katanapilot

At 15-20 replacements per month, it could be three or more years. Hopefully, Truma will up their production rate for Oliver (not holding my breath) and/or there will be another terminating action on the recall versus complete burner replacement. As I was able to crimp the uncrimped ends of the replacement burner I bought, it seems like a similar action could be taken on in-service units to mitigate the risk of the burner tubes coming loose.

All I know is there are 800 affected units from Oliver. Service told me they “might” get more than the 15-20 units per month that they had previously gotten from Truma. Others have posted that they believe Truma is in no hurry to supply Oliver with these parts as Truma did not believe a recall was warranted. I bought a new burner from an eBay seller and modified the burner ends to match the current build spec. I’ll install that and use it until Oliver gets to me in the recall queue. It’s a tough spot to be in as there is a risk of fire if you use your recalled AquaGo. Oliver has not been very informative as to whether or not you should or should not use a recalled unit. I suspect if they told us specifically not to use the water heater - there would be a lot of unhappy customers amongst the 800 or so - especially given the unknown lead time of parts availability and replacement.

Yes. I have the Houghton/RecPro 13.5k heat pump which draws quite a bit less than the Dometic turbojet penguin. I want to add a soft start to the Houghton to reduce the inrush current. I have no idea yet how long the Houghton will run off the batteries, but it will start. My hope is it’s long enough to cool the trailer down at a lunch stop.

I have not added up the total. I believe I am less than $5k all in. Many hours of my (unskilled) labor, though. This upgrade (just completed) included (3) BB 100ah batteries, all Victron components. MP2 inverter/charger, MPPT solar charger, Cerbo GX plus display, Lynx distributor (fused bus bar), Lynx smart shunt, VE Bus dongle, DC-DC charger - plus a lot of new/ cleaned up wiring. I rearranged the factory 120 volt wiring to have all power pass through the MP2 before going to the C/B panel. I can now run the air conditioner off the 3000 watt inverter. So far, everything tests good. Have a week of camping planned next week at SNF to really shake it down. Anyone in the Atlanta area needing a Xantrex 2K inverter/charger or a Zamp solar controller - let me know.

5 year old trailers have a systems warranty? Didn’t know that!

Do you think you would have any recourse with Oliver or Truma today? You have been notified that your AquaGo may have a defective burner. If you choose to use it anyway and it burns down your trailer, whose fault would that be?

I am not an attorney so this is an uneducated opinion only - I believe that anyone who has received notice of the recall and continues to use their AquaGo is probably accepting all liability for damage or loss due to a fire caused by the defective burner. No doubt turning the AquaGo on only when needed mitigates the risk, but the risk still exists regardless.

I crimped the ends. First picture was as delivered, second was after crimping the burner ends. Took 5 minutes. I'll add another picture when I TIG spot weld them.

Found a brand new burner assembly from a "cosmetically damaged" AquaGo on eBay and bought it for $200. One goal was to see what is involved in removing said assembly, since we do not have access to a service manual. I also wanted to see what was required to crimp the ends of the intermediate burners. Having done that now, I will also put a small TIG weld bead at the ends to make sure there is never any movement. Still have not heard back from Truma to schedule a replacement unit, but now that I've seen what is involved in replacing the burner, I'm not going to bother. I'll wait for Oliver to get to me in their recall queue, but I'll have a burner that I am comfortable with already installed.

Our 2020 Elite 2 did not have a battery shutoff switch installed at the factory, so my assumption is that yours does not either. If you are mechanically (and electrically) inclined, you can do the upgrade yourself. If not, I suggest you find an RV technician that will do it for you. Even a simple battery swap will likely require new battery cables. I got rid of our failed BriteWay 6 volt AGM's last year and replaced them with 3- 12 volt BattleBorn LiFePO4 batteries. This simple swap required new cables and an easy reprogramming of the Xantrex inverter/charger and solar charger. I'm about finished with a complete Victron replacement of the inverter, solar charger, etc. - but that requires a significant investment of time and money.

Thanks for the information. Maybe I was a bit premature in jumping to the conclusion that Truma is ghosting Oliver owners. I'll be in Lakeland in two weeks, so it looks like I'll be pulling the burner out to check on the crimped ends. Doesn't look too difficult.

