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Wanderer
Motorhome Page 18 |
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Contents:
1. Getting
ready for touring & Preparing for the Spring/Summer season.
2. Checking
Pump & Water Heater .
3. Drawing
off the Water System in the Wanderer.
4. Fresh
Water Tank Problem.
5. Disinfection
and Purification of water
6. Water
Pump Fault.
7. Winter preparation
8. Carver
Water heater
9. Truma
Heater 3000 Gas Consumption
10. The
Carver Mk II Vacuum Release Valve fault & repair
11. Carver
Water Heater Fault
GETTING
READY FOR TOURING & CHECKING THE
WANDERER FOR SPRING/SUMMER
I have included here information, and
getting ready for touring from the Caravan Club magazine.
This is copyright information of the
Caravan Club.
If the Motorhome has not been used during
the winter then a number of things should be done before using it.
A check or service the engine, etc., would
be advisable, as seen on Page 8 of the
Peugeot section of this site.
The gas cylinders and pipes should be
checked. Especially the connecting pipes to the cylinders. Any pipes
dated more than 2 years are recommended to be changed.
Connect up to the AC mains and check the
RCD trip control, which is in the wardrobe of the Wanderer. Does it
activate when you press the red trip button?
Check the convector gas heater, does it light?
Check the Fridge, on gas, AC mains, and
12volts. For the enthusiast the fridge should be checked by an Corgi
Technician every two years. See my page on how to change a gas fridge
burner. Gas burner change
Check the Water heater, on gas and AC
mains electric.
Check the Caravan for Damp. See my other
page on advice.
Check the tyres for cracks and pressure,
don't forget the spare wheel.
For Caravan Club Members the Hints &
Tips Pamphlets, which can be downloaded in PDF format, are very useful.
CHECKING
PUMP AND WATER HEATER AFTER A WINTER IN STORAGE
1. Fill fresh water tank.
2. Open HOT water tap.
3. Switch pump on. Wait for
the hot water heater tank to fill and expel from hot tap.
If
the hot tap splutters, and does not improve the flow, then the heater
tank has an air lock.
Turn pump off.
Turn off taps
Go
to the CARVER heater cover outside, turn the release valve 1/2 a turn
to allow air to release
At
the bottom left of the cover, unscrew the drain until the water comes
out. Lock it up but not tight, just enough to allow
a dribble of water.
Turn
on the pump go outside and ensure the release valve has purged
itself of air.
Secure
the release valve and the drain screw.
The
hot taps should now have a flow of water.
4. When hot tap OK, close
and open cold tap when water seen go to 5.
5. Open both taps.
6. Check and ensure the
water is seen at all taps in the Motorhome.
When the taps have been
turned off. It is prudent to check all water pipe joints,
especially those that are secured with Jubilee clips. This can
be a chore but it is very important to trace all water pipes through
out the Motorhome, hot and cold to ensure there are no leaks, as the
pipes are at a high pressure all the time when the taps are off.
The pump on most Motorhomes
is pressure operated and is turned off by the water pressure.
This can be very high and is a constant high pressure when water is
in the pipes. If you have any joints in the water pipes it is
after a winter of idleness when leaks will show up.
On one occasion we were
half way through France, on our way to Spain, to find the jubilee
clip to the sink cold water was leaking. A sure indicator of
leaking joints, you will hear the pump rumble for a second or two.
Water heater:
1. Fill the fresh water tank.
2. Switch water heater on
at the Carver control panel. [ The AUX switch on the ZIG panel
controls the carver heater}
3. Make sure water flows
from the HOT taps.
4. Make sure water flows
from the COLD taps.
5.Check gas is on and 12
volts indicator is on. [Green lamp ]
6. If Red and Green lights
turn on, the start of heater has failed.
7. Switch off, then on
again after a delay of about 3 minutes.
8. If the heater has a
mains element then it's automatic. The electric heater uses about 3 amps.
Also see Spring check: wan6.htm
Drawing of the
Wanderer Water System
Note
the "Y" junction from the water pump, while not used in
the Wanderer, it is recommended to ensure an even flow to taps and
shower. It has been reported the shower cannot be controlled
properly if not fitted, by being too cold.
