Here’s a question from a total Eriba novice. Is it possible to retro fit a hot water supply system on a Troll or does it have to be a factory fitted option?
Thanks

It's a question that often gets asked.

An electric boiler will cost about £150.

However it depends where you cold water system is starting from. If it's standard spec., then you'll need to either get a fitted tank and/or an exterior connection to a water supply. you then need to fit cold supply pipes from there to the taps and the boiler. Then hot supply pipes from boiler to taps. Both sets of pipes need drain points for winter. Then you install the boiler, with drain tap through the floor and connect it's wiring and fit the controls. So fiddly and time consuming. Oh and you may need new mixer taps if hot/cold aren't fitted. Paying £300 as a new van cost option seems a bargain compared.

I agree about the Propex, which I had fitted to my last campervan. Roughly the same price as the Truma but with a 10 litre capacity, adjustable thermostat and digital temperature gauge.

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Thanks for the info, so it is possible. Probably best left to the experts. Easiest option is to find one that has it already installed.

We had a propex water system put into our Triton in December. Wasn't able to test it until this weekend when we went away for a few days. Very pleased with it. With no on site facilities open we were able to do washing up and shower easily. It cost approximately £900 to have it installed but as we'll keep our van for foreseeable future it is definitely worth it.

I must admit here, that our first '01 540 was cold water only, with standard lounge benches and the white washroom (cue for a Cream song), and manual flush.

After two years we bought an '05 with multi-function bed, including central chest and freestanding table, plus the grey design washroom with electric flush and a Therme boiler for warm water on tap. The height of unwarranted luxury.

Quote: Steamdrivenandy wrote in post #7

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I must admit here, that our first '01 540 was cold water only, with standard lounge benches and the white washroom (cue for a Cream song), and manual flush.

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As a cheap alternative at £60 we use a low wattage 3.5L thermokettle, it provides us with enough hot water for beverages, washing up and showers when we mix the hot water in the 12 litre canister. We also use it at home so its permanently on 365 days a year

https://www.scottsofstow.co.uk/neostar-p...mRoCaDwQAvD_BwE

Thanks for the replies and alternative suggestions, got to find a ‘van 1st. Proving more difficult than I thought!

Hi Aycee

We were tenters for ever and when we came to get an Eriba we weren't bothered about getting hot water. When we discussed it with Cameron at AL we chewed it over for a fair bit. He suggested that whilst as seasoned tenters we could no doubt live without a hot water system, and just use a kettle to get water to wash up, if we were going to get a van with a bathroom we might find it a desirable luxury to have it fitted.

To cut a long story short we got it fitted. But do to an error in the factory build we couldn't get it to work properly. So we decided up until its first service we would just do without it. It wasn't a problem living with cold water at all - we were used to it. At its first service the problem was resolved.I think I even wrote on a thread here that hot water wasn't necessary......!

Anyway on our next trip we used the boiler and discovered that having hot water was great - all the advocates of the joys of hot water on the Forum were right and I was sadly misguided......! Now when I first get out of bed I put the boiler on for a bit to get hot water for washing up after breakfast. I also put it on for a bit around teatime.

I am now in the recommend camp although it isn't a cheap extra to have fitted either new or retro-fit.

Good luck with your deliberations

MikeT

On the 2021MY price list having a mains electric Truma Therme boiler added as a cost option when new is £290, which, when you know that the boiler itself can be bought retail for £150 and you have to add all the piping and wiring represents pretty good value. The killer is knowing that to retro-fit that same installation is £700.

Having a gas and electric boiler fitted during the build costs a whopping £840 and means you're paying nearly £600 extra for a gas facility. If you extend that to having the same system retro-fitted then that must climb to around £1,200 and that really is getting expensive.

The 535 is the only van that gets a boiler as standard and that's a gas one which can have a mains electricity and gas version built in when new, at a cost of £470. I assume that having a gas/electric version as a retro-fit on the 535 is probably quite an easy job, given that the piping etc is already there but you'd have to buy a complete new boiler and get rid of the existing one and they retail at well over £1,000.

So it really should be a no brainer when spending £20,000 to £30,000 on a new van, to tick the options box for £290 or even £840 if you think you're going off grid a lot. Otherwise you could be facing a £700 to £1500 bill to retro-fit sometime later.

We got gas & electric factory fitted as we thought that we might be going off-grid fairly often and would use the gas a lot.

In reality we have found ourselves drawn to sites with good shower & toilet facilities and we have only used the dual fuel on the boiler once, really to see how quick it got the water hot. We now always just use the electric.

In fact since we have got the Ramoska we barely use gas at all - using electric for the fridge and for heating as well.

In our sixth year of the Troll and only replaced the gas once. So the dual fuel boiler probably turned out to be an expensive choice for us...............

MT

Initially I wanted a Truma ultrastore gas and electric water heater fitted in our van. It wasn't going to be straightforward as they don't sit well with Eriba gas pipes and are pricey.
The only time we've been without ehu in a van in the last 15 years was at Glastonbury and another festival!! Made the decision to fit the Propex easy.
If we need hot water where there's no electric we'll boil a kettle on the stove.

I did suggest the boiling of a kettle, her indoors was not amused 😒