Wale water heater leaks (1 Viewer)

Sep 3, 2012
7,452
25,837
Cheshire
Funster No
22,759
MH
C Class Elddis 175
Exp
8+ years
Hi, had noticed a leak from under the water heater, just an egg cupful when heater turned on. Dealer advised it was a known fault on a valve and checked it out-sometimes swarf etc in the valve. Cleaned it out but still leaks so arranged for it to go in under warranty,( no spares available -but a known fault).Just had a phone call to say that wale have advised that it not an issue/fault and is a pressure relief when the water heats up there is some excess pressure and a slight loss of water occurs to reduce the pressure. So the valve does not need replacing. Its on an Eldiss Autoquest.
Anyone experienced a similar "leak", from a wale water heater?or am I having my leg pulled?
 

Terry

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 27, 2007
11,904
8,969
Lincolnshire
Funster No
1,075
MH
A class
Exp
Can't remember ;)
Hi Jim you should not get water leaking inside the van full stop.IF its from a pressure relief / blow off valve it should be piped to the outside ..... If they're saying different ???
Terry
 
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Jimbohorlicks
Sep 3, 2012
7,452
25,837
Cheshire
Funster No
22,759
MH
C Class Elddis 175
Exp
8+ years
Hi Terry
its not in the van, the heater is under the chassis. We noticed it whilst on hardstanding whilst on hookup at the dealers. It was only a small amount of water , but I had cause to question it, They advised it was a known fault with a valve and could be due to swarf in the system during build. They duly dropped the heater in the workshop and cleaned the valve etc, they didn't have any spare valve , although they di say it was a known fault. As we are at the soul meet in June I accepted for the valve to be replaced then as we are nearby. Today I had a phone call to say that they had contacted whale for a replacement valve under warranty etc and that whale have advised them its not a fault but due to a pressure relief when the heater is turned on.Therefore there is no need to replace the valve. There does not appear to be a relief drain pipe it appears to leak from the casing. Which I will question tomorrow when they call me back.( it was just a girl service desk receptionist that phoned me) I just put up this post to see if anyone else had experienced the same. When we are on hard standing next and have the heater on I will measure the amount of water that's leaked. It doesn't appear to be much hence my query.
Jim
Ps the pump doesn't run when it leaks, not like a water pipe type leak

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Terry

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 27, 2007
11,904
8,969
Lincolnshire
Funster No
1,075
MH
A class
Exp
Can't remember ;)
Sounds plausible Jim and if water pump is not kicking in its not loosing pressure....would not worry about it.especially if its on the outside
Terry
 
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Jimbohorlicks
Sep 3, 2012
7,452
25,837
Cheshire
Funster No
22,759
MH
C Class Elddis 175
Exp
8+ years
Thanks Terry, will measure the amount next time-may try it on the drive tomorrow if i get chance.

cheers

anyone else have whale water leaks?
 

wishiknew

Free Member
Jan 20, 2021
1
1
Funster No
78,888
MH
Elddis Avante
Hi yes we've got the same problem, we spoke to Whale and they gave the same explanation that it is designed to release a bit of water when the pressure builds (heating engineer friend confirmed this makes sense on such a small cylinder).
HOWEVER the drip has persisted and eventually trips the RCB on the hookup supply, I spoke to whale again and they said that if there is an excessive amount of water coming out of the the pressure relief valve (I sent them a video and they admitted it was excessive) the water gets on to the PCB board that's located right next to the water release point which as Jim says literally comes out of the casing and not a pipe. We are in a hard water area and running descaler through the hot system every couple of months has solved it but now its so bad even that doesn't work. Terrible design, we have been advised to get a Whale engineer to look at it but as we live in the van for work the covid situation means we are stuck, its so bad now we have to run the hot water on gas to avoid tripping electrics (pump runs every 10 minutes or so). I'm going to order a new valve and hope for the best as and when I can get an engineer to fit it. Caravan is an Elddis Avante 2018

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Jimbohorlicks
Sep 3, 2012
7,452
25,837
Cheshire
Funster No
22,759
MH
C Class Elddis 175
Exp
8+ years
Not had any issues with ours,it still drips when we are parked up and the heater is on but it's external and through the vent hole so no problems.no sign of scale etc .currently fully drained and on the drive awaiting our next venture out.
Ps pump does not come on when we see the drips etc.
 
