Truma error E517 and No heating

[Nigel-ph]

ok folks.....HELP! I pitched up earlier and the Swift control panel errored, saying there was a gas problem. The Truma control panel also showed E517H. But.. there is no gas problem, there is plenty of gas and the hob is burning nicely (our only heat source now).
I have followed the instructions. Press the knob on the Truma, wait 15 minutes until it stops flashing, then press it again to clear the fault. However, when I press the knob after the 15 minute delay the error does not clear. I have ‘killed’ the electrics and started again, but I’m on my 4th attempt (an hour already!) and the fault simply will not clear and until it does I have no heating or hot water. It’s going to get cold tonight and might have to abandon this trip if it gets too uncomfortable.
Can anyone suggest a fix?

 

[Garratt]

You have to reset it on the Truma unit itself. Remove the black cover on the upper side of the unit to reveal the circuit board. There should be a red LED flashing. To the left of the LED is a small black pushbutton. Hold this in for 5 secs and the three LEDs should all light up (red/yellow/green) push it again to rest the unit.

The 517H error comes up if the boiler cannot light on gas and after several tries fails out to the 517H error. Check your gas supply to the boiler hasn't been interrupted.

 

[Nigel-ph]

Panic over... on the 4th attempt the fault cleared but my hatred of the Truma system has not lessened. This is twice it has blocked the heating. When it gets in a stew (for no good reason I can see) it forces you to wait 15 minutes. Why 15? Why not 5, or 2 minutes or why not just work if the original problem has cleared? Stupid German engineering!

 

[Nigel-ph]

Thanks Garratt, I will try the suggested reset next time, and i’m sure there will be one, but i suspect that killing all the systems at the power unit probably does the same thing (without scrambling around in the garage).

 

[TerryL]

Any thoughts on why it's "faulting" to start with, as it seems to have happened before and you expect it to happen again?

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[Lenny HB]

You could have an intermittent faulty gas valve on the boiler or your gas regulator could be playing up. If it's the regulator the hob and fridge will often still work OK but it can't supply the high flow rate required by the boiler.

 

[Pausim]

Having followed a number of these 517 fault code posts it often turns out to be the regulator failing to supply enough gas.

 

[Nigel-ph]

The first time was a different code (can’t remember it) after a power cut in the night. We woke up cold and had no idea how to get the heating back at the time. The motorhome handbook is useless and I eventually found instructions online and was introduced to this cursed 15 minute wait.

This time I think it faulted because I started up and moved the motorhome a few feet yesterday while the electric hookup was connected at home. I didn’t realise that this somehow caused the heating to go onto gas (it was set on El 2) but the gas was turned off. When I opened up this morning to load up for the trip I was expecting the cabin to be nice and warm, but it was cold, the heating would not come on, the Swift control panel was chirping about an error with the gas, with half a dozen possible causes, including gas shut off after a crash even though the van hadn’t moved an inch!

Assuming it was a gas supply problem I swapped cylinders, pushed green buttons umpteen times and did everything I could think of with the Truma Mono Control CS gizmo (it’s that Truma word again!). I set off with the error still occurring hoping to sort it out on arrival... you know the rest! At least the cabin is toasty warm now and it’s nearly time to eat!

 

[irnbru]

Not Truma but just throwing an idea to you. Do you have a dog and its sitting blocking an air vent, used to happen to us with our webasto heater, took us a while to work it out.

 

[Pausim]

Not Truma but just throwing an idea to you. Do you have a dog and its sitting blocking an air vent, used to happen to us with our webasto heater, took us a while to work it out.

The boiler should go woof, not the dog.

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[Nigel-ph]

I take on board the input regarding a faulty regulator not supplying the required flow rate, and wouldn’t put it past Swift to have installed a duff Truma Mono Control in a new motorhome (they got the gas bottle straps the wrong way around... adjustable part at the back where you can’t reach it.... stupid) but I have so far always run the heating on electric! Slowly getting to grips with the foibles of the Swift, and slowly starting to wish I had bought something else!

 

[Nigel-ph]

Irnbru, thanks for your humour, I need it tonight because I was on the point of finding a big stick and giving the Swift a good beating. Both dogs are crashed out enjoying the warmth.

Nigel

 

[gus-lopez]

. I didn’t realise that this somehow caused the heating to go onto gas (it was set on El 2) but the gas was turned off.

