TAB400 Alde Heat on Propane

falcon1970

It got cold here last week so I thought it was a good time to test my heat using propane.  The Alde worked just fine.  Took about an hour to heat from 25 degrees ambient temp to 72 degrees inside temp.  I never heard as much noise from the Alde as some here have indicated.  As a matter of fact, the only way I could really tell that the Alde was working was to check the exhaust port for warm air.
However, after I shut everything down I noticed that the exhaust port was covered with black soot.  This indicates incomplete combustion, no?  Have any of you noticed this?  Is there some adjustment I need to make to the Alde heater?  I am at about 1700 feet above sea level so I doubt it is an altitude issue.  Since this was the first time I ran the Alde with propane and I have only run it on electric once I wonder if this is just stuff burning off of new materials.
Any thoughts?

N7SHG_Ham

Have not experienced that, sounds like you need to have a service center check that out. AFAIK, there are no user adjustments or settings to affect that EXCEPT the high altitude setting and at 1700 feet you are well below what Alde calls high altitude.

Tundra57

I have a 2019 Alde system in my Tab 400. I always use propane, if it's available electric as well. You can hear the gas igniter clicking when it xalls for gas. I have yet to have any problems. Definitely no black on the exhaust.

b407driver

My last trip of the year was in early October, and noticed black soot on the output of the Alde, as well. That being said, I was at 11,300' MSL, and when the Alde was cranking it was indeed loud! Overnight temps below freezing by a few degrees, and on the last night I got a propane failure and the heat shut off in the middle of the night. I'd assumed I'd run out of propane, but when I got home, I still had 1/3 tank.

Mine is probably an outlier data point for 99% of you (and no, I did not have hookups)... lol

falcon1970

I thought I would post a photo in case anyone is curious about the soot around my exhaust port.



I cleaned the soot off and ran the system again the next day--no soot deposit at all!  The OAT was about 25 degrees warmer the second time but I'm at a loss as to how that would affect the system.
I did notice that the hot exhaust air is directed out at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions behind the white cover.  Alde told me that the intake air runs through a hose INSIDE the exhaust air hose.  Therefore it is drawing combustion air around the white cap with the Alda label on the front.  Now I am really stumped.
BTW I am at 1700' MSL here and the high altitude setting was off both times.

DougH

Rare problem.  This is only similar post I could find:

http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Alde-3010-problem/37241/

N7SHG_Ham

Burning way rich!

Sharon_is_SAM

@b407driver - did you have the Alde high altitude mode selected?  I did not think that was automatic.

N7SHG_Ham

@Sharon_is_SAM shouldn't need high altitude at 1700 MSL, I think it is above 3000 and that is about home elevation and I haven't needed it. I did it use it once at 5000 or so.

NorthIsUp

Maybe the Alde needs to be set for high altitude at even lower altitudes than the recommended 3000 feet?
I almost always have some minor amount of black soot when using propane at home base at just over 6000 feet.  I thought that it was normal since the Alde was heating properly.

Sharon_is_SAM

b407driver said:

My last trip of the year was in early October, and noticed black soot on the output of the Alde, as well. That being said, I was at 11,300' MSL, and when the Alde was cranking it was indeed loud! Overnight temps below freezing by a few degrees, and on the last night I got a propane failure and the heat shut off in the middle of the night. I'd assumed I'd run out of propane, but when I got home, I still had 1/3 tank.

Mine is probably an outlier data point for 99% of you (and no, I did not have hookups)... lol

@N@N7SHG_Ham - b407 was at 11,300’.  (Sorry for the bold - can’t cancel it😣)

N7SHG_Ham

@Sharon_is_SAM I was responding to @falcon1970 who started the thread and posted the sooty photo. I guess I didn't notice @b407driver had another tale at much higher elevation. At 11,300 you would be in high altitude terriorty, at 1700 not so much.

Sharon_is_SAM

It’s not automatic though is it?

falcon1970

@Sharon_is_SAM
The high altitude mode is NOT automatic.  It must be selected through the "gear" (I don't remember what the correct Alde term for that is) icon.  From what I understand from Alde, the high altitude mode increases combustion air by using a fan to push more air to the burner.

falcon1970

UPDATE
Just talked to Spencer at Alde US.  He told me that the exhaust air exits through the center of the external port (logical since that is where the soot was) and the intake air enters from around the sides of that port right next to the trailer wall.  That makes a lot more sense than what I understood before.  Still, the question remains:  why was I feeling hot air exiting the port next to the trailer wall?
I guess I will wander outside with a screwdriver and see if the intake and exhaust hoses are tightly and properly connected.
On a related note Spencer told me that the office in the PNW will close at Thanksgiving and all Alde activity will move to Truma in Elkhart, IN.

N7SHG_Ham

falcon1970 said:

UPDATE
Just talked to Spencer at Alde US.

On a related note Spencer told me that the office in the PNW will close at Thanksgiving and all Alde activity will move to Truma in Elkhart, IN.

Somewhat interesting development as they make a competitive hot water heater.

falcon1970

Indeed!  And they don't really reference the Alde system on their website.  Truma does look like an interesting system, though.  I especially like the instant hot water package but I suspect that is a shore-power only system.

gande

falcon1970...did Spencer say he will still be with Alde and available for consultation?

N7SHG_Ham

Some of the "Alde" parts apparently are already sourced from Truma. I learned this when inquiring about the frost protection option for the Alde, that is a Truma supplied valve.

I do wonder if they merging service and parts here in the North America market? It would appear so, but not sure what this means long term.

jgram2

@gande I spoke with Spencer today. He’s staying in Portland while others in the Vancouver office of Alde are moving to Indiana.

b407driver

Sharon_is_SAM said:

@b407driver - did you have the Alde high altitude mode selected?  I did not think that was automatic.

I live at 6000' and rarely camp below 9000', but honestly can't recall, as that is something I would have done immediately after taking delivery. The trailer is a few miles away, and we're currently under 14" of snow since last night, with another 6 expected...
I will check next time I'm over there.

Verna

Setting the 3020 Alde for high altitude must be set on the Alde display panel. 

Sharon_is_SAM

Also, I suspect that, unless you have battery backup, your display settings are lost whenever you power down the TaB.  So, it is probably not a set it and forget it selection.  Anybody with the Alde 3020 know if the high altitude mode persists?

b407driver

Now well that would certainly explain it! Yet another (potential) reason the battery backup should be standard; such an important setting should persist.

falcon1970

I am thinking two AA batteries would run down fairly quickly.  I expect resetting the date/time when I head out is easier than checking the batteries all the time.
I wonder if it would be a huge design change for Alde to install some no-volatile RAM on the circuit board.  Maybe that will come with the 3030 model.

DesertDweller

Not that it is of any help beyond being just another data point,  but I had the same soot pattern on my 2019 T@B 320 S a few days before Thanksgiving when I was camping in SW Arizona.  MSL was between 900 and 1000 feet.  Overnight lows were in the low 40s and I had the Alde set at about 60 during the night.  No freight train noise at all, but did see the soot in the morning.