Hot water tank dumping/radio switching off after 15 mins

[ike]

Hi All  Have now had a couple of trips away in our new (to us) Pilote. These topics have probably appeared before but the search facility ain't working for me. The hot water tank dumps its contents at around 8 degrees (not cold by Scottish standards), but I also think the valve/switch is faulty as the valve has also opened on a balmy summers' day. As a temporary solution I have "locked" it using a couple of clothes pegs but these could work free when travelling ( and of course if we do have a freezing night this would prevent the tank from dumping, potentially damaging the boiler). Has anyone else experienced this problem with a Pilote or other van. Is it something to have fixed or is it a quirk of the van? To have it fixed, hopefully under warranty, would involve travelling some distance. But if we have to we will and it would be useful to be armed with some info/other's experience before I contact the sellers.

Ther other issue is that the radio/CD player switches off after 15 mins when the engine isn't running - a minor irritation but is there a solution? Thanks in anticipation for help

ike

[Terrytraveller]

Hi Ike,

 

The forum search facilty seems to be a bit iffy from time to time, I just searched twice, first search okay, next search bombed out.

 

If you enter the following into Google it will search this forum for words Truma dump

 

truma dump site:http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk

 

If you enter the following into Google it will search this forum for words Radio

 

radio site:http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk

 

See the pattern?

 

This Google search format can be used in 'that other' forum, which charges you £10 to search. >:-(

 

Regards Terry

[Grumpyman]

Re radio switching off. I had this problem with our autocruise which was solved by fitting diodes and a auxcillary switch which isolated the current. Otherwise your battery would be run down when not in use.

 

This was rectified by Brownhills of Newark although I expect any good motor radio / hi-fi installer would now how to do this.

 

 

Grumpyman (David)

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

ike:

 

A Truma C-Series heater's 12-volt safety/drain valve should only open when the air temperature at the valve's location falls to around 4°C. Once open, the valve cannot be re-closed until the the air temperature at the valve's location has reached around 8°C, or the heater has been switched on. As the valve is held closed electrically, it is possible for it to open if the charge of the battery supplying it with 12V power is heavily depleted (ie. if your leisure battery is flattened or disconnected, then the drain valve will open).

 

If the drain valve on your Pilote has a mind of its own (and there is anecdotal evidence that some valves are pernickety), then it will almost certainly need to be replaced. As far as I'm aware, the valve cannot be 'maintained' or repaired.

 

Personally, I place the valve in the "Semi-Useless Bloody Things" category and, like many other right-thinking motorcaravanners, lock it in the closed position while the motorhome is in use. I employ a small, suitably-thick, piece of aluminium sheet, slightly bent and with a slot in it, that slides tightly beneath the valve's operating knob. My aluminium 'widget' also has a bit of double-sided sticky tape on its underside that makes it impossible for it to work loose while my motorhome is being driven.

 

 

 

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

Terrytraveller - 2008-05-20 7:17 PM

 

This Google search format can be used in 'that other' forum, which charges you £10 to search. >:-(

 

 

Regards Terry

 

Terry, This comment has caused a little stir and ruffled the feathers of the sensitive ones over on MHF lol

 

Because the OP is too shy to come on here and face a fellow motorhome enthusiast (such is our fearsome reputation:-D) an emissary is being appointed at this moment to come and address us all. And convince us of why it is necessary to join a closed order lol

 

While it’s OK for them to have threads regards this forum (without the right to reply8-) ) it is a brave man who criticises theirs *-)

 

The irony that you have to pay to respond to criticism on there is probably beyond the understanding of most of them.........

*-)

[yeti]

JudgeMental - 2008-05-21 5:12 PM

 

Terrytraveller - 2008-05-20 7:17 PM

 

This Google search format can be used in 'that other' forum, which charges you £10 to search. >:-(

 

 

Regards Terry

 

Terry, This comment has caused a little stir and ruffled the feathers of the sensitive ones over on MHF lol

 

Because the OP is too shy to come on here and face a fellow motorhome enthusiast (such is our fearsome reputation:-D) an emissary is being appointed at this moment to come and address us all. And convince us of why it is necessary to join a closed order lol

 

While it’s OK for them to have threads regards this forum (without the right to reply8-) ) it is a brave man who criticises theirs *-)

 

The irony that you have to pay to respond to criticism on there is probably beyond the understanding of most of them.........

*-)

I am afraid that this forum is becoming too much of a sniping group,why not live and let live and answer the original query!!!

[libby]

Takes one to recognise one.

 

LB

[Terrytraveller]

Guy's,

 

I was only trying to be helpful (lol)

 

Regards Terry

[Guest JudgeMental]

Terrytraveller - 2008-05-21 7:48 PM

 

Guy's,

 

I was only trying to be helpful (lol)

 

Regards Terry

 

 

Anyway, they have moved it to subscribers only area, so I can't observe their schoolyard shenanigans anymore lol

 

Not before accusing OAL as being full of "to**ers" etc....

 

what else can you expect from a bunch of inbreds..... so heavily moderated that it read like a children's story book. and where DEALERS and there cronies constantly stick their noses into threads :-D

 

 

[davenewellhome]

For goodness sake! What is all this them and us "our forum is better than theirs" nonsense? Do you not realise that there are many people who frequent both forums and many more as well? How is slagging off another forum helpful or constructive? Why can we not live and let live instead of this boring and repetitive crap?

