The Truma combination furnace/water heater works great.

• Heat and hot water are either propane, electric or both - so you can use electric when you are at a campground with electric, and propane other times. You can also use both - it'll heat with electric unless it can't keep up, then it'll switch to propane.
• It's quiet - fan speed varies depending on heat output, so it'll run low an quiet unless it cannot keep up.
• You can run the furnace when the water heater is empty.

I don't think they support DIY'rs though.

 

I don't think they support DIY'rs though.

Bummer. Sounds like a good product. It's hard to imagine someone else installing that in my van at this point. The under-floor stuff, sure -- but interior? Hmmm.

paul

 

somebody posted in a propex thread about his Truma that he'd had for years and seemed real happy with it, but for the life of me i couldn't find that thread ( i've been doing a lot of reading of old posts trying to get current). if you've got the patience you might try using the forum's search bar up above in the center

 

Used the Truma for two winters - loved it and would definitely use.

 

Great build series and here he installs a Truma

 

Looks interesting. They list a lot of service centers around the U.S. on their website. I'd be curious to see the cost and/or installation price.

 

Only place i've seen them is on ebay and prices ranging from $1800 to $2200 - usually canadian sellers offering them.

 

Canadian distributor (cobratom) who sells to US https://trumaheaters.com/ has been active on Expo answering questions.
I like the system, not big on propane.

Truma Combi 4 Propane Combination Water Boiler and Furnace Heater Now Available

Now available to the North American market to the aftermarket! Previously these units were only available to OEM's but we have a access to complete Truma Combi Kits (at a significantly lower price than importing from the EU, and these units are actually approved for us in US and Canadian RV's...

www.expeditionportal.com

Combo Water Boiler/Furnace Heater Now Here in N. America

Found this post on my Class B Forum....this interesting, space saving product may be of interest to some of you DYI’ers? Truma Combi 4 Propane Combination Water Boiler and Furnace Heater Now Available in US and Canada “Now available to the North American market to the aftermarket! Previously...

www.expeditionportal.com

 

We use the Truma Combi Eco combination furnace and water heater. It is quiet and powerful. I haven't installed the VarioHeat yet, but it looks like it would also be quiet and powerful. The VarioHeat would be easier to install as you don't have to deal with plumbing for the water heater and it only has 1 vent instead of the 3-4 vents required by the Combi. These are, IMO, by a long stretch, the best furnaces and water heaters available. On the default low fan setting, they are nearly silent. However, they are pretty expensive and, AFAIK, in North American, Truma products are only sold direct to RV manufacturers. That said, I have seen a few places online claiming to be selling them to end users. If you go this route, there are a list of proprietary accessories that you would need and would want to ensure you could get before buying the main unit.

 

I will install a varioheat and aquago comfort plus in my van. It's going to take a few months still before I get there but I'll update you guys with my impressions at that time.

 

Any luck?

 

The problem with Truma is the customer support. You basicly on your own or need to travel far to find a service centre. Warranty is also void when you install it your self... Generally speaking it's very tough to find good quality heating systems in North America that are reliable and affordable. We are going to install a Planar 2D diesel furnace and a 6L Elgena in line water boiler in our next camper. We had the planar in the last truck and it performed without a hitch. The Elgenas are getting very good reviews in Europe.

 

Can you heat water without getting hot air into your van? How does it work in summer?

 

Yes you can. Simply guide the hot air outside with the included bypass valve. When you at the Amps and fuel consumptions of the Planar 2D, this is currently the most efficient way to generate hot water.

 

Can someone with Truma Combi 4 please give me some anecdotal evidence of fuel consumption? Just list a trip you have taken, general temps, temperature you set your van to, and how much propane you burned. I am trying to figure out how big of a propane tank I need. Thanks!

 

I filled my 9.9 gallon propane tank with about 7 gallons of propane last March and, last time I checked, the dial read 3/4 full. I took 1 trip last winter where I ran the furnace full blast with it set to 69F (for testing) for 3 nights, set to 50F during the day (when it probably didn't run), and kept the water heated on "Eco" mode for 4 days. Otherwise, I've only run the furnace occasionally - maybe 10 times for an hour or so each. I've heated water on the "Boost" or "High" setting for showers, etc. about 50 times. I wanted the propane tank mounted under the Transit floor. The 9.9 gallon tank was the largest one that made sense to me for that mounting position and it turned out to be larger than needed for my longest trips so far. I could probably get by with a smaller tank, but there wasn't much cost savings and I had enough room for the install.

