# Burstner Elegance i681



## 104800

We have a Burstner Elegance i681, 2006 model . It has remained very dry within the underfloor rear storage area whilst stored outside all winter . However on two recent occasions I've discovered that the storage area is wet . e.g. the floor area within the rear storage compartment is wet. The dealer has checked everything i.e. hot / cold water systems , drainage pipes, soaked the complete vehicle from the outside including the underneath etc etc and has really put a great deal of effort into finding and correcting the problem. But as yet has found nothing conclusive , only a slight leak on the fresh water tank filler pipe where it joins he tank.

Has anyone else experienced this fault ?


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## gandj

We bought an Elegance685 in 06 and have always had occasional water getting into the rear underfloor locker and also the other underfloor lockers from time to time. Barrons could not solve it, either the Darlington branch or the Kent branch.
I am convinced it is coming in through the locker door seal but I'm not entirely sure how. Certainly it was accentuated by road spray and I have obstructed the spray flying up from the front wheels. If you follow its direction it seems to me that this spray is forcing itself through the seal. There is less water ingress now.

The rear locker sometimes gets water in when standing in the rain (ie not road spray). I think the locker seals are not well designed.

I do not believe the water comes from internal pipe leaks or anything of that sort. I also can get water in the underbed locker (not sure whether you have one of those). Again, it is coming through the seal somehow.

Keep an eye on your radio aerial where it comes in the front corner above the window post. I have just found mine is leaking and the retaining nut is missing (was it ever there?).

Graham
[email protected]


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## kipperkid

Ours isn't an elegance - we have Delfin Performance but same problem with water in underfloor lockers. 

Like gandj, I don't believe it is from leaking pipes, but from the locker seals when it rains. In cold weather I think condensation can form on the metal floors, too.


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## 104800

*BURSTNER WATER LEAKS*

Hi Graham & Kipperkid ,

Hopefully all is now sorted with the Burstner Elegance under floor lockers John at Becks of Rollesby found a poorly placed washer just in the top corner of each rear wheel arch where the wheel arch is bolted to the underside of the floor. The washer was not covering all of the bolt hole and was not sealed properly,so he has re sealed each rear wheel arch. The road spray was just getting into the area next to the batteries and running down into the rear storage area .We have just spent two weeks away both staying and driving in the wettest of weather . all is still very dry in there

Regards

Mike


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## gandj

Thanks Mike, I will check that out (not now, its pouring with rain).

I have had another long standing problem which I suspect applies to other vans. I have water overflowing from the rear of the fridge. Its the big one with separate freezer above it as fitted in a lot of Burstner models. I first discovered this when we saw water on the floor in front of the fridge. At first I thought it had come from inside the fridge - perhaps we had not shut the door properly it had defrosted a bit. Not so, let me explain.

If you remove the lower fridge vent on the outside of the van and look up into it you will see a small plastic beaker sitting astride a pipe. This beaker collects excess water from the fridge via a plastic tube. The theory is that the pipe which the beaker sits on is usually warm/hot and so the water collecting in the beaker is evaporated away. To some extent this is true, but in out case the beaker gradually fills and spills over. I have carefully monitored this and found that the beaker will take between 4 and 14 days to fill to overflowing. It depends on ambient humudity and temperature.

Barrons advised me to deal direct with Dometic (the manufacturers). Since purchasing the van in May 2005 Dometic have tried a number of things to fix the problem. They finally gave up and in March this year they replaced with a completely new fridge. I was delighted and confident this would solve the problem. Our old fridge went off to Germany for investigation.

We then went off to France for a couple of months and within a few days it was clear that there was no change. The beaker still cannot cope with the amount of water coming in.

Two things occur to me:
1. I now feel that there cannot be a fault with the fridge. There must be a design fault in the way the fridge is fitted in the van, which really is down to Burstner to sort out.

2. I think some of you other Burstner owners out there must be having the same problem without realising it. Check your beaker. Of course if you only use your van for weekends or one or two weeks then you may never notice the problem. When we are parked on the drive and living in the house (i.e. not using the fridge) the beaker dries out. We virtually live in ours fulltime except for a few weeks in the summer.

Curiously, I have just read comments from Cathargo owners of water overflowing at the back of their fridge - not sure if same fridge.

Graham


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## 96299

Hi.
Interesting stuff but what age van are we talking about here.I`m due to pick my new burstner soon and wonder if I can expect the same sort of problems.Still it`s very handy to know about all these little probs and will probably save a lot of time and effort in the future if I see water in that area.