 

To Ike, in response to your original questions, I think Derek has dealt with the boiler issue so I'll try to help with your radio problem.

 

My solution is to wire in a separate switch mounted somewhere convenient in the habitation area, often near the head of the bed so you can switch the radio on or off from bed.

 

On the back of the radio there are two 8 pin plugs. The lower one carries the power connections. Connect from the red (permanent live) wire to one side of your new switch, the return from the switch goes to the ignition switched feed which (from memory) is blue yellow. Cut the blue yellow and insert a diode in it (this will stop back feeding into the ignition controlled circuit) and connect the return from your new switch to the radio side of the diode.

 

Your radio will now switch on and off with the ignition but when you want to use the radio on site you simply use the new remote switch.

 

It can also be useful to re wire the power supply for the radio to your leisure battery to avoid flattening the engine battery by using the radio too much.

 

D.

[Terrytraveller]

Hi Eddie,

 

Try these two searches in google and make a note of the count of each mention.

 

MHF site:http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/

 

OAL site:http://www.motorhomefacts.com

 

173 against 44 - It makes amusing reading, you will need cntrl F to pick out POI's

 

Regards Terry

[Guest JudgeMental]

Cheers Terry! but frankly I can't be bothered lol

 

lighten up Dave! - nothing was said on here when there lord and master started a thread recently about OAL but enough is enough....:-D

 

This time they are so ashamed of it they have hidden it!

 

probably should have started a fresh thread and for that my apologies.

 

But I thought original posters problem had been answered...... :-D

[davenewellhome]

Eddie, I don't need to lighten up but you might like to try growing up some time.

 

D.

[Guest JudgeMental]

davenewell@home - 2008-05-22 6:41 PM

 

Eddie, I don't need to lighten up but you might like to try growing up some time.

D.

 

Dave, if you find the need to be personal and objectionable so be it. But I will not reciprocate...... I'm to grown up

[davenewellhome]

So you consider me to be personal and objectionable? How about your earlier posting "what else can you expect from a bunch of inbreds..... " for being personal and objectionable?

 

You act like a child and when someone picks you up for your bad behaviour you attack them!

 

Like I said before, you should try growing up Eddie.

 

D.

[Guest JudgeMental]

this is no good Dave, this is exactly what MHF criticise us for, bickering and arguing....

 

also a bit one sided, jumping on me when you obviously did not see the MHF thread that sparked it of or the one before.....

 

it was a bit of a wind up - a joke - hence the smiley's - God knows why are you taking it so seriously. I have enough serious issues in my life believe me......

 

You have been very good to me in the past - I don't forget things like that. But you are being a bit full on lol

 

if you feel the need to continue probably best to PM :-D

 

 

[ike]

Thanks to those who helpfully responded to my query. I'll continue to use the clothes peg until I can produce a better solution for the dumping problem (such as the one described). Radio problem I can probably live with until my friendly auto electician returns from his hols. I was looking forward to reading all your advice when I saw 15 replies but am a bit bemused by what's in most of them but please don't try to enlighten me!

ike

[bob b]

Ike,

I've just replaced my radio with an £80.00 Sony CD/Radio & you can adjust the switch off time on the set itself. I adjusted it to permanent and its been fine.

[Derek Uzzell]

A general point about Truma's 'automatic' safety/drain valve that I had intended to mention in an earlier thread but never got round to doing.

 

The thread involved was

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=11815&posts=5

 

in which "bertie burstner" said he seemed to be getting more water coming through the drain-valve than was in the Truma heater and thought he might be draining his motorhome's main fresh-water tank.

 

This is a perfectly feasible scenario. In fact, if your motorhome is fitted with a submerged water-pump (ie. the pump is within the fresh-water tank itself) rather than a diaphragm-type pump, then there's every chance that, when the drain-valve opens, water will commence siphoning from the main water tank. I'm not sure if the siphoning process will stop when the heater is empty or will continue until the main water tank is completely drained, but, when this came up in MMM's "Interchange" columns, it was suggested then that the latter was occurring. As there seems to be no realistic solution to prevent siphoning happening (other than swapping the water-pump for a diaphragm type), it's something worth being aware of.

[Mr. Grumpy]

Derek this is exactly what happens in our van. The valve cuts in at around 8 degrees C especially if driving along where the cold air turbulence seems to aggravate the situation. The wooden clothes peg has worked for us and never dropped off in 4 years of use; until the next trip of course! We learned the hard way when our valve activated on the M6 and dropped half the tank contents before we pulled in for fuel and spotted the problem.

At least Burstner seems to have address the radio problem as ours has never switched it's self off but now it is 4 years old switches it's self on if the face plate is not removed when we have finished listening to either the radio or CD. Solutions to this would be appreciated.

[Derek Uzzell]

I had a Truma C-Series heater retro-fitted to my Herald in 2000 and was offered the choice of an electric drain-valve or a manual one. The Truma technician asked me whether I planned to run the heater while driving during cold weather conditions and, when I said not, recommended that a manual drain-valve be used to remove any likelihood of the heater draining spontaneously. Even if the electric valve deigns to stay closed down to its design 4°C, this temperature isn't that cold and is easily reached while the vehicle is in motion if the valve is installed in a suitably chilly position in the motorhome.