Help! Truma boiler safety valve keeps emptying

[Zacshoomans]

Hi all - this is our first trip away in coldish weather - and the boiler valve keeps emptying the tank - why will the safety valve be popping out when it’s only 8deg outside, and it’s nice and toasty inside?

 

[pappajohn]

Valve may be in a 'cold' spot.
I think they are supposed to 'pop' around that temp.

 

[Mikeco]

That’s what they do sometimes, just use a peg to stop it happening but watch out if it gets too cold. The alternative is to change it for a manual one.

 

[Zacshoomans]

We just switched the control from ‘heating plus water’ - to just heating (as realised there was no water) and it just popped out again :-(

 

[Reallyretired]

I just put a spring clip on mine to keep it closed as long as I know its not actually going to freeze. I think they operate about 8C and are often in an poorly heated space.

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

 

[TinaLes]

What van do you have?, as I cant find a manual on a "Not Yet" as listed on your Avatar
I have two dump valves for the boiler on ours, one is manual type the other is auto with a reset button, do you have similar?
LES

 

[Lenny HB]

There are two types the older one had a red button at the top and requires a 12v supply to keep it closed. Supposed to dump at 4-5°c but often dump at a bit higher temps. This type you can hold closed with a peg.
Also check it has a 12v supply.

The later type has a blue button at the bottom and blue knob on the top. These dump at 3°c. Not easy to hold in & new ones are over £100.

Could be worth taking the valve off and soaking in hot white wine vinegar as it could be not fully closing due to a calcium build up.

 

[TinaLes]

Funny enough, I filled the van up today with fresh water and bled the whole system for the great escape tomorrow. Even though the vans tanks and pipes were empty over the last month whilst its been sat on drive, the Blue button had still popped out on the auto dump valve. Its very close to the manual one that had been left open between the double floor.
I remember it doing the same last winter, according to book it opens and dumps at temps below 8 degrees C
So I guess its doing its job.
LES

 

[Lenny HB]

Funny enough, I filled the van up today with fresh water and bled the whole system for the great escape tomorrow. Even though the vans tanks and pipes were empty over the last month whilst its been sat on drive, the Blue button had still popped out on the auto dump valve. Its very close to the manual one that had been left open between the double floor.
I remember it doing the same last winter, according to book it opens and dumps at temps below 8 degrees C
So I guess its doing its job.
LES

The blue one dumps at 3° not 8°.

 

[Mike800966]

We have the blue topped one and I have a legth of stiff wire linked to it so that I can reset it just by lifting the bed without having to access the boiler chamber. I was coming to the opinion that a peg on the shaft still doesnt stop it operating if it gets that cold.
If it is that cold then I would leave the water heater on, assuming the jacket is full of water. To stop the boiler getting that cold, also keeps the bed toasty
enjoy your trip

Mike

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

 

[TerryL]

So glad ours has a manual boiler dump! At least all I've got to remember is to shut it off before refilling ready to go away again!

Electronics, bah! Just something else to go wrong.

 

[thebriars]

You did remember to also press the blue button in when you reset the dump valve. If not, it will keep emptying.

 

[Zacshoomans]

What van do you have?, as I cant find a manual on a "Not Yet" as listed on your Avatar
I have two dump valves for the boiler on ours, one is manual type the other is auto with a reset button, do you have similar?
LES

Hi TinaL,
It is a Burstner Ixeo Time from 2013. It has both the auto (blue) dump valve and a separate manual dump valve. Both are located directly under the boiler which has been warming the vehicle. So, not only is it
It is really frustrating that the dump valve keeps popping, because:

• it's currently 10C outside and we've had the heating on inside the vehicle
• each time the valve dumps, it drains not only the water in the hot water tank (which I understand), but also the water in the storage tank (which I don't understand, as I would have thought that this would have required the pump to move the water between the two tanks)
• although we have just arrived at a site for the next few days, next week we are aiming to go 'wild', so we really need to carry, store and heat our water

On a separate topic, I can't work out how to update our profile with our motor home details. Any ideas?

 

[Zacshoomans]

You did remember to also press the blue button in when you reset the dump valve. If not, it will keep emptying.

Yes....and I've spent a certain amount of time lying on the floor so that I could immediately reset it each time it popped, in the vain hope that it would remain set and not pop out again.

 

[Zacshoomans]

There are two types the older one had a red button at the top and requires a 12v supply to keep it closed. Supposed to dump at 4-5°c but often dump at a bit higher temps. This type you can hold closed with a peg.
Also check it has a 12v supply.

The later type has a blue button at the bottom and blue knob on the top. These dump at 3°c. Not easy to hold in & new ones are over £100.

Could be worth taking the valve off and soaking in hot white wine vinegar as it could be not fully closing due to a calcium build up.

