Truma water and heater

We're getting a 'hot electrical' smell from our Truma when we try to use it as a heater or to heat water. It started when we used the electric source rather than gas.Needless to say have now switched it off! Any ideas welcome!

If it's any consolation, so do I. Happens when I use electric heating for the first time on each trip. Was worried at first but now tolerate it. So far so good....

Again, for what it's worth, so do we .   We have had it on the last 3 vans with Truma Combi heaters. We have been given every possible and impossible explanation, advice galore from dealers, Truma,forums  and assorted fellow sufferers, had numerous fixes tried  and hoovered it to death but nothing works so now we just open the windows and accept it.

At least we now know, as we did not 10 years ago, that it is not about to burst into flames or poison us.

Ha! Wish I'd known that sooner, Quilter. Would have saved fruitless hoovering and searching and, yes, worrying.
What explanations have been advanced?

Cymro wrote:Ha! Wish I'd known that sooner, Quilter. Would have saved fruitless hoovering and searching and, yes, worrying.
What explanations have been advanced?

The last before this one that we had, which was really bad, and, apart from the burning smell, also scorched the wooden bed slats above we eventually took back to Truma after getting no joy from the dealer. Truma said it had been installed with the lid not properly bedded down and that the top of the boiler was therefore not straight and was being squashed when anyone sat on the seat above it.  They also thought the underbed locker where it was situated was not properly ventilated. They screwed it all together again and we fitted more vents in the locker wall. It didn't have the slightest effect.

 We were also told that it was dust in the vents or on the actual works so we hoovered and cleaned and that had no effect.

I then found an EU advisory on a website which, I have since lost. This recommended a recall for the particular Truma Combi boiler as it was liable to catch fire.  Ours however had a sticker which we were told meant that it had been modified before it was fitted. Our dealer and Truma both then insisted it was dust.  With hindsight we should have made much more fuss but the smell went on until the day we sold it; indeed, one of the things on the  to do list when we went into the dealer for repairs ( and saw and bought our current AS) was to look at the boiler, yet again.

You can imagine how thrilled we were when the AS heater did exactly the same nasty burning smell when first we switched it on and, in a lesser form, continues to do it to this day. AS and our dealer have checked it but, from the numerous threads on various forums and the umpteen people we have talked to, it does seem to be a feature. I have read of people who have had extra venting run from the boiler and we have one extra vent ( as ours is a Combi 6) but that does not seem to make any difference.

If anyone comes up with a solution I'd love to hear of it.

If you put: 

truma combi boiler recalls 2007

into Google there is a lot of information about the mods that were done at the recall and the problems people had with the smell.

I imagine that the current boilers have been modified with the recall in mind. All I can say is that, from my personal experience, the smell is exactly the same as it was in 2007.

In a perverse way, that's very reassuring! I have, eventually and not without concern, concluded that whatever is wrong with the boiler (it simply must be wrong to produce that burning smell) has to be endured. It can be anticipated; I don't like it; but it seems not to be dangerous.. And now I am much reassured to discover that I'm not alone..
Many thanks..
Cymro

Thanks for your helpful replies. Think we'll get it checked out just in case but it seems we are not alone!

Janie55 wrote:Thanks for your helpful replies. Think we'll get it checked out just in case but it seems we are not alone!

Indeed you are not alone !

Put:

truma boiler burning smell

into Google and you will see that everyone- even caravanners- suffer.

You are absolutely right to get it checked however. I'd be most interested to hear what solutions and explanations are offered.

My theory is that the heat leaving the Combi reacts with the aluminium liner in the duct pipe causing the metallic smell. Most ducts leave the heater via a sharp 90 degree bend and the heated air is blasted straight onto the aluminium.

Like I say, just a theory and may be totally wrong.