Air8 Elwell and Alde Heating for Tab320s

Smihic

Hello, I have a second hand 2021 Tab320s and I purchased it from an RV dealer,  General RV, who will not answer any of my questions. I understand my warranty is void. I tried to find info online to no avail. My question is around the 2 systems. Do either of them need to have either city water, or fresh water tank full in order to operate? What do I need to do maintain either system? I read here about Alde Glycol replacement. Mine is yellow color and it seems low. I read that I need to flush it every 2 years which I assume wasn't done from new, so it is due now. I also read that I should replace it with new green colored Glycol, don't recall by which company. What about Air8 Elwell? Anything I need to know about it? I had a water leak so I run my Tab on dry camp for a while and used both systems. I camp a lot, sometimes for 3 months at a time. Are both of these safe to use for say 3 months in a row? I read all manuals. None of this is written in here, and there are no videos online that I could find. There are currently no dealers in Florida where I am to go and ask. Thanks in advance.

Yoshi_TAB

Hi,

Welcome to the Tab world.

The Alde needs to be filled either by city water or via your on board tank if you want hot water.  But you can run the Alde with out having hot water (for sinks or shower) and it will heat the cabin just fine.  

Re: Maintenance:

Air 8; Very minimal.  There is a thin filter you can access from under the bunk on the inside.  It's on the right side of the unit.  It takes a bit to get the cover off.  Finding a replacement seems harder than it should so most just clean it.  Check every once in a while that the intake and exhaust vents under the trailer have no obstructions.  There are screens over them and it should be fine...but always good to check every once in a while.  The only other thing is some people change the setting so the fan stays on when the setpoint is reached and the compressor kicks off.  I had it that way, but have noticed in very humid areas (south) the cabin area gets very humid just with the fan running.  I switched it to have the fan cycle on/off with the compressor and the cabin stayed much less humid in between compressor cycles.  But some people like the noise to be more constant than cycle on/off.


Alde;  The only maintenace is to change the glycol every two years, independant if you have the older yellow or newer green/blue glycol.  Some owners have changed to green from yellow, but others have stuck with the yellow.  The reason Alde made the change is because corrosion has been an issue on some parts (mostly the small inlet/outlet pipes of the fin radiators) and Alde says the green glycol will prevent this corrosion.  There are cases that owners who changed to the green glycol (from yellow) still have had corrosion.  It is unclear  if the corrosion began before the change or not.  I am not aware of any corrosion found in any unit that was delivered with the green glycol, but it's only been out a few years.  You can do a search on this forum and find tons of threads and very long discussions on this topic and make your own opinion.  There is DIY method in the files how to change the glycol.  It has been used succesfully  by many.  There is also a post on this forum with suggestions on the method that is helpful to read if you plan to DIY it. There is a wide range of costs for dealers to do it from $275 to almost $1000.  I believe there is a Alde/Truma service place somewhere in Florda.  

I've taken multiple 2 months trips and the Alde is on all the time with no issues.  The most I've used the Air8 is for about a month when I visited the US SE.  But I've read of others in Florida who have used it longer.

Keep asking questions...

MuttonChops

@Smihic ; Welcome to the TaB family, great trailers.

You can find a Adle User manual here:
       Adle User Manual in Resources Section of Forum

       Look for this post - -

There also an Air8 Manual here (first post):

      Air Conditioning Resources Section

Sharon_is_SAM

@Smihic -
Alde - the preferred glycol is Rhomar (blue), the old one is by Century (yellow).  Your glycol may be low.  If you have no doubt that it is Century, you can buy some time by adding some Century.  I believe you can also add some distilled water, but that will further dilute the concentration and freeze protection.  Best to get it changed ASAP.  

The water in the Alde hot water tank is heated by default whenever it is filled with water and the Alde is turned on.  So, if the tank is empty, the heating system still provides cabin heat.  It is important that the TaB plumbing lines and Alde water tank are drained of water if you get into any freezing weather.  Owners can use antifreeze to flush the toilet.  If you only want hot water, but no cabin heat, just turn down the Alde thermostat below ambient temperature.  This will stop the circulation of the glycol around the cabin and heat the water as desired.  

Not sure you know how to fill the Alde hot water tank, so I will add this.  It is easiest to hook up to city water, then flush the toilet and open your cold taps to get the air out.  Then open your hot taps.  The Alde hot water tank begins to fill when the hot tap opens.  After the faucet stops sputtering air, the Alde tank is full.  You can do this using the fresh water tank and the pump, but then you deplete your fresh water tank of about 2.5 gallons, so basically it is best to fill your plumbing lines/Alde tank via city water whenever possible.

As far as using the appliances continuously, nuCamp does note in the manual that the TaB is not intended for full time use.  In general, I think if you are only using the Alde for hot water, then turning it on only when you need it may prolong the life of the system.  

Only 2021 models built before 1/4/21 have the Century Fluid and are eligible for warranty coverage for the Rhomar exchange.  TaBs built on or after 1/4/21 have the Rhomar glycol as part of the build.  Contact warranty@nucamprv.com to confirm.

Smihic

Hey, thank you for the answers. I got it now. I called Alde support as well. I think I am going to keep my yellow glycol for now and not replace it. I may top it up. Do you know what glycol that is? is there a different flavor of Century? Alde told me that I can just run the system for 3 months solid in the snow and it should be fine. The glycol is good for -38F temperature so it should be fine. The only thing they told me is to keep checking the levels of glycol and top it up if low. I have no idea how to see the levels of glycol. The liquid seems low but I can't tell if it's below Min, based on the location of the tank. I tried taking pictures, no markings on the tank.

Sharon_is_SAM

@Smihic - you use a flashlight to see the minimum and maximum lines, mark them with a permanent marker, then mount a mirror.  See this thread:  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/16456/alde-expansion-tank-level

You want the premixed 50% solution available at Amazon.  

SLJ

Sharon_is_SAM said:

@Smihic - you use a flashlight to see the minimum and maximum lines, mark them with a permanent marker, then mount a mirror.  See this thread:  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/16456/alde-expansion-tank-level

Smihic has a 2021 320S. The tank is located in the bathroom behind the panel behind the toilet seat, not in the back like previous years models. A mirror shouldn't be needed. The normal line should be about an inch or two above the bottom of the tank. The tank is for Glycol expansion when hot so above half a tank when cold would be too much but there is a small air hose on the top that will drain it outside if it overflows. Better to use a turkey baster to remove excess Glycol though.

Sharon_is_SAM

Thanks for the reminder @SLJ.