Flashing alde panel

Tammyinvirginia

I’m at wits end trying to figure out what is wrong with my Alde panel! 🤬 So it’s worked fine for the past 3 years.  My trailer is a 2019 320S Boondock model.  Two weeks ago I went to Assateague Island where there are no hookups for shore power. I normally camp where shore power is available so it’s usually run off 30 or 50 am service and I’ve never had issues.  I used my battery ever so sparingly for a few things while there, but ran my 3 way frig off propane.  The second day I was there the alde panel power button flashed from green to red, then the screen flashed a bright light and went dark and this repeated over and over.  I shut the power off in the battery box, left if off a while, tested the battery with a multi-meter which read 12.8 and restarted.  It fixed itself - for about an hour, then it started all over again.  I opened the fuse box, pulled out the fuse, then put it back.  I opened the alde cover, unplugged all of the cords on top, then plugged them all back in.  Again, it worked for about an hour, then started flashing again.  I gave up, kept the power on off in the battery box all weekend.  This weekend, I had shore power, we hooked up about 4pm.  All was well until around midnight, it started doing the same thing and I woke up to the flashing screen.  We weren’t using propane for anything, only shore power. Husband and I tried everything, replaced the alde fuse, unplugged, replugged, checked battery, again 12.8, shut propane off, shut power off.  Came home today.  Everything was off, I checked glycol, it looked a little low, but nothing critical, so I added some, turned it all on - same damn thing. I just hate to waste money at the dealer, but I can’t figure out what’s wrong!  The trailer is lever, it’s not on high elevation, I swapped out propane tanks, I’ve tried on both propane and shore power.  I hate anything that deals with electrical, but this really has me baffled.  Anyone know what the problem is?  I’ve searched the Tab-vanilla forum, can’t find my issue.  I didn’t have an “overheat” issue, just this flashing screen.  I did follow the line, I do not see any kinks or prinches in it.  Any help is appreciated.  Thank you

Sharon_is_SAM

This is a first.  I reviewed the Alde 3020 fault messages and they included this:

Panel failure: Moisture is trapped in the control panel. Remove the Alde control panel from the vehicle and air it in a

warm, dry place overnight.

Let us know if you try it.

Although I think your issue sounds electrical, I found this old thread from the analog Alde controls:  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/621/red-light-on-alde-control-panel/p1

I would also give Alde/Truma a call.

Bayliss

@Tammyinvirginia, I agree with @Sharon_is_SAM's suggestion to give Alde/Truma a call, but you will have to wait until Tuesday due to the Memorial Day holiday.

In addition to her suggestion, it may be a connection error (communication issue between the Alde control panel and the Alde.)  Below are some discussions that may provide helpful information.  I would suggest reading through all of them, because there is important information about what to do, and the process for doing it.  @Sharon_is_SAM also provides some good advice regarding the order of disconnecting and reconnecting the Alde 12 volt connection (in the second discussion thread.)  (I agree with Sharon that what your are describing is a first.  However, it definitely sounds like an electrical problem, so I will be following it with interest.  Be sure to let us know how it all works out for you.  Good luck!!)

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/11035/alde-3010-connection-failure/p1

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/2794/alde-touch-screen-wont-come-on/p1

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/12021/alde-touch-screen-not-working#latest

Sharon_is_SAM

From “Alde touch screen not working”:  A way to check the control panel is to “unplug the white DC power plug (between the two green fuses), then watch the control panel screen as you plug it back in.  If the screen briefly flashes from black to white, the screen is getting power, but the board in the panel is bad. This is the 3010 model, but the same may apply to the 3020 by pulling the cable to the left of the fuse.

Also, you may like to hit the “Reset” button while the screen is working properly.  It resets to factory settings.  Not sure if that will help, but worth a try.  

Bayliss

@Tammyinvirginia, I have a few questions for you that may help in troubleshooting the issue you are experiencing:

(1)  What type of battery do you have, and how old is it, and have you checked the battery water level?  It sounds like you primarily/usually rely on shore power while camping, so maybe you rarely use your battery.  Some of what you are experiencing sounds similar to the "Overheat Red Fail" error encountered by several T@B owners.  Often times, that can be associated with insufficient battery voltage.  That can usually be resolved by disconnecting and reconnecting the 12V power.  However, you have indicated that your battery is reading 12.8V when tested, I am wondering whether you are testing it after it has adequately "rested" (i.e., been disconnected from the charger/converter/tow vehicle for at least an hour or longer.)  Six hours may be best to get an accurate voltage reading.  I am suggesting that, because you wrote, "I shut the power off in the battery box, left if off a while, tested the battery with a multi-meter which read 12.8 and restarted.  It fixed itself - for about an hour, then it started all over again."  What you may actually be seeing with the multimeter test is the battery's "surface charge," which can result in a false reading.  In otherwords, your battery could be briefly getting charged up, but if it is old, it may not be holding that charge for very long.  Re-check the voltage after the battery has rested.  You may just need a new battery.

