Aidan's tip of the week

coolvale · 26-11-2010 2:58pm

we will also be away in camper this week end.
the heating will be on.
just after checking the smoke & carbon monoxide alarm.

Aidan_M_M · 27-11-2010 11:23am

If you've a Truma Combi , you shouldn't run the heating for more than 10 mins if it has the square , dark brown switch panel (C3400 , C6000) . If it is the newer type (C343 , C603) , with the light grey switch panel , you can run the heating without water , but I would still prefer to have some in it , personally.
Once again , this is only for the Combi boiler/heater!!

thetyreman · 27-11-2010 10:52pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

If you've a Truma Combi , you shouldn't run the heating for more than 10 mins if it has the square , dark brown switch panel (C3400 , C6000) . If it is the newer type (C343 , C603) , with the light grey switch panel , you can run the heating without water , but I would still prefer to have some in it , personally.
Once again , this is only for the Combi boiler/heater!!

Just on a side note Adian,,is thre some way of draining the C603 boiler besides just by the tap,is the tap sufficent on its own,,i cant see any drain plug or anything to drain it,,,thanks

Aidan_M_M · 28-11-2010 8:30pm

It should have a Drain valve fitted, if you follow the pipe back (normally blue) that is attached to the underside of it , you should find it . Most Combis have an automatic valve , the odd cheaper MH has a manual one . But they should ALL have one .

here are the 3 main types

The manual one

the most common older automatic one , normally a black/dark brown with a red button

and the current auto one.

Aidan_M_M · 28-11-2010 8:32pm

The C603 (FYI , 6 kilowatts of heat , 30 millibar working pressure..) should have the 2nd one.

thetyreman · 28-11-2010 11:14pm

Thanks yea it has the middle type one its automatic,How does this work so,do you have to be plugged in or have the 12volt supply turned on or what,?..
And would you by any chance have a PDF Manual for this boiler as the guy i bought the camper off couldnt find the paper work stuff he got with it,he was to have a look and send it on,but never found it,,when i go to te Truma site for the manual it wont let me view it for some reason,,,thanks alot,,and your tips are great (just to keep you sweet,ha,ha,)

Aidan_M_M · 29-11-2010 10:18am

just push the button down , though the whole idea of it is that it should go down on it's own , either in cold weather or when the battery is disconnected.

Aidan_M_M · 29-11-2010 12:20pm

thetyreman wrote: »

Thanks yea it has the middle type one its automatic,How does this work so,do you have to be plugged in or have the 12volt supply turned on or what,?..
And would you by any chance have a PDF Manual for this boiler as the guy i bought the camper off couldnt find the paper work stuff he got with it,he was to have a look and send it on,but never found it,,when i go to te Truma site for the manual it wont let me view it for some reason,,,thanks alot,,and your tips are great (just to keep you sweet,ha,ha,)

try here http://dealer.truma.com/_anweisungen/Truma-Katalog/gb/trumatic_c/trumatic_c.html

thetyreman · 29-11-2010 11:15pm

Thanks Adian,great job...

Aidan_M_M · 04-12-2010 2:12pm

Folks , if you can , in these frosty days , when parking the Motorhome leave off the handbrake and leave it in neutral . Seen a few to stick the handbrakes on , and also to have the gear shifter cables stick too . A bit of timber etc in front and behind the wheel would be grand.

line6 · 06-12-2010 1:57am

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

If you've a Truma Combi , you shouldn't run the heating for more than 10 mins if it has the square , dark brown switch panel (C3400 , C6000) . If it is the newer type (C343 , C603) , with the light grey switch panel , you can run the heating without water , but I would still prefer to have some in it , personally.
Once again , this is only for the Combi boiler/heater!!

thanks aidan - i have a truma c3400/6000 i'm not sure which, can you give a reason for not running the heater for more than 10 mins? i've been running it for much longer periods in this cold weather!

many thanks - tom:eek:

Aidan_M_M · 06-12-2010 10:24am

because Truma say you shouldn't! That model has a cast alloy tank , which can distort under the extreme heat soak , when there is no water to pull some of the heat out of it. They actually say you shouldn't run it at all empty , but a few mins is fine IMO /

Aidan_M_M · 10-12-2010 10:07am

The flap in the normal Thetford cassette tolet , as you all know it sometimes gets a little sticky from limescale and other less salubrious stuff.... Thetford do a proper lubricant spray for it , which we sell a good bit of , but if you're stuck , try a little warm cooking oil .

wonderworm · 13-12-2010 2:53pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

The flap in the normal Thetford cassette tolet , as you all know it sometimes gets a little sticky from limescale and other less salubrious stuff.... Thetford do a proper lubricant spray for it , which we sell a good bit of , but if you're stuck , try a little warm cooking oil .

