# Is my Truma overheating?



## loughrigg (Nov 10, 2008)

My Truma (C3402) is installed in a cupboard under a work surface. After the boiler has been on for about an hour the cupboard is very warm and the drawers above, everything in them and the work surface is warm to the touch.

It's probably not a great idea to store all our cutlery in a nice warm drawer, but other than that I'm a bit concerned that this will cause some damage in the long-term.

I've thought about lining the cupboard with radiator insulation, but that is just treating the symptom. It seems to me that either the Truma is running too hot (inadequate ventilation?), or the heat isn't being properly distributed (the vent in the shower always blows cool).

All the outlets I can get to seem to have the hoses properly connected.

Suggestions/observations would be appreciated.

Mike


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Cold*

Our old motorhome suffered the same. It was in the garage under our bed. We were warm as toast with bed heating OFF! (had vents under mattress from Truma).

TM


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

It is normal, as long as you can't smell burning. Our truma is un a locker under our sinks and the bottom of the sinks are warmed by it. I would not insulate around the boiler as you may cause it to overheat.


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## Chudders (Jul 5, 2008)

Mine gets very warm as well, I guess its meant to be so, mine is in the base of the wardrobe so keeps clothes nice and warm
Dave


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## Codfinger (Jan 11, 2008)

*overheating truma*

See here http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-72156-.html I dont know if its the same problem, ours has now been modified but still smells :roll: 
chris


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## safariboy (May 1, 2005)

We took our to Truma and they checked it all over.
He made the following points.
There must be free air round the boiler. I think that the specified gap was 150mm but am not sure of that figure.
There should be ventilation at the top an bottom of the locker. there was plenty at the bottom but bed clothes tended to cover it at the top. So I have added some extra.
So far seems OK.


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## loughrigg (Nov 10, 2008)

*Re: overheating truma*



Codfinger said:


> See here http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-72156-.html I dont know if its the same problem, ours has now been modified but still smells :roll:
> chris


I don't think it is the same thing, Chris, but I'll check the serial number anyway. I can only recall one incidence of a nasty niff in the area of the boiler cupboard and that only lasted a few minutes.

Mike


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## mandyandandy (Oct 1, 2006)

We have the exact same thing with ours. 

The problem we have is the Nature Pure pipes go through the cupboard and up to the separate tap which we use for just drinking waters. Does anyone have a way of stopping the water in these pipes from getting warm, at the moment we have to run off a good litre each time till we get to cooler water. 

Mandy


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## Mick757 (Nov 16, 2009)

You could maybe insulate this pipe in a reverse central heating kind of way to stop the heat getting to them - not sure how efective this would be? The only sure fire cure is to re-route the pipe away from the heat source.


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## JockandRita (Jun 1, 2005)

loughrigg said:


> My Truma (C3402) is installed in a cupboard under a work surface. After the boiler has been on for about an hour the cupboard is very warm and the drawers above, everything in them and the work surface is warm to the touch.
> 
> It's probably not a great idea to store all our cutlery in a nice warm drawer, but other than that I'm a bit concerned that this will cause some damage in the long-term.
> 
> ...


Hi Mike,

Our C3402 is under the kitchen bar area worktop, but there are vents for any excess heat to disperse. It doesn't get too hot though. Re the cold heat vent, do all the heating ducts run inside the MH? We once had a caravan, where one heating duct went through the floor, across the chassis, and back inside again, resulting in all heat loss where it terminated.
Our furthest vent from the heater in the MH struggled, until we balanced out the other vents.



MandyandAndy said:


> Does anyone have a way of stopping the water in these pipes from getting warm, at the moment we have to run off a good litre each time till we get to cooler water.


Hi Mandy,

How about the foam pipe lagging? They do one with a reflective foil coating. That may help reduce the temperature that the water pipe is exposed to. Other than that, I'm not sure how else what you can do, other than re-routing the pipe.

HTH,

Jock.


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## loughrigg (Nov 10, 2008)

[quote="JockandRita
Our C3402 is under the kitchen bar area worktop, but there are vents for any excess heat to disperse. It doesn't get too hot though. Re the cold heat vent, do all the heating ducts run inside the MH? We once had a caravan, where one heating duct went through the floor, across the chassis, and back inside again, resulting in all heat loss where it terminated.
Jock.[/quote]

Hi Jock

Sounds very similar to my set up apart from the dispersal vents. My Truma is mounted in a cupboard with a slightly raised floor (about two inches above floor level). There is a slot cut into the base front (roughly eight inches by one and a half inches) that leads into the void under the cupboard floor. Two holes (roughly four inches in diameter) are cut in the raised floor, but there are no vents above.

Hot air can escape around the door edges, but other than that, normal convection is very limited. There are other cupboards both sides of the heater cupboard and drawers above, so a surface to vent through is pretty well limited to the door. I don't really want to start cutting a hole in the door - I have a faint suspicion that SWMBO might raise a mild objection to that 8O 8O 8O - so any ideas would be welcome.

I did trace the route of the supply pipe to the shower - as you said, through the floor, an eight feet run along the bottom of the chassis and back up into the shower. Has anyone tried insulating an externally-mounted heating pipe or is it possible to buy a ready insulated pipe?

Mike

Edit: Just had an interesting conversation with Truma about the external heating pipe - their view is that the distribution pipes should never be fitted externally because "they are paper backed and will deteriorate over time if exposed to wet conditions".

Their suggested solution is to run the external pipe in 80mm insulated ducting usually used to protect the flue (Truma part number 39580-00).


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