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Hot water in Shower

TerryTerry Member Posts: 4
in Factory Comments
Can not seem to get hot water in shower either on electricity or propane mode.  Any suggestions?  
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 3,989
    Welcome to the Forums!
    What trailer?  What year?
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,760
    Do you have hot water at the faucet?  Alde tank filled And Alde turned on?
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • N7SHG_HamN7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    Agree with other comments. What exact model? Do you have hot water elsewhere? Does this ONLY affect the shower? Details are important to remote troubleshooting, any troubleshooting for that matter, but without eyes on the issue it is hard to offer meaningful help without more details.
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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  • TerryTerry Member Posts: 4
    2018 T@B 320.  I'll check if hot water to sink.  do you have to have the Alde turned on for a considerable amount of time before using shower to have hot water in shower?  Can you take a hot shower while boondocking when running the Alde system on propane?  Relatively new to Boondocking camping.  Also. when Boondocking if I use solar panel to recharge battery should I make sure battery connection to camper is shut off.  Recharge the battery with the solar panel then disconnect the panel from the battery then allow the battery feed the camper.  if I allow the T@B remain connected to the battery while I am recharging the battery it seems to not recharge the battery effectively.  Also, on the 3-way refrigerator I have never been able to get the frig to work on propane - and tips?  Everything is so simple at an electrical hook-up site but want to do more camping at non electric sites.
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  • AirBossAirBoss Member Posts: 740
    Few things, just from my experience. And granted, I have a 2020 400 so YMMV...

    Make sure Alde (3020 or 3010?)  is on,  the "flame" icon is green, and you have the "shower" icon turned up to at least mid-point. Takes a few to get hot water at the faucet. And yep...a hot shower is the idea when on propane.

    I leave the Battery Switch in the "On" position at all times, even while travelling. Unless your 320 differs (and it may...I'll leave that to other 320 folks out there), the solar trickle-charges the bats regardless of the position of the Battery switch, which seems to be the case here since you noticed a delta if you turn the Battery Switch on vs. off. Perhaps you have a load/drain on the battery while its charging? 

    If you're just setting up while boondocking, make sure you're as close to level as possible. 3 ways are better than the old days but they still get fussy when they arent level enough. Open propane and fire up the stove first to draw gas thru the lines. Then start the fridge. May take a couple tries but should fire up.

    I know back in the day we used to remove the fridge, gently flip it over, end to end and sideways, the reinstall. Can't recommend that nowadays! 

    Good luck...and wear it out! 
    2020 T@B 400 "OTTO" (build date 08/19)
    Factory Victron Solar; Norcold 3-way fridge
    '04 Chevy Tahoe Z71 DinoKiller
    San Diego, CA
    www.airbossone.com
    https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/owen-ashurst/shop


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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 3,989
    Find your Alde manual here:
    Print it out.  Practice.  Yes, you can get hot water while "boondocking."  The Alde uses very little power, and the propane works just fine.  No, does not take long to heat water.  (Not instant, but just a few minutes.)  Key for the Alde?  Practice.
    Do you have installed solar on your trailer roof or portable panels?  On my trailer, the portable panel goes directly to the battery, so the position of the switch does not matter for charging. You need to determine exactly how your solar panel is wired to the battery.
    What are you using to determine the state of charge with your solar panel connected?  Why do you think it "does not seem to be charging?"


    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • MuttonChopsMuttonChops Member Posts: 1,724
    Terry said:
    2018 T@B 320.  I'll check if hot water to sink.  do you have to have the Alde turned on for a considerable amount of time before using shower to have hot water in shower?
    Can you take a hot shower while boondocking when running the Alde system on propane? 
    In general I turn the Alde on 30 minutes to an hour before starting a shower (boondocking on propane or when in a campground on shore power).  You can check the Control Panel 'service screen' to see the actual water temperature.  If cabin heat is also being used, at start of shower I set the hot water control triangle to solid black which directs more boiler heat toward hot water (this feature will automatically turn-off after 30 minutes).

    Just like home you still need to run shower hot water some to purge out the cold water in the lines.  Do keep in mind 'sea showers' are best as Alde hot water tank is only 2-gallons.  Plus one can quickly fill up the gray water tank when using the shower.
    Terry said:
    2018 T@B 320.
    . . . on the 3-way refrigerator I have never been able to get the frig to work on propane - and tips? 
    For myself the following sequence works well to start a yr-2018 Fridge.
    Assuming your "won't work" means won't operate on propane.


    Full discussion on starting pre/post yr-2018 Fridge link:
    '18 320 S,  pitched axle, 3020HE; PNW based
    TV: '17 Colorado V6 Z71 4x4, Tow Package, GM Brake Controller
    Adventures:  54   Nights:  341  Towing Miles 43,780
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,760
    @Terry - it sounds like you have a portable panel that you intermittently attach to the battery.  The battery will take longer to charge when the battery switch is turned “on”.  That’s because you are probably running your frig, pump, lights etc (load) And the battery is discharging and recharging to offset the load.  There are also about .2 amps/hr parasitic loads (LP/CO detector, Jenson audio, TV,  bathroom LED nightlight, USB ports, etc).  

    Regarding the hot water- length of time to heat is dependent on if you are on electric 1KW vs 2 KW, LPG (or both when heating the cabin), water temperature to start and maybe ambient temperature.  Give it a good half hour for a hot shower.  Also, if you have not set the mixing valve yet, now’s the time to do that as it will impact your hot water supply.  
     
    @Bayliss has a very good explanation on this thread May 2019.


    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • JCALDJCALD Member Posts: 132
    Setting the mixing valve correctly is key and it is not as simple as just turning the knob.
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