 

OK, that is great. I think I am going to design my system for standard 20# tanks then. Easy to exchange anywhere, and should last me well enough. A major plan for my build is snowboarding trips, so the furnace is going to be running. I was trying to see if I could get away with a 6# cylinder (easy to fit in a small space) but I do not want to have to deal with getting to a refill station within a week stay.

 

Next question, the Truma must vent to the side...

Can I vent into the wheel well??? My only thought for possible issues would be freezing condensation on the axle and suspension components.

 

Next question, the Truma must vent to the side...
Can I vent into the wheel well??? My only thought for possible issues would be freezing condensation on the axle and suspension components.

The Truma vent for combustion gases is a combined intake and exhaust vent. If you vent it anywhere the exhaust can build up (or the engine exhaust can build up), you'll eventually pull the exhaust gases into the intake and won't have enough oxygen to burn. Unlike a more typical furnace, the Combi uses ductwork for the exhaust vent, so you would typically have enough flexibility to reach an outside wall.

Clearances to openings
• The wall cowl must be at least 3 ft (0.9 m)
from any motor-driven air intake discharging
into habitable areas of the RV.
• The wall cowl must not terminate within 3 ft.
(0.9 m) underneath an expandable portion
(i.e. slide out) of an RV or the front bulkhead
of a fifth-wheel trailer.
• The entire wall cowl must be at least 3 ft
(0.9 m) from any gasoline filler spout on the
RV if the inlet or outlet is located above or at
the same level.
• If any portion of the wall cowl is below the
spout, then the clearance must amount to
the sum of the vertical distance below the
spout plus 3 ft (0.9 m).

Permissible length of exhaust venting system
The mimium length of the exhaust venting system is 2 ft (60 cm), the maximum is 6 ft 7 in.
(200 cm).
The exhaust venting system can be installed at
an upward angle or at a downward angle with a
drop no greater than 8 in. (20 cm).

 

The Truma requires 12" WC of propane pressure. Typical US regulators are set to 11" WC. What has everyone used for their regulator? FarOutRide recommended this one, but I can't find specs for it. I want to be sure it can be adjusted up to 12 WC.

 

US model Truma furnaces work on 11" WC.

 

When I looked into hot air heat and heated water, the truma was the way to go for my application. Downsides are cost and warranty (which mostly relates back to cost). Another downside is the need to have a visible vent outside; at least it is pretty small. I thought I could buy one when I looked a few months ago but as I didn't actually purchase, I can't confirm they sell to DIY in the US.

 

Truma sucks. Not their products, but their attitude toward us DIYers. I REALLY wanted a VarioHeat, or even its predecessor E2400. But they wouldn’t even talk to me. SO, if you can afford to buy a Winnebago or Forest River RV just to get a Truma, great. But if you want one without buying a whole new RV, good f-Ing luck. So, I will install Propex...maybe less sophisticated, not sure but possibly just as reliable, and official US support (a few caveats given Karl lost the US Distributorship to VanCafe). What a pain.


2015 Tall, Medium Length, Cargo, 3.5EB, pretty generic-looking, DIY camper

 

I am thinking about buying one as it's a combination solution and I really don't want to run electric hot water...does anyone know how loud they are outside the vehicle?

 

does anyone know how loud they are outside the vehicle?

Compared with a typical RV furnace, the Truma Combi is incredibly quiet both inside and outside. In its default Eco mode, it is difficult to hear. Even when you turn the fan up to high, it is still much quieter than any other RV furnace I've seen. It is also powerful and "listed" for RV use in the US. The downsides are size, relative expense and install complexity. Also, as mentioned earlier, Truma does not sell to or support the DYI community in the US.

