Truma valve jammed open - help! On the road in Scotland

[Landy Andy]

Just turn it. If it’s “warm” there it won’t be frozen just stiff.

 

[Lenny HB]

if you look closer, at about 60% of the way through the video, i think you can briefly see a round pipe exiting the floor and the waterfall effect is being caused by the water from that pipe dropping onto the vehicle skirt, making it look worse that it is .....

You could be right, difficult to see on a phone.
If that's so it would point to a buggered valve.

 

[Bramidan]

As others have suggested do the simple things first.
Hot water bottle around the valve and leave it to get warm
You will then have eliminated the dump valve working because it is too cold.

 

[Landy Andy]

Even if cold enough to activate the knob on the top still turns. Just the button on base won’t stay in. The knob is stiff because it is working against a spring.

 

[royandsharont]

if you look closer, at about 60% of the way through the video, i think you can briefly see a round pipe exiting the floor and the waterfall effect is being caused by the water from that pipe dropping onto the vehicle skirt, making it look worse that it is .....

If you look & pause it on a tablet there does not appear to be water coming from the drain pipe, which looks just like mine so I think it is the dump pipe

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[Scottishbluebell]

Dear all,
I’m really touched by how much response my problem generated. Here is an update on what happened (and thank you to Lorger for the offer of helping while we were in Dumfries and Galloway):
We were only away one night, and our site (Silvercliff Camp Site in Kirkudbright) was very good. We used their showers and loos. We were warm with our Truma heater and just carried our dishes to the campsite sink and used their hot water.
Once home, we tried the valve again, with no success. There was nothing about it on YouTube. Frustrated, we took the problem with us to the Truma stand at the Scottish Motorhome show last week. They had a Truma frost valve there. We tried theirs but it was doing the same as ours! The Truma salesman tried it too and suggested that theirs was broken too (not helpful for the first day of the show!) I showed him the video of water gushing down the side of the van and he thought we might be needing a replacement pipe beneath the valve as ours could have fallen off. There is now one on its way to us in the post.
So, the answer to the problem - that tiny little black button on the top of the frost valve knob - I was on the point of booking the motorhome in for a replacement valve when I went back to look at it again. What is that tiny bit of plastic for? It’s a button! If you press it down whilst turning the blue knob to the right, the knob turns closed and then you can press the front frost button in. I don’t know why it’s not mentioned anywhere. All I can think is that, for most people, the black button is normally held in when the knob is turned. I have small hands. I don’t know.
Inspired by my new found technical prowess, I shuffled underneath my motorhome. We’d not done this before. Here’s what I found beneath the frost valve:

It looks as if it is, indeed, missing a pipe, and this does explain why water looks like it’s water falling from the body of the motorhome. Instead, it’s just washing down the fibreglass and won’t cause any damage. The new pipe from Truma will direct the water straight down.
These discoveries are a huge relief, and have potentially saved us hundreds of pounds on a new frost valve. I’m so grateful for everyone’s concern and support. I‘ve joined a warm and helpful community. Thank you!

 

[mapman]

Glad you got it sorted. In a YouTube demo of the truma frost valve the small black button is visible when the valve is open(it appears to pop up) but it goes down as he turns the blue knob. This usually does not require you to actually depress the black button. I have never needed to press any button in 4 Yeats of use. Possibly on yours the button is loose (?) so requires a push in as you turn the knob. At least you now have a solution but long term you may need to consider obtaining a new unit.

 

[Scottishbluebell]

Glad you got it sorted. In a YouTube demo of the truma frost valve the small black button is visible when the valve is open(it appears to pop up) but it goes down as he turns the blue knob. This usually does not require you to actually depress the black button. I have never needed to press any button in 4 Yeats of use. Possibly on yours the button is loose (?) so requires a push in as you turn the knob. At least you now have a solution but long term you may need to consider obtaining a new unit.

Truma have sent us a new one and we’ll get it fitted when we next service the van. Thank you.