Truma ultraflow waterline
- Thread starter Leemallin
- Start date
There is a persistent risk with using any of the mains water hoses that connect directly to the caravan,:- They all have a water pressure reducer to limit the pressure fed to the caravan to about 1.5Bar max. . Most of these function very well, but a few ( and not just the Truma model) have failed and allowed much greater water pressure ( tap pressures can easily reach 6 Bar) through to the caravan, blowing pipe joints and other fittings or possibly damaging appliances and flooding caravans
There have been some reports of the water flow through the hose lines is poor compared to a submersible pump. This could be due to the pressure reducer also restricting flow.
There is another reason why teh flow might be adversely affected, and it's not really the fault of teh water line, but some caravan sites don't have high capacity water taps. Their supply pipes may be small bore, or it could be at high demand times several taps up stream of teh one your connected to may be taking the water giving you a reduced pressure or variable flow rates in t your caravan.
I personally favour the hose a float valve in an water barrel solution. If the hose or valve does fail does fail you wont get damaged pipework or appliances or a flooded caravan, and the barrel means you wont suffer variable pressure or flows from the site tap.
There have been some reports of the water flow through the hose lines is poor compared to a submersible pump. This could be due to the pressure reducer also restricting flow.
There is another reason why teh flow might be adversely affected, and it's not really the fault of teh water line, but some caravan sites don't have high capacity water taps. Their supply pipes may be small bore, or it could be at high demand times several taps up stream of teh one your connected to may be taking the water giving you a reduced pressure or variable flow rates in t your caravan.
I personally favour the hose a float valve in an water barrel solution. If the hose or valve does fail does fail you wont get damaged pipework or appliances or a flooded caravan, and the barrel means you wont suffer variable pressure or flows from the site tap.
However with either system if there is a failure in the pipework in the caravan, the result will be the same. We have being using direct mains for the past couple of years and it is less hassle than the float system.
Using either system would be up to the individual as neither is safer than the other.
That is not true.... neither is safer than the other.
It's a question of potential risk.
Provide everything is working correctly then there is no problem, but risk is if the pressure reducer in the hose pipe fails ( as a few have done) the mains water pressure WILL damage pipe work or appliances and cause a flood.
By comparison if a submersible pump continues to run the maximum pressure it will produce will still be under the pressure limits for the system so it wont blow fittings or flood.
Diaphragm pumps that continue to run can develop more pressure and might damage pipework and appliances. but the rate of such failures is very low indeed.
Of course anything that can damage the internal pipe work might cause a flood but the question was about the mains water connection system fittings not the internal pipework.
I've never heard of one of these failing ( but every thing can and does) and tbh if you leave your caravan as we do in the day we simply switch the tap off-we have got the Whale equivalent-aquamaster I think it is and it's superb-the pressure is a teeny bit lower than the whale pump in our onboard tank but barely different to the outdoor pump and it simply saves all the faff of the barrel, the pump the float etc-in fact if on a serviced site we haven't in the past taken it at all giving us more space. If we used the float and barrel system before having the aquamaster we switched the tap off outside anyway for exactly the same reasons.
I do understand that if the pressure valve fails it may result in a flood but touch wood so far the only flood we had in a caravan was the tap itself going and that would have resulted in the same as the pipes blowing-ie a water fountain in the bathroom-lucky we were in at the time!
At night we use it as it's far quieter than the onboard tank pump so we switch to the aquamaster.
Yes the float system works well but involves extra faff setting up -I know not much but screw in the float-make sure it's at the right angle attach said pipes with the extra join perhaps dripping. Aquamaster every day for us. Ebay is a great source of very cheap float systems though-far cheaper. We got one free with the Buc otherwise we'd still be on the float-I'm a cheapskate!!
I'd thoroughly recommend one on my experience.
I do understand that if the pressure valve fails it may result in a flood but touch wood so far the only flood we had in a caravan was the tap itself going and that would have resulted in the same as the pipes blowing-ie a water fountain in the bathroom-lucky we were in at the time!
At night we use it as it's far quieter than the onboard tank pump so we switch to the aquamaster.
Yes the float system works well but involves extra faff setting up -I know not much but screw in the float-make sure it's at the right angle attach said pipes with the extra join perhaps dripping. Aquamaster every day for us. Ebay is a great source of very cheap float systems though-far cheaper. We got one free with the Buc otherwise we'd still be on the float-I'm a cheapskate!!
I'd thoroughly recommend one on my experience.
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Failure of the pressure reducer will only cause damage if the site water pressure is high - most sites I've been to, the site pressure is lower than an external submersible pump!
