December 27th, 2011 / No Comments » / by garybox
It’s been such a long time since my last post…..time has really flown by and it’s not until the Christmas break that I’ve had some free time. Motorhome life has been far from smooth recently for a number of reasons. In August my Truma Water Heater developed a leak that is still causing me problems today.
Truma Water Heater Problems
I first noticed the problem when the carpet near the boiler door seemed to be wet. On taking a closer look I noticed that water was dripping from the hot water outlet connection. A call to Truma UK revealed that the part had changed in the late 90′s and I would need to give them the boiler serial number. Naturally, mine was the older boiler and the part number I needed was 34000-55600 which had been phased out. The newer part number for the newer boiler was 34150-01.
Truma Part 34000-55600
I asked Truma what I was supposed to do as it seemed totally unfair to have to buy a new boiler costing hundreds of pounds just because a small piece of plastic had failed! The advice given was pathetic, apparently I should visit a plumbers merchants and get them to try and make something up. Shocked at the poor customer service offered by Truma UK I decided to email Truma Germany but their reply, whilst apologetic was equally unhelpful.
Taking the old part to a plumbers merchant they tried to replicate the fittings in metal and whilst it did fit, neither they or I truly understood the significance of the thinner pipe that points up which I now know to be the breather tube. If you blow into this Truma Water Heater part you will discover that most air rushes down the larger pipe and the thinner pipe has some valve built inside that only opens in the event that pressure builds up too much inside the boiler, a safety feature. The plumbers merchant did not know this and failed to replicate this valve meaning that when I activated a tap water would simply head up and out of the overflow through the pipe that exited the vehicle underneath.
Truma Water Heater
After this initial failure I decided to buy the newer part to see up close how they differed. Whilst the older part is a screw type the newer is considered to be a push type. However if you discard some of the parts from the new part you effectively have something that looks quite similar to the old part. At least the thread that connects to the boiler is the same and the existing hoses would also fit the hot water and overflow pipes. With the new part fitted however the pipes barely cleared the boiler casing so I could not connect hot water outlet or overflow pipes. A further trip to a plumbers merchant and after buying a 1/2 inch BSP male to female extender and applying some plumbers paste and tape the new part was fitted. As luck would have it once it was screwed tight the pipes lined up perfectly.
This repair seemed to have worked but some weeks later water began to leak again. This time I purchased two parts for the Truma water heater and set about trying again. Until now it seemed to have worked but today again it began leaking. I could try and fit the final spare part I ordered in the hope I will get a few more months from it but I think I will speak to a relative who is a plumber to see if there is any other solution. I certainly don’t see why I should buy a new Truma water heater when the actual boiler works fine. Shame on you Truma for not supporting your water heaters for longer!
Posted in: Motorhome Fulltiming
August 9th, 2011 / 1 Comment » / by garybox
Last night the London riots came to Ealing which is my usual weekday overnight location. I was parked up at Ealing Common and began to hear sirens from about 8pm and they continued until 4am. Twice during the evening people tried to gain entry to the motorhome. The second time I was in bed and whilst I was getting dressed I could clearly hear the voices outside. As a police… Continue reading | 1 Comment
Posted in: News
August 8th, 2011 / No Comments » / by garybox
The two reasons I started this blog and began this quest to opt out of ‘normal’ life was the MP’s expenses scandal and the banking crisis. I’m very aware though that none of my blog posts have been about these issues. Part of the reason for this is that such issues anger me and I’m tired of being angry. I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that it’s easier to play… Continue reading
Posted in: News
July 21st, 2011 / 7 Comments » / by garybox
The following article is a brief review of the Huawei E585 wireless modem which is often referred to as the ‘mifi’. Wireless broadband access is now very commonplace, especially since data bandwidth allowances went up and prices went down! In an earlier post I discussed my own contract with 3 mobile broadband where I was getting 15GB data per month for £15.00 per month. This… Continue reading | 7 Comments
Posted in: Mobile Internet Access
July 19th, 2011 / No Comments » / by garybox
I recently reviewed my current mobile phone, the Orange San Francisco aka the ZTE Blade and since what makes smartphones so desirable are the apps they run I thought I should mention my top 10 android apps. Now I’m not claiming that other android users would agree with my list since my personal top 10 android apps reflects my hobbies and lifestyle and how I use my phone.
 … Continue reading
Posted in: Mobile Internet Access
July 10th, 2011 / No Comments » / by garybox
I’ve been a customer of 3 mobile broadband for more than 2 years. The issue of accessing the internet when you live in a motorhome fulltime and don’t have a fixed line comes up time and again on forums. Most of the people I know use 3 mobile broadband and so I thought I would give some information about the service, and products that can help boost your signal… Continue reading
Posted in: Mobile Internet Access
June 28th, 2011 / No Comments » / by garybox
The following post are my thoughts about the Dyson DC30 handheld vacuum cleaner after more than one year of ownership.
A motorhome is a small space to keep clean and using a normal domestic vacuum cleaner seems like overkill. Motorhome owners are always aware of space and weight, the maximum allowed payload can be easily exceeded if you are not careful! As a result a portable handheld vacuum cleaner… Continue reading
Posted in: Product Reviews
June 20th, 2011 / No Comments » / by garybox
The following post gives my thoughts and opinions about the Orange San Francisco mobile phone which I have now owned for 6 months. It was not my first smartphone as I had briefly owned a Nokia 5800 which was damaged by water whilst out in the mountains.
I’ve always been interested in technology and gadgets but was relatively slow in adopting a smartphone, largely due to their huge cost… Continue reading
Posted in: Mobile Internet Access
June 19th, 2011 / 3 Comments » / by garybox
Since returning to the workplace I have spent most of my week nights wild camping close to the office.
I’ve been lucky enough to find a quiet location away from houses that is only a 10 minute drive to work in the morning.
Whilst I can survive very well without being on the national grid it’s nice to visit a campsite at least once a week to recharge… Continue reading | 3 Comments
Posted in: Campsite Reviews
Tags: Wyatts Covert
April 9th, 2011 / 4 Comments » / by garybox
One of the campsites I use the most is Crystal Palace Caravan Club site and so I thought it was about time I did a review. The site is very popular, partly due to its location being that it is very convenient for those wanting to see the sights of central London.
Crystal Palace Caravan Club Site
Some basic information about Crystal Palace Caravan Club site follows. It used to… Continue reading | 4 Comments
Posted in: Campsite Reviews
Tags: crystal palace caravan club site