Oct 20, 2014
452
2,537
Wicklow Town, Ireland
Funster No
33,906
MH
2020 Avantgarde 175
Exp
A good few years
Jimbohorlicks

I have the same van as you ( Compass Avantgarde 175 ).... I've not had any issues with water heater. I've found the Whale system to be great actually, but, I will keep an eye on it now that you've mentioned it..
 
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Jimbohorlicks
Sep 3, 2012
7,452
25,837
Cheshire
Funster No
22,759
MH
C Class Elddis 175
Exp
8+ years
For info ,I did have an issue with the control panel acting up.just seem to do its own thing.but just turning the 12 v power off for 15 mins or so seemed to reset it. (y)

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GeoJan

Free Member
Jun 11, 2021
1
1
Funster No
81,843
MH
A class
I have a similar whale water heater problem on my Elddis accordo 120,2018 motorhome, the heater stopped working and the dealer sent it to whale to be repaired /replaced under warranty,whale refused to repair saying the pcb board was wet caused by water from a external source ? they did not mention that a pressure relief valve could possibly drip onto the PCB board, I was under the impression that a water heater was a sealed unit ? and is attached to the under side of the Motorhome. I cant understand their stance in refusing the repair .
 
Apr 20, 2020
1,052
2,273
Northern Ireland.
Funster No
70,057
MH
Adria Compact SC.
Exp
Since 2017
Our Whale water heater drips when switched on. As the water heats up it expands slightly resulting in some drips from the pressure relief valve. Our previous Elddis also did this. This is quite normal but it should not happen when the water is cold.
 

toonarmy

Free Member
Jul 23, 2021
3
1
Funster No
82,894
MH
Elddis 155
Hi yes we've got the same problem, we spoke to Whale and they gave the same explanation that it is designed to release a bit of water when the pressure builds (heating engineer friend confirmed this makes sense on such a small cylinder).
HOWEVER the drip has persisted and eventually trips the RCB on the hookup supply, I spoke to whale again and they said that if there is an excessive amount of water coming out of the the pressure relief valve (I sent them a video and they admitted it was excessive) the water gets on to the PCB board that's located right next to the water release point which as Jim says literally comes out of the casing and not a pipe. We are in a hard water area and running descaler through the hot system every couple of months has solved it but now its so bad even that doesn't work. Terrible design, we have been advised to get a Whale engineer to look at it but as we live in the van for work the covid situation means we are stuck, its so bad now we have to run the hot water on gas to avoid tripping electrics (pump runs every 10 minutes or so). I'm going to order a new valve and hope for the best as and when I can get an engineer to fit it. Caravan is an Elddis Avante 2018

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toonarmy

Free Member
Jul 23, 2021
3
1
Funster No
82,894
MH
Elddis 155
I have the same problem but the water cascades out when the hat water tap is turned on.when the tap is off it trickles out but does not stop.
 

pap

Free Member
Sep 9, 2021
1
1
Funster No
84,054
MH
don’t own one yet
We’ve the same problem on an 2018 elddis avante 840, at times water floods floods out other times a constant drip that causes the pump to constantly turn on and off, had a ‘caravan engineer’ look at it three times now and still the fault persists, absolute rubbish system!

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Two on Tour

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 16, 2016
10,205
49,860
Near the junction of the A14 and A1, Cambs
Funster No
45,145
MH
Elddis Autoquest 175
Exp
Since 2010
We’ve the same problem on an 2018 elddis avante 840, at times water floods floods out other times a constant drip that causes the pump to constantly turn on and off, had a ‘caravan engineer’ look at it three times now and still the fault persists, absolute rubbish system!