That would have caused the fault & probably the failure to light as it would take a few attempts for the gas to clear the air from the pipe to burner.

 

[Nigel-ph]

..But why did it change the setting from EL2 to gas, just because starting the engine made the system shut down? On my previous camper it always came back with the previous settings. Truma, or perhaps the way Swift have installed it, is pants!

 

[SpeedyDux]

I take on board the input regarding a faulty regulator not supplying the required flow rate, and wouldn’t put it past Swift to have installed a duff Truma Mono Control in a new motorhome (they got the gas bottle straps the wrong way around... adjustable part at the back where you can’t reach it.... stupid) but I have so far always run the heating on electric! Slowly getting to grips with the foibles of the Swift, and slowly starting to wish I had bought something else!

Or, the dealer might have swapped regulators between vans to fix another customer's complaint. Then forgotten to order a replacement for the one in your van.

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[Jaws]

If the regulator is the Truma safety type ( has a little yellow button on it ) and you are using refillable gas, there is every chance the thing has become partially gunged up.. I have had to change quite a few over the years

 

[Nigel-ph]

Not yet made my mind up about the dealer (Highbridge Caravans in Somerset) who supplied a brand new £50k motorhome without gas bottles and a load of mis-direction on handover, but I definitely have a downer on Swift. I participate on Swift Talk and there are not many owners singing their praises with the recurring theme being a lack of quality control.

That’s typical of today’s standards.... get it out of the door, let the customer tell you what is wrong with it and come up with a hundred reasons why it’s the customer’s fault. So far i’ve found a badly installed sunroof, door hinge and gas bottle straps (fixed by me) plus a Dometic 3 way fridge with a control panel you change every time you stand at the sink (the dealer’s response was effectively “tough, get used to it”). That’s on top of the dodgey Truma system! One owner provided a list of a dozen or more defects!
Nigel.

 

[Pausim]

If the regulator is the Truma safety type ( has a little yellow button on it ) and you are using refillable gas, there is every chance the thing has become partially gunged up.. I have had to change quite a few over the years

I have a filter and I have found enough gunge in the bowl to have damaged the regulator if it had got that far.

 

[Nigel-ph]

If the regulator is the Truma safety type ( has a little yellow button on it ) and you are using refillable gas, there is every chance the thing has become partially gunged up.. I have had to change quite a few over the years

The regulator is a Truma (oh how that name becomes harder to type!) Mono Control CS with a yellow reset button, but not with refillable gas bottles. The yellow button seems to be half in and half out when compared to Truma diagrams so I didn’t know it it needs to be reset. I tried pushing, twisting as advised and even got pliers on it (gently) and now know it must be in because the gas is flowing. In Swift’s (lack of) wisdom they have installed the unit with the yellow button facing the wall of the cabinet so you can’t see it properly or get any purchase on it if it needs to be reset, and HC did not pass on the torx tool mentioned in the book. Well done Swift and HC, again!

 

[Nigel-ph]

I have a filter and I have found enough gunge in the bowl to have damaged the regulator if it had got that far.

Please... no more doom and gloom of what might lie ahead!

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[Pausim]

Please... no more doom and gloom of what might lie ahead!

Just making the case for a filter as a precaution. Not meaning to be doomy or gloomy.

 

[Nigel-ph]

Just making the case for a filter as a precaution. Not meaning to be doomy or gloomy.

You are right of course, a filter is probably a good addition. My fundamental problem is that I spent £50k on this brand new motorhome and expect it to be perfect with all the bells and whistles mentioned in the sales “blurb”. Unfortunately it’s made be Swift and there was no mention of the customer being responsible for quality control or a gas filter being beneficial and included. The layout is perfect for us, and when everything works it’s great, but with hindsight Swift was bad choice!

 

[Mark and Mindy]

If the E517 code is flashing then you have to wait 15 minutes before you can clear the error.

The attached Truma Reset Procedure explains what to do.

 

[Arzedby]

I've had this problem and did learn a lesson from it. I selected heating in Mix Mode, Gas and Electric 2. Because I had forgotten to open the gas supply from the tank, the system failed with 517H code. I realised what had happened and switched to Electric only and tried to reset the error but it kept coming back. Eventually it was flashing and I had to wait the 15 minutes. With a gas error code the system would not let me clear it down until the heating could be started on gas. Changing to Electric only, even with gas now available caused the error to re-occur leading to the 15 minute lock out. This means that if you run out of gas and the heating fails you are likely to have to wait 15 mins until you can put the heating onto electric mode.

