Truma heater problem

Jan 22, 2018
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Ok here goes, we picked the van up a few weeks ago and had it outside the house hooked up to the mains for a little while before the first outing, as I was told it hadn't been used for a month or two I left the van on what I though to be a low setting on the thermostat but on the higher amperage choice of the 3 (but couldn't swear to it as I was guessing at what the buttons and dials did :blush: anyway came to it the morning after and it was roasting inside and I don't mean toasty and lovely but sauna hot! There was lots of clicking/ticking going on too from what I imagine were the relays but at the time I thought were the noises you get from things that are cooling down from being very hot if you catch my drift.
When we pitched up at our weekend spot I was confident we'd have a van that could be as warm as you could ever want if the need arose but no matter the settings it was only just about warm enough to take the edge off the chill. I had read by this time about the 3 settings for the different hook up outputs and had the blower on auto and yet it never got what you would class as being comfortably warm. Warm air came from all the vents consistently and still does but not with any real temperature and virtually nothing from the fire itself ( happily hold your hand on any part of the fire without a bother) needed an additional portable heater this weekend to make it comfortable.
I have read a lot of posts on here with similar but seeming not the same issues and noted a lot of remedies and causes but if I'm honest they've just confused me a bit more, I am mechanically minded and will tackle most jobs needed but don't want t dive in and try the wrong fix!
Help from the collective knowledge of the forum would be very welcome. Sorry about the big explanation I didn't realise I'd waffled quite so much :unsure:
 
May 7, 2012
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I am not sure which model Truma you have but guess it is the type using dials. I would look on the Truma website as they have downloads for the manuals there which should allow you to see if you are doing anything wrong. You will need to check the exact model though off the unit to get the right one.
You might also find a back issue of the Bailey manual on their website with some instructions, the manuals cover all Bailey models and you simply need the one for that year.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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I suspect one of the thermostats as tripped. If you look st a thread within the last four weeks you will find some useful information on thermostats and operating. But as Ray says try the Truma website they are very good with support downloads. Also does your caravan documentation not include the operating maintenance manual? When on electric I never have it on auto as it runs better when set at a steady speed. I seem to recall somewhere where auto was recommended for gas operation. Also when using blown air and the fan at a set speed the main heater rarely feels very warm.
One other thing which I know sounds obvious but if you have a rotary combined power setting and room temperature switch, are you sure the inner temperature setting is set at a high enough level for comfort?
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Hello Kev

We really have not very much to go on here. We don't know what model of appliance you have, how old it is (did you buy it new or secondhand). So any specific advice at this stage is a bit of along shot.

Clearly you have a model with and electric element, but the age of the heater may change some of the fundamental components and operation of the system.

I strongly suggest you read and understand the operation instructions before you start to consider if anything is wrong with the appliance.

Again we don't know what technical abilities you have, but I must warn you that even though you have been referring to the electric side of things, the elements are connected to a gas appliance, and it is the law that only suitably approved persons undertake work on domestic gas systems, becasue of ensuring the correct function and safety of the whole system. Caravans are not strictly classed as domestic, but the work must be carried out to the required standards.

Whether you purchased brand new or second hand, you have automatic rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 for the goods to be safe and working as described, so if its not functioning correctly contact your seller.
 
Jan 22, 2018
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Hello again,
Ok so to clarify the heater is the Truma S3002 and is fitted in a 2004 pageant Vendee and I imagine the unit has been in the van from new!
On our 1st real outing I am happy to admit I wasn't fully up to speed with 'precisely' how the heater functioned but after having it parked outside the house when I 1st brought it home where it got so uncomfortably hot I knew it had the capability to produce more heat than ever needed so when on said 1st outing I couldn't get the van very warm I made sure before the 2nd trip I knew what I was doing. I followed the manual to the letter trying to garner some real heat from the system (not expecting instant heat so wasn't in a rush to change settings) and with no results to speak of I tried following the informative instructions from 'Gary' who I gather is a respected font of knowledge on this forum when it comes to truma systems, I'm sorry I don't know how to tag people on here yet or transfer quotes so I have just copied and pasted a relevant paragraph which seemed to suggest blower on auto was a good way to get the most out the system on EHU. -

Setting the fan on manual speed means the fan runs at this speed regardless of the amount of heat being produced, I would suggest manual fan is only for use without heat for cooling in summer, if infact it has a use?!

