Truma 6E suspected leak ..... help please (1 Viewer)

Jul 5, 2013
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I have a truma 6E fitted to my 2008 Adria. On a rally at the weekend I noticed my Sureflow pump was switching on momentarily every so often. I also noticed a steady drip of water coming from underneath the motorhome, which looked to be dripping through from the floor above. On looking at it today I noticed water coming out from underneath of the truma - not a lot but a steady amount seems to be coming out. And the insulation cover on the underside seems very spongy. Not sure if this is being soaked up from leak elsewhere or coming from the unit itself.

My trouble is we are going to Lincoln on Thursday! Does this sound terminal for the unit or is there something I can check or adjust relatively easily please?
 
Jan 22, 2013
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Hi have you checked the thermo valve that dumps the water when the temps drop near freezing? Sometimes they don't seat properly and you get a constant drip from the overflow pipe underneath ,
 

MikeD

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The "Thermo valve" should have a bit of pipe to take the water outside the van. It would not normally dump it onto the floor of the van.

The internal water tank is probably stainless steel so I suspect it would not have corroded through in six years. This late in the season I assume you have used it this summer at some time so it is probably also not frost damage from last winter.

So hopefully it is something simple like a loose connection (y)

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biggsy

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Recently had a similar problem. It turned out to be the water feed into the bottom of the boiler, which just needed a clockwise tweak by hand to tighten it up. For me, this cured the problem. It was a b*****r to get to, though, on our Chausson Allegro 97.
 
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peterc10
Jul 5, 2013
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IvorAntony & MikeD. Thanks but its not the frost valve, which is situated some way from the truma, and dumps the water onto the ground. I don't know if it is frost damage. I drained it all last winter. I first noticed some water on a trip in July, but we thought we had found that problem which was a loose filter on the pump. That seemed to cure it for a while, but now we are back with more water on the floor. It drains into our garage if we are pointing uphill.

Biggsy - I have checked the water feed connector and it feels dry.

Jay - you may be my saviour because I understand that a complete new boiler unit costs approaching £2,000 just to buy, let alone fit!! How old was yours when it went? Who was the warranty with - Adria or Truma please? Who did you get to repair it - the motorhome dealer or a truma specialist please? (Sorry for all the questions)

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DP+JAY

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Jay - you may be my saviour because I understand that a complete new boiler unit costs approaching £2,000 just to buy, let alone fit!! How old was yours when it went? Who was the warranty with - Adria or Truma please? Who did you get to repair it - the motorhome dealer or a truma specialist please? (Sorry for all the questions)

Ours is 2008 also (A660SP) & it was frost damage from the previous owner. The dealer repaired it.
I have tried dealing with truma in the past & they just refer you to their "agents", won't even quote prices for parts. I don't think it will be a quick fix, we had to wait weeks for the parts, so I fitted a valve into the boiler feed pipe so I could isolate it & still use the the van (including the heating) whilst waiting for the parts(new tank & jacket).

Johns Cross might be a good place for you to start if you don't have a warranty?
 
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biggsy

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Peterc10, I should have added that the boiler would only leak in the period between switching on and reaching the set temperature. Presumably expansion filled whatever gap there was. It didn't leak when the boiler was switched off, or when it was running at full temperature. Might be worth another look?
 
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peterc10
Jul 5, 2013
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Peterc10, I should have added that the boiler would only leak in the period between switching on and reaching the set temperature. Presumably expansion filled whatever gap there was. It didn't leak when the boiler was switched off, or when it was running at full temperature. Might be worth another look?
I am a afraid that mine leaks whether the boiler is on or off

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DP+JAY

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They are truma service agents so should be able to fit a new tank( quite easy once the boiler is out).
Let us know how you get on, I'm curious to know the cost of the tank.
 

DP+JAY

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I am a afraid that mine leaks whether the boiler is on or off
As said I isolated the boiler from the supply, then opened the hot tap to release the pressure.

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peterc10
Jul 5, 2013
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As said I isolated the boiler from the supply, then opened the hot tap to release the pressure.
Would do that but we are off to Lincoln on Thursday. We both need our nice warm shower every morning. If I say to my wife there is no hot water she will tell me we ain't going. So at the moment I will just have to switch off the pump when I don't need it. And I will try your tip of releasing the pressure with a hot tap each time
They are truma service agents so should be able to fit a new tank( quite easy once the boiler is out).
Let us know how you get on, I'm curious to know the cost of the tank.
Did not realise that Johns Cross were Truma agents. I am trying to get the price of the tank from Southdown via the link you sent me.
 

g8ysn

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stripped mine down when i blew it up [electric] took it out 3/4 hour stripped it mdown fitted 2 new [second hand] element presure checked 4 leaks re-fitted [bingo] 100.notes / loooks more like a connection hot/cold clip on i had a small leak [toilet paper] took of re seated ok
 

DP+JAY

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Would do that but we are off to Lincoln on Thursday. We both need our nice warm shower every morning. If I say to my wife there is no hot water she will tell me we ain't going. So at the moment I will just have to switch off the pump when I don't need it. And I will try your tip of releasing the pressure with a hot tap each time

That should work, but with an isolation valve it means that all other functions (toilet flush etc.) work normally when hot water isnot needed. When it is, just open the valve &the hot water flows. We managed two weeks away, both showering every day.