(2)  You indicated that at one point you replaced the Alde fuse.  Which fuse are you referring to?  Was it the glass fuse (under the green cover) adjacent to the 12V connection on top of the Alde boiler, or a blade fuse at the WFCO converter?  Also, did you replace it with a new fuse, or did you confirm that the fuse was good, either visually, or better yet with a multimeter?

(3)  Although I doubt it is involved, have you confirmed that the Alde's AC plug in the Alde compartment is securely plugged in to its outlet?

(4)  Can you think of anything else you may have done differently than your usual routine, particularly as far as electrical connections?  For example, do you always turn off the shore power at the campground pedestal circuit breaker before plugging your 30A cord into the pedestal outlet?  Also, do you always turn off your Alde and shut off the campground pedestal circuit breaker before unplugging your 30A cord from the pedestal?  Again, it does not sound like that is a cause of the problem in this specific instance, but failure to do that can cause a fuse to blow, or in a worse case scenario, potentially damage a circuit board that is part of the Alde system.

I didn't specifically mention it in my earlier response (although I did discuss it in one of the discussion threads I included above), but as part of your troubleshooting, be sure to check that the wire connections behind the Alde display panel are securely connected.  It is easy to pop off the display cover (you can use a small flat-head screwdriver to carefully pry the cover away from the wall.)  Then, unscrew the plate behind that to access the wires, which you can unplug and reconnect.

Again, good luck!  Keep us posted.

CandJB

Was there any resolution to this?

I have a 2023 320-S Boondock I picked up new from the dealer on November 6th. I immediately took it to a campground about an hour away and spend 3 days using shore power.

After winterizing it, I parked it at the storage facility I'm using that amounts to being an open field with no shade and no utilities. I didn't disconnect the battery, thinking it would be getting a trickle charge from the solar panel on the roof (faces mostly north). I shut off the propane and think I turned everything off inside.

I went and checked on it Thanksgiving Day, and everything was fine.

I went back on 12/11 to check on things and the Alde control panel was flashing bright white. It was doing one flash a pause, then 3 or 4 fast flashes; then it would repeat. I checked the fuses in the fuse control panel under the seat and all looked fine. I didn't have any tools with me, but am planning to go back with a multi-meter to check the battery (which is a new "marine" battery that the dealer said would be fine, even if it was totally drained over the winter).

Any suggestions?

pthomas745

@candjb your 2023 trailer, with solar, has the Victron solar controller.  The controller has bluetooth capability and can give you plenty of information about your battery.  Find the App, set it up on your phone, and we can show you how to use it.  But: good for you for having a multimeter!

https://www.victronenergy.com/victronconnectapp/victronconnect

Your trailer, while being "stored", should have the battery switch off.  A lead acid battery will very slowly "self discharge" over time.  The solar panels on the trailer are set up to work even with the battery switch off.  This would enable the panels to put whatever small amount of charge back into the battery over time.

If you have the trailer sitting with the battery switch on, it is always using a small amount of "parasitic" drain.  With plenty of sun, the solar will be able to keep up with this drain, but if there isn't enough sun, or no power coming in at all, then the battery can be depleted in a little less than 10 days.  (Assuming a "stock" lead acid battery of 80 amp hours).

So, check your battery status.  See if there is anything else running in the trailer that you may have forgotten to turn off.  The fridge would be the major power draw. 

In the other comments here, note that the original post might have been the only other discussion of a "flashing panel".  The other threads above have a basic rundown of how the panel works: there is a long cable (looks like a computer ethernet type cable) running from the Alde circuit board to the Alde control panel.  Check out those threads for more information.

Let us know what you find out!

CandJB

I had left my Multimeter away from home and had to wait for an opportunity to get it. It's an old analog one, but the battery seems to be at a full charge.
I got the Victron Energy app and got it paired to my panel. Although the storage facility is outdoors with no trees, my panel faces mostly to the north. It's not getting very direct sunlight. I took some readings on a sun afternoon around 3PM and the app was showing only 4w for the solar section. Solar voltage was ranging from around 18 to 20. Current was at 0.02amps. Battery voltage was around 5.38V with 0.5A. It was also showing Bulk for State. I realized that my Battery Disconnect was on, so I shut it off. Then the Battery voltage was 13.16 with 0.3A and a State of Absorption.
The Adle panel was flashing until I turned the Battery Disconnect to off. Also, what I believe is the Carbon Monoxide alarm has been chirping while all of this has been going on.

Since I had not turned the Battery Disconnect to off and I'm getting such low input from the panel, does this all now make sense that I'm having issues of a low charge when the battery has a load on it (notwithstanding what the Multimeter showed with no load)?