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## 104800

gandj said:


> Thanks Mike, I will check that out (not now, its pouring with rain).
> 
> I have had another long standing problem which I suspect applies to other vans. I have water overflowing from the rear of the fridge. Its the big one with separate freezer above it as fitted in a lot of Burstner models. I first discovered this when we saw water on the floor in front of the fridge. At first I thought it had come from inside the fridge - perhaps we had not shut the door properly it had defrosted a bit. Not so, let me explain.
> 
> If you remove the lower fridge vent on the outside of the van and look up into it you will see a small plastic beaker sitting astride a pipe. This beaker collects excess water from the fridge via a plastic tube. The theory is that the pipe which the beaker sits on is usually warm/hot and so the water collecting in the beaker is evaporated away. To some extent this is true, but in out case the beaker gradually fills and spills over. I have carefully monitored this and found that the beaker will take between 4 and 14 days to fill to overflowing. It depends on ambient humudity and temperature.
> 
> Barrons advised me to deal direct with Dometic (the manufacturers). Since purchasing the van in May 2005 Dometic have tried a number of things to fix the problem. They finally gave up and in March this year they replaced with a completely new fridge. I was delighted and confident this would solve the problem. Our old fridge went off to Germany for investigation.
> 
> We then went off to France for a couple of months and within a few days it was clear that there was no change. The beaker still cannot cope with the amount of water coming in.
> 
> Two things occur to me:
> 1. I now feel that there cannot be a fault with the fridge. There must be a design fault in the way the fridge is fitted in the van, which really is down to Burstner to sort out.
> 
> 2. I think some of you other Burstner owners out there must be having the same problem without realising it. Check your beaker. Of course if you only use your van for weekends or one or two weeks then you may never notice the problem. When we are parked on the drive and living in the house (i.e. not using the fridge) the beaker dries out. We virtually live in ours fulltime except for a few weeks in the summer.
> 
> Curiously, I have just read comments from Cathargo owners of water overflowing at the back of their fridge - not sure if same fridge.
> 
> Graham


Hi graham,

yes we have also experienced this . I've considered extending the fridge pipe into the battery space and taking it out through the same hole as the battery breather pipe

regards

Mike


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## gandj

Hi Chigman. My Elegance was new May 2005. But I do not think the fridges or the method of dealing with overflow water has changed. I spoke to Dometic today and asked for a letter stating their position so I can follow up with Barrons/Burstner. Dometic have no idea what the cause is, - at the moment.

Mike: - I have my pipe poked through the grill of the lower vent, I call it the van's catheter! (older boys will understand). The problem with this is that it would freeze in cold temperatures. Your idea would work better because of the underfloor heating. It also would avoid the dribble marks down the side of the van.


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## 96299

Cheers gandj..keep us informed when you know more.


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## angie

We too suffer with the same problem but our motorhome is a 2005 Hobby 750. We haven't had the van long and we first found this problem after returning home after a weeks holiday.
At first we thought it was the fridge defrosting (the carpet was soaking in front of the fridge) but after removing the vent we found the container you have mentioned and it was full up.Therefore its not just a Burstner problem.By the way, the fridge/freezer is a Domestic.

Angie and Keith


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## gandj

It seems there is a clear problem here. I am concerned about others who are not aware of this problem and have water overflowing into the innards of their vans. Not something which motorhomers would want.

Mike and Angie/Keith - would you be prepared to let me have the model of your Fridge and age. Are you happy for me to quote you in correspondence to Dometic? I will also start a new posting in the appropriate forum to see if we can find others with this problem, and let them know that there is an easy, temporary solution to this.

I only have another week before we are on the move and access to MHF becomes intermittent.

Graham
07749266828 (text, as phone usually switched off)


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## angie

Hi Graham,

Our fridge/freezer is the :

Dometic MES(manual energy selection)RM7651L
Type: C40/110​and our Hobby 750 motorhome is a 05' model.
By all means, quote us in your correspondence, thats fine. Please keep us informed as to the outcome from Dometic.
Thanks

Angie and Keith


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## 104800

Hi Graham,


No Problem with using my info 

Motorhome Type Burstner Elegance 681i 2006

Our Fridge is Type C40/110

Climate class = SN

Model RM 7655L curved doors Auto energy selection
product no = 009221086315
Ser No = 51200055 
regards
Mike


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