Fitting a new element in truma boiler? (1 Viewer)

[Dai Motorhome]

Has anyone fitted a new element in a Truma combi boiler? Wondered whether it is a doable DIY task?
Cheers
David

 

[sdc77]

I haven't personally but I have watched the entire process and the boiler needs to be drained and removed.. Top taken off and the existing elements can be slid out. Care has to be taken that they come out evenly and likewise when replaced they have to go in evenly. There are two lengths of element cable.

 

[bashfop]

Myself and a maintenance colleague did our boiler last year. It took a good 4 hours as not only does the boiler need to be taken out from under the bed but both ends need to be dismantled to access the elements. One element came out fairly easily but the second was stuck, we had to use the persuader to remove it, turned out it had partially fused itself to the channel it sits in.

In hindsight we had spent the last 4 years with only one element working as we now have a much quicker response to demands for heat and hot water. Worth the effort in the end.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[maz]

It took Clwyd Caravans (who I can now highly recommend :thumb only about 5 mins to confirm my diagnosis of a failed element.

To replace the elements the boiler had to be removed from van. Apparently the elements were a bit of a pain to get out - one had split and one was warped. Once they were out the replacement was straightforward. Took them around 2.5 hours but that included replacing the water pump at the same time.

 

[Snowbird]

I must have a different Truma boiler than the rest of you. The mains side of the thing did not work when I bought the van even though the gas side was fine. It took about 10 minutes to change the element, but I must say, the replacement was not cheap. All I did was turn the pump off and drain the boiler down and unscrew the element with the boiler in situ.

 

[maz]

I must have a different Truma boiler than the rest of you.

Probably.

OP's other thread re Truma settings shows pics of the control panel which looks like that of the Combi 4e/6e. I suspect they get more complicated with each version ......

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[pappajohn]

I must have a different Truma boiler than the rest of you. The mains side of the thing did not work when I bought the van even though the gas side was fine. It took about 10 minutes to change the element, but I must say, the replacement was not cheap. All I did was turn the pump off and drain the boiler down and unscrew the element with the boiler in situ.

same as the last one i had a look at.

short length immersion element in the side of the boiler

 

[Dai Motorhome]

This is looking to be more of a job than I can confidently tackle !
Looks like a trip to my nearest Truma service provider. Many thanks for all the advice- it's much appreciated!
Cheers
David

 

[Snowbird]

same as the last one i had a look at.

short length immersion element in the side of the boiler

Thats the one John. Progress is not always a good thing .

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[dave newell]

There is some confusion here. The Ultrastore is the unit most commonly referred to as a "boiler" as its sole purpose is to heat water. The OPs unit is a Combi which is totally different as it does water and space heating. In the middle would be the older "C series" combined space and water heaters. Electric element replacement on an Ultrastore is a generally simple task, a C series or Combi is much more involved.

D.

 

[g8ysn]

boiler

did mine myself allow about 5/6 hours & multiple cups of t,main thing is dont be frightened to attempt it,un-cupple push on clips [water] disconect elec[mark] unscrew from base [lift out] take covers off check elements [take nuts of prise out and refit new ones, about £80 a element, guy charged me £130 to look at it,quoted £250 just 2 take it out approx £600 did it mysrlf for£150:thumb::thumb:

 

[dave newell]

did mine myself allow about 5/6 hours & multiple cups of t,main thing is dont be frightened to attempt it,un-cupple push on clips [water] disconect elec[mark] unscrew from base [lift out] take covers off check elements [take nuts of prise out and refit new ones, about £80 a element, guy charged me £130 to look at it,quoted £250 just 2 take it out approx £600 did it mysrlf for£150:thumb::thumb:

What about disconnecting and reconnecting the gas supply to the heater?

D.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Techno]

It would be useful if the OP states what unit we are talking about? as Dave has pointed out what is involved will be considerable different depending on this.