"Setting the fan to 'A'utomatic allows the heat produced to control the fan speed 'up' to the speed set on the dial, you can then, keep this set maximum low and therefore quiet over night perhaps

Automatic means the fan will run slowly initially and speed up as the air passing through gets warmer, doing it this way allows heat and fan to be switched on together and doing away with waiting xx minutes as often suggested.

I would suggest as a start and during the day, the wattage selected is as high as the hook up allows and then fan speed set to maximum on Automatic.

This provides the maximum heat if required and the fans speed will respond to change in temperature, ie, fast when heat cycle is on and slow when heat is off.

After that you can fine tune to suit your own needs"

After trying this and multiple variations using the rotary combined power setting and room temperature switch and failing to get decent warmth in the van i am sure sorting is amiss!
I will read up about resetting the the thermostats thanks otherclive.

Thanks.
Kev.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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You have obviously been reading my help sheet so this does sound odd, but I wonder what you have exactly coming from the vents? so forget the vents for the moment and try this crude but simple test.
From cold and no fan, switch heater to 500w and No9 max on the temperature dial, then give it 5 minutes or so for the elements to heat up.
Without fan, all the heat will now be coming from the fire front grill, so make a judgement of how hot it is, then switch to 1000w and again wait 5 minutes, by now the heat should have doubled so quite reasonably hot?
Finally repeating at 2000W, the heat should now be very hot and probably quite stifling at the grill?
As you mention it's 2004, if indeed the control board is original then it's done nothing in it's life or it's done well to have lasted if used. With that in mind, relays clatter is a common symptom of age, as is a lack of heat due to high resistance through burnt out contact in the relays, this inturn reduces current too therefore heat given off by elements

There are, as mentioned, a pair of stats that commonly cause trouble but they are on or off, heat or no heat, one though is 125C auto reset so it cools and resets without attention, second is a 175C 'self hold' off, so when this one trip, it means you need to switch mains supply to heater off so it can then cool internally before it can reset itself. However, they do tend to cause problems from tripping at random rather than at the set temperatures.
(If you also have the Truma UltraStor water heater, then useful to note it's electric element uses the same type overtemp stat so same procedure to reset)
 
Jan 22, 2018
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Hi Gary,
We're away again next weekend so will try the no fan test then which hopefully will narrow it down a little (for you :) ).
Last weekend it was a little above freezing overnight and in the mornings and the air from the vents made the van almost comfortable but not quite, it would have been big jumper time if not for the little heater we'd taken along! So there is heated air blowing out just nowhere near that first night leaving it running outside the house.
Thanks for your assistance Gary.
 
Jan 20, 2018
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sorry to jump in.but would it have been anything to do with the sites amps.As if at home it was getting 240v and 13 amps.if on a low amps site maybe it was not working to its full capacity? maybe not quite enough to get the element upto full capacity? Bit like our van has a amp control.so as if the heating it on 3kw and turn on say a kettle this will drop the heating until the ketle shuts off then puts full power (or selected power) back to the heating.this is to partially eliminate triping the site post.
Just guess and a thought.but maybe 2000w /240 =8amp.so should really be enough.and if he had a fanheater on too would trip the post?
 
Jan 22, 2018
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No jump in please, always happy to take advice.
The first site was an advertised 6 amps and I lost count of the times I scurried out to the post after tripping it before I got the hang of what could be used together with what. I didn't know what the three amperage selectors did then so what you say sounds likely for that outing but the second trip I was armed with the instructions from one of Gary's posts I had set the wheel to the '1000' setting as we were on a 10amp site (claimed) I have no idea about amp control but again that sounds plausible for our lack of usable heat.
I'm hoping to bring the van home from the storage site to wash it before next weekend so will plug it in straight away and see what happens.
 
Jan 20, 2018
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Carbonkev1 said:
No jump in please, always happy to take advice.
The first site was an advertised 6 amps and I lost count of the times I scurried out to the post after tripping it before I got the hang of what could be used together with what. I didn't know what the three amperage selectors did then so what you say sounds likely for that outing but the second trip I was armed with the instructions from one of Gary's posts I had set the wheel to the '1000' setting as we were on a 10amp site (claimed) I have no idea about amp control but again that sounds plausible for our lack of usable heat.
I'm hoping to bring the van home from the storage site to wash it before next weekend so will plug it in straight away and see what happens.
well i didnt want to give any body the wrong idea.so was only sugestion.If you wheree tripping the post quite often this Could(not alway) point to a heater turned up to the 2kw and as said will draw 8amps aprox, on a 6amp site will trip the post..
With regards the amp control(i had forgot the name at the time) ours is a alde system and has a LOAD monitor that can be set to the sites available amps...this dectects a high load and subsequently drops the power to the heating(only the heating,but nothing else)Its designed ,if we are on a 13amp site and the heater is on 3kw and we put on the kettle of 1500watt.then it will tempararily lower the load off the heating to just 1kw.then it wont trip the post.i Dont know if this the case with a truma system,maybe gary will know more? Not to confuse it too much but i have heard that truma do this with some air con units too.
Hopefully it may shed some light?
what i am trying to say is that if it has a load monitor and you switched a fan heater on it would take away the load from the heater/fire element. We found this out as the wife wanted to heat up the van quickly when on a site 1 day and of course the heating in ours ,is a wet heating so the radiators didnt get hot. as the power was given to the portable fan heater(low amps really) ;)
 