We have a 2013 Elddis 175 and we have had no problems 8 years on, I suggest the maybe try and find a competent caravan engineer as the one you have use three times would not appear to be up to the job. (y)
 
Sep 13, 2021
2
25
Funster No
84,161
MH
C class
Got an Elddis Autoquest 185 (Majestic) with the same problem. Not all the time but certainly often. Water heater on, drips a lot and pump has to just kick in every 15 to 20 mins. I think the pressure relief valve isn’t reseating properly when it properly blows. I found if you just press your finger fairly lightly on the valve (looks like a small hole where the water is coming from) it squirts water out at pressure and this sometimes clears the seat which then resets itself and stops dripping. This hasn’t stopped it doing it again at other times but has helped stop a grass pitch getting too muddy. WARNING don’t get your face too close it is hot water coming out.
 
Jun 6, 2019
88
62
Funster No
61,457
MH
C Class
Exp
Since 2019
There seems to be many occurrences of this problem that Whale don't want to admit is a problem!

We have a 2018 Elddis Autoquest 155 and I'm still waiting (2 weeks +) to hear from Elddis/ Whale whether this will be fixed under warranty for a SECOND time!

The first time, is basically leaked constantly and wouldn’t work on the electric or gas. Whale said it was frost damage that had damaged the PCB at first but we successfully managed to get it repaired after it was sent back to Whale (it may have actually been replaced!). I wonder if they spotted a faulty pressure relieve valve at that point???

Now, 14 months later what started as a trickle a few weeks ago with the pump kicking in every 20 mins or so, it's now a constant drip, drip, drip that means we can only switch the pump on when we need water. It also makes travelling a bit of a lottery as we've been caught with an empty tank on two occasions now.

We’re about to head out for a week so the only thing I can think of to stop us running out of water is to put a tap before the cold water inlet and only fill the heater when we need hot water. Or any other suggestions would be welcome! Thanks, Martin

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Jun 6, 2019
88
62
Funster No
61,457
MH
C Class
Exp
Since 2019
I failed to get my water heater fixed for (a second time) by Elddis and the moho is now out of warranty. I'm pretty sure the issue, as with many others on here, is the pressure relief/ dump valve.

I can pick one up for around £50 (here) but has anyone replaced this themselves? I can't invalidate the warranty now but I'd only attempt this if I don't have to meddle with the gas connection. I have a underfloor mounted 8L Expanse version on a 2018 Elddis 155.

TIA
 
Jan 28, 2008
10,104
18,259
Dovercourt, Harwich, UK
Funster No
1,353
MH
Renalt burstner
Exp
7 years campers before that
has anyone tried fitting an expansion vessel on the pipework as a heating engineer with a combi boiler the safety valves often leak when the expansion vessel is empty so fitting a vessel on pipework in the van may give the hot water somewhere to expand rather than lifting the safety valve fiama do one for motorhomes or you could use a small domestic stainless steel one
 
Apr 29, 2022
1
1
Funster No
88,384
MH
Elddis Accordo 120
We have the same problem on our 2018 Elddis Accordo 120. It's been 'fixed' once but problem has returned. Fiddling with the yellow knob sometime seems to fix it temporarily.

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Aug 12, 2020
1,401
2,354
Edinburgh
Funster No
74,352
MH
Accordo 120
Exp
Sept 2019
You'll note the number of heart hugs I've dished out on this thread as we had exactly the same issue and it is frustrating on a number of levels.

Like Pobbo I found that working the dump valve cleared the issue for a while. The pump was coming on at short intervals and at all hours. It actual spoiled the ownership experience as it meant that you could never realy enjoy the van for worrying about the heater / pump operation. It also meant trying some work arounds including switching the pump off, turning the heater off or down to "frost" during the night or just turning it on ahead of need.

By chance I noticed that the water drbbling our of our heater was cold.....not the hot water expected from "pressure relief". It was agreed by Whale that this was an issue and the valve replaced.

Since then the water heater appears to work as designed with only the odd pump action. Much to our relief and my "pump ear" has actually stopped listening in.
 
