Help! Boiler Water Valve Malfunction

[Jack TGA]

The cold safety valve on my truma water boiler trigger, dumping water when I'm driving. When I try to reset it by pulling it up, it won't stay up. I've tried gently to twist it in case there is a twist lock but it doesn't stay up. I've also tried turning on the 12v while pulling it up but it still won't stay up. What am I doing wrong?

 

[autorouter]

It's too cold. It won't stay closed until it's above about 6 degrees.

The traditional fix is to use a clothes peg. In the past I've even had to use a jubilee clip.

Just be extremely careful you don't leave the temporary fix in place. You could end up with very expensive frost damage to the boiler.

 

[Aeron]

Is it perhaps a safety valve that dumps water if the outside temp is below a certain level? Haven't got one myself but read lots of comments about them.

autorouter you beat me to it!

 

[Garfields]

You will need to heat the van a bit
Valve needs to be 6 degrees or so to reset
They can be held up with a clothes peg but you lose your frost protection which is not a great idea

 

[Ridgeway]

Ours (also Truma) has a rest button on the back so you have to twist the valve handle on top AND also press the reset button on the back, then it will stay closed.

Our version looks like this:

Reset button is hidden at the back on this model

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[Jack TGA]

Mine looks like this. The red button is the reset button but it won't stay up.

 

[Jack TGA]

It's too cold. It won't stay closed until it's above about 6 degrees.

The traditional fix is to use a clothes peg. In the past I've even had to use a jubilee clip.

Just be extremely careful you don't leave the temporary fix in place. You could end up with very expensive frost damage to the boiler.

It was fine until I started driving. And it's currently 8°.

 

[Jack TGA]

You will need to heat the van a bit
Valve needs to be 6 degrees or so to reset
They can be held up with a clothes peg but you lose your frost protection which is not a great idea

It was fine until I started driving. It's currently 8°.

 

[Lenny HB]

There should be a permanent 12v supply to the valve, check that there is 12 volts across the connections to it.

 

[autorouter]

Normally the frost protection valve is always on, unless the battery is isolated or the main fuse by the leisure battery blows. Was the leisure battery very flat when you started driving?

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[Jack TGA]

Normally the frost protection valve is always on, unless the battery is isolated or the main fuse by the leisure battery blows. Was the leisure battery very flat when you started driving?

No, it was fully charged.

 

[Jack TGA]

There should be a permanent 12v supply to the valve, check that there is 12 volts across the connections to it.

Just checked. There is 12v across the connections.

 

[Lenny HB]

Looks like a faulty valve.

 

[pappajohn]

Take a cloth and douse it in hot water, ring out and rap around valve for 5 minutes then try again.
If it won't reset you need a new one.

 

[Jack TGA]

Take a cloth and douse it in hot water, ring out and rap around valve for 5 minutes then try again.
If it won't reset you need a new one.

Good idea. I'll try that.

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[Jack TGA]

Take a cloth and douse it in hot water, ring out and rap around valve for 5 minutes then try again.
If it won't reset you need a new one.

Thinking about it... isn't that risky with the electrics?

 

[Spriddler]

Thinking about it... isn't that risky with the electrics?

No, not with only 12v.

 

[Pausim]

As a temporary measure you can hold it up with a suitably sized cable tie around the narrow neck, forming a collar. I managed it when I had a similar looking valve on a previous van. It behaved in summer but was guilty of premature operation (I nearly used a different word there) in winter.

 

[Podney]

Use a clothes peg on it. Take it off when the weather gets warmer to see if it’s ok. But mind you don’t freeze up as you’ll damage the boiler if it’s really cold.

 

[autorouter]

If it was 8 degrees, maybe it was on the point of tripping, and a bit of vibration from driving tipped it over the edge. Do you have any way to warm it up so the cold can definitely be ruled out?

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[pappajohn]

Thinking about it... isn't that risky with the electrics?

No, 12v isn't a health risk.

 

[Jack TGA]

Take a cloth and douse it in hot water, ring out and rap around valve for 5 minutes then try again.
If it won't reset you need a new one.

I tried this and the valve worked! Phew, at least I don't need a new one.

 

[Jack TGA]

If it was 8 degrees, maybe it was on the point of tripping, and a bit of vibration from driving tipped it over the edge. Do you have any way to warm it up so the cold can definitely be ruled out?

I did what papajohn recommended with the warm cloth and the valve stayed closed, so I'm taking it that cold is the reason.

 

[Reusables]

Yep the hab area gets colder when you start driving..the cab can be warmed by the heaters but can get real cold down low in the depths of a cupboard..maybe heat the water a bit before setting off.?or hot water bottle on top of the value.?

 

[denisejoe]

Turn your heating on for a few minutes should warm water drain up enough

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[two]

You don't need water in to run the heating, but you do need heating to warm the valve. A hot towel may not work for prolonged periods. Put the heating on.
The (sprung) clothes peg trick is a good solution but there's a risk that you might leave it on. Don't - it overrides the valve and will stop it working when it needs to.

 

[theapples]

We got caught out by this once and lost all our water so In frosty/cold weather we leave our hot water on all the time on the lower setting (when using the van). This keeps the boiler Andrea warm so no problems.

 

[Nasher]

I still struggle to understand that in 2020 motorhome manufacturers fit a boiler that can't handle a bit of cold weather - if I'd bought a new motorhome and that happened, I'd reject it as unfit for purpose

 

[Pausim]

Modern water still freezes at 0c.

(ps can’t seem to quote your message Nasher, possibly because it is already shown as a quote)

 

[Robbie7q]

Hi, l have the same problem with exactly the same valve. I have attached the page from the Truma manual that says at temperatures of 8 degrees or less you have to turn on the heater first then lift the valve. I have tried this yesterday without much success, shortly after turning the heater on and lifting the valve the red light comes on the heater control and this closes the valve and dumps the water again. Any ideas anyone? I will try some of the suggestions on here today.<Broken link removed><Broken link removed>