Combi D6 E

[david lloyd]

Our 2015 Chausson Welcome 717GA is fitted with the Truma Combi D6(E) boiler which has been excellent so far although it does require more 12v power than the gas/electric version. Fortunately we took the decision to have two 90ah batteries and a solar panel fitted for when we are off mains.

 

Being a diesel version I was wondering about servicing and maintenance so thought I would browse through the manual. It does refer to being serviced every two years but also refers to the boiler needing 'descaling' every six months and recommends the Truma Care Set to do this.

 

I am aware that the Combi boiler should be cleaned or sterilised periodically but never heard of it being referred to as 'descaling' - can anyone shed some light on this and what the Truma Care Set provides that cannot be purchased elsewhere to keep the unit clean?

 

David

[david lloyd]

Ah, now, I managed to provoke some response to my other post by bumping it up to the top so here goes with this........any comments, observations, advice gratefully received.

 

David

[Tracker]

Is Guisborough in a hard or soft water area David?

 

If soft I wouldn't bother descaling for the ammount of use it's gonna get and if hard - well I dunno but I suspect that it will need to be a lot less frequent than Truma suggest, and you may well notice a fall off of temperature or flow rate as a clue?

 

Is the van yours from new or was it used somewhere with different water first?

 

I agree, and although our diesel experience was with Eberspacher Diesel heaters do take a heck of a surge of 12 volt to fire up and I think that with an extra battery and solar panel you should be OK as long as the batteries remain well charged over a cold night.

[david lloyd]

Tracker - 2016-09-14 6:15 PM

 

Is Guisborough in a hard or soft water area David?

 

If soft I wouldn't bother descaling for the ammount of use it's gonna get and if hard - well I dunno but I suspect that it will need to be a lot less frequent than Truma suggest, and you may well notice a fall off of temperature or flow rate as a clue?

 

Is the van yours from new or was it used somewhere with different water first?

 

I agree, and although our diesel experience was with Eberspacher Diesel heaters do take a heck of a surge of 12 volt to fire up and I think that with an extra battery and solar panel you should be OK as long as the batteries remain well charged over a cold night.

 

Hi Tracker, our water is fairly soft but of course we visit lots of other places (including winter in France/Spain) which will vary the water softness.there has been no fall in pressure - even with the 3m water filter which is due for renewal anytime now so I'm not too worried really. The van was new in 2015 and the previous owner only did 800 miles before we bought it in December last so mist of the 6000 miles have been ours.

 

To be honest, I've never really cleaned/de scaled any of our previous Motorhomes - especially since the last one was the longest we owned one at three years. All I know is that Truma advise not to use Milton as it can attack the stainless steel.

 

We did manage through last winter (although we did stay on a site with hookup most of the time) even while travelling down from Calais using Aires. Two to three hours dail driving kept the one battery we had then up to the job. When we got back in spring I changed that Banner Energy Bull for two Varta LFD 90's following good advice on here. Hopefully that should keep us going again this winter as we intend doing more touring in the Spanish Aires.

 

So, maybe just a flush through at this stage should be enough to keep the boiler in good health.

 

David

[Derek Uzzell]

There’s a useful Truma FAQ section here

 

https://www.truma.com/int/en/heating/tips-faq.php

 

The relevant ‘descaling’ Q&A is as follows:

 

"Q: Does my Combi water tank need to be descaled or sterilised?

 

A: The water tank should be descaled from time to time.

 

Citric acid must be used for this purpose. This can be fed into the device via the water inlet. Leave it time to take effect and then rinse out the Combi thoroughly with fresh water.

 

Please do not use the water from the Combi as drinking water.”

 

More advice/information here:

 

https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Truma+combi+boiler+descaling

 

The challenge is, of course, getting the heater full of citric acid solution and - if I remember correctly - for maximum effectiveness, the heater then needs to be run to heat up the solution. I vaguely recall a French magazine article showing a DIY way of carrying out this procedure, but that was years ago. Best of luck - I’ve never done it!

[david lloyd]

Thanks Derek, as I say, I have never done one before but then we have not owned the Motorhome for more than three years. I think it is probably a good idea to rinse/sterilise it now and then (although we use a 3m water filter) and if I do it I could use the water to measure the waste water tank capacity (see other thread) and then change the filter which is coming up for renewal too.

 

David

[Derek Uzzell]

I think - when you mentioned Truma’s “Care Set” earlier - that you were referring to Truma’s “Aquastar” range of water treatments.

 

These links may be of intersest

 

https://www.truma.com/tr/tr/water-systems/truma-aquastar.php

 

https://www.truma.com/tr/tr/water-systems/aquastar-questions-answers.php

 

I think Truma no longer markets the Aquastar products, though you might well find that retailers still have some kicking around on their shelves if you GOOGLE-search.

[Steve H]

I use citric acid to clean and descale my water system.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CITRIC-ACID-Anhydrous-Grade-Additive/dp/B00WQ7632E/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1474189844&sr=8-11&keywords=citric+acid+powder

 

Drain your water system down.

Mix a nice strong solution of citric acid.

Pour in to the fresh water tank and fill the boilers tank, probably need to pump it there. I leave it in situ for three days.

Fire up the boiler and heat the water.

Allow to cool and then thoroughly flush the whole water system through.

Taste the water when you think you've flushed through sufficiently - if it tastes like lemonade keep flushing!

[david lloyd]

Thank you Steve and Derek,

 

That seems like the best solution (pardon the pun) and the only remaining question was about routine maintenance for the boiler. As it is reused fired I assume it will need regular maintenance but I have no explicit details in the handbooks. I am hoping to use a mobile (NCC Approved) workshop to have a habitation service done in a few weeks and hoped they would have some experience but will ask before I make the booking.

 

David

[Derek Uzzell]

The “Maintenance” section on Page 16 of Truma’s Operating Instructions for a Combi D6(E) heater

 

https://www.truma.com/downloadcenter/combi_d6_e_cpplus_ready_operating_de_gb_fr_it_nl_dk_se.pdf

 

recommends “Certisil-Argento” for sterilising the boiler.

 

This is an expensive product

 

https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=certisil+argento+uk

 

and is not designed to ‘descale’. As Steve H says, a citric acid solution should be used for descaling (and is what Truma sold as “Aquastar 1”).

 

The Combi “D” heater was originally diesel-fuelled only and was a joint venture between Truma and Eberspacher. Its marketing coincided with the price of diesel fuel increasing significantly and few motorhome manufacturers chose to fit it. More recently the D6(E) model was introduced, with 230V heating elements supplementing the 6kW diesel-fuelled burner.

 

The Combi “D” is still a rare bird and only likely to be found in motorhomes where the manufacturer has (like Chausson) a history of installing diesel-fuelled appliances. I’d be surprised if a mobile (NCC Approved) workshop will have ever seen a Combi “D” or have any idea of of what might be involved in ‘maintaining’ one.

 

Your best bet for information/attention would probably be a Chausson motorhome dealership, though I’m pretty confident that all that would be done as part of a habitation service regarding a Truma “Combi” heater (LPG-fuelled or diesel-fuelled) would be to check that the appliance was functioning correctly.