As can be seen here with my 6002 the whole cabinetry has to be dismantled just to see it. A 6002EH would need it completely removing to do the work. Man hour intensive

Broken Link Removed

 

[Dai Motorhome]

Took the motorhome into Highbridge Caravan is yesterday. They confirmed it was the element which has failed. Also told me it could take up to 4 hours to replace. Not looking forward to the bill!

 

[Wildge]

Took the motorhome into Highbridge Caravan is yesterday. They confirmed it was the element which has failed. Also told me it could take up to 4 hours to replace. Not looking forward to the bill!

:thumb: Please keep us updated on this. We have a 2007 Swift and have never found the heating to be particularly brill. on electric...........
but on gas magic.

In hindsight we had spent the last 4 years with only one element working as we now have a much quicker response to demands for heat and hot water. Worth the effort in the end.

Perhaps we have had the same problem. :Sad:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[maz]

We have a 2007 Swift and have never found the heating to be particularly brill. on electric...........
but on gas magic.

If it's a Combi 4E/6E that you have, then the electric element is rated at a maximum 1.8kW. This compares with a maximum on gas of 4kW for the Combi 4E and 6kW for the Combi 6E. So there is a noticeable difference in the heat outputs from the two different sources.

The position of the boiler and layout of the hot air ducts can have quite an effect on the overall warmth provided by the heating, and this is most noticeable when on electric. If you have a centrally-located boiler and therefore pretty much equidistant duct runs, heating on electric alone will generally keep you nice and cosy (in a well-insulated van, anyway). If the boiler is located at the rear of the van, you may well find that on electric there is very little heat left to crawl out of the front vents because of the lengthy duct run. This drop is not as noticeable on gas as there is greater heat output to start with.

So, depending on your van layout, it may not be a failed element but more a feature of the duct runs. Hope this helps.

 

[Dai Motorhome]

Well the Burstner is back from the doctors! BOTH elements had blown!!
The bill was substantial: four hours labour plus elements- but I thought that Highbridge caravans were fair. They kept the elements to show me, and I could see it took all of the four hours!!
Still at least it's fixed and I can now consume vast quantities of electricity whilst on site!!!
Thanks again for all the help.
Dai

 

[Honestcon]

We have one of these combis. When I switch it on, it runs for about a minute before an ominous "CLICK" and then the red light comes on. Would you say this is something other than the element?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[MR. FUSION]

When mine leaked out of the element housing Truma replaced the whole thing under warranty, obviously a bit of a fiddly repair for Dyce Caravans to do! Mind you I had to take it back after the hab check and I told them it was leaking and their diagnosis was the shower was leaking. I explained Water does not flow uphill (boiler higher than the shower and leaking onto the boiler shelf) .....and they still managed to misalign the reinstallation!

 

[RandallC]

Changed the elements in a 6e a few weeks ago.

Biggest task was stripping out the wardrobe base and bed access steps to get the unit out.

Fairly straight forward, remember to take photos of the connections etc so you don't make any mistakes ditto you can see how it supposed to be.

Had issues when refitted, the RJ11 connector for the remote control was loose. Now works now it doesn't. Cutt off and replaced now ok.

As mentioned by others had to persuade the old elements to come out but refitting easy enough.

Quite shocked by the fluff etc in the circulation fans.

Elements not cheap but available from Johns Cross (Funster discount)

 

[Allanm]

We had our Combi 4e repaired a couple of months ago. Both mains elements were damaged, turning the thing on mains blew every trip it was connected to.
The dealer charged us for 5 hours labour but Truma supplied the elements FOC, even though it was out of warranty. Still cost us just over £400!
It's bl**dy hot now though!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[sdc77]

We have one of these combis. When I switch it on, it runs for about a minute before an ominous "CLICK" and then the red light comes on. Would you say this is something other than the element?

Thats a gas problem. No gas or gas not igniting for one reason or another.

 

[Jaws]

I replaced the gas only Carver unit in our old Hobby with an all singing and dancing Truma ..

