Gregors Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Hi All. Just returned from three weeks in south of France, Whilst away I noticed that the overflow on the boiler keeps dripping out the bottom of the MH. I drained the boiler off a bit and it was fine ( No Drip) however once you use the water system again the boiler refills and the drip re appears. Has anyone else had this issue ? Any ideas on how to fix it ? Many thanks Chris ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithM Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Generic answer: Water expands when heated. This may be normal for your system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregors Posted August 15, 2016 Author Share Posted August 15, 2016 Hi, I wish it was as simple as that. It did it when we arrived back in the U.K as well. Pus I had the hot water turned off in France as well ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Depends what van and what heating system. One possibility is a pressure release valve that either wants cleaning or replacing but that may or may not apply to your system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanedwin Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I agree with Tracker. Classic symptoms of pressure relief valve needing cleaning or replacing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 alanedwin - 2016-08-15 4:33 PM I agree with Tracker. Classic symptoms of pressure relief valve needing cleaning or replacing. Agree +2. If the OP's boiler is a Truma the part is a red (sometimes) plastic elbow with a small bore clear plastic tube. I think Truma normally refer to this as an "Integrated Ventilating Valve". If the valve is not working properly it should only drain the water in the top part of the boiler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Tracker - 2016-08-15 4:13 PM Depends what van and what heating system. One possibility is a pressure release valve that either wants cleaning or replacing but that may or may not apply to your system. and me plus3 i had to replace a pressure release valve on my Autocruise same fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Much less expensive parts from a local plumber's merchant than from Eberspacher or Truma - and if you take the old one in with you you can guarantee a connection and that it will fit!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiesgrandad Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Just a thought, we had a similar problem, and it was the frost dump valve playing up. AGD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregors Posted August 16, 2016 Author Share Posted August 16, 2016 Hi All, Thanks for your suggestions. The boiler is a Truma. The valve that you mention, where is this located. what does it look like ? Is this in side the boiler itself or is it on the outside of the boiler ? Many thanks Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanedwin Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 It is on the side of the boiler near the top and is usually a red plastic t piece with a transparent plastic tube leading from it down to the floor. Mine cost about £11 from eBay and took 2 minutes to change. Before you buy one just take the old one off and check that the ball valve is moving freely and is not being held open by grit or calcium deposits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithM Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 When you find the PRV (Pressure Relief Valve) just rotate the knob a few times this may clean the calcium deposits, dirt and all will be fine. Note: some water may be expelled, not a lot. If you do need to change it then make sure you buy one of the correct pressure relief, there are different ones. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregors Posted August 16, 2016 Author Share Posted August 16, 2016 Hi All. That's a real help thanks very much. My job for tonight then whilst she watches the box ! Thanks alot really appreciate it Kindest Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Gregors - 2016-08-15 3:01 PM Hi All. Just returned from three weeks in south of France, Whilst away I noticed that the overflow on the boiler keeps dripping out the bottom of the MH. I drained the boiler off a bit and it was fine ( No Drip) however once you use the water system again the boiler refills and the drip re appears. Has anyone else had this issue ? Any ideas on how to fix it ? Many thanks Chris ] I believe you own a 2001 Elnagh motorhome, but I can’t find anything in your earlier postings to indicate which Elnagh model you’ve got. >:-) Assuming that the vehicle is 2001 vintage, its ‘boiler’ is likely to be either a Truma “Ultrastore” water-boiler (details here) https://dealernew.truma.com/_anweisungen/Truma_Katalog/pdf_verzeichnis/70_000/70000_94600.pdf or - more probably - a Truma “Trumatic C” combination air/water heater (details here) https://dealernew.truma.com/_anweisungen/Truma_Katalog/pdf_verzeichnis/30_000/34000_95100.pdf https://dealernew.truma.com/_anweisungen/Truma_Katalog/pdf_verzeichnis/30_000/34000_95000.pdf Neither an “Ultrastore” boiler, nor a Trumatic-C heater, has an ‘overflow’ as such, but both appliances do have on their side (towards the top) a plastic ‘elbow-fitting’ attached to the heater’s hot water outlet. There’s an example in this advert http://tinyurl.com/hqmolef and it may be worth adding that the the colour and design of the elbow-fitting can vary. Photos of a Truma old-style grey elbow-fitting and a new-style red elbow-fitting are in this German motorhome-forum discussion http://www.hme-ev.de/bb3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7592&p=47531&hilit=Entl%C3%BCftungsventil The elbow-fitting has a simple integrated breather-valve that is closed during normal use, but opens to allow air in when the heater is drained of water. The breather-valve is fitted with a slim plastic hose (as shown in the advert) and this hose should lead through the motorhome’s floor. The usual problem with the elbow-fitting is that the breather-valve will not close and a good deal of water pours through the hose, rather than water just dripping. If you find that your ‘drip’ is coming from the elbow-fitting’s hose, you could do as alanedwin advises above and check the breather-valve’s operation (and try to clean it) but