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re. Air in system


Guest julie blackburn

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Guest julie blackburn
Sorry to have been so long in getting back with the results of the air in the water system of our Dethleffs T5841L it was the non return valve we have fitted a new one and it is now okay, but now the water is not heating up when on electric. We have checked the electric supply and looked at the rcd unit it has not tripped out, the green light on switch still shows on, are there any more fuses or re-set buttons that we need to find. It is a Trumatic c3402
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Guest Derek Uzzell
As you are probably aware, 230V water heating on your Truma C3402 is via a heating collar that is clipped round the outside of the water jacket beneath the heater's outer protective covering. The collar is basically a narrow 'electric blanket' with heating wires inside and with an ordinary (normally orange) 3-core mains cable coming out to connect to a 230V power supply. If the heating collar on your Dethleffs has been connected to the motorhome's 230V supply using Truma components there will be a 'Truma-marked' 230V ON/OFF switch with an indicator light. This switch's electrical cable will lead to a 'splitting box' that contains a set of terminals to which should be connected 3 cables - the 230V cable from your motorhome's RCD, the cable to the ON/OFF switch, and the cable to the heating collar. As your switch's indicator light illuminates there must be 230V power reaching the splitting box and feeding on to the switch. However, there may be a fault in the switch itself (a bit unlikely), or in the splitting box (perhaps a loosened terminal-screw), that is preventing the 230V power from operating the heating collar. The splitting box should be easily identifiable by tracing the 230V cable back from the heater. Hopefully it will be accessible and, if the protective cover is removed, it should be straightforward to check for secure connections and continuity. (There are simpler ways of providing 230V power to the heating collar that don't employ Truma parts, but the basic principles are unchanged.) The heating collar is a 'fit and forget' item. There is a thermostat and (I believe) some sort of auto-resetting thermal protection circuitry, but these are sealed into the collar's construction and cannot be accessed or repaired. If the heating collar itself becomes faulty, then replacement of the complete collar is the only option. To the best of my knowledge there is no reset button and normally no fusing between the ON/OFF switch and the heating collar. (Dethleffs may have added a fuse, of course, but I doubt it.) If everything seems OK at the switch or splitting box but the heating collar still doesn't work, then, as a final check, I'd be tempted to disconnect the heating collar's cable from its present 230V power source (keeping a note of which wires go where) and connect it directly to a 230V 3-pin plug that can be plugged into an extension cable that is known to work OK. This strategy should remove any doubts about whether or not the collar is faulty. If the collar does prove to be faulty (and I heard of an instance not long ago), then it will need replacement. This is a very simple task in theory, but unfortunately often involves complete removal of the heater to be able to do it. I recall you saying that you are new to motorhomes, so are you certain you actually have a problem? Truma heating collars are normally very reliable, but it needs recognising that their 450W output will never provide the rapid water heating you get from gas operation. You should not expect to switch on the 230V heater and notice a rise in water temperature shortly afterwards - raising cold water to the heating collar's 60C maximum capability will take well over an hour. (Having said that, after, say, 15 minutes, you should easily be able to detect whether or not the 230V collar is operating by placing your hand halfway down the side of the heater and feeling for warmth.) In case I've overlooked something vital, I suggest you contact the Truma technical people about this either via their website (www.trumauk.com) or on 01283 586050. If there is a fault with your heater (collar, switch, etc.) it may be covered by Truma's warranty. Even if it isn't, complaining strongly enough may earn you a sympathetic response.
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