Alde Repairs

jschmier

The heat exchanger on my Alde ruptured probably due to my own stupidity.  I called the nearest dealer a couple hours away, who quickly got me in, diagnosed the problem, and gave me an estimate of $3900.00 to replace the Alde unit.  I called Truma directly who operates a service center in Elkhart, about 4 hours away.  I took the Tab in the following week, left it at 9:00 and it was done by 2.  Total cost to replace the heat exchanger and refill the Alde with the new glycol that I needed to do, was $908.00, a significant difference.

Don’t think the dealer was trying to rip me off but it’s probably best if you can go back to the same manufacturers that Nucamp uses.  They may be able to repair rather than replace the entire unit.  Plus with all the money I saved, we had a memorable dinner at Artisan, a truly fantastic restaurant in downtown Eckhart.

Sharon_is_SAM

@jschmier - what caused the rupture?  Did Truma replace the entire Alde unit?  Did they inspect for corrosion?

jschmier

Most likely I failed to completely drain the hot water tank when winterizing.  I am sure I opened the relief valves but may have not opened a faucet, creating an airlock.  The dealer wanted to replace the entire unit, hence the $3900.  Truma took the unit apart and just replaced the tank that had ruptured.  They had the part on hand and the techs at Truma are trained to do this.  There was no evidence of any corrosion in the ruptured tank or the tubing and register connections.  In fact when I left, the tech remarked that I had an almost new unit again.

ScottG

Sounds like they replaced the "boiler core." I've seen this as an option on European Alde service sites--good to know it is available here as well.

I did note on the European sites that boiler core replacement was only available as part of official Alde service work. I.e., the core itself was not available to purchase as a DIY replacement. I suspect it's the same here. Too bad for those of us who live more than a stone's throw from Elkhart, because replacing the core sounds a whole lot better than replacing the whole unit! 

manyman297

Wow, that makes me wonder if simply blowing out the hot and cold lines with air is enough. I do put antifreeze in the lines after but obviously bypassing the Alde on that step. I don’t remember if I opened the Alde bleeder valves AFTER I bypass the Alde.

pthomas745

There have been a couple of Alde boilers that have leaked and been replaced, so this is not unheard of.  I always wonder how a small pump that can barely push water through the outside shower can possibly be strong enough to break a metal boiler, but, I could be wrong.

Homebodyatheart

I have no clue, but I have learned that most AirStream service departments work on Tabs for Alde work as some of their units use the same Alde system. It’s nice to have it serviced by someone who knows what they’re doing vs not being sure.  Good luck! 

Sharon_is_SAM

Owners frequently ask about how to know if the Alde water tank is empty.  You can first fill the tank by connecting to city water and opening the hot tap(s).  After sputtering of air has stopped, you can assume the tank is filled.  Disconnect from city water.  Then, Jack the front of the TaB up to optimize draining of the plumbing lines and tank.  Place a bucket under the Alde tank drain, open a hot tap and then open the Alde yellow Safety/Drain valve.  Measure the results.  You should have about 2.5 gallons for a unit without the Alde flow.  I am not sure how much the Flow holds.  

BrianZ

Here's a list of technical data from page 6 of the Alde 3010 manual, showing 8.4L or 2.2G for the water tank..