Cannot Get Alde To Function

Passport

We are in South Dakota and the temperature was around 39 degrees last night.  I thought I had the Aldi set up according to the instructions but it failed to function at all.
The small circle was on the control screen, but I read a post on the forum that the Water temp should be on 1/2 to heat properly but it goes to full rather than 1/2.  
I have a hearing loss so I can't hear any clicks from the Aldi.  This is a 2022 320S less than 2 months old and we bought it because of the Aldi system.😞 what have I failed to do?

ChanW

Hi @Passport.

The basics:

You'll need to specify if you're using shore power, or only propane.

If shore power, be sure the Alde is plugged in to its receptacle (under the driver's side rear bench?) The plug can shake loose on bumpy roads.

If propane, make sure your propane is turned on and working (does the stove light?)

Be sure your Alde glycol is above the MIN. mark.

Make sure your Alde fuses are good.

Someone with experience with the digital panel will have to take you through the controls.

N7SHG_Ham

Not understanding the 1/2 water comment. Are you referring to the water boost mode? Even if that triangle is all black (boost mode), that just puts all energy to hot water heating and it times out after 30 minutes. I believe the default factory setting is level one, but you can turn it off too.

Sharon_is_SAM

@Passport, any luck?  Can you take a photo of the Alde control panel?  Is it set to “Therm” or “Cont”  (#17 in photo).

Passport

No luck, I took some photos of the control. And it is plugged in.

Passport

Here's the screen that has 1/2 hot water .

Passport

And I am on shore power.

bergger

Set the pump to Therm, not Cont.  Though that should not keep it from heating.  Also check to see if the unit is plugged in.  Sometimes the actual plug will come loose while traveling.  The panel will still operate as it works on 12v, as does the pump,  but the electric power will not, thus it won't heat, if the cord has come loose.  In the 400 the Alde is under the bed and the plug is right next to it.  Not sure where the Alde is mounted in the 320 but probably under the bed.   Does it work on propane?

Bayliss

@Passport, you need to look at @ChanW's question.  Are you connected to electricity at a campground, or are you using propane?  As depicted in your photo, your Alde is currently set for electric use.  Therefore, let us know if you are trying to use propane.  If so, make sure your propane tank valve is fully open.

IF you are connected to 30-amp electric service at a campground pedestal, you can click on the "+" icon next to the lightning bolt to bump up the power to 2 kW (kilowatts.)  However, if only using a 20-amp connection, leave it as set (i.e., 1 kW.)

IF you want to use propane, tap on the "flame" icon so that it turns lime green, thus indicating that you are using propane.

Also, IF you want extra hot water (e.g., to take a shower), you can tap on the "shaded" icon and fill the shaded area next to the showerhead icon so that it is fully filled/shaded.  That should provide you with hot water (assuming you have filled the Alde boiler tank with water.)  The water temperature will be much higher in about 20-30 minutes.  After the water is heated to a higher temperature, the shaded box will go back to "half-shaded" automatically. 

Looking at your settings, 83 degrees Fahrenheit is going to be way too hot inside your trailer, so I would lower that significantly.  Set it to a comfortable cabin temperature.  Also, set your pump settings Mode to "Therm" (which is the normally used setting.)  Currently, it is set on "Cont" (continuous), which is not what you want.  Just click on the arrow and switch that setting to "Therm."

Finally, since you are in South Dakota, I don't know what elevation you are at, but any time you are at or above 3000', you should also click on the button in your settings that shows the two mountains (high altitude setting.)  That doesn't sound like your current issue, but keep that in mind while traveling.

And most importantly, go back through the Alde manual carefully to help in understanding how the system operates.  There's a bit of a learning curve with the Alde.

Good luck!

Passport

I turned propane on and it does heat with propane!   Yes, ill turn the temperature down to 74 degrees as suggested.  Mode is on therm.  Still won't work on electric and I'm almost ready for a final test, just a little more studying and I should have things together.  The 2017 T@B we had was easier if I remember correctly.