I had no problems to speak of but am not too bad on the spanners.
Without knowing your skill set or level it is hard to say if you can / should do it

If you are an averagely decent DIY person then yes.. go for it

 

[Honestcon]

Thats a gas problem. No gas or gas not igniting for one reason or another.

Many thnks for the reply. I'll get on to it right away. Might get it going for the weekend!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[MitchandJenny]

Thats a gas problem. No gas or gas not igniting for one reason or another.

Have you taken the outside gas cover off ????

 

[RandallC]

Well,

Looks like an element has failed again, Just got around to checking after a trip to Llantwit Major. Came back to the van late one evening to find Water heater fault flashing, ELCB in the van tripped and the supply MCB tripped.

All reset ok and had hot water.

But given previous experience checked current drawn when water/heater elements selected to 1 or 2. currents don't tie up with the element watt ratings, therefore assume one has failed. Will need to check contact between element and heat distribution fins.

Obviously need to get the thing out and elements disconnected to confirm. However thought I'd see who had the best price to offer.

Was somewhat (said a few other words) shocked to find search engine hits coming back with prices around £300 just for the (so called kit) 2 elements. Last lot bought in 2012 were about £120.

There a simple u shaped element???? (Johns Cross who supplied the last ones quoted £340 all but a penny) (excluding Funsters discount)

Anyone know where they can be had at a more reasonable price?

 

[maz]

Well,

Looks like an element has failed again, Just got around to checking after a trip to Llantwit Major. Came back to the van late one evening to find Water heater fault flashing, ELCB in the van tripped and the supply MCB tripped.

All reset ok and had hot water.

But given previous experience checked current drawn when water/heater elements selected to 1 or 2. currents don't tie up with the element watt ratings, therefore assume one has failed. Will need to check contact between element and heat distribution fins.

Obviously need to get the thing out and elements disconnected to confirm. However thought I'd see who had the best price to offer.

Was somewhat (said a few other words) shocked to find search engine hits coming back with prices around £300 just for the (so called kit) 2 elements. Last lot bought in 2012 were about £120.

There a simple u shaped element???? (Johns Cross who supplied the last ones quoted £340 all but a penny) (excluding Funsters discount)

Anyone know where they can be had at a more reasonable price?

Wilmond (see link below) list them at £99 a pair but are currently out of stock. Might be worth giving them a ring to see if stock is due in.



Other than that I know a mobile engineer in the Peterborough area who supplies and fits them for a very reasonable price - but he's a long way from Devizes. Might be worth a trip to Ferry Meadows CC site tho' if you can't find them elsewhere.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Cavs]

I got mine from Miriad Products http://www.miriad-products.com. Strictly speaking, they're a trade supplier but since I was directed to them by Truma they allowed me to order, and delivered the bits swiftly. If you go to the bottom of their web page there is 'find a dealer' link.

In 2013 I was charged £103 and in 2015 the same elements were £109. They were also done in 2011, under warranty, so they seem rather unreliable.

(In 2013 I got quite good at removing and replacing the boiler, talking to Truma technical support and running the thing on the bench before I discovered my meter was duff. )

 

[RandallC]

Maz & Cavs,

Many thanks for the info will follow up tomorrow as recovering from an 07:00 (local time) flight from Krakow. Was ok earlier but beginning to flag now.

cheers will advise outcome

 

[RandallC]

Further hair loss!

Makes me boil!

Contacted Wilmond (as suggested by Maz) who advised that the element are no longer available as part number 34020-61100 circa £120 BUT are now supplied as a KIT (elements, couple of 3mm ish nuts and a few rubber seals) part number 34020-00228 circa £300.

several sites have them listed @ £294.12, makes me mad that this looks like another case of enforced retail price fixing. There are more than a few companies out there who will not allow dealer & retail outlets to sell below their RRP.

Is this legal, certainly not moral.

Bahhhhh

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}