Truma Combi Heater Question on water heater (1 Viewer)

[davidathomas42]

So.

We have the Truma combo water and central heating machine in our home.

It's doing a great job with the central heating. Gets the place up to temperature in what I expect as a reasonable amount of time for a cold winter and clicks in and out as needed.

The water never gets up to temperature enough for it to stop heating though.
It's getting it warm. Thermostat set at 60deg. But the little water heating icon is constantly flashing. As with the heating it should click off and stop the icon flashing when it's at temperature.

Reading the manual it's heating 10litres of water which is a good body of water from almost zero deg in winter but surly after been turned on 17 hours now it should have managed it?

 

[Theonlysue]

I thought that heating water took priority over heating?
I'm wondering if the water is only warming up from the heating side of things.
Are you on gas or electric or both?
Can you post photo of switches please?

 

[davidathomas42]

Running on both.

My understanding from the manual is that it does both but if you hit boost then the water takes priority over heating. (I have not tried this as heating is priority for the 2 year old)

The missus just had a shower and said it was a nice temperature. Just feel it should have clicked off long ago

Can post pics later when home as not sure how to tag photos from my iPhone

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[jezport]

If you have a flashing led you have a fault, The light should be on constant while heating

 

[Fletton]

If you have a flashing led you have a fault, The light should be on constant while heating

I think OP means the icon on the panel.. mine (both) flash until they reach temp.. then steady state.

 

[Fletton]

.....
Can post pics later when home as not sure how to tag photos from my iPhone

Next to "post reply" button is "upload a file"

1. Take pic as norm... edit/crop as required.
2. Come to reply box ...

3. Click "upload a file"

4. Phone will ask upload a file...

5. Click button in dialogue box...

6. Choose pic from photo folder

7. Once loaded - choose "show as full pic" if required.

8. Hit "post reply"...

Note: if you do not insert full pic option.. you must enter some txt


Edit: flashing icon... and alternate time and temp.. uploaded via iPhone

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[Lenny HB]

If you have a flashing led you have a fault, The light should be on constant while heating

On a CP Plus controller the symbol flashes while heating and is static once up to temp.

The C6 & C4 take ages to heat the water with the heating on. If you select heating only, it takes about 2 hours for the water to get up to temp, is you select Heating & water takes about 1 1/2 hours to get to temp. If you select boost it turns the heating off until water is at 62 deg about 30-40 min.

In cold weather I set the timer for heating & hot water set to boost and have the timer coming on about 40 min before we want the heating. Then the water heats up before the heating comes on and we get up to a nice tosty van with hot water for a shower.

 

[davidathomas42]

Thanks for the info. I turned it to boost about 30-40 mins ago and it's still flashing that it's heating up. This is an hour after it was on normal setting from the wife having a shower.

 

[davidathomas42]

Ahh ha

I I think we're at temperature. It just turned off boost by itself and now all lights are steady.

Maybe it just needed that big kick

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[Eddystone]

Another happy funster.

 

[Ex-caravantugger]

On a CP Plus controller the symbol flashes while heating and is static once up to temp.

The C6 & C4 take ages to heat the water with the heating on. If you select heating only, it takes about 2 hours for the water to get up to temp, is you select Heating & water takes about 1 1/2 hours to get to temp. If you select boost it turns the heating off until water is at 62 deg about 30-40 min.

In cold weather I set the timer for heating & hot water set to boost and have the timer coming on about 40 min before we want the heating. Then the water heats up before the heating comes on and we get up to a nice tosty van with hot water for a shower.

Hi all. These timings for heating and water have got me thinking. I have Alde heating in the caravan and find it brilliant in terms of water heating. Habitation heating takes time because the wet style of heating means waiting for the 'radiators' to work and dispense heat. We are looking at a number of MHs to select from next year and many have Truma heating. Is this system just blown air or is there still a fire installed. Can anyone tell me which system they prefer having used both, please ?
Thanks and regards, Mike

 

[jezport]

The truma is primarily a blown air heating system the water section is second in priority when heating according to the truma engineer I spoke to when my Truma was in for repair

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[Ex-caravantugger]

On a CP Plus controller the symbol flashes while heating and is static once up to temp.

The C6 & C4 take ages to heat the water with the heating on. If you select heating only, it takes about 2 hours for the water to get up to temp, is you select Heating & water takes about 1 1/2 hours to get to temp.If you select boost it turns the heating off until water is at 62 deg about 30-40 min.

In cold weather I set the timer for heating & hot water set to boost and have the timer coming on about 40 min before we want the heating. Then the water heats up before the heating comes on and we get up to a nice tosty van with hot water for a shower.[/QUOTE
Is that not the opposite to what Lenny HB says ?

 

[Fletton]

View attachment 135474
Ahh ha

I I think we're at temperature. It just turned off boost by itself and now all lights are steady.