Bayliss

Great, @Passport!  I'm not sure why it is not working on electric, assuming you are getting power to the rest of your trailer.  BUT, do what others have already suggested and check the Alde's electric plug connection in the Alde compartment to make sure is is securely attached (plugged in.)  I secured mine in place using a couple zip-ties.

Passport

Thanks Bayliss!  I'll follow up on your suggestion and doubles check the plug-in and let you folks know hate problem was.  That is positive thinking!

Grumpy_G

Also check the breaker in the power center, the Alde system has its own connection. Has the Alde ever worked or is this the first time you're trying to use it on electric ? Might be something wasn't wired correctly at the factory. 

Passport

Grumpy, this is our first use of the Aldi, I'm going to mess with it a little and see if its something simple like maybe a fuse but if I can't get it to working properly, ill co tact Nucamp.  There are some gaps around the bath walls they should have caulked and the shower door isn't plumb, it hits at the top when closing the door.  Its still under warranty anyway.

ChanW

@Passport, if the control display is working, then the Alde has 12v (battery) power, so the Alde 'fuses' are likely fine.

The shore-power 120v in the Tab is protected with the breakers (not fuses) in your fuse panel. If the Alde's  shore-power 120v is missing, it could be as you describe, ie: no heat except with propane.

Check your Tab's breakers, and the campsite pedestal breakers.

Passport

The circuit breakers are good, but I cannot kept the Circulation Pump symbol on the control screen.  I follow the instructions but it will not remain on the control screen.  Even last night when propane was used to heat I thought all was well but woke up cold during the night.  
According to the instruction booklet, when the unit is in standby mode, the circulation pump symbol is on the screen (page 10, figure 2.3) but isn't on my control screen when in standby.

Bayliss

@Passport, I may be looking at a different version of the 3020 manual than you are (mine is V-3020 24 Rev 1737), but it probably is the pretty much the same.  However, in the preceding section (2.2), it states that the circulation pump symbol (designated as "D" in the photo of the screen display in stand-by) "is displayed when the circulation pump is requested." 

I can't recall specifically from my personal use of the Alde if the circulation pump symbol is "always" displayed while in stand-by mode, but it sounds like it may only display on the screen when it is actually operating (i.e., is circulating glycol.)  Regardless, the fact that you had heat last night indicates that the circulation pump was working [NOTE: it will operate via 12V DC or 110/120V AC.]

Take a look at Section 2.9 "TOOL MENU - FUNCTIONS."  I am wondering if maybe your settings for "night" or "day" automation" may have been changed.  I have never used those, but it could be that one of those settings is shutting down your system during a certain time frame (e.g., in the middle of the night.)  Be sure to also set the clock settings for the correct time.

You indicated that the breakers are OK, but did you confirm that the electric plug for the Alde is securely inserted into the outlet located under the bench seat?

Another thing to consider is the "Prio setting" (priority.)  Read over that information in the manual.

Below are a couple past discussion threads I saved regarding the priority setting.  I have not read them in a while, so I am sending them for your review.  I think there may be some confusion among forum members regarding exactly how that setting works (that is only based on my personal notes that I made over a year ago), but that very well may be contributing to, or causing, the issue you have encountered.  If both electricity and gas are selected, the system gives priority to electrical power.  However, IF you have propane set as the priority, and assuming the propane is working, then that will kick in first.  Thus, if propane is taking over, you may think that the electric is not working.  (NOTE:  I haven't had to deal with the priority issue in the past.  I left the setting for both, so electric has priority if I am hooked up to electric at a campground.  When boondocking, there is no electric, so it switches to propane (as long as I have tapped on the "flame" icon for propane usage.) 

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/10257/alde-heating-propane-or-electric-operation-best

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/13387/alde-3020-prioritization#latest 

Hang in there.  After a bit of troubleshooting, you will get this figured out.

Sharon_is_SAM

Good advice @ Bayliss.  I agree that you should leave electric as priority and we don’t use the automation either.  Better to keep things simple with the Alde!