Jan 19, 2014
9,320
24,575
Derbyshire
Funster No
29,757
MH
Elddis Accordo 105
Exp
since 2014
Put a John guest shut off valve on ours, I'm not paying 40 quid for another valve that will last 2 years. I open it if we use the heater. 😎

20210506_115526.jpg
 
Sep 4, 2022
1
1
Funster No
91,108
MH
Elddis Autoquest
You'll note the number of heart hugs I've dished out on this thread as we had exactly the same issue and it is frustrating on a number of levels.

Like Pobbo I found that working the dump valve cleared the issue for a while. The pump was coming on at short intervals and at all hours. It actual spoiled the ownership experience as it meant that you could never realy enjoy the van for worrying about the heater / pump operation. It also meant trying some work arounds including switching the pump off, turning the heater off or down to "frost" during the night or just turning it on ahead of need.

By chance I noticed that the water drbbling our of our heater was cold.....not the hot water expected from "pressure relief". It was agreed by Whale that this was an issue and the valve replaced.

Since then the water heater appears to work as designed with only the odd pump action. Much to our relief and my "pump ear" has actually stopped listening in.
Hi, I’m away in my van (Elddis Autoquest 2019) and am having the same problem. The pump comes on for one second every 5 minutes so did some research and found that the box under the van is leaking cold water (I’m a girl please don’t judge 😂) the only time it stops is if I switch off the water pump but then have to put it on again a while before I need the hot water. Can you let me know what you did to resolve yours please? You said about working the dump valve but I’m not sure where to find that? Any help most appreciated. Thank you

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Jan 19, 2014
9,320
24,575
Derbyshire
Funster No
29,757
MH
Elddis Accordo 105
Exp
since 2014
Hi, I’m away in my van (Elddis Autoquest 2019) and am having the same problem. The pump comes on for one second every 5 minutes so did some research and found that the box under the van is leaking cold water (I’m a girl please don’t judge 😂) the only time it stops is if I switch off the water pump but then have to put it on again a while before I need the hot water. Can you let me know what you did to resolve yours please? You said about working the dump valve but I’m not sure where to find that? Any help most appreciated. Thank you
Have a look round the water heater, my heater is inside the van so maybe different to yours but it might still be the yellow lever type valve.

Just opening and closing it a few times may help, you (or somebody) can disassemble it and clean out the limescale when you get home.

I had our heater out and stripped down earlier this year, it's aluminium and had corroded through, fixed it with some cement stuff you have to mix with hardener.
 
Aug 12, 2020
1,401
2,354
Edinburgh
Funster No
74,352
MH
Accordo 120
Exp
Sept 2019
Hi, I’m away in my van (Elddis Autoquest 2019) and am having the same problem. The pump comes on for one second every 5 minutes so did some research and found that the box under the van is leaking cold water (I’m a girl please don’t judge 😂) the only time it stops is if I switch off the water pump but then have to put it on again a while before I need the hot water. Can you let me know what you did to resolve yours please? You said about working the dump valve but I’m not sure where to find that? Any help most appreciated. Thank you
Hi Libby,

Apologies for the late reply. Sounds like a similar issue to mine. There may be a short term fix ( if it works). In my Accordo, adjacent to the pump, there is a yellow lever. This is the dump valve. STEP 1: Turn off the pump and the power to the heater (at the Whale thermostat). STEP 2: Turn the valve to open it and it will release the water from water heater. STEP 3 Open one of your taps. Step 4: Open and shut this valve a few times ( slowly) and let a few litres of (hot)water flow out. Step 5: Close the valve and the tap and turn the pump and the heater back on....the heater will recharge and the pump will run for a while, and the water will heat up. You may have to do this a few times.

It may well be an issue with hard water limescale or dirt in the valve seating OR as sounds more likely ( since you mention that it is cold water coming out) that the valve is on it's way out, in which case it may be a replacement /warranty job. The valve costs around £60 (from memory)

Hopefully it'll be a bit of crud and the above fix may clear it. Whale recommend dumping the water in the heater at the end of each trip and leaving the valve open. Check the Whale heater manual for details.
 