Maybe it just needed that big kick

@davidathomas42 I think you will find it heats much quicker on Gas Only... I've tried all-leccy and the setting you currently have (mixed) and my reckoning is the system uses leccy as a priority on that setting... but of you have the time to wait for water... it obvioisly saves gas...

Note: I filled with 110lts of cold yest... filled boiler and set water to 60 on gas... (no EHU) icon stopped flashing after only 20mins from stone cold to piping hot...

 

[Ex-caravantugger]

I did something wrong. Apologies. Is this the opposite of Lenny HB' s post ? Mike

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[Lenny HB]

Hi all. These timings for heating and water have got me thinking. I have Alde heating in the caravan and find it brilliant in terms of water heating. Habitation heating takes time because the wet style of heating means waiting for the 'radiators' to work and dispense heat. We are looking at a number of MHs to select from next year and many have Truma heating. Is this system just blown air or is there still a fire installed. Can anyone tell me which system they prefer having used both, please ?
Thanks and regards, Mike

With Truma heater the fires are only normally fitted in the cheaper vans they are made for caravans, in Motorhomes the blow air side is not as good and heat distribution poor and they rattle when driving.
The Combi full blow air systems are designed for Motorhomes and providing they are installed properly they are excellent. They are efficient and heat the van up quicker than the Alde system and once you understand how the hot water side works they are easy to live with. Having had both the classic controller and the CP-Plus controller ( digital one in the pics on this thread) I would only have one with the CP-Plus, it gives much better control of heating and the fan.

Edit:
Was going to have the Alde in the new van then we decided that over €2000 extra for a system that will take longer heat van we decided to give it a miss.

 

[travelling wilbury]

agree with Lenny, there is an art to using the Combi and the CP plus control panel allows you to make best use of the unit.
its a big ask to get the unit to heat a big van and a tank of water in 20-30 mins, so when both are selected, heating takes priority and the water takes a long while....
if you need a tank of hot water when you rise, the timer method is good, as when water heating only is selected, it actually doesnt take that long, so getting the water hot before getting thenheating to kick in is a good idea, especially if this can be done using the timer, as Lenny describes.

 

[two]

I agree with Lenny.
Understand that the heat starts from a central cylinder and air is blown around that, being warmed up as it passes. The water is in an outside cylinder and only gets the heat that the air does not take away. Electric and gas together should heat everything faster but mains can only add up to 2kW, whereas gas provides 6kW. If you want a lot of hot water, use the 'boost' function. That will stop the fan and heat water only until it's up to 60° and then revert to heating.

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[Lenny HB]

A couple of quirky things about the Combi when run on gas max output is 6kw on gas + electric it is 5.8kw. When the water is on boost it heats to 62 deg where the normal setting is 60, weird.

 

[travelling wilbury]

yes, in mixed mode, the combi 6 uses 4kw of its gas capacity to add to the electric 1.8.....giving 5.8kw

the combi 4 uses 2kw of gas to give a total of 3.8kw...

 

[jezport]

i think im going to invest in the CP+ for my combi4

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[two]

A couple of quirky things about the Combi when run on gas max output is 6kw on gas + electric it is 5.8kw. When the water is on boost it heats to 62 deg where the normal setting is 60, weird.

The 'overshoot' is in anticipation of the heating coming on a moment later and starting to cool the water.

 

[travelling wilbury]

i think im going to invest in the CP+ for my combi4

the CP Plus can be retro fitted but it also needs a PCB upgrade...
basically, the heater still does the same functions, but you have more control over how they work...
apart from the timer controls, for us the main benefit has been to be avle to control the fan speed....usually ECO does the job, fan running fairly slowly just wasfting the warm air about...but being able to switch to HIGH really gives the heating some oomph....
if the ambient temp is more than xx deg below that selected, you can invoke BOOST which is rip roaring fun....cant remember how much xx is....
anyway, a far better way of using essentially the same kit...

 

[jezport]

If you have the grey bodied unit you need an ecu replacement but the newer black units don't need one.

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[vzac]

Hi all. These timings for heating and water have got me thinking. I have Alde heating in the caravan and find it brilliant in terms of water heating. Habitation heating takes time because the wet style of heating means waiting for the 'radiators' to work and dispense heat. We are looking at a number of MHs to select from next year and many have Truma heating. Is this system just blown air or is there still a fire installed. Can anyone tell me which system they prefer having used both, please ?
Thanks and regards, Mike

We have had both. Aldi wet, I found was great for radiators once it warmed up. A nicer feel for heat, if you know what I mean. I also found that the aldi hot water was faster to get to temp 20 to 30 mins. What I did not like with the wet alsi system was its inability to get to a cabin temp and keep it at that level. Guess if we had extra temp gauges fitted that might have helped. The truma system get the cabin up to temp faster and seems more controlable what I dont like is the length of time getting the hot water to be hot, for a shower (40 to 60 mins). More annoying when both of us want showers, it can be lunch time before we are washed, fed and raring to get out. For me I would prefer the aldi wet on balance. But we have the truma in this van, because just about everything is better in this van than the other one we had.