Sharon_is_SAM

@Passport - did you calibrate the thermostat?  If the thermostat is reading too high, the glycol pump may cut off prematurely which may account for your waking up cold.

Denny16

“I can't recall specifically from my personal use of the Alde if the circulation pump symbol is "always" displayed while in stand-by mode, but it sounds like it may only display on the screen when it is actually operating (i.e., is circulating glycol.)  Regardless, the fact that you had heat last night indicates that the circulation pump was working…” Bayliss

The circulation “Circle” symbol is only displayed when the circulation pump is running, not in standby. In Therm. mode, the circulation pump only comes on when the temperature in the cabin drops below the thermostat setting on the Alde display.  If you have water in the Alde tank, then you should have hot water with the current setup shown in the display, Shower symbol at 1/2 or Full.  A 320 does not have the Flo tank.  

I am going to suggest, looking at the yellow flapper valve inder the seat next to the Alde and make sure it is in a horizontal position, if it is vertical, the hot water tank will not fill, from city water or water tank.  Next, check the Alde Bypass valve on the left side next to the Nautilus panel (not on the panel in a 320) and see if it is in the horizontal position.  The red valve handle needs to be horizontal, and the yellow flapper vale closed (horizontal to the floor).

My guess is the Alde Bypass Valve is vertical, not allowing water to the tank (see photo below to see what this valve looks like and correct position for use).  You will still get cold water coming out of the hot water tap in the Bypass mode, but no hot water as the tank is not filling with water in this Winter setting.  This valve is not obvious to a new owner, and is not easy to see, you need to get down and look into the Nautilus compartment.

Cheers

Passport

Well, I figured it out.  When we were getting ready to leave a campsite this AM, the wife was putting things in the refrigerator and said the light isn't on.  So I said it's on because we have USB and 12 v lights.  We traveled around 300 miles and pulled into another campsite and for some reason I hit the switch that turns on the lights over the sink and they failed to come on and they are 12V.  So I thought, maybe the battery switch is off.  I checked in the front of the Tab and sure enough, the battery switch was off and there was no 12V juice to the trailer from the battery pinky from 120V.  So I thought that was my problem, I turned on th Also using 120V and behold!  It began working and heating.
I don't understand why it wouldn't work without battery power since 120V  provided both 120 and 12V to the receptacles but it doesn't unless the battery switch is on and providing power to the cabin.  Thank you all for your suggestions, I learned from you kind folks and my own experience!

Denny16

Glad you got it sorted.  Well, that is the next big that can be overlooked, the Battery Switch.  But non working lights is a big hint the switch or circuit breaker is not set correctly.   Also, the Alde needs both 120VAC and 12VDC to work properly.  The120VAC outlets with USB power, because they are getting the power from the AC, not the battery on some installs, so perhaps this was the case you had.  Interesting the control panel was working without 12VDC power?  The Alde 12VDC circuit is wired to the battery fuse buss, so the 120 VAC side will not provide the Alde with 12VDC.

Cheers 

Bayliss

All is well that ends well, eh @Passport?

I am somewhat surprised that the Alde display worked without the battery providing power.  I have been under the impression that it requires the 12V battery connection to function, so that was not even on my troubleshooting radar.  However, it could be that the WFCO Converter supplies sufficient power to illuminate the display, but maybe not enough power to actually run the electrical components of the Alde??

In any event, another important thing to note about the battery disconnect switch is that you ALWAYS want that switch turned "on" (i.e., providing power to the trailer) while towing, because in the event the trailer becomes disconnected from your tow vehicle, the battery will be the only source of power to activate the trailer's emergency brakes (because the trailer will no longer receiving power from your tow vehicle's battery via the trailer's umbilical/7-way cord.)  Generally, you will also want to leave the switch "on" while connected to 120V AC at a campground, because that supplies power to your converter, which in turn recharges your trailer battery.

In any event, it was all a worthwhile exercise, because we ALL learn from situations like this and become more knowledgeable about how the elusive Alde functions.  As I usually do, I will cut and paste the link to this discussion in my personal notes for future reference.

Passport

I thank you all again!