Disinfection
and Purification of water.
See
this web site for information on water tank problems.
www.etn-beeckman.be
A
summery from their web site is below
Etn.
C. Beeckman N.V. is specialised in the disinfection and purification
of water. Its applications include horticulture and industry
(production of drinking water, beverages, preparation of process and
production water, waste water processing, etc.
A
full range of products is available for disinfection of water stored
in tanks, or for water consumption while on holiday.
Certisil
Combina
In
Southern and Eastern Europe and the tropics, water from springs and
wells contains large amounts of bacteria and other pathogens.
Certisil Combina disinfects water, tanks and pipes and preserves
drinking water for up to six months by means of chlorine and silver ions.
Certisil
Argento
Drinking
water in Western, Central and Northern Europe does not contain many
bacteria or pathogens. Certisil Argento, which is based on silver
ions, preserves the water and prevents reinfection for six months.
Certinox
TankClean / TankFresh
TankClean
removes algae and bacterial deposits on the inside of the water tank
using active oxygen. TankFresh uses citric acid to remove musty
smells, bad taste and calcium on water tanks, pipes and pumps. Silver
ions protect against reinfection in both products.
SlimeEx
/ AntiFreeze
Food
residues, fats and hair form a residue in the waste water tank that
often creates a bad odour. Certinox SlimeEx completely solves this
problem using active oxygen and fat solvents, and disinfects at the
same time. In winter Certinox AntiFreeze protects pipes and pumps
against frost damage using glycol and against bacterial deposits
using silverions.
Fresh
Water Tank Problem
At the
point marked " Kink Position" in the above drawing, it is
wise to check this pipe as it is connected to the fresh water tank
with a Jubilee clip. On my Motorhome this clip was loose and leaking
water. This point is difficult to see on the Wanderer, due to the Gas
heater in front. It is a permanent structure in front of the tank,
and below the wardrobe.
I was
able to carry out the checks and repairs by removing the wardrobe
hinged floor shelf.
While
carrying out this check, I found the pipe going around the corner of
the tank, from the tank outlet, had kinked, drastically reducing the
flow to the taps via the pump. I cut this kink out and replaced it
with a pipe corner piece.
The
problem with trying to solve the kinked pipe at this position was; I
had to use a further 2 Jubilee clips. This has introduced extra
maintenance checking!
Recent Email - Water Pump Fault
Dear Brian.
I have found and enjoyed reading the
information on your site about your Wanderer.
We have just bought one and are
complete novices, this being our first Motorhome. Ours is a 1997
version, has only done 14K, but the water pump doesn't work. If I
switch it on it makes a noise, but the water can be heard
"gurgling" in the pipes to the taps, and either nothing
appears, or the taps merely spit water at intervals. Have you had
such problems? A colleague says that the diaphragm is probably
perished. Grateful for any information you might have.
Regards. Richard.
My Reply:
Hi Richard,
Many thanks for taking the trouble to
acknowledge my site. It's nice to know someone finds it useful.
Congratulations on you new purchase. I'm
sure you will have as much pleasure as us. We never did any
caravaning before our purchase. At 14k miles it is in new condition.
You are probably in my situation. To far
from the dealer for warranty work!
Regarding the web site, I did feel there
must be many who would find my experiences useful.
OK, your problem. This is quite usual
after a long lay up, and the water has been drained down for the winter.
Have you seen my recent insertion
regarding 'Starting up' after a winter layoff?
See: www.ourwanderer.org.uk/wan18.htm
Checking pump and water heater.
Regarding the problem! This a typical case
where the pump is drawing air, and is unable to prime itself. You
have to get the pump to immerse itself with water before it can pump
against the pipes and tap pressures.
How to test, ensure you have looked at the
above sites for hints.
First a simple fault cure. Fill tank
with fresh water. Turn on the pump, then suck on a convenient open
tap! This drags the water through hopefully.
Next the comprehensive cure!
1. Ensure the water tank is empty and the
ZIG panel fuse switches are off . The tank can be emptied by opening
the drain tap, which is located at the base of the tank, inside the wardrobe.
2. At the pump, take off the pipe which is
nearest the water tank.
