Help! Where is the drain valve? Autotrail Miami (1 Viewer)

Mags52

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Jun 2, 2010
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Today is the "Mags asks loads of questions day."
Just been out to the van to warm it up ready for a mid week trip and found that as soon as I put the water pump on water is pouring out underneath.
It's been in the dealer's workshop for a month. As this is our first winter with it I haven't found the water dump valve and I searched everywhere this morning with no luck.
It's an Autotrail Miami with a Truma blown air heater under the bed. No flip up dump valves and I can't see a black electronic one either.
Hope someone out there knows where it is.
Mags
 
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Mags52

Mags52

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What year is it? There's a Miami brochure dated 2006 on the Auto-Trail website so perhaps it's this. If so then there's a general Auto-Trail 2006 manual here - http://www.auto-trail.co.uk//media/downloads/handbooks/2006 handbook.pdf
I've checked our handbook and it simply says to find the valve and check it is closed. The handbook online that you've kindly found seems as vague as the one in the van. The handbooks seem to be generic.
It's a 2007 van and they were only made for two years.
Frustrating ...

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tonka

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It will be at floor level somewhere.. Look in cupboards etc..
Looks like this..

Leak.JPG

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Terry

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Hi Mags cannot see it in the pics but it will be there somewhere :D Do you have a double floor ?? it will be directly above where the water is coming out ;)
terry
 
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Mags52

Mags52

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Has it got a temperature dump valve ...? How cold is it there...

It was cold while it was in the dealers so if it has a temperature dump valve it might have gone on/off then. It's 5c here now. If it has a temperature dump valve I don't know where that is either or how to reverse it.
 

GJH

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The water heater in our Burstner is under the bed and has both the (red) automatic dump valve and (yellow) manual dump valve which are accessible by lifting up the bed. Joy (@movan) has a newer van with a similar layout but I'm pretty sure I remember her saying that the dump valve is actually accessed through the under bed locker, where there is a hole in the internal wall between the locker and the boiler location. Perhaps you have a similar set-up?

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May 31, 2015
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I pinched this from another site...:Eeek:

According to Truma's Operating Instructions, if a Trumatic C-Series heater is not switched on then its electrical safety/drain valve will open if the air-temperature at the valve's location falls below 4C. To permit the valve to be closed, either the air-temperature at the valve must be above 8C, or the heater needs to be switched on. As the valve is held shut by an electrical coil, if the leisure battery's charge is allowed to drop too low this can also cause the valve to open. (I don't think this is mentioned in the Instructions). Like Mr Grumpy, many motorcaravanners (including me) choose to jam the valve in the closed position to avoid the thing opening spontaneously.

When the safety/drain valve opens, whether just the heater's water contents are emptied, or the contents of the heater AND the motorhome's fresh-water tank, will depend on the particular water system involved. If a system uses a submerged water pump (I believe this is generally the case with Hymer), there's every chance the fresh-water tank will be drained via syphonic action. If a system employs a pressure-sensitive water pump, the fresh-water tank may be drained, but only if the water pump is switched on at the vehicle's control-panel. With a mongrel system like my Hobby's (pressure-sensitive pump/tap micro-switches), even if the control-panel's water-pump switch is in the ON position, only the heater will drain.

If an electrical safety/drain valve continues to let water through after the actuating button has been pulled upwards to the fully closed position, then there's something amiss with the valve. As Brian advises, the valve's actuating button will move downwards to the OPEN position if low temperature (or low battery charge) triggers it, or if it is deliberately pushed down.

The design of Trumatic C-Series heaters has been relatively unchanged for some 10 years and the electrical safety/drain valve's design has also remained static. Because C-Series appliances combine air and water heating, they have come to be known by the (unofficial) name "Combi". However, in 2007, Truma has introduced a replacement for the ageing C-Series.

The new range of heaters is officially called "Combi" by Truma (which will inevitably lead to confusion on motorhome forums!) and its design is radically different to that of the outgoing C-Series. The Truma website (www.truma.com) has details and Photo 17 on page 149 of MMM Dec 2007 shows the latest heater fitted to a Swift Voyager. (Note how Swift has carefully installed the appliance so that anything large and heavy - like a folding bike - stored beneath the bed has maximum opportunity to smash into the heater's unprotected end. Good thinking, guys!) The design of the safety/drain valve is also revised and its operation is no longer electrical. I have only seen photos of the new valve and haven't got Operating Instructions for it, so I can't comment on how it functions.

As far as filling a Trumatic C's boiler with water and venting air from the water system are concerned, I follow this routine:

1. Ensure all water drain valves are closed.
2. Fill fresh-water tank.
3. Make sure all taps are closed.
4. Place shower hand-set in deep bucket.
5. Open shower hot tap fully and switch on water-pump.
6. When water emerges smoothly from shower hand-set the boiler will be full.
7. Close shower hot tap and vent air from the other taps one by one, using bucket to avoid water splashing.
 

movan

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Hi Mags, @GJH is correct about access under the bed, but to sort the valves out I have to access it via the outside storage locker. On mine, when I open the locker door, then on the right hand wall * which is between the locker and the heater, there are two round white plastic 'things which look like large sink plugs' ... Pull these off the wall. There is enough room to put your hand in to turn the switch which opens the valve to release the boiler water ... on the other is a pullup pushdown button... This goes down automaticall when the temperature drops and the water empties... and so if you are away and the temperature is low, pull the button up before filling the tank and place a peg underneath it so it cannot drop down.
 
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I found the valve! It was tucked under a heating tube in a really awkward place. Thanks all for your helpful suggestions.
Mags
It's very unlike a motorhome manufacturer to put something in an awkward position:whistle:.
 

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