Trumatic S 3002

[Themisto-Adrastea]

Hi all, this is my first post here. I just recently bought a Bailey Pageant Moselle 2001 model as my first van. Very happy with it as it is spotless and came with all the gear. It's been extremely well looked after.

I've parked it on my drive while I figure everything out, and today I managed to figure out the heater. The igniter needed a new battery, but with that done it sparked up first time. Trouble is, the flame looks a bit orange. It's mainly blue/green, but there is a fair bit of orange dancing about the little observation window.

Is this a cause for concern? I don't have a CO monitor yet (that's top of the list before we take it away).
Thanks in advance!

 

[Parksy]

Hi T-A, welcome to the forum and congratulations on buying your first caravan.
An orange flame could be caused by a build up of dust or debris but to be on the safe side I'd recommend having the heater, the cooker and the boiler checked by an approved service engineer, a mobile engineer will be less expensive than a workshop.

 

[Damian]

If the van has been unused over the winter period there will be some dust or spiders web or mild rust on the fire burner, it should clear after a short time(about 30 minutes) on full heat and leave a blue flame except on the pilot burner where the flame recognition probe impinges the flame.
The exhaust flue is room sealed so any excess CO should exit at the van roof level, and not into the van.
If the yellow flame does not clear as above, then it is sensible to get it serviced.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi all, this is my first post here. I just recently bought a Bailey Pageant Moselle 2001 model as my first van. Very happy with it as it is spotless and came with all the gear. It's been extremely well looked after.

I've parked it on my drive while I figure everything out, and today I managed to figure out the heater. The igniter needed a new battery, but with that done it sparked up first time. Trouble is, the flame looks a bit orange. It's mainly blue/green, but there is a fair bit of orange dancing about the little observation window.

Is this a cause for concern? I don't have a CO monitor yet (that's top of the list before we take it away).
Thanks in advance!

If you purchased the caravan from a dealer, then you should ask them to confirm the appliances are working correctly. If you purchased from a private seller, then especially considering the age of the caravan, arrange to have all the gas appliances serviced and checked by a professional.

Fitting a CO monitor is a very good idea, (They are standard on modern vans) However the Truma S3002 along with the water heater and the fridge are all use a 'room sealed' combustion system. This keeps all gas and products of combustion in an tract which is isolated from the living space, so even if they were producing CO it should never affect the occupants.

Unfortunately the cooker and oven do vent into the living space so the CO monitor is a very important bit of kit.

Now considering your description of the S3002's flame as having orange tip. This can happen when the flame touches the ignition electrode. generally this is not a problem, but as I cannot see the flame it might be more than that. So it really should be checked out by a professional.

 

[Themisto-Adrastea]

Thanks for the replies. We are planning to get someone out to look at a couple of minor issues (one blind not retracting, etc.), so I'll mention it then. Otherwise, that's all good advice.
Appreciate it.

 

[Themisto-Adrastea]

Well, it's been running on and off for over an hour now and as many of you said, there is now no trace of any orange flames.
Still plan on getting someone in to look at it, but I've just noticed that for some reason the igniter won't stop ticking. The other day it stopped sparking about 2-3 minutes after it lit, but now it just keeps ticking. It's barely perceptible inside the van, but I just came outside and it's quite obvious.
Is this normal? Surely not?

 

[Sproket]

Check that the ignitor knob is not sticking down. It does not need much freeplay to operate and will continue to click if only slightly depressed. hmy:

 

[ProfJohnL]

The Truma battery operated ignitor has a flame sensing circuit in it, so if the flame were to blow out (a rare occurrence) the igniter (or more technically the re-ignitor) will strike up and may be able to re-establish the flame before the Flame failure device operates and cuts the gas supply.

The ignitor is controlled by a microswitch which is located on top of the gas valve, and it has two wires (brown and Black from memory) that run to the ignitor block. One of the wires should be trapped under a saddle clamp to make the necessary earth connection for the ignitor to sense the flame.

We often found that well meaning DIYers or untrained fitters though the wire had been trapped accidentally and they released it. and as a result the ignitor would just keep ticking if the heater was turned on. Where heaters were found with the wire unclamped, we were always careful to check the whole appliance for other non conforming repairs or tampering.

On a few occasions the ignitor block had developed a fault and needed to be replaced, which is a simple enough job and does not affect the gas system.

If you find the wire un-clamped, I advise having the heater properly checked by an approved dealer.

 

[gary]

Oh dear John your showing your age now?!
Truma have long since tidied up this earth and is now an earth strap attached direct to the microswitch

 

[Themisto-Adrastea]

...the wire had been trapped accidentally and they released it. and as a result the ignitor would just keep ticking if the heater was turned on...

You may be on to something here John. I had the front off after downloading the manual. I vacuumed it all out and tidied things up. I don't remember doing it, but if a wire looked trapped, I probably would have freed it. However, I did all this before lighting it up for the first time, and it did definitely stop ticking the first time.
Gary - This is a 2001 model. When did Truma introduce the earth strap?

 

[ProfJohnL]

Gary, Shhhhhh, You'll have everyone guessing how old I am, and when I retired from gas appliance work.

Actually the last time I serviced a 3002 was in Dec 1999. But it seems my comments may be relevant to this topic.

 

[Themisto-Adrastea]

Just to follow up - I fired up the heater last night, and the igniter stopped ticking almost immediately.
Weird. I will keep an eye on it.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Just like London busses, wait for years then two come along together. Yesterday a friend was having a problem with a Carver 3000Auto, It would not stop sparking and then it wouldn't spark at all. He had untrapped the brown wire, which removed the earth for flame detection, and then he had disturbed the ignitor block which had dislodged the battery carrier slightly. Despite pushing the battery carrier back in it would not spark. I had a quick look and straight way saw the loose brown cable. We removed the ignitor and on closer inspection found that despite having newish batteries it still didn't work. The wire contacts in the ignitor block were corroded. A quick rub with the end of a brass key cleaned them up enough, and all was fine.

It reminded me of a useful tip:-

If you get a battery terminal that's got that white deposit all over it, hold the offending part over a piece of kitchen towel or some other cloth and a quick spray of white vinegar will actually dissolve the deposit and it can be wiped away. Avoid spraying vinegar where it might get onto circuit boards and always clean the area afterward s with a damped cloth. A light touch of contact cleaner and lubricant afterwards can help to preserve the area.