3. Blow into the pipe towards the tank,
you are trying to make sure the pipe to the fresh water tank is clear.
4. Take off the filter housing which is
attached to the pump, you previously removed the pipe from it. check
the metal gauss is clear of debris.
5. Replace the filter gauss and housing .
6. Replace the pipe to the filter housing.
7. Fill the fresh water tank.
8. Have plenty of rags and a container for
this test. remove the pipe from the exit side of the pump. watch out
for leaking water.
9. Attach a pipe to the pump exit. I found
garden hose could be used for this test. secure it with a jubilee clip.
10. Place this hose into the container.
Ensure it is secure as there's a lot of water pressure.
11. Turn on the pump at the ZIG panel.
12. The pump will now activate and start
pumping the water out.
13. If it does not, keep turning the pump
on and off. If after this it doesn't work then I would say you have a problem.
14. If it pumps water out. Then turn off
the ZIG panel switch, replace the original pipe, open all taps.
15. Turn on the ZIG panel switch and allow
all taps to exude water until spurting stops.
Brian.
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Water Pump
Water pump in the Wanderer.
Click for larger image and
some notes on the installation of the pump. |
See this link for
added information on winterising your motorhome:
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=21
As CARVER have been taken over by TRUMA,
here is an useful address:
TRUMA (UK) Ltd ,Truma House , Eastern
Avenue , Burton-upon-Trent , Staffs ,DE13 OBB . TELEPHONE : 01283 511092
WINTER LAYOFF
for the CARVER OR ANY UNUSED PERIODS.
It is recommended that
the water heater be drained during any unused periods.
1. Open all taps and
allow the pump to empty the fresh water tank.
2.Drain the heater
tank by removing the plug which is situated on the lower left of the
external Carver heater exhaust panel. If you have a breather on the
Carver panel then unscrew a quarter turn until it is tight. While
tight this is in the open position, allowing easier draining. Leaving
the plug unscrewed will allow frost to expand.
3. Drain pipes
internally, by removing at the lowest point. [ Rags and a small
bowl are needed here]
4. Remove outlet hose
on the pump, turn pump on and allow pump to drain pipes. It is
possible to blow the pipes from this point and ensure all are
empty. [ With taps open ]
5. When system dry
attach the pump pipes.
6. Drain Thetford
toilet cassette and clean out.
7. Drain down the
Thetford toilet fresh tank. Operate the pump to ensure there are no
residues inside it. Water inside the pump could split it during
frosty weather.
8. Fit winter covers
to the fridge vents.
9. Have a 6month
service done, mainly to change the oil and filters. See my page 6months
service.
10. Remove the fuse
from the Leisure battery to eliminate drain.
11. Remove the vehicle
battery, it's easier to charge in your workshop and it is a simple
security measure. No battery, can't start.
12. If 11. not
convenient, to remove battery, then make use of a solar panel
charger. I take off the negative terminal, then place the solar panel
direct to the battery. For those with ECU controlled engines, then it
might not be appropriate to remove battery terminals.
System is now ready
for the winter. I usually leave all taps open as any freezing water
will expand and pull off joints. Also remove wash basin shower head,
and hang high. To ensure all water drains away from head and possible
frost damage.
If the Motorhome is to
laid up for any period. Don't use the hand brake to secure the
wheels. The brake drum and discs will rust, except in the part which
is hidden by the brake lining. This will cause uneven braking when
next it is used. I chock mine with Breeze blocks on all wheels.
I run my Motorhome
every fortnight, as recommended, to get oil into parts which drain
away. At the same time do some hard braking to remove rust from
the front discs. It seems we Motorhomers are too soft on our brakes,
this allows the discs to rust up.
www.arcsystems.biz
The
Carver Expert.
Carver Cascade MK 2
FROST PRECAUTIONS
IMPORTANT
As CARVER have been taken over by TRUMA
here is an useful address:
TRUMA (UK) Ltd ,Truma House , Eastern
Avenue , Burton-upon-Trent , Staffs ,DE13 OBB . TELEPHONE : 01283 511092
When
the Motorhome is parked for any length of time, especially during the
winter, the CASCADE heater/ boiler should be drained to prevent frost damage.