previous forum comments suggest that replacement of the elbow-fitting is more likely to provide a long-term cure. Trumatic-C heaters are also normally fitted with a Truma safety/drain valve and photos of the electrically- and manually-operated versions are attached. The electrically-operated valve provides 'anti-frost’ protection: the manually-operated valve does not. But both valves have a ‘pressure-release’ capability that will let water through if an excessively high water pressure occurs in the heater (eg. if a thermostat fails and the water in the heater approaches boiling point). Both safety/drain valves can drip (through a hose that leads benetah the motorhome) and will be more likely to do this when the water is being heated and the water-pressure in the heater rises than when the heater is not being used. I’m doubtful that a Truma safety/drain valve is the cause of your water loss, as you say that the dripping occurs when water is NOT being heated and the symptoms you’ve described make the elbow-fitting the prime suspect. But just in case your Truma heater’s safety/drain valve is dripping, you could try opening the valve and letting plenty of water drain through, then close the valve, then reopen it and repeat that procedure several times. I think KeithM is referring to Truma’s electrically-operated safety/drain valve when he suggests that you “...rotate the knob a few times...”, so you could try that too. If - after all that fiddling - an electrically-operated Truma safety/drain valve continues to drip, it will need to be replaced by a non-electric Truma “FrostControl” valve as the old-type valve is no longer marketed. Alternatively, a manually-operated safety/drain valve (without anti-frost protection) could be installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregors Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 Hi Yes that's correct a 2001 Elnagh MH. I had a brief look last night and could see the valve/elbow joint that is mentioned. There is a red pipe going in and a clear hose coming off. I think i will replace this and go from there. Thanks for the info that you uploaded, I have a much clearer picture now. Thanks Again Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Gregors - 2016-08-17 9:49 AM ...There is a red pipe going in and a clear hose coming off... Hot water will be provided to your motorhome’s hot-water outlets (kitchen/bathroom taps, shower) through the red pipe, and the clear hose allows air to enter the heater’s water-boiler when the boiler drains down. Before the motorhome’s water system is refilled, the breather-valve in the elbow-fitting will normally be open and some water (and bubbles of air) may be expelled through the breather-valve and emerge from beneath the motorhome before the pressure within the boiler causes the breather-valve to close. You need to confirm that your ‘drip’ is through the elbow-fitting’s clear hose, as there’s no point in replacing that fitting if the problem lies elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 The red pipe is the pumped water feed to the boiler, as I'm sure you realise. Before removing the elbow connector, suggest you make sure the pump is turned off and depressurise the system by opening the dump valve to let some of the water out of the boiler. I seem to remember that the connector (incorporating vent valve) is removed by twisting the body of the connector through 90 degrees. It's a spring loaded device - well it was on mine. Now that you have a full explanation of how the system works (thanks to Derek), it should be an easy fix :-D Do let us know how you get on. PS. Just seen Derek's reply - hope there is no conflict between the 2 posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 If the “red pipe” is connected to the elbow-fitting (which is how I read Chris’s posting of 17 August 2016 9:49 AM) it wiill deliver hot water FROM the boiler. Cold water being pumped to the boiler will be via a pipe (colour anybody’s guess) that connects lower down on the boiler. The elbow-fitting on Chris’s heater will be clamped to the boiler’s hot-water outlet ’stub’ by a plastic nut (shown in advert I gave a link to above). Loosening the nut should allow the elbow-fitting to be removed from the stub. (Twisting the elbow may be needed if the thing won’t slide off.) Diagrams and advice in Truma’s Installation Instructions (one of the other links I provided earlier) make it fairly obvious how (and where) the elbow-fitting attaches to the boiler, and where the boiler’s cold-water inlet is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregors Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 Thanks Derrek and Robbo, That's exactly how the system works. There is a grey nut that will undo allowing the elbow to come off. I'll have a look and let you know how I get on, Thanks for the advise. Kindest Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregors Posted August 20, 2016 Author Share Posted August 20, 2016 Hi All, Thanks for all your help with the drip. I have replaced the elbow however it didn't cure the issue. I have looked underneath and there are actually two pipes that come out the bottom of the truck. I had guessed that the one leaking was the boiler pipe, however I could well be wrong. Without dismantling all the truck. Does anyone no what the other pipe could be ???? O by the way the boiler is actually a Truma BS10/14 Many Thanks Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanedwin Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 The other one should be your frost protection /safety drain valve outlet. Having looked at the manual for your boiler it appears that your safety drain valve is not automatic. Perhaps someone with a similar boiler will confirm this? If you can confirm that the leak is coming from that valve it would help in diagnosing the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregors Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 Hi All, O.K All fixed. Thanks for everyone for there help and comments. The issue was the fill and empty valve. Basically it was allowing water to escape when in the locked off position hence the drip out the bottom of the truck. Fingers crossed, thats the last of that ! many thanks again Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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