Peculiarities of gas cylinders in connection with the LevelControl

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The LevelControl measures the cylinder level via ultrasound. For this, it is necessary that the coupling pad of the device has clean contact with the bottom of the gas cylinder.

Suitable are upright (propane / butane – LPG) steel or aluminium gas cylinders with a diameter of 200 to 350 mm.

Depending on the cylinder type and age, there may be different obstacles to clean measurement.

Here are some examples of obstacles and the corresponding solutions:

Bottle heavily rusted/dirty

Due to the uneven surfaces caused by rust, the ultrasonic signal can no longer penetrate cleanly into the bottle. A measurement is therefore not possible.

In this case, it is recommended to mount the LevelControl in such a way that the coupling pad rests on a surface that is as smooth as possible. In severe cases, the only solution is to replace the bottle.

Bottle stand base too narrow

On such a bottle, the LevelControl has no place underneath. The bottle rests with its entire weight on the LevelControl and squeezes the coupling cushion. This also means that no measurement is possible.

The supplied feet or other distance blocks can provide a remedy.

Bottle base dented/flattened on the underside

If the LevelControl is attached to the centre of such bottles, the coupling pad no longer rests on the ground as desired. A measurement is therefore not possible at this point.

In this case, simply move the LevelControl a little out of the centre.

Tank bottles/gas tanks

Tank bottles have a special interior that enables refuelling (fuel indicator, etc.). This interior deflects the ultrasonic signal of the LevelControl so that no measurement result can be calculated and displayed.

The LevelControl cannot be used on such bottles/tanks.

Thanks to the customers who sent us the photos for better clarification.

Reset function on the CPplus

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The spanner in the lower right-hand area of the display is used to access the settings menu of the CPplus operating element. And it is here that you will find the menu item “Reset”. However, many people are unfamiliar with its function.

When the CPplus is delivered, it is completely blank with regard to the units to be controlled. The device memory is empty. During the vehicle conversion at the caravan or motor home manufacturer, the vehicle technology is implemented step by step into the body and at some point the gas supply and heating and air conditioning system from our company is also installed. In order to be able to operate and monitor all Truma devices, the device memory in the CPplus must finally be filled. And this is what the reset function is for. By pressing the control knob when “RESET” is shown on the display, I activate this function and “PRSET” appears. Press the control knob again to delete the unit’s memory. After this, “INIT” appears; all units connected to the CPplus with a TIN cable and supplied with voltage at the time of initialisation are now written into the unit memory of the CPplus. Only at this point can they be controlled with the operating element. All symbols belonging to the units are then stored on the display and can be selected.

Please note that a reset is never used to reset an error code. If, for example, the heater reports a gas error ( E506H, E516H or E517H), the reset automatically locks the control electronics of the heater for 15 minutes. If a reset is activated with the warning message W255H, which indicates that the control element has lost contact with the heater, then the CPplus is returned to the delivery state without a connected heater. In this case, the power supply of the heater and the TIN connection cable to the heater should be checked first.

Caution with accessories from the 3D printer

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In view of this, we would like to point out that many online portals and trading platforms offer accessory products and 3D files for the manufacture of components that are supposed to improve the function of our Truma devices or remedy side effects. These products may appear to be useful and may be of good quality, but in most cases they have not been tested, authorised or approved by us.

An example of this is the product known as the drip lip / drip guide or condensation drain for mounting on the flue of the Combi heater. It does not come from our company and its installation even invalidates the operating permit and warranty as an unauthorised modification to the appliance.

As described in our operating instructions and the installation instructions, no safety-relevant component may be changed. However, the side wall chimney and its individual components belong to this area. After such a change, the appliance may no longer be put into operation from a legal point of view. Interactions with the accessory product are unknown.

This circumstance can perhaps be compared to the installation of a sports exhaust system for a passenger car: if there is no expert opinion or ABE for the system, in which the vehicle model is not explicitly mentioned, then it is also not permitted to install it. Use on public roads is prohibited. If you are caught, you are also liable to prosecution for “driving without an operating licence”. The consequence is a trip to the TÜV and a fine.