Ours is the latter (i.e.: blue button which doesn't require 12V), although I think it is set to pop at about 8C - even though it is nearer 10C outside and somewhat warmer inside.
I've tried taping it closed using electrical tape, but it still managed to pop out!!
I've given up on it for tonight and will take a closer look tomorrow morning - hopefully other comments/suggestions might have arrived by then to consider.

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

 

[Landy Andy]

 

[Caggsie1]

We used to have a penny. wedged between the valve and casing. Worked for the 5 years we had the Dethleffs. We’ve now got a heated garage, which is where the boiler is so have never had an issue with the current Hobby.

 

[Allanm]

Sounds to me that your valve is faulty. The area around the valve should be heated when the van heating is on and this should stop the valve from popping. we have a label next to ours saying it will operate at 6 degrees, but I know it gets down to 3 degrees before it opens.
If you can’t rig it up to stop it opening too soon, I think you have two options, buy and fit another valve or bypass it till you can get a new one, but be sure the heating is on all the time there is water in the heater.

 

[Lenny HB]

Ours is the latter (i.e.: blue button which doesn't require 12V), although I think it is set to pop at about 8C - even though it is nearer 10C outside and somewhat warmer inside.

As I said in my eairler post they are set to 3°c and generally much more accurate than the older type.
Looks like you need a new valve.

Truma Frost Control Valve (John Guest Fittings) | Truma Code: 34020-80300 | Truma Combi heaters + Spare Parts | Leisureshopdirect

Buy a Truma Frost Control Valve (John Guest Fittings) | Truma Code: 34020-80300 | Truma Combi heaters + Spare Parts | Leisureshopdirect

www.leisureshopdirect.com

 

[Clive Beeza]

To ease your immediate issue
slip a Zip (plastic cable tie) around the valve,
tight enough to stop the button popping out, and if needed to be drained slip the tie upwards to allow the button to pop out and drain
if you cannot get the tie tight enough to hold the button in
then slip half of a wooden clothes peg, between the zip tie and the button, to wedge it in place
good luck, hope this helps

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

 

[Zacshoomans]

Hi all - this is our first trip away in coldish weather - and the boiler valve keeps emptying the tank - why will the safety valve be popping out when it’s only 8deg outside, and it’s nice and toasty inside?

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed...
...I can now confess that it is all down to user error...
...how long can we consider ourselves to be 'newbies', I wonder?...
...we can only see the blue pop-out button on the frost control valve...
...which was what kept popping out, only for me to push back in...
...this morning I have found the truma manual...
...it shows a picture of this valve and that it has a rotary switch on top...
...it is this rotary switch that I must have used a few weeks ago when emptying water from the home when it was parked-up, due to the cold weather...because it is the only way to manually force the button to pop-out...
...evidently I had forgotten about this and hadn't turned it back to operational...
...have now filled with water (again), water has remained in tanks AND we have hot water...
...yay...
Thank you to this lovely community for your prompt responses.
Merry Xmas one and all

 

[Spriddler]

...this morning I have found the truma manual...

If all else fails, RTFM, eh?

 

[David and Sally]

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed...
...I can now confess that it is all down to user error...
...how long can we consider ourselves to be 'newbies', I wonder?...
...we can only see the blue pop-out button on the frost control valve...
...which was what kept popping out, only for me to push back in...
...this morning I have found the truma manual...
...it shows a picture of this valve and that it has a rotary switch on top...
...it is this rotary switch that I must have used a few weeks ago when emptying water from the home when it was parked-up, due to the cold weather...because it is the only way to manually force the button to pop-out...
...evidently I had forgotten about this and hadn't turned it back to operational...
...have now filled with water (again), water has remained in tanks AND we have hot water...
...yay...
Thank you to this lovely community for your prompt responses.
Merry Xmas one and all

Rookie error. But we have all done it and will do it again.

Glad it's sorted.

 

[SUGGY]

i fitted a polystyrene outside tap cover over my valve and extended the drain pioe about 12 inches to help stop draught and cold air going up to the valve i also stuck some inch thick Kingspan to the floor below the valve this has made a big difference to the continuous dumping of water as soon as there is a chill in the air ,

 

[MobyDick57]

Hi all - this is our first trip away in coldish weather - and the boiler valve keeps emptying the tank - why will the safety valve be popping out when it’s only 8deg outside, and it’s nice and toasty inside?

Hello This is my first contribution to the site, so hope it works.
7 years ago we had a Burstner Ixeo 720 Time with a similar problem at 5’c
On investigation we realised the temperature control must be near the dumping pipe underneath the van. So we simply insulted the external pipe with a domestic central heating sleeve which was secured with electric ties. Problem solved for 18 months until we sold it

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