I find the float-barrel system works well - you can buy the Hitchman system for about £33 or similar for about £25 or less, either being half the price of direct systems - and transferable if you change your van that has a different system.
What might be termed low site water pressure is very likely to be the "dynamic pressure" due to the flow resistances in the local pipework, effect of other town/village users etc.
Remember, there is "static water" pressure, where there are no flow biased resistances, and what the far end of the pipework then faces is exactly the same as the "head" of the water tower or utility's booster pump!
Not the tedious dribble of the tap we might observe, but something way higher.
Bear in mind the OP specifically asked for notice of any problems with these devices.
By the time I left the industry at the turn of the century, I was aware of about 10 (of different makes) of these mains water pressure regulators that had failed resulting in flood damage to caravans. Now that's very small percentage of the these systems actually sold, but the cost of in both monetary and sheer inconvenience is dramatically greater than the costs associated with the alternative pump failures.
I’ve never liked the direct mains feed system preferring the aquaroll and float system. Both can fail and clearly the amount of damage will be significant. On my float system we turn off the pump switch when going out. No worries. Ok on direct I could turn the tap off but not quite so convenient😵💫
Wow With your vast experience prof and undoubted knowledge 10 failures seems a v small number and makes me glad we have one. Bear in mind the op can read our posts and make their own minds up and I was offering a solution to the issues you posed. I didn't need your advice on how to respond to a question but am of course always interested in your pov nor did I disagree . Trying to be positive about a device that has improved our caravan experience. I'd rather the moderators moderate my post if my advice were to be incorrect .
My advice switch off the water if you're out whichever system at the tap!
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Parksy
Moderator
Jezzer B hasn't experienced a failure so he has as much right to share his experience as anybody else Prof.
Of course he has,
I was attempting to show that whilst the No's of failure I was aware of ( and of course there could be several more by now) the numbers are very small but the consequences do are much worse than a pump failure.
May I ask, of the ten or so failures attributed to the pressure control device, was each suspect valve actually examined and a failure of the valve verified?
Of the few I personally saw, there was no doubt that the hoses were passing unregulated mains pressure to the caravans, and the damage to the caravan was consistent with excess pressure and flow exceeding the water heaters pressure relief valve capacity to dump water. We learned of similar cases with involving other manufacturers products.
I presume that each manufacturer carried out relevant testing of their suspect units but I was not party to their detailed findings.
I repeat the incidence is probably very low, but the consequences are major. But it is a risk and as such is relevant to the OP's question.
Totally agree-very relevant and it's clearly an added risk, but much reduced if like us you simply switch off the tap at the mains on the bollard when you leave the caravan. Good practice anyway imo as the joins/tap very often drip and waste water.
We gave up on switching off the water tap as most times forgot anyway. We make sure that we check the pressure at the water tap and adjust it accordingly.
Seems silly to open the tap wide if the water pressure is very high. We open the tap so that the water flows into the onboard slowly so no unnecessary pressure on the regulator however we have an onboard pump. Simples!
We do the same. No point in the tap pressure being much higher than the regulator allows. Bit the same at home as we have very high pressure. Just don't turn the stop **** fully on or you get blasted.
A tap can't adjust the achieved downstream static water pressure, only a dynamic pressure, one that is unique for any set flow rate.
Pressure, be that dynamic or static, is what can over pressurise systems.
Adjusting the site supply tap's opening yields absolutely zilch over pressure protection, unless your system itself leaks adequately to dump your selected flow rate.
Adjusting the supply tap's setting brings some user advantages, but ultimately over pressurisation protection, is not one of them.
Unfortunately, the same laws in hydrostatics comes into play with any pressure regulating valve, any weep across it ultimately inflicts the same static pressure downstream as upstream, controlled only by the downstream system's ability to leak off that weeping flow.
Hence, on any fluid system, water fuel etc on significant capital value projects, we integrate some form of "relief" downstream of pressure regulators.
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Yes Jezz, if limiting the flooding potential within the van to be no more than whatever you set the site's water supply tap to feed, really does, "make you feel better" about it !
The van's structure can only absorb so much.
But it doesn't keep the pressure down, all you are doing is restricting the flow when the caravan is taking water. JTQ is exactly right.Blimey professor waterman, that sounds too complicated for me. I will continue to open the tap just a little bit which to my simple way of thinking will keep pressure to the caravan down.
Just as a means of showing you what happens is to open a mains tap just dribble, now block the outlet with your finger or thumb, and feel the pressure build up against your finger.
When its at its maximum, keep your finger on the outlet and turn the tap full on, you wont notice any change in the pressure.
Turn the tap off before you remove your finger.
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