AlanDCS

Free Member
Feb 20, 2024
1
1
Funster No
101,361
MH
Elddis Accordo 120
Hi Libby,

Apologies for the late reply. Sounds like a similar issue to mine. There may be a short term fix ( if it works). In my Accordo, adjacent to the pump, there is a yellow lever. This is the dump valve. STEP 1: Turn off the pump and the power to the heater (at the Whale thermostat). STEP 2: Turn the valve to open it and it will release the water from water heater. STEP 3 Open one of your taps. Step 4: Open and shut this valve a few times ( slowly) and let a few litres of (hot)water flow out. Step 5: Close the valve and the tap and turn the pump and the heater back on....the heater will recharge and the pump will run for a while, and the water will heat up. You may have to do this a few times.

It may well be an issue with hard water limescale or dirt in the valve seating OR as sounds more likely ( since you mention that it is cold water coming out) that the valve is on it's way out, in which case it may be a replacement /warranty job. The valve costs around £60 (from memory)

Hopefully it'll be a bit of crud and the above fix may clear it. Whale recommend dumping the water in the heater at the end of each trip and leaving the valve open. Check the Whale heater manual for details.
Hi
I just tried this tip and it improved my issue immediately. The dump valve by the pump was clearly not closing completely, perhaps as I’m in a hard water area and limescale is often an issue around here. Pretty sure my water was clean as my water tank is spotless. The pump still runs occasionally but not every few seconds as it was doing. I’ll run through the cycle a few times but suspect that this has been happening occasionally for a while now. I’ll also try dumping the water from the pump after each trip to keep the valve well flushed through as suggested. Many thanks for your advice- it all makes sense now and I can relax knowing where the problem originates.

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Aug 12, 2020
1,401
2,354
Edinburgh
Funster No
74,352
MH
Accordo 120
Exp
Sept 2019
Next time it does it Alan, and before you go through the above routine, check that it is hot water that is dripping out. If it is cold water, contact Whale and talk to them, as it can be a faulty valve. The pressure release from the boiler will be hot water and with us, it will release enough for the pump to engage maybe two or three times a day under normal use conditions.

When we finish a trip I drain down at the camp site, leave the valve open and drive home. When I recharge the system, I let a half pint or so of water flow out of the open valve to clear it of dust etc, then close it and ready the boiler.

Best wishes.
 
Mar 2, 2024
3
1
Funster No
101,562
MH
v line sport
Hi Terry
its not in the van, the heater is under the chassis. We noticed it whilst on hardstanding whilst on hookup at the dealers. It was only a small amount of water , but I had cause to question it, They advised it was a known fault with a valve and could be due to swarf in the system during build. They duly dropped the heater in the workshop and cleaned the valve etc, they didn't have any spare valve , although they di say it was a known fault. As we are at the soul meet in June I accepted for the valve to be replaced then as we are nearby. Today I had a phone call to say that they had contacted whale for a replacement valve under warranty etc and that whale have advised them its not a fault but due to a pressure relief when the heater is turned on.Therefore there is no need to replace the valve. There does not appear to be a relief drain pipe it appears to leak from the casing. Which I will question tomorrow when they call me back.( it was just a girl service desk receptionist that phoned me) I just put up this post to see if anyone else had experienced the same. When we are on hard standing next and have the heater on I will measure the amount of water that's leaked. It doesn't appear to be much hence my query.
Jim
Ps the pump doesn't run when it leaks, not like a water pipe type leak
Hi Jim, I see your issue was a few years ago so hopefully all resolved!!!! Just wondering if any of you could help me? I noticed when the pump is on water pours out of the side of my van that says whale on it. This is obviously coming from the heating, but would also empty my tank in no time! What do you think I should do? KR Nicola
 
Jan 19, 2014
9,320
24,575
Derbyshire
Funster No
29,757
MH
Elddis Accordo 105
Exp
since 2014
Hi Jim, I see your issue was a few years ago so hopefully all resolved!!!! Just wondering if any of you could help me? I noticed when the pump is on water pours out of the side of my van that says whale on it. This is obviously coming from the heating, but would also empty my tank in no time! What do you think I should do? KR Nicola
Sounds like the boiler could have split like mine did. The water came from round the flew area.

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