This can be done by releasing the drain
plug as indicated by the arrow in the drawing I've
prepared. The drain plug need not be remove completely as
prongs hold it position for draining. The drain plug can be left
in this open position. For ease of draining the small screw top
left can be opened a quarter of a turn to release the vacuum.
It is
recommended to open all taps and and shower head, while draining, to
release any
created vacuum in the system. The draining can be very slow and
should be left for at least 40 minutes.
In the
illustration can be seen the Vacuum Release screw, this should be
turned for a 1/4 turn until you feel it is tight. It is then open.
Strange as it may seem the valve is locked when the screw valve feels loose
If your
Motorhome has a filter system ensure the pump is empty. This
might entail the removal of the pipes attached to the pump to check.
If you have a filter cartridge installed ensure this has no water inside.
When
preparing the Motorhome for use. Fill up the fresh water
tank, close all cold taps and shower head. Turn on the 12 volt
electrics to operate the pump. Allow the hot taps to remain
open. When the hot taps stop spurting turn off, then turn on
the Cascade heater control panel.
If you
find as I did after a winter being drained. The drain plug in the
boiler cover started to dribble. The Drain edge on the carver boiler,
had become pitted. I cleaned it with a small file, but still found it
dribbled. It is no good tightening the drain plug to eliminate this
problem as it is possible to crack the drain plug. I solved the
problem by fitting another washer, the diameter of the drain plug
shaft, in addition to the normal washer. The added washer does not go
over the shoulder as the original fitted. The added washer fills the
pitted spots and the original completes the seal. This can be seen in
my sketches below. As Gary has mentioned below it could also be due
to the pump, pumping at too great a pressure.
A
recent discussion in a web site forum suggested the pitting could be
due to the corrosive element of water sterilising agents, for e.g.
Milton Fluids.
CARVER
COVER DRAIN PLUG
 
See
Gary's useful web site for Carver parts:
www.arcsystems.biz
Email: info@arcsystems.biz
Below
is his description of The Carver Cascade 2
which he has kindly given permission to quote in my web site.
Many
Thanks Gary.
The Carver Cascade 2
is a 9 litre storage water heater, which when running on gas will
heat the water to 65deg c in about 45 minutes. On 240V mains assuming
it has this facility, the time can be somewhat longer or shorter
depending on the wattage (660w 3amp to 970w 5amp) of the element
fitted, you can use both gas and electric together for faster times.
To operate the gas
there is a wall switch with three lights, green amber and red. When
switched on the green lights, (water tank must be full, i.e. water
coming from hot taps), if it stays on after about 8 seconds then the
gas has lit and all is well. If the green goes out being replaced by
the red then you may have a problem, but if the gas bottle has just
been changed then air in the pipes will have to be bled through by
repeating the above 2 or 3 times.
Once lit, and it
should light without any pops and bangs. [Pops and bangs would
indicate it needs a service, ] the heater looks after itself and
gives constant hot water, any problems will cause it to shut down
safely and show the red light, indicating a fault.
Forget the amber
light, it’s to show low voltage and never works unless the
voltage is so low the heater and everything else packed up long since.
The 240v immersion
heater is totally separate, and lies behind a white plastic box on
the inboard end of the water tank. It is controlled by a switch,
often close by and at floor level, but sometimes as part of a remote
control panel. The switch has a red light to show it’s
“on”, not that it’s working, this will be determined
by the water getting hot. If it does not then it may have “tripped”
Two types exist,
early circa 1990 are non-reset able, but are repairable, later models
have a little flap on the end of the plastic box. Switch off, remove
screw pull back flap, behind is a red button, press to reset.
Other faults
concerning the gas side very often come down to the “Burner
Module”. This handy little unit contains the burner, gas valve
and all the electronics which control it and is accessible from
behind the cover outside of the van. In the event things go wrong,
it’s a 5 minute job to replace it, either with a new or serviced
exchange unit.
One other safety
device is a wax filled plug, this again is behind the outer cover and
shows itself as a 12mm nut set in the fins above the burner. The wax
will melt if things get too hot allowing hot water from the tank to
spray over the burner putting the flame out, this will render things
safe, but will probably require a new module because it’s
control circuitry will be faulty,. A point to note here is that over
time the wax degrades or the threads leak allowing water to seep onto
the burner, this will cause it to rust prematurely and eventually
will require replacement of the whole burner module.