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peterc10
Jul 5, 2013
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Just thought I was give everybody an update. Johns Cross was very helpful, thanks to Glenn and Ian.

Ian is the truma expert and he kept me well informed of the problem, what they could do, and how much it would cost. It seems the water container had sprung a pin hole leak on the face that contains the fixing studs. Definitely not frost damage. The outcome was a replacement water tank. The parts came in quickly all except for one gasket, which took over a week to be delivered, and Johns Cross carried out the work as soon as they got the parts.

The tank itself cost £220 plus VAT and the whole bill including VAT came to £570. Eyewatering, but, given the work, I think it was a very fair price. The tank was a lot cheaper than Southdown quoted me to buy, and the whole job was a LOT cheaper than replacing the whole boiler which I though may have been needed.
 

DP+JAY

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Thanks for the info.
Glad it's sorted.
 

bjreroberts

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A very useful thread.

I have an 2008 Aria Coral with a Truma Combi 6e, which is used all year round and I have had for 4 years.

3 years ago, the electric elements stopped working and soon after the gas as well. The engineer I used said it wasn’t repairable and a replacement would be required. The repair was completed and regretfully now I decided to not retain the broken unit.

Move for award 3 years and the electric elements have failed again. Again the gas still works but, there is also a water leak. Funds are tight at the moment, so following the advice on this thread I am going to fit a stop tap to the cold water inlet, so I can continue to use heating and cold water.

My thoughts

1) I understand the electric elements are a retrofit for the UK market, they also appear to be a weakness in the boiler. I’m tempted to replace with gas only.

2) If the water inlet and outlet at the front are dry, then the leak is most likely from the tank? Would it be worth trying Radweld as a temporary repair? The tank would need to be replaced anyway if it is leaking

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Dec 12, 2010
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Don't think using radweld would be such a good idea as there is a good chance it would end up elsewhere in your plumbing ?
Your first option should be to go over the unit (remove what covers you can) and check to see if you can find the leak. There is an air bleed and possibly a pressure relief valve attached to the boiler, these are known to leak occasionally and some of the connections are flimsy plastic that can split due to frost damage or weep due to poorly tightened Jubilee clips.
I wouldn't have expected a replacement boiler of that age to have developed a "terminal" leak already and you can buy replacement electric heating elements for the boiler, although it is a faff to fit them and they do seem to be not long lived ?
 
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peterc10
Jul 5, 2013
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A very useful thread.

I have an 2008 Aria Coral with a Truma Combi 6e, which is used all year round and I have had for 4 years.

3 years ago, the electric elements stopped working and soon after the gas as well. The engineer I used said it wasn’t repairable and a replacement would be required. The repair was completed and regretfully now I decided to not retain the broken unit.

Move for award 3 years and the electric elements have failed again. Again the gas still works but, there is also a water leak. Funds are tight at the moment, so following the advice on this thread I am going to fit a stop tap to the cold water inlet, so I can continue to use heating and cold water.

My thoughts

1) I understand the electric elements are a retrofit for the UK market, they also appear to be a weakness in the boiler. I’m tempted to replace with gas only.

2) If the water inlet and outlet at the front are dry, then the leak is most likely from the tank? Would it be worth trying Radweld as a temporary repair? The tank would need to be replaced anyway if it is leaking

Only just realised that I started this thread. Our Adria was a 2008 Coral model. Does yours have a reg number ending in AES??? Just checking to see if you have got our old one. :cry:

Leaks can develop quickly if you use the wrong cleaning fluid in your fresh water system. From memory Johns Cross thought that would have been the problem. What have you used for cleaning the fresh water system? I had been using Milton, and I don't know what the previous owners used. From then on I have used milder cleaning agents, such as diluted citric acid or vinegar. As I said before it was a lot cheaper to get Johns Cross to replace the tank than replace the whole unit.

In reality ours had been leaking a little bit for a long while and we just put it down to to a leak in the pipework. Whenever we tightened up the joint at the end of a trip it seemed to stop, but that was probably because we had switched the pump off :doh:. We never had a problem with the electric element.

And I would suggest you should NEVER use radweld in your fresh water system. To get it into the boiler you have to put it in the fresh water tank itself and we use the water from that tank to cook, drink, wash, shower and clean our teeth.
 

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