Truma valve jammed open - help! On the road in Scotland

[Scottishbluebell]

We’ve come to a campsite in Galloway this evening and added water to our tank and turned on the pump only to have all the water run out of the underside of the van - of course, I’d not closed the Truma valve! So out came the dinette table and I found the blue valve on the anti-frost system. I’d dumped all the water from the system in December and left the valve open but I now find that I can’t shut the valve. I’m frightened to force it. I’d already had the Truma air heater on for at least half an hour, so I don’t understand why I couldn’t turn the valve and press the frost button in. I can’t turn on our water pump as the system will just dump all the water, so it looks like we’ve a night of running back and forward to the loos. I wish we’d not parked so scenically and parked closer to the buildings!
Does anyone know where I will find a Truma specialist in southern Scotland? Any ideas about getting the valve unjammed? It’s facing north-south instead of east west as it should be. Thanks.

 

[Cookieboy68]

Warm the valve up,it's probably to cold for it to stay shut,we warm ours up with a hair dryer.

 

[Rogerwyn]

If the temp of the water going through the valve is below 4c it’ll keep opening, you may need to run your heating for a while to warm up things.

 

[Googlebot]

Mine stuck open once, keep closing it and manually opening it, the seals are probably dry.

Warm it up properly and all should be well.

 

[Cookieboy68]

If the temp of the water going through the valve is below 4c it’ll keep opening, you may need to run your heating for a while to warm up things.

Can u put the heating on with no water in the boiler, I ask because that would be handy to know in the future. I have a 2002 hymer

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[Rogerwyn]

Not sure on that particular Truma model but our 6e 2017 I can

 

[Lenny HB]

Depending where your valve is relative to the heater ½ hour is probably nowhere near long enough.
If the valve has got cold the air around it will warm fairly quickly but the body of the valve will take a lot longer.

Give it an hour or two then try again.

 

[Scottishbluebell]

The valve won’t turn at all! The space where it’s set up was already very warm. I don’t understand how it could have been too cold. To be able to move the valve. If I turn it too hard to the right, I’m concerned that I’ll snap the valve - stupid blue plastic
However, I’ll try again before bed time. We’re really snug in the van, so hopefully the valve will have decided to cooperate!

 

[Lenny HB]

Can you put a bung or cork in the outlet under the van, it's normally 10mm internal dia pipe.

 

[Ian_H]

Can you put a bung or cork in the outlet under the van, it's normally 10mm internal dia pipe.

Or double the outlet over and tie or wire in position?

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[Lenny HB]

Or double the outlet over and tie or wire in position?

Only about an inch comes through the floor, if it's a flexable hose going into the valve that could be disconnected and folded & clamped.

 

[Scottishbluebell]

Can you put a bung or cork in the outlet under the van, it's normally 10mm internal dia pipe.

Interesting that you should mention this - the water gushes out from the underside of the van - no pipes involved whatsoever. We only found this when we drained the van down before Christmas and haven’t got around to getting it looked at. We only bought the motorhome in November and are still getting to grips with the whole thing.

 

[pappajohn]

Boil a kettle.
Soak a tea cloth in hot water then wrap it round the valve for 10 minutes then see if it closes.
If it closes wrap a towel round it to insulate it.

 

[Lenny HB]

Interesting that you should mention this - the water gushes out from the underside of the van - no pipes involved whatsoever. We only found this when we drained the van down before Christmas and haven’t got around to getting it looked at. We only bought the motorhome in November and are still getting to grips with the whole thing.

That no look right, looks like the outlet pipe is missing from the valve and the water is running out inside the van and finding a way out.

I'm wondering if the outlet pipe has been torn off on a rock or kerb and it's damaged the valve.

 

[Ian_H]

Something I'd missed, if you can't physically turn the valve (90 degrees clockwise I think), theres something other than low temp at play. I think that if its just cold, you can turn it but the button won't stay in. Maybe if there is no pipe on the outlet, something has got up there to block it? If access is ok, maybe take it out to check?

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[Lenny HB]

Should be able to turn it either way even when cold, like you say button won't stay in.

Just to make you feel good they are around £120.

 

[stevewagner]

Have tried pushing the button in on the side first?

 

[Bolti]

Interesting that you should mention this - the water gushes out from the underside of the van - no pipes involved whatsoever. We only found this when we drained the van down before Christmas and haven’t got around to getting it looked at. We only bought the motorhome in November and are still getting to grips with the whole thing.

Mine comes out of the bottom of the van like that, no sign of a pipe.

 

[lorger]

Where are you in Galloway, I’m in Dumfries so if you’re close by I can have a wee look at it for you just incase you’re missing something obvious

 

[lorger]

You say it only happens when you’re pump is on, I thought the dump valve would dump water without the pump being on are you sure you haven’t got a burst or lose pipe.

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[Widge]

You say it only happens when you’re pump is on, I thought the dump valve would dump water without the pump being on are you sure you haven’t got a burst or lose pipe.

Depends on where the water tank is, the dump valve should only dump the contents of the water heater, so if you turn the pump on more water will come out, but in some cases it might cause a siphon and contunue to empty the water out if your tank as well, even without the pump running.

 

[Ian_H]

Depends on where the water tank is, the dump valve should only dump the contents of the water heater, so if you turn the pump on more water will come out, but in some cases it might cause a siphon and contunue to empty the water out if your tank as well, even without the pump running.

Yep our Globecar Shine siphons the tank empty when the truma drain opens

 

[Lenny HB]

Yep our Globecar Shine siphons the tank empty when the truma drain opens

It happens when the tank is higher than the valve.
Our tank is lower than the valve so it just drains the boiler unless the pump is running.

 

[Lenny HB]

Mine comes out of the bottom of the van like that, no sign of a pipe.

Without a short pipe going through the floor it will wreck your van.

 

[Bolti]

Without a short pipe going through the floor it will wreck your van.

I think they are just very short pipes

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[Lenny HB]

I think they are just very short pipes

Should flow straight out the pipe then, not like in that video where it looks like it's running out through various joints in the floor.

 

[Bolti]

Should flow straight out the pipe then, not like in that video where it looks like it's running out through various joints in the floor.

I'll get me head under and look, will report back.

 

[Brains]

Get a couple of hot water bottles, and pack around the valve.

We keep two hot water bottles on board for exactly this reason.

 

[MisterB]

Should flow straight out the pipe then, not like in that video where it looks like it's running out through various joints in the floor.

if you look closer, at about 60% of the way through the video, i think you can briefly see a round pipe exiting the floor and the waterfall effect is being caused by the water from that pipe dropping onto the vehicle skirt, making it look worse that it is .....

 

[Gingernuts]

Go and buy a baby hot water bottle and sit it on top of the valve! The temps in Scotland are too low for a reset without!
Alex fae Perth

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