In the case of the above-mentioned accessories, there is no mention of whether the material used can withstand the temperatures applied to the side wall chimney, nor is there any guarantee that the imperative openings for combustion air intake and exhaust gas disposal will be affected in any way. In such cases, for example, due to an incorrectly supplied amount of oxygen or reduced cross-section of the flue gas opening, the burner of your heating system may not work correctly and error messages may occur during heating operation.

In the worst case, damage to the vehicle may occur if, for example, the material of the accessory was not designed for the temperatures on the side wall chimney.

So if in doubt, please contact the Truma Service Centre, our authorised dealers or service partners. Here you can clarify whether such an accessory comes from our production and whether there are justified objections regarding its function or the effect on an existing approval.

W255H in digital control panel or no device detection after reset

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You see the warning message “W255H” on your digital display and cannot control your heating anymore?
This primarily indicates a connection problem between the digital control panel and the heating. In this state, commands entered cannot be transmitted or cannot be transmitted correctly.

Attention!
A reset on the CP plus is not used to delete an error, but corresponds to an initialisation, i.e. a device search.
If the reset is carried out while there is a connection problem to the heating, the heating menu is completely lost. Only the time and the setup symbol remain.

Two factors can be considered as causes of the connection problem:

  1. 12 V power supply

Communication is only possible if the heater is powered in addition to the control unit. If this is not the case, the control panel responds with the message W255H.
Please check the heating fuse in your electrical block as well as the fuse on the control board of the heating (Combi) or in the supply line (Varioheat). Replace a defective fuse if necessary.

Note: In our installation instructions, we recommend installing our units on permanent plus.
This means that the power supply to our units cannot be switched off by the central control element (main panel). There should be a permanent connection via the electrical block to the body battery.

  1. TIN connection cable

The TIN cable is used to transmit commands from the control panel to the heater. If this connection is interrupted, the control panel responds with the message W255H.
Please check whether the plug of the TIN cable is correctly seated in the socket on both the control element and the control board of the heater.


As soon as the cause is eliminated, the warning message disappears automatically from the display.

Advice for Combi D: If the installed TIN cables exceed a total length of 12 metres, an error may occur in the communication with the digital control unit (W255H). The “control panel cable coupling” accessory provides a remedy.

Please place this coupling between the TIN socket on the heater and the TIN cable. If two TIN sockets are occupied, it does not matter which of the two TIN cables the coupling is used with.

The article “control panel cable coupling” can be ordered from our specialist dealer (part number 39050-00175).

New update for the Truma App (4.9.3) and Truma iNet Box (2.09.00)

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  • We have added a few new features to the Truma LevelControl functions in the app. You can now easily initiate a new measurement. The result is also now shown together with the time of the measurement.
  • Alde heater owners can now activate / deactivate automatic climate control via SMS if they have a Truma air conditioning system installed.
  • We also have good news for all Combi D users:
    The “255H” and “164 H” bugs (continuous sending of SMS) have been fixed with this update and the heater can once again be used without restrictions.

Good2know:

This is how you can see what the status of the system is or whether an update is pending.

  1. open the Truma App – Settings – “iNet Box Update”
  2. at the bottom you will see the version information
  3. after the current update, these are:

Truma App version = current state of your app
iNet Box FW = Firmware version of your iNetBox
Server = available firmware version (update) on the Truma server
Local = firmware version, you have downloaded

If you have any questions or feedback, please use the comment function.
We look forward to exchanging ideas with you.

2G shutdown – consequences for the Truma iNetBox

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Note: There is an updated info in the blog post from January 2023 here. Below is the article from August 2020.

We are currently receiving many questions about the consequences of 2G switch-off in Switzerland.

What is 2G and why is it being switched off?

The abbreviation 2G stands for GSM mobile phone standard of the second generation. The mobile phone standard 2G was introduced in Germany in 1992. With each generation (3G, 4G) the transmission speed was improved. 4G (LTE) is currently the measure of all things and is sufficient for the transmission of large data within seconds.

Frequency ranges that are currently still occupied are required for the planned fifth generation of the radio and transmission standard. A replacement in the existing frequency range is therefore much cheaper than a complete new setup.

Why is 2G switched off in Switzerland and 3G in Germany?