 

[Nigel-ph]

I've had this problem and did learn a lesson from it.

Me too now, good lessons are always learned the hard way! Thankfully and we had a cosy night even though it was pretty wild here at Love2Stay, Shrewsbury and I was outside and 2am tying the electric hook up flap to the cable to stop it banging in the wind (another lesson learned and such a thoughtful Swift feature!). However, I can’t get my head around why Truma have designed (?) such a user unfriendly mechanism. Surely, if the problem that warranted raising an error has been resolved (I.e. the gas has been turned on or electric hook up restored) why force a 15 minute wait.... WHY?

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[jockaneezer]

I wonder if the 15 minute window is to allow any unburnt gasses to dissipate ?
I remember as a kid, my mother unsuccessfully trying to light the wall mounted "Gas Genie" water heater in my Aunt's house, on the sixth or seventh go, there was a flash and a whoosh as the chimney section parted from the main body and stuck in the kitchen ceiling !

 

[maison]

Me too now, good lessons are always learned the hard way! Thankfully and we had a cosy night even though it was pretty wild here at Love2Stay, Shrewsbury and I was outside and 2am tying the electric hook up flap to the cable to stop it banging in the wind (another lesson learned and such a thoughtful Swift feature!). However, I can’t get my head around why Truma have designed (?) such a user unfriendly mechanism. Surely, if the problem that warranted raising an error has been resolved (I.e. the gas has been turned on or electric hook up restored) why force a 15 minute wait.... WHY?

We had the same problem with the flapping EHU cover.

An elastic band, left on the HU cable, and hooked over the flap each time stopped it.

 

[Nigel-ph]

We had the same problem with the flapping EHU cover.

An elastic band, left on the HU cable, and hooked over the flap each time stopped it.

By the time I get the “Swift factor” removed from the motorhome there will be string, rubber bands, blue tac and Velcro all over it! Even the Remis blinds across the windscreen won’t stay closed because the rear view camera monitor is in the way. That was fixed with a precision adapted doggy poo bag to hold the clips together, but thankfully the new TaylorMade external cover means we don’t need to use the internal blind.

 

[maison]

By the time I get the “Swift factor” removed from the motorhome there will be string, rubber bands, blue tac and Velcro all over it! Even the Remis blinds across the windscreen won’t stay closed because the rear view camera monitor is in the way. That was fixed with a precision adapted doggy poo bag to hold the clips together, but thankfully the new TaylorMade external cover means we don’t need to use the internal blind.

On our last m/h, (a Swift SelectPVC), the windscreen blinds were already adapted to close around the monitor. The only real problem we had was, initially, a mis-match between the fridge, Sargent Controller and the control panel, which was resolved by a software upgrade.

In use we found that the exposed touch sensitive controls for the fridge were a constant pain. Just brushing past the fridge could cause the control to change the power source and alarms would sound. Otherwise we had no significant problems at all. That was our fifth Swift out of seven motorhomes owned over a period of more than thirty years.

Hope you get your problems resolved and begin to enjoy your motorhome.

 

[Nigel-ph]

In use we found that the exposed touch sensitive controls for the fridge were a constant pain.

It’s such a relief to find someone else having the same problem with the cursed fridge! What a stupid design by Dometic and Swift. The worst case is accidentally turning it off when it doesn’t beep to tell you everything inside is going to spoil!

It being a brand new van we asked the dealer what could be done (change it preferably) and the response was effectively “tough, you’ll get used to it and if you want to change it that’s your problem”. I was disgusted by the attitude.

I then took pictures of my partner standing at the sink, which is the main issue because you inevitably lean on the controls and change something, and emailed Dometic explaining the problem and asking if there was a way to lock the controls on auto. They said no, and the problem was an installation issue not anything to do with their fridge (a fair point, just another part of the Swift Factor). I did look for another fridge, preferably a 12v compressor type, but could not find one to fit the space and eventually concluded the expense and hassle was not worth it. I have in mind to make a flap to cover the controls, but not sure if it would be even more in the way and get knocked off.

I looked over a friend’s Hymer the other day... worlds apart!

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