I have video of the flashing and a couple of the solar panel monitoring, but I think they'd be too large to post here.

pthomas745

@CandJB You don't say what battery you have in your trailer, but that is an important consideration.  If the battery switch was on, the parasitic drains would be the big issue.  Even a 100 amp hour lithium would be driven into a low state of charge by a combination of parasitic drains and the low solar input this time of year.  So, your basic time line sounds like: trailer parked at the storage area around Nov 15. If the trailer uses 6 amp hours per day of "parasitic drain", and was getting a low level of solar input...during the 10 days until Thanksgiving  the battery may have used up 50 amp hours of the battery.  (These are conservative estimates).  You went back about two weeks later......the trailer may have used another 30-50 amp hours, and now the battery state of charge is seriously low.  (The exact battery setup you have is very important information here).

The Alde, the fridge, and the gas alarm are all very sensitive to low battery voltage, and depending on which device, will either begin to alarm or simply shut off when the battery levels reach anywhere from 11.0 to 9.5 volts.  The gas alarm going off is one sign of this happening.  (Find the manual, the Alarm is very specific on the pattern of beeps and flashes for low voltage).  The Alde has a "low voltage" error, which seems to be rarely seen, but that might be the cause of your "flashing" Alde screen.  The screen itself runs off a 12V circuit.

The only good way to get a relatively accurate state of charge from a meter or the Victron app is to have the battery switch off, and preferably, no power coming into the trailer.  (The solar charger can be turned off in the Battery Settings page of the app).  Most likely, the "13.6V" number was only the amount of charging going into the battery, not the actual state of charge of the battery. 

The important thing at this point is: tell us what kind of battery you have?  Make sure the battery switch is off if the trailer is not being used.  Try to get the battery charged and not let it sit at a very low state of charge.  Try to take your battery readings with the solar charging off.

And: the battery type is also crucial to know here.  If this is a basic lead acid battery, this could have seriously damaged the battery.  A 100 amp hour lithium battery might have been able to handle this for a month, with a little bit of solar input.

MuttonChops

CandJB said:
(a) . . .  Solar voltage was ranging from around 18 to 20.
            Current was at 0.02amps.
            Battery voltage was around 5.38V with 0.5A.

(b) . . . Battery Disconnect was on, so I shut it off. Then the Battery voltage was 13.16 with 0.3A

(c) . . . believe the Carbon Monoxide alarm has been chirping while all of this has been
           going on.

(c)    Depending on which brand CO Alarm is installed, the chirping could be caused by low VDC power.
        My Atwood 'LPCO' alarm manual has this Power Management Feature:
           When voltage is between 8 and 6 volts, unit switches to a low current mode and stops
           monitoring/detecting . . . In this mode, the detector will emit 3 quick chirps once and flash
           the Red/Orange LEDs.  This repeats every 3 minutes.

(b)    So Battery is well charged at +13V when disconnect switch is in the trailer Off position.

(a)     Clearly, something in the trailer is causing a very large load on the battery.

         Before troubleshooting the Alde Control Panel flashing, the DC load needs to be identified.
         Suggest:
           - with disconnect in trailer Off position, remove all DC fuses except the lower most 30 & 40 Amp
              record which amperage/color fuse is in each fuse slot.
           - Switch to trailer On,  What voltages are on Victron App?  Should be very near (b)
           - with trailer Off, install one fuse, then redo voltage reading . . .
           - continue this loop . . . hopefully you will see a large battery reading voltage drop for
              one of the fuse positions

         Assuming the voltage drop did not occur for the Adle Fuse Location,
         remove large voltage drop fuse, install Adle fuse, test Adle Control Panel.

          If all is normal . . . you can start investigating why fuse location XX is loading the battery.

MuttonChops

CandJB said:

. . . have video of the flashing and a couple of the solar panel monitoring, but I think they'd be too large to post here.

If you have a youtube channel or other public access 'cloud' storage, you can place links in forum posts to the video cloud location.

Example == Prairie Rain on Tab

CandJB

I took my pictures and videos to the dealer today. The Alde flashing and the carbon dioxide alarm beeping pattern told them I had a low battery. It's a lead acid Pro Guide Dual Purpose battery. The dealer techs had just decided the Dual Purpose batteries aren't very good at holding a charge and also had concerns about their longevity. So, they had just decided to replace all of those batteries with Pro Guild Deep Cycle batteries.

I'm about to go in for bypass surgery, so won't be able to do anything about it until after several weeks, but they've got me on the calendar for a replacement.

I forgot to mention that prior to turning off the Battery Disconnect, I discovered that I hadn't turned the dial all the way on the fridge, so it was still running at its lowest setting rather than being off.

Once my recovery has gotten far enough along, I'm also going to see if the storage place will let me swap to a south facing spot.

Thanks to everyone for their help and suggestions. I'm looking forward to getting back out there in the Spring!

pthomas745

Oh, my, I hope everything goes well for you!  With your battery switch off, and the fridge, even the "north" facing panels should, over time, recharge your batteries. After you get the state of charge to a decent level, the gas detector should settle down, and then you can see how the Alde panel reacts.

Let us know!