Mobile networks are the property of the respective providers. Therefore this decision is up to them. Manufacturers who use 2G in their products have to comply.

Of course, the economy also has a certain influence on this decision. In Germany, for example, a large part of industrial applications rely on the 2G network, as this is the main means of control.

2G is easy to implement, secure, robust and “available everywhere”. This was also the status quo at the time of development of our Truma iNetBox.

Who is now affected by the shutdown and what happens next?

This is not so easy to answer. The Swiss mobile phone providers Salt and SwissCom have already announced a date for switching off the 2G mobile phone standard. There is also information and statements from other European countries regarding the switch-off of 2G. However, these change regularly.

If you have any information for us, please feel free to comment here below the article. We will also update our findings there.

Recently it was confirmed that Sunrise remains an alternative and will provide 2G until at least 2022.

https://www.sunrise.ch/en/medium-and-large-enterprises/products-and-solutions/connectivity/2G-weiterhin-nutzen-sunrise.html

In Germany, 2G will remain. Instead, it was decided to shut down 3G.

This leads to the following restrictions:

If you live in Switzerland or spend your vacations there, you can no longer use the remote control of the Truma iNetBox (if there are no alternative providers available, e.g. via roaming) because the box can no longer dial into the network.

Is there an adapter from 2G to 3G or higher?

Yes, for industrial applications there are now gateway solutions which are used as stand-alone devices to amplify the radio frequency. Unfortunately, this does not make sense technically and economically for the Truma iNetBox. Many companies are currently working on a cloud-based solution for their systems in order to be able to continue to use the service and function of mobile device control.

How is Truma dealing with this situation?

Truma informed its sales partners about the 2G switch-off and its consequences for the iNet Box at the turn of the year 19/20 via print and online channels.

A successor product is also being planned. However, there will be no upgrade of the existing devices.

Truma iNetBox – What you ever wanted to know

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Hello campers, do you have questions about Truma iNetBox? Just use the comment function. We will be happy to answer them.

The Power LED is permanently turned “green”. The GSM LED flashes “red”. Is that ok?

A: Everything is fine! -> As long as you have not yet completed the GSM setup, the red LED will continue to flash. If you have completed the setup, it will go out.

The box is permanently supplied with 12V, even if the main switch is set to “Off”. How can the box be switched off?

A: It is not intended to switch off the box, otherwise you will not be able to use the remote control. In case of a main switch you can connect the box to the corresponding circuit.

Do I need the box, even if I don’t have an app installed?

A: Box and APP are inseparably connected. Without an app you cannot use a box. You can also use the app on its own, the range of functions is accordingly smaller.

There is a new update for Box and App available? How do I find out which one I have and what is up to date?

A: Start the Truma App and go to “Settings\Truma iNet Box Update”, there you will find all information below the “START UPDATE” button.

Truma App version = Describes the current state of your app
iNet Box FW = Software version of your iNetBox firmware
Server = The available firmware version (update) on the Truma server
Local = Describes which firmware version you have downloaded

iOS13 connection problems

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Since the iOS13 release, connection problems between iPhone/iPad and the Truma iNet Box occur. In the meantime, we have been able to identify two different issues – but have not yet been able to solve the problems, even in cooperation with Apple support.

Here you can find a detailed error description and technical information about the causes of the problems. As soon as we have new findings, we will keep you up to date in the Truma service blog and in the App News.

Have you had experiences that you would like to share with other users and us? Then use the comment function in our service blog! We look forward to exchanging ideas with you.

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Truma Service over Christmas and New Year

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Posted on 28. November 2019 by Monika Prandl

Service technicians on hand at six winter camp sites

Winter camping has its own special charm when it’s icy outside and snug and warm inside. But what if the heater breaks down? That would soon put an end to any holiday plans. But Truma makes sure that doesn’t happen. From 21 to 31 Dec. 2019 Truma service technicians will be on hand at six winter camp sites in Germany, Austria and Italy. Truma Service has a long tradition of being available over Christmas and New Year. “Our heating systems are very reliable,” says Service Manager Michael Suckart. “But just in case, our Service professionals are on hand so that our customers can enjoy carefree holidays.” As well as repairing appliances, the Truma experts give advice and answer questions about all our products.

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