Doesn't need anything more than a little olive oil have been successfully using it for the last 15 years.

Aidan_M_M · 13-12-2010 3:53pm

wonderworm wrote: »

Doesn't need anything more than a little olive oil have been successfully using it for the last 15 years.

well I use Olive oil for cooking , so same thing as far as I'm concerned..

tibia · 13-12-2010 8:47pm

If I am correct, silicone oil spray is the generic name for the Thetford lubricant. It would be available from Maplin and the like if you cannot find the Thetford specific product. The non-branded form may well be cheaper too

.

The toilet blade is just one of the possible uses of this in a motorhome or caravan.

Aidan_M_M · 27-12-2010 11:52am

Indeed it is , as I mentioned before , about using it to lubricate certain points of the MH you wouldn't want WD40 or Grease on . It's used to help electric windows in particular , in the Motor trade. Cheers for the Maplin reference , I don't go in there much , so didn't know they stock it.

Tip for this week... well , not really a tip , but a suggestion... most of you arew probably on a few days off (unlike me...) so now that it's thawed , go out to the Motorhome , crank up the engine and the heating , and have a look around for frost damage. Better to find out now an d get it fixed , rather than when Spring appears...

Aidan_M_M · 16-01-2011 11:08pm

Howdy all... As suggested , I gave it a break for a couple of weeks.

Is it too early to go back on track? We're busy in the garage , with sales and servicing , but are ye all out using your campers?

stapeler · 17-01-2011 1:29am

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Howdy all... As suggested , I gave it a break for a couple of weeks.

Is it too early to go back on track? We're busy in the garage , with sales and servicing , but are ye all out using your campers?

Any day now, looking forward to getting out and about.

Malta1 · 17-01-2011 10:31am

Headed off on new years day for a couple of days
Hopefully heading off this weekend as well

Cheers

Aidan_M_M · 19-01-2011 1:51pm

working on my next tip , I'm doing a drawing of the way to link batteries in a charging circuit , just ?I'm a bit slow on a computer.

stapeler · 19-01-2011 6:17pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

working on my next tip , I'm doing a drawing of the way to link batteries in a charging circuit , just ?I'm a bit slow on a computer.

Pen & paper...those computers will never catch on

Aidan_M_M · 22-01-2011 12:13am

haha saying that for years!

Just a gentle reminder folks , Camping fridges don't like to be left idle for extended periods , so even if you're not taking out the Camper , try turn on the fridge for a couple of hours every 2 or 3 weeks. Otherwise the refrigerant gas can "settle" in the cooling unit and lose effectiveness .

Betsy Og · 25-01-2011 7:39pm

Do you do much work on caravans?, any tips particular to them? Thanks for all the above, many just as applicable to the towed world.

Aidan_M_M · 25-01-2011 11:01pm

barely ever tbh , mostly only if someone is stuck . I've fixed a few fridges , heaters and boilers alright , We tend to refer most caravan specific jobs to Donal Buckley in Mallow .

Buford T Justice · 29-01-2011 10:53am

I've a job on at the minute that should take another 6 - 8 weeks to finish. Hoping to get the camper finished then. Should only take another week or two.

Aidan_M_M · 03-02-2011 9:42am

The newer Truma combination heater/boilers , they don't really like butane , and as a result sometimes when they ignite , they kind of "backfire" and let a few pops . This often blows off one or two of the heating pipes . So If your heater is humming away like always , maybe even a little louder than normal , but the heating 'round the 'van seems weak , check that all the pipes are pushed in . They generally just click into place , some MHs glue them in , most are just a press fit .

the 2 holes shown here at the bottom , one has a red cable sitting in it, they are 2 of the 4 heater outlets . That's just the 220v supply cable left sitting there , it's on this heater as it has a 220v water heater .

Aidan_M_M · 13-02-2011 2:00pm

Faded or dull looking Side windows?
Get some rubbing compound and some car polish , and exercise those elbows! The plastic in the windows dull over time from repeated washing etc , you can treat it like abonnet , and compound them , and polish them back to a nice clean scratch free shine . Really lifts the appearance of an older 'van.

Aidan_M_M · 16-02-2011 12:22am

A Class owners.... especially those on Fiat Chassis , you probably find ithard to keep the windows clear from condensation ? Wipe off the heavy fogging , then buff over the glass with a cloth that has been dampened withome shampoo . Leave to dry, then buff out the streaks . It'll repel condensation for about a week .

bogman · 17-02-2011 7:45pm

Just the job for the 544, thanks Aidan

Aidan's tip of the week

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