Newbie with Alde (water heating) Questions

Buckster

I'll be de-winterizing our new 320 CSS this week. I have some questions about using the Alde system for hot water.

1. After it is turned on, approximately how long does it take to heat the water?

2. If connected to shore power, do you use electric or propane or both to power Alde to heat your water?

3. If we camp for several days, is it okay to leave the Alde (hot water) system on continuously, or should I turn it on and off each time I need it?

4. If NOT connected to city water, should I only turn the water pump on when I am actually using the water? Will it hurt the pump to leave the switch in the "on" position if we are not showering or using the faucet?

5. Do any of you have any other helpful suggestions when using the Alde water system?  Thank you!

Sharon_is_SAM

1.  Ambient and actual water temperatures will be factors in length of time to get hot water.  If starting with very cold water, turn on propane and select the “boost” mode - should take about 20 minutes.  Turn off boost and turn it back on again and you will have an extended time for heating water.
2.  If we are on shorepower, we generally use electric.  In very cold temperatures, we use electric and propane which kicks in if the cabin temp drops.  

3.  If you are only using the Alde for heating water (summer), we typically turn on the Alde just before we need it for dishes or showers.  It doesn’t hurt to run the Alde continuously if you choose to do so, but why heat up anything under the bed in summer?
4.  Just like you should turn off the city water when away from camp, I would recommend to turn off the pump until you need to use it.  Things happen and you don’t want to come back to an empty fresh tank and a full gray tank.

[Deleted User]

Oh good tip on turning off the water when away. I never thought of that! I'm good about turning Alde off though.  I actually put radiant barrier insulation under my mattresses to keep the heat from making my bed hot. 

Lizinnia

New to me: 2019 TAB 400 BL. 
My Alde system was just drained and flushed at a non NuCamp dealer.
They refilled with yellow century heat transfer fluid.
Last night I ran the heater and the reservoir tank was going crazy, gurgling and sloshing. Today I happen to look at tank….the fluid is way below minimum  line.
Whats the deal?
Should I just refill( which is rather a project!?) or is there a serious issue?

pthomas745

@Lizinnia Sounds like they (maybe) left the circulation pump on "high". Look over this thread.  Find that little pump in the pictures.  It will be close to the Alde, and may be hard to see.  Find that little red adjustment knob and see where it is set.  If it is up on 5, it should be turned down to around "2". Details in the thread.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/10338/circulation-pump-speed

Next, when  you ran the Alde, did the heat work?  Another issue after Alde work could be air in the glycol that is trying to work itself out through the expansion tank (that is one job of the expansion tank). 

Find the pump, turn it down.  See if that settles the glycol down.  See if the heat is working all around the trailer.  You may need to "bleed" the air out of the glycol (not hard to do).  That would be a separate subject.  If air is trapped, you might see glycol escaping through the bottom of the trailer through the clear plastic lines in the Alde compartment.  Check to see if there is glycol dripping from under the trailer. 

Sharon_is_SAM

You will need to add glycol.  As air exits the system, it is displaced by glycol and you need to fill it back up using Century fluid.
The bigger question is, why didn’t they use Rhomar after the flush?

ScottG

@Lizinnia, I agree with all of the above suggestions.

Running the circulator pump on high can be a good method for bleeding trapped air from the system after a fluid change. As the air finds its way out (either through the reservoir or the automatic air bleeder) the fluid level will drop--just as you describe.

It seems like the dealership perhaps did not finish the job by allowing all the air to bleed, resetting the circulator pump speed, and topping up the glycol as needed. If this is the case, I wouldn't be too confident in the thoroughness of their flushing procedure, either--so it's probably just as well they didn't switch you over to the Rohmer fluid.

fstop32

@ScottG, I hate to say it but I agree with your hunch.  I don't hate it because I'm agreeing with you but rather that the dealership should have known how to finish up the job.  That's a "tell" that they probably don't know as much as they should...sadly.

Maxcamp

Our Jan 2021 320s will not heat water (shower symbol) unless we also turn on 1kw or 2kw perimeter heat or gas heat.   Alde manual and Nucamp Customer Experience say you can heat water without heating the room.  Not so in our camper.  What is the case with other models?  

[Deleted User]

Turning on the 1kw or 2kw is just the indication of the  amount of power the Alde is getting.  The heat kicks on based on your temperature setting only. So if you want hot water but not heat you put it on 1kw, or 2kw if your power source is 30amp, then push the plus button beside the shower symbol to get hot water. 

If you don't want heat then set your room temperature lower than what ever temp the room actually is and the heat won't cut on. 

Sharon_is_SAM

@Maxcamp8 - as Tabbyshack noted, to heat water only the Alde avoids circulating the hot glycol - done by lowering the thermostat below ambient temp.  So, for summer camping, just turn down the thermostat and the Alde boiler will heat the water on whatever power source you choose (shorepower vs LPG/battery).