smuffy Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 Hi All, My first time on here and I'm a newbie motorhome owner so please go easy on me as. I recently purchased a 2004 Hymer Tramp and have noticed that every time I turn the taps on that water also leaks from a small drainage pipe located underneath the vehicle on the passenger side. It is not from one of the known drainage pipes with a tap on. There are two small diameter hoses (about 10mm each or less), water leaks from one of these and only when the internal sink or bathroom taps are turned on. I perplexed as I simply cannot find why this is happening, am I missing something really obvious? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 Reads like one of your drain valves is open. Have a look in your manual under something like 'draining the water system for winter' and it should tell you where these valves are and how to close or open them [probably just turning the valve control in the right direction]. One will be for the boiler - you may also need to reset the frost control for the boiler - and the other for the fresh water [more likely]. The Hymer manuals are generally good and should be in English if the van is UK spec. If you haven't got a manual. we'll have to wait for someone to come along who knows the Tramp. And welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums, Lee. I think the Hymer manual available via the following link would be relevant for a 2004 Tramp http://premiermotorhomesltd.com/downloads/1269361.pdf Hymers commonly have a water system that includes taps with micro-switches and a submersible water-pump located inside the motorhome’s oboard fresh-water tank. I’m guessing that turning a tap is causing the water-pump to operate and deliver water to that tap (which is exactly what should happen) but (as Brock has suggested) there’s a drain-valve open and the water leakage is through that valve. As you’ve mentioned there being two small-diameter hoses (and that the water is leaking through one of these) I think your motorhome has a Truma Trumatic “C” combination air/water heater and (assuming that’s so) that it’s the heater’s ‘anti-frost’ safety/drain valve that’s open and needs to be closed. There’s a picture (Fig 123) of the safety/drain valve on Page 137 of the Hymer manual on the above link and I’ve attached a photo of it below. The valve is usually (though not always!!) positioned close to the heater. To close the valve you need to lift the red knob on the valve’s top until it locks, and to open it again you need to push the red knob downwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smuffy Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 Thanks Brock, it seems the frost protection valve was open! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smuffy Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 Derek, having had a quick look it seems the frost protection valve was open! I haven't yet checked if this has solved the problem as I'm in a bit of a hurry today but will keep you updated. I (wrongly) thought this valve only drained the boiler and didn't relate it back to the water supply system to the domestic taps. Hope it's solved the problem, will check on Friday and keep you posted. Thanks for the welcome and advice, really appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smuffy Posted June 4, 2018 Author Share Posted June 4, 2018 Derek/Brock, thanks so much for your help. You were correct in that it was the frost protection valve causing the problem. All sorted now. This does lead to another question though..........I assume that it's not possible to use the in-built water system in temperatures below zero??? I like to spend time in the mountains during winter so is it possible to install some sort of 12 volt trace heating system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 If you are using the van and the boiler is on,or the water in the boiler is hot the temperature around the valve will not go low enough to open it. Brian B Ps, On our Hymer The valve opens at about 2 deg,but will not re set below about 8 deg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 smuffy - 2018-06-04 5:58 PM Derek/Brock, thanks so much for your help. You were correct in that it was the frost protection valve causing the problem. All sorted now. This does lead to another question though..........I assume that it's not possible to use the in-built water system in temperatures below zero??? I like to spend time in the mountains during winter so is it possible to install some sort of 12 volt trace heating system? Information on the Truma safety/drain valve used with Trumatic C-Series heaters can be found on Page 137 of this Hymer handbook link http://premiermotorhomesltd.com/downloads/1269361.pdf and on Page 11 of this Truma Operating Instructions document https://dealernew.truma.com/_anweisungen/Truma_Katalog/pdf_verzeichnis/30_000/34010_03500.pdf The safety/drain valve will automatically open If the air temperature at the valve is less than (about) 4°C. The valve can then only be closed if the air temperature at the valve is above (about) 8°C. If the air temperature at the valve is around 8°C or less, switching the heater on allows the valve to be closed. If the water in any water-heater fitted to a motorhome freezes, there’s a high risk that the heater will be damaged (hence the design-purpose of Truma’s safety/drain valve). But there’s nothing to stop you using the heater with water in it in very cold weather conditions if you are prepared to prevent the safety/drain valve from opening and are prepared to accept the potential risk that, in the event of the water in the heater freezing, damage to the heater may well occur. There’s a longish 2016 forum discussion about the Truma safety/draon valve here http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Truma-water-dump-valve/45874/ You’ll see from this that it’s been common practice for motorcaravanners to jam the valve closed so that it cannot spontaneously open if the temperature near the valve drops to (about) 4°C. Various ploys have been used to hold the valve’s red operating knob in its closed position (clothes-peg, bulldog-clip, elastic band, etc.) but probably the neatest is by using a wire ‘R-clip’ as shown on the 2nd page of the forum discussion and in the attached photo, inserting the clip in the groove at the knob’s base. I’m not sure what you have in mind when you mention installing “some sort of 12 volt trace heating system”, but (realistically) you’d never be able to water adequately for, say, cooking/washing/showering via 12V alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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