 

We had SMB install a Truma Combi Eco Plus system in our 2019 Transit 350 HR in order to provide heating and hot water in a compact space. We had already decided to have a propane system in the van, so the Truma was an easy choice for us. Not only has the Truma system been used extensively in Europe for years, but a number of American and Canadian Class B manufacturers (Winnebago, Pleasure-way, Thor) install them routinely. The fact that so many Class B’s have Trumas makes repair and maintenance needs available. As noted above, this setup “sips” propane. We took delivery of our van in March and have taken 11 trips, each for a week or more, practicing “extreme” social distancing. Although we’ve only run the heater 4 times for cool morning temperatures, we have used the hot water feature extensively for showers, etc, on every outing. Our only other propane appliance is our Dometic stove and we haven’t used 1/2 tank (9 gal tank) of LPG yet. The system is very quiet; only a “whoosh” of the boiler when it lights. The control center is very easy to navigate. We chose not to install their iNet system for wireless applications. The downside of the product is the cost. SMB charged $4495 for the Truma and installation.
Overall, we have been very pleased with its performance. Routine maintenance includes emptying the water tank in the Truma unit when not being used for a long period of time. We have had no issues.

 

Who is SMB?

We had SMB install a Truma Combi Eco Plus system in our 2019 Transit 350 HR in order to provide heating and hot water in a compact space. We had already decided to have a propane system in the van, so the Truma was an easy choice for us. Not only has the Truma system been used extensively in Europe for years, but a number of American and Canadian Class B manufacturers (Winnebago, Pleasure-way, Thor) install them routinely. The fact that so many Class B’s have Trumas makes repair and maintenance needs available. As noted above, this setup “sips” propane. We took delivery of our van in March and have taken 11 trips, each for a week or more, practicing “extreme” social distancing. Although we’ve only run the heater 4 times for cool morning temperatures, we have used the hot water feature extensively for showers, etc, on every outing. Our only other propane appliance is our Dometic stove and we haven’t used 1/2 tank (9 gal tank) of LPG yet. The system is very quiet; only a “whoosh” of the boiler when it lights. The control center is very easy to navigate. We chose not to install their iNet system for wireless applications. The downside of the product is the cost. SMB charged $4495 for the Truma and installation.
Overall, we have been very pleased with its performance. Routine maintenance includes emptying the water tank in the Truma unit when not being used for a long period of time. We have had no issues.

 

Our Transit was built out by Sportsmobile West (SMB) in Fresno, CA.
Here are the specs/manual for the Truma Combi unit:
(https://www.truma.net/sites/default/files/inline-files/truma-heating-combi-operating-us-en.pdf)

 

I actually just bought one from truma heaters in Canada, but I haven't installed it yet. I am going to mock it up in a week or so! But the kit is complete and everything looks good. It is a bigish unit (on van scale when you think about the alternative for heat), but to have 4 outputs instead of one and legitimate gas hot water too I think it is going to be worth it.

 

This is my first post and hope to be able to contribute a little to the forum.
I too just received a Truma Combi Eco from Canada yesterday. This will be my second Truma installation and my second van build. Last winter I installed a Truma Combi in our Taxa Cricket Pop-up trailer and it is by far and away the best heating unit I have owned in my 45+ years of being around and repairing different RV's. It is easy to install, sips propane and is very quiet. There is some noise on a cold start but not much and sure a lot quieter on start-up than the Espar D2 heater in the Promaster I built. I had originally planed on another D2 and no propane in the Transit I am just starting to build, but after using the Truma for a year in the trailer there was no going back. We camped next to some friends who were sleeping in a tent about 60 feet away from us last month and they did not hear it running at all.
Heats water fast, heats camper fast, is able to do either or both and is quiet. A real winner! I am a light sleeper and I did not wake up at night because of the Truma cycling.
Cons: I have to cut a 4" hole in the side of my new van for the exhaust/intake.

 

I can finally post my Truma review! Install was straight forward, and I will post some pictures soon once I get the van cleaned up from a recent trip.

Functionally, the Truma is fantastic! We were camping up at about 8,500 feet in CO. Nightly temps were single digits or low teens, and about 25º during the day. We kept the van at 65º during the night and evening and morning, and 50º during the day. My 20# propane tank lasted us 5 days and 4 nights. I think I will try and find a space under the van to store an extra tank, but I am happy with the unit for sure. We were also heating and using hot water the entire time. Additionally, my slider and rear doors are not insulated at all yet.

 

In time I think they will become a lot more common once people realize how nice they are. They really are a great unit!!!

 

Whisper quiet. Hot water is amazing. Even temperatures throughout the van. I am totally thrilled with it.

 

In Europe they are selling Diesel- Trumas Combi D 6 . I have one in my European Transit AWD camper. Amazing.

 

I can't even find a marketing brochure that accurately describes the system. I can only imagine what nightmare getting any support would be.