That in a nut shell
as they say, is all there is to it.
Gary
I have a cascade 2
water heater. Is it best to leave it on all the time, when on site,
and on electric hookup, or switch on and of one or two hours
before needing hot water each time. Which is the most economic way of
saving gas?
If it lights quietly
without any pops and bangs, (this would indicate it needs a service),
then switch on and forget it. They look after their selves whether
run on gas or mains. Running on gas uses so little gas it is not
worth bothering about.
Gary
The
Carver Mk II Vacuum Release Valve
The Vacuum/pressure release valve seen
above, is shown as taken out of the body assembly which is screwed
into the Water heater.
This Vacuum Release valve, found at the
top left of the water heater cover, can sometimes dribble water. This
is due to the water pressure set up by the internal water pump to the
taps. The cure for this fault is to reduce the pump pressure, or as
in my case, take out the Vacuum Release Valve from it's main body and
expand the spring so it is set longer by about 0.25 inches.
It is found easier to remove and carry out
this adjustment by taking off the ventilating cover first, as the
valve is unscrewed by the centre body to release it.
Regarding my efforts to eliminate the
leaking from the Vacuum/pressure release valve, prompted this
response from Gary, see his web site: www.arcsystems.biz
3 June 2004
Reading through I
did notice an error regarding the blow off valve now renamed 'quick
drain valve' by 'Carver,' because it never blew off!!
Your advice about
stretching the spring is therefore wrong as it is already too
powerful. The valve will not operate below about 45psi, the more
modern 12mm tie rod (with a 6mm thread down the middle), will have
stretched permanently before this limit is reached.
The safe working
pressure for the heater is 20psi so I only test them to 30psi .Any
more and the tank will move back as the tie rod 'gives', giving
permanent stretching and damage will occur, (yield point reached), at 40psi
I would say
your 'Shurflo' pump is the problem, both the Shurflo and Whale
pumps will give about 50psi and are often set to maximum when
delivered, this must be adjusted down to suit the heater, not the
other way round.
Hope YOU don't mind
me saying this,
Regards
Gary
Regarding Gary's
advice on adjusting the pump pressure, see the image below on
where this adjustment is made.
|
Pump Pressure Adjust. |
Carver Water
Heater Plastic Relief valve and Drain Plug
Relief Valve
seen top left
Close up of
the damaged Relief Valve seen above top left
This device when aged
can get very brittle and will produce splits which cause leakages
around it causing mysterious water puddles around the cover.
Replacing it usually
causes a breakage with frustrating methods of removal of the body.
Here is a method found on some forum on how to remove a broken valve:
This is a known
problem. I'm sure I've seen something about it on the net
but I can't track it down, anyway I have a hints & tips page
from an old MMM magazine with the following suggestion: heat up a
large flat-bladed screwdriver on the hob then push it "gently
but firmly" into the remains of the valve stem. Once it has gone
in far enough (it says "the length of the blade" but that
rather depends on the screwdriver) let it cool & "simply
unscrew the valve". The same article says that a stud extractor
doesn't work because the plastic expands under pressure & gets
tighter. The alternative to the heated screwdriver is to drill out
the stem & pick out the bits but it takes much longer. The hot
screwdriver is claimed to take only a few minutes.
The same can be done
for the larger drain plug.
Another
"Gem" from Neils Web site:
http://www.motorcaravanning.co.uk/vehicles_f2/index.html
Truma Heater 3000
Gas Consumption
From: Terry
Hi Bill
According to the web
page, the rated output of the Truma is 3400 watts while consuming gas
at 285 grams per hour (g/h), it takes 35 mins to heat the water to
70c. If it is on for a total of 4 hours and off for a total of 2 hrs
in a 6 hour period, then it would use 4 x 285 = 1140 grams
If the heater is
around 3 kilowatts and has three settings, its possible that high
will be 285 g/h, medium is 230 g/h and low 170 g/h. Then 6 hours on
medium setting could use 1380 grams.
