New Alde Service Location - Vancouver Island, BC (updated)

Mellow_Yellow

Updated: there is a new Alde service location on Vancouver Island, that I suspect will soon be added to the official list. They have the correct pump/device to fully drain, flush and refill the Alde with the newly recommended Rhomar heat transfer fluid. They are a week or two away from launching the service and already have a wait list of customers, including me

Here is the contact information:
Sunwest Service Centre, Courtenay, BC, Canada
250-338-5344

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original post:
Today I learned the official Alde 'service location' website does not list every location that performs Alde servicing. This is a huge relief because I thought I was going to need to take my T@B off Vancouver Island, which would cost an additional $350 in ferry trips. So I checked with a local NuCamp dealer and finally found a somewhere that performs Alde servicing on Vancouver Island. I'm so excited to finally have my Alde properly serviced for the first time since it was installed by NuCamp in 2013. I hear the Alde is used in some Airstream trailers. So perhaps Airstream dealers also perform the servicing?

What are the current thoughts on using the newer Rohmar/Rhoguard heat transfer fluid vs Century TF-1? My current plan is that if the service center cannot source Century TF-1, I will order it myself and bring it with me.

Sharon_is_SAM

At this point I would source the Rhomar and the Century fluid.

Denny16

Switching to Rhomar is going to require an additional flush out of your system, and may increase the labor cost.  Thst said, it will offer better protection for yiur Alde system in the long run.  We plan to switch at our next service next year.
Cheers 

Lawyerboy

There is a central Florida truma tech and they want 320 plus tax to drain and fill.  Is this price fair to you folks?

Mellow_Yellow

Is there more to Alde servicing than drain/flush/refill? Are there any additional checks they perform?

Mellow_Yellow

Lawyerboy said:

There is a central Florida truma tech and they want 320 plus tax to drain and fill.  Is this price fair to you folks?

There are a few posts about performing a full drain yourself using a standard wet/dry vac inserted in the fill reservoir. I suppose there'd be no harm done in trying.

Pintoplumber

Hey, if you can change your fridge thermostat, you can change your fluid. Under the drivers side bench, drain the system into a big dishpan under the trailer. Take a shop vac and suck out the remaining fluid with a rubber hose necked down to a piece of 1/2” copper. You’ll get about 1 7/8 gallons. Replace with new fluid. It’s not a big job at all. Don’t be afraid to tackle it.

N7SHG_Ham

Conversely, I have found some locations listed can't even say Alde, let alone know how to service one.

Denny16

If you do this yourself Mellow Yellow, if your are switching to the Rhomar fluid, you need to fill the Alde with distilled water (takes about liters) run the Alde with the circulation pump set high, then drain, vac out any remaining water, then fill with the system with the new Rhomar fluid.  You need to completely drain, and flush out the old Century fluid.
cheers

Lawyerboy

Thanks everyone.  At that price I figured I would give it a go. Morning and fridge is working. 

lkc001

@Lawyerboy. That's a whole lot better than the $800-900 or $650 quotes I got from two places near Denver-- still awaiting the phone call I was supposedly going to get from Windish in Longmont- I would say $350 is much more reasonable!

lkc001

@Pintoplumber. Are you talking about putting a copper tubing up into the drain hole on the underside of the trailer?  How would you step down from the shop vac hose to a piece of copper tubing?

TNOutback

@Mellow_Yellow The letter NuCamp posted on their FB page on June 9th stops short of clearly telling owners to switch to Rhomar, but reading between the lines, they are saying just that. In fact, it’s a skill to craft that letter that way without overtly saying it.  (The letter even says that Truma/Alde will be onsite at uCamp to service campers, that the factory can perform the service, that Truma has a mobile service unit, and to call nuCamp for assistance locating a servicing dealer.)

Following the letter’s advice, it would appear they want you to make the switch at your upcoming 2 year service interval.

TNOutback

Lawyerboy said:

There is a central Florida truma tech and they want 320 plus tax to drain and fill.  Is this price fair to you folks?

@Lawyerboy Yes, that’s a good price based on what nuCamp charged me for the service 9 days ago, and in the ballpark.

Mellow_Yellow

Thanks everyone! For this round, since I'm going to switch over to Rhomar, I'll go with the full servicing through the service location I found that is experienced with Alde. Perhaps in the future, I'll play around with the Shop Vac. 

Tampakayaker

N7SHG_Ham said:

Conversely, I have found some locations listed can't even say Alde, let alone know how to service one.

Maybe they think you mean ALDI the grocery store! 

Pintoplumber

@Ikc001 The tank on a CS S behind the toilet is where I put the shop vac hose to suck out the remaining fluid. 

pthomas745

Has anyone sourced the Rhomar fluid?  Or is it still "unobtainium?"

Denny16

You can buy it from nüCamp through a dealer, or from a Rhomar dealer (normally plumbing supply/hydronic heating equipment companies.
cheers