I’m beginning to believe that your suspicions regarding Truma’s response to Oliver’s recall are true. Weeks ago I contacted Truma service to try to set up an AquaGo replacement (at my expense) - during the time that I was already planning to be in Lakeland near their service center. They promised to have the person responsible for setting up the appointments reach back out to me. Since then, crickets. So I will be attempting my own repair until such time as OTT gets enough replacement burners and gets to me in the long line of affected owners.

Thanks so much. Private message sent.

Reviving a bit of an older thread as I am installing this same panel now. Does anyone have the part number of the three way switch located in the bath that operates the water pump? As this newer SeeLevel panel does not have a pump switch, I need to replace the one in the current SeeLevel panel that I am removing.

I’m curious if the never lube axles have high quality (US or Japan made) bearings or if they are “blessed” with Chinese bearings. While I get the appeal of not having to repack bearings every 12k miles - at least you can fairly easily replace the roller bearings if they exhibit signs of wear or if they fail on the road. Can you do that with the sealed bearings or do you just carry a spare hub?

Appreciate the advice. I built the two airplanes in my profile picture, so I am hopeful I have the skills and tools to do this job. 😉Would prefer to have a service manual but it sounds like those are top secret need to know only and reserved for the few Truma service centers. I think the warranty is long expired. My plan B is to have Truma replace this one with a remanufactured unit. They stated they won’t replace the burner only even at my expense. Not the most customer friendly company I have dealt with.

Exactly what I plan to attempt.

Yes, it is an instant on-demand hot water heater (similar to what you might have at home). It works very well and you don't have to take Navy showers - especially when camped at a full hookup site. But right now, the recall issue is causing some real headaches for those of us that chose this option.

Assuming this is true - all the more reason for us as owners to try to come up with practical, near term solutions. Otherwise, it will be years before Oliver gets enough burner assemblies to remedy the recall of 800 units.

No doubt it would be a short term solution. However, with 800 affected units and with Oliver currently only receiving 15-20 replacement burners per month - we are looking at a very long recall process. I was just looking for a risk mitigation strategy versus utilizing a recalled water heater that is a potential fire hazard. I do realize that not all of the recalled units have or will fail - but if one can "fix" the defect without creating additional risk - why not? I also realize that not everyone has the capability or the desire to attempt a DIY repair. I know the recall will have to be performed at some point regardless.

Crazy question - given that the defect appears to simply be a lack of crimped ends on the middle burners - has anyone tried to pull the burner, crimp the uncrimped ends and reinstall? I wonder if the heat cycles have heat treated and potentially embrittled the burner ends and they would crack if this was attempted? Just trying to find a simple and quick repair to what otherwise could be a very long recall process.

Hot water for cooking or dishwashing I can manage without the Truma. Showers are another matter, especially when boondocking. Running the Truma when awake and only as needed is probably the least risk possible with the exception of not using it at all. Oliver service says there are 800 serial numbers affected. Unless Truma gets producing large numbers of these burners soon (and I wouldn't be surprised if they are made by a subcontractor) - it's going to be a while for Oliver to get to all of us.

We do that always. The cycling of the Truma when left on is a little bit bothersome. I understand your logic. If the Truma starts a fire, at least you will be awake to possibly fight the fire or get out of the trailer while it burns. I was really looking for a workaround so as to not use the Truma at all or if anyone had come up with a novel way to actually fix the problem.

Anyone in the affected serial number range have a creative way of dealing with the recall - given that parts and service center availability is very limited, we can't buy this part on our own (at least I don't think so) and there is no current lead time being provided on when we will individually get our repair. I am contemplating trying to purchase a replacement heater and installing it myself. Not at all my first choice, but neither is (a) not going camping, (b) not having hot water or (c) burning up our Oliver. Full hookup sites with camp showers aren't ubiquitous on our desired camping route(s).

So if one has received the recall notice and is in the affected range, they use their AquaGo, it starts a fire and you lose your trailer - do you think Truma will have any liability at that point? I doubt it and I can’t help but wonder if your insurance company might decline coverage for the owner’s negligence.