Jan 22, 2018
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I don't doubt I was turning dials and switches like there was no tomorrow on that first outing :blush:
I haven't read anything about an amp control in my van but that's not to say there isn't one there, no reference in my possibly generic owners manual. I will investigate.
 
Apr 19, 2017
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Carbonkev1,
I have been following your problem with interest, but have only just got onto a keyboard where I can type a proper reply!

From your initial description it seems that initially your heater was working at full power and the thermostat was trying to turn it off (you mention the relays clicking) unsuccessfully. You then turned it off. When you next tried the heater, it was working, but only on low power (probably 500W). This suggests to me that you have the classic (and very common) problem that one or more of the relays on the control circuit board have failed. (A common failure mode is that the relay contacts 'weld' closed in the energized position, but the relay stills clicks as if it is operating).

The heater has two electric elements, each 1kW. On 1kW one element is used; on 2kW both; and on 500W the two elements are put in series. (The circuitry to do this with 3 relays is weird, IMHO).

The circuit board is usually fairly easily accessible and can be easily removed after carefully noting all the connections. The relays are standard commercial items and cost about £1.50 each. If you are competent at soldering they are easy to replace. Alternatively, several suppliers offer refurbished circuit boards with new relays fitted (including Gary, I think !).. Truma will of course also sell you a new board for £££.
 
Jan 22, 2018
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Hi Vic.
Thanks very much for your input, your take on my description is bang on, much simpler than my long winded effort :)
I'm probably not going to get to the van until the middle of next week to try Gary's sequence of checks but if what you describe is a common problem and a very cheap and easy fix even if it turns out not to be at fault I may just go ahead and pop new relays in then I know at least they shouldn't be a near future issue,
Cheers Vic.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Carbonkev1 said:
Hi.
Would someone please point me in the direction of where best to get the two limit stats?
Thanks.

There's several places on ebay. This is only one of them,,,,https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Truma-Ultraheat-Temperature-Control-AND-Limiter-Pack-30030-65100-30030-65200/232627764761?epid=1950735645&hash=item3629b1fe19:g:F24AAOSwFLBaV-sS

This is an example of profiteering - bigtime! These things were about £6 each a couple of years ago.

Seems as tho I can't link to ebay. Look for item number 232627764761
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Carbonkev1 said:
Thanks Jaydug, at least now I know that they're available but wow that's quite a big diff from the fiver price tag that's been bandied about :-/

Yes - maybe on this forum; maybe another - Gary remarked that Truma parts prices had risen sharply recently. But what part isn't ridiculously expensive if it's for a caravan.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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couple of things regards relays, first, I don't believe one or other of the relays is welded shut, otherwise shortage of heat would not be the issue. Albeit one may have become stuck temporarily originally and the contacts now very high resistance, so the test I suggest is to try and determine this?
Second although the original relays are indeed run of the mill, that's why they fail!, replacements from Maplins for instance have been known to fail in a month or two!! Also since 2006-7, the pcb is doubled sided and getting old ones out without damage to pcb is far from easy!
I then fit upgraded relays made to my spec and designed to do this job, these don't fail. Plus of course you get one of my remote room thermostats.
As for the Limit stats, general retail seems to be a little under £20 each since Truma's 'Brexit' price rises :eek:hmy:
 
Jan 22, 2018
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Hi Gary, thanks for your post, I fully intend to give your test sequence a crack and thought that what ever the outcome I would just change every thing if I had gone to the trouble of taking the unit out but with these parts being more pricey than 1st thought that might not be the case :-/
Tell me Gary what do you charge for your kit?
Thanks.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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you can as the question Kev but I never reply direct on forums, as then I'm away until Feb 12th, best email me on info@arcsystems.biz
 

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