for newbies like me, they also listed the likely fault codes if you did not religiously shut the heater and water heater down before disconnecting EHU!
My wife offers to disconnect EHU for me whilst I’m doing other things etc she thinks I’m an idiot when I scream don’t touch it.
Her view, we spent all this money on a motorhome and you are treading on eggshells!
She’s not wrong.

 

[Pausim]

The error code is no big deal, it is just a warning that mains power has been lost. I find it always clears itself before I reconnect at the next stop. There would be plenty of people complaining if they ran out of gas because the boiler had switched over without warning.

 

[adamo23]

Not entirely sure if this will fall foul of the 'review section only' rule but is anyone else really starting to hate Truma?

My boiler packed in a few months back, it was built when they made them good so lasted many many years. I thought for a long time on what to replace it with and despite numerous threads on here stating various fault codes being received I still decided to go with them and had their 4E fitted.

The thing is constantly throwing up fault codes. The fitters have been great and have me back round for anything they can do to help but these new boilers just seem to be over sensitive. Air lock?... fault code... connect to hook up? ... fault code.... disconnect from hook up? .... fault code.

To add balance I should add that after the initial errors, it has worked perfectly on gas only. But now I am plugged in for some reason it is throwing a hissy fit.

Discontinue spare parts and force the customer to buy new. Issue is their new units seem absolute garbage.

Anyone else had bother with them?

The fault codes are there to protect the boiler. Now that I understand why they appear. I follow correct procedures and don’t get them now.

 

[monzer]

The fault codes are there to protect the boiler. Now that I understand why they appear. I follow correct procedures and don’t get them now.

But the older versions worked perfectly fine. There were no procedures to follow.

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[Pausim]

But the older versions worked perfectly fine. There were no procedures to follow.

Presumably the older versions were less well protected and didn’t warn you if the boiler switched over to gas because the mains had gone off.

 

[monzer]

Presumably the older versions were less well protected and didn’t warn you if the boiler switched over to gas because the mains had gone off.

Less well protected or just simpler?

 

[Pausim]

Less well protected or just simpler?

Simple has it’s attractions but I would rather know what is going on.

 

[Roger20]

Our Truma 6E has been OK, but then it doesn’t get a lot of use. We are mainly on campsites so don't bother with hot water in the van, and as for heating, we are using the aircon to cool down on this trip, currently in Provence!

I think the major mains vulnerability in our van is the Schaudt EBL 31 power unit as apparently the charger, which charges leisure and starter batteries while on hook up, is a bit fragile and prone to blowing up if the mains supply is not perfect!

I would second this. The Schaudt is a sensitive beast and fitting an AVS30 seemed a worthwhile modification. This was one of Lenny HB suggestions and in the 6 years we have had our Hymer we have had zero Schaudt or Truma issues.

You only need to think about the impact of voltage spikes (plugging in and switching on and off as well as intermittent supply issues) on sensitive electronic equipment and the AVS then become a worthwhile safeguard, particularly on foreign campsites where electrics are not always up to current standards.

 

[matbic]

I had a Truma D6E Next Generation fitted to my van for 6 months - it was very temperamental- you had to be careful how to power it down, I got several strange error messages about “unexpected values”, it sooted up for no reason, the fuel pump was very loud and it dribbled condensate down the outside of van. I was reduced to carrying the expensive diagnostic unit arround with me just in case it locked me out after 20 errors. However it did heat the van and water quickly!

Then I replaced it with the original older model - super quiet, no error messages, no dribbles down the side of van - good old Truma just works well. Not as fast at heating the water and uses a bit more power on electric hook up.

Best up (down) grade I have done! Apparently the guts of the old model was made by Eberspacher but during Covid Truma went ahead and designed there own next generation one.

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[ED O'DARAC]

Our Truma 6E has been OK, but then it doesn’t get a lot of use. We are mainly on campsites so don't bother with hot water in the van, and as for heating, we are using the aircon to cool down on this trip, currently in Provence!

I think the major mains vulnerability in our van is the Schaudt EBL 31 power unit as apparently the charger, which charges leisure and starter batteries while on hook up, is a bit fragile and prone to blowing up if the mains supply is not perfect!

I think Schaudt added the OVP1 unit which handles Over Voltage Protection and spikes on over-stretched campsite electrics (especially on continental sites)

 

[ED O'DARAC]

I had a Truma D6E Next Generation fitted to my van for 6 months - it was very temperamental- you had to be careful how to power it down, I got several strange error messages about “unexpected values”, it sooted up for no reason, the fuel pump was very loud and it dribbled condensate down the outside of van. I was reduced to carrying the expensive diagnostic unit arround with me just in case it locked me out after 20 errors. However it did heat the van and water quickly!

Then I replaced it with the original older model - super quiet, no error messages, no dribbles down the side of van - good old Truma just works well. Not as fast at heating the water and uses a bit more power on electric hook up.

Best up (down) grade I have done! Apparently the guts of the old model was made by Eberspacher but during Covid Truma went ahead and designed there own next generation one.

100% agree. How come the older model Trumas took everything in their stride (including unplugging hookup or running out of gas !) without us having to learn about hard and soft resets including the one with the teenytiny button on an internal circuitboard! Hmm, I would take the older model anyday.

 

[BrianJane]

Lesson to self. Read the title correctly. I read....

TrumP dis-appreciation society​

Was expecting to see the idiot had been up to his usual shennanigans again

 

[TheMachMan]

100% agree. How come the older model Trumas took everything in their stride (including unplugging hookup or running out of gas !) without us having to learn about hard and soft resets including the one with the teenytiny button on an internal circuitboard! Hmm, I would take the older model anyday.

Quite, that Tiny button was the one I needed to reset! Was almost impossible to locate.

 

[PeterCarole29]

Sounds like it might be a good idea to fit a mains controller and surge arrester box. These disconnect the supply if the voltage is too low or too high, and also filter out spikes such as might be caused by plugging and unplugging the EHU. I use the AVS30 which is available for about £50, but there are lots of similar ones, though worth making sure the one you buy also does filtering against spikes and surges as well as under and over voltage protection. You just wire these in after the EHU socket but before any mains distribution wiring, so it will then protect the supply to the Truma.

The instructions for my van said to always turn the mains master RCD breaker to off when connecting or disconnecting the EHU. I guess there is a reason they say that. However it is not recommended to use an RCD for that purpose so I fitted a master two pole circuit breaker, though since fitting the AVS30 I don't always bother using that as the AVS30 only connects the supply after a short delay while it checks for problems so connection surges are less likely.

I havent read other posts so it may have been mentioned
If you recently paid £50 for an AVS30 it is very likely to be a chinese counterfit/copy and not genuine even a fire hazard
I have had the unfortunate pleasure of having bought one and they are quite different internally

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