Two days running would
use 1140g + 1380g x 2days = 5.04Kgs, so your 6Kg cylinder would be
all but used up.
Regarding the gas
pilot blowing out, I have had that problem when the wind was blowing
into the air intake or exhaust, just moving the M/H cured the problem.
The gas not cutting
off when the pilot light extinguishes is serious, the gas should cut
off almost immediately the pilot light goes out, so the flame failure
device needs to checked and perhaps replaced immediately.
I hope the above is
useful – Regards Terry
CARVER WATER HEATER FAULT
|
As Mentioned in
previous pages the following repair must only be done by a qualified
gas engineer |
After the winter layoff it is time to
check the functions in the Motorhome.
Immediately I found the Gas Heater would
not funtion.
After a number of tries pushing the
control panel buttons. It was time to take off the Heater covers
located at rear the near side.
The vent panel was taken off. Exposing the
inside gas burner area.
I next took off the gas burner draught
protector cover, exposing the gas burner box.
With my hand through the window, and
pressing the gas button control inside the Motorhome, I was
able to turn on the gas and monitor the function. Immediately I could
see the gas was being lit. This gave three function tests.
1. Gas from the gas bottle was getting to
the burner.
2. The panel buttons controlling the gas
valve ON, was functioning.
3. The gas jet was clear.
The problem could be seen as: the flame
was almost immediately being turned off.
This indicated THREE faults;
1. The electronics controlling board was
faulty and would be an expensive repair, even if an electronics panel
was available for the now redundant CARVER water heater.
2. The flame burner box, comprising of a
number of holes and inside it has a web of fine mesh wire.
3. The voltage from the leisure battery
was not enough to maintain the required voltage for the circuit panel
inside the turn on panel of the Carver heater.
I decided to do the easiest first, i.e.
the flame burner box.
This work comprised taking off the flame
burnerbox and its assembly.
BEFORE CARRYING OUT
THIS WORK TURN OFF THE GAS AT THE GAS BOTTLE!
To do this meant unscrewing the two
Phillips screws behind the gas tube supply from the on gas valve.
When removing the assembly caution must be made to make sure the
rubber washer, located between the screws, is in good order. Any
cracks of this washer could allow a gas leak from this area
Carefully removing the assembly, also
means removing the electronics assembly box behind it, as a one piece.
Remove the electric supply control plug
from the back of the electronics assembly, and place the assembly on
the bench to work on.
It is now possible to remove the flame
burner from the complete assembly, by undoing the flat head screws.
Then unscrewing the side nuts which secure it to the frame.
When I was carrying out the above removal,
I found the flame burner box was full of water! I suspect this came
from boiler relief valve which I had left open in error when turning
on the pump, while checking water to the taps. Water had sprayed over
the burner box and filled it. I Cleaned the water out and blowing any
further debris out. Using soft plastic I also probed the flame burner
holes and ensured the holes were clear. Using a soft wire brush I
also cleaned the top holed area of rust. This is to ensure the
sparker would have a good earth contact to produce a spark on top of
the burner.
If the burner requires changing then this
information might be useful:
Markings on the burner case:
AEROMATIC CO. LTD.
Part No. AC03/201600 12-96
Burner Carver
After reassembly the burner worked with no problems.
It was with a sigh of relief, I found the
electronics assembly panel was functioning correctly.
|
Here the draught cover has been taken off
for checking |
Here the draught cover has been taken replaced |
The original fault, I suspect, was the
back pressure of the water, affecting the gas jet and in turn turning
off the control.
Should the burner
assembly require removing, due to a fault condition. Then the Two
screws securing the assembly are removed and the assembly pulled out.
Remember to turn off the gas before carrying out this proceedure.
Also at the back of the gas input, note the rubber seal. this can
easily be lost.
An interesting web site which explains all
regarding gas:
http://www.rvmobile.com/Tech/Trouble/piezo.htm
Customer Services for Carver spares:
Leisureshopdirect Ltd
Mullacott Industrial Estate,
Ilfracombe,
Devon,
EX34 8PS
Web: www.leisureshopdirect.com
Email: customer.services@leisureshopdirect.com
Phone: +44 (0)845 4300325
|
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