First of all I would like to apologize, in the last few weeks the frequency of posts has decreased a bit. Of course not without reason, among other things we are currently testing a few gadgets, for example a new lithium battery, the documentation is besides the job very time-consuming respectively also generally very time-consuming. We are also currently on our late summer tour of Italy. I think those are two good excuses and you feel for us at this point 😅.
But this post also has a theme that will become absolutely topical again in the fall months. It concerns all owners of a Grand California / motorhome with a Truma diesel heater. We are total fans of this heater and have also written about it a few times. However, she is a diva first and foremost, and the behavior that 99% of all users have displayed over the warm summer months can really take its toll. I already see before my eye the posts in the forums, my diesel heater smokes, it shows an error code after we wanted to use it now for the first time again for heating.
The problem #
If an error code appears in the Truma display after a summer break, or if the heating system produces a lot of smoke during heating, this is due to the usage pattern in the warmer months. Most only use the heater to make hot water once in a while or if it is used for heating, then the full power of the heater is never used. Especially the last point is really difficult in the Grand California anyway, because the Truma 6D is actually too big for this “small” van. Gas heating has a very clear advantage here, because gas burns without residues, whereas diesel causes soot to form. This soot is deposited in the combustion chamber and then ensures, among other things, the well-known smoke when first used properly. Smoking is still the lesser evil, because the heating still works here. If the combustion chamber is completely sooty and the heater can no longer burn diesel, then replacement is the only option. If your vehicle is still under warranty you are lucky, if not it will be very expensive.
The solution #
Completely simple and yet so effective, the magic word is free-burning! What sounds totally weird at first, but in practice it is exactly that. The heater is used at full load for at least 30 minutes, thus the soot in the combustion chamber burns completely and the heater works without any problem even after the summer.
To clear the heating, all windows and doors are opened and the heating is set to 30 degrees (maximum temperature). Now let the heater run in this mode for at least 30 minutes, or better 60 minutes after a long period of use at a low power level.
Truma also recommends this procedure on their homepage, but of course this is not mentioned with a word by Volkswagen or the corresponding partners. How often you do this procedure is of course up to you, we do it after EVERY vacation. As a result, our heating runs without any problems.
