Tab 400 heater issues

cowboypete

Hi this is Bob and my wife and I have a 2018 TAB 400 we bought new.  We have never camped in the cold before, so we have never had a need for the heater. I do not know if I am just doing it wrong or what.  My Alde water heater works fine.  I checked the 2 fuses on the Alde unit itself and they are fine.  I set the temp on the Alde control panel and nothing happened so I went to the Dometic control and put it on Heat/Furnace and set the temp the same as the Alde.  The blower comes on but all it blows is cold air.   The temp outside the trailer is in the mid 50's if that helps. I also have a full propane tank that is turned on.
Please help me and tell me what I'm doing wrong. Bob

Jilong

If you're on shore power, it's easier to use the Dometic for heat and save your propane. Set the Dometic to the Heat Pump setting and set the temperature accordingly.

Jilong

If you're not on shore power, so just running off your batteries, then leave the Dometic off and turn on your propane. Make sure your propane button is lit on your control panel and set the temperature. It takes a while for the Alde to heat to the glycol to where it will warm the trailer, usually around 30 minutes or so for me to start to feel the heat by the bed. When the Alde heat is active, you'll see a circulating arrows symbol on your Alde control panel.

qhumberd

If you have never used the Alde for heat, then there are a few steps in the control panel you should check.

The set temp on the panel may be several degrees off the actual air temp near the bed, so be aware of that. 

Then, check your reservoir for the transfer fluid level. Unless you have the larger fridge, it is in the closet back wall. Use a strong light to get contrast and see the fluid level. If all ok, go back to control panel and try it on shore power if possible first. Move your hot water up one tick then move your power to  2kw. 1kw works too but takes longer. Then select heating temp as high as it goes and close the screen and see if the standby screen shows the circle on upper left. That is heating circulation pump running. Wait a bit say 15 min then go to settings and then scroll up to screen that shows Service and select that to see glycol temperature and water temperature. It should gradually climb to over 125 degrees glycol temp. The easiest convector to check for heat is in the bath below the taps covered by white plastic cover. It is the last one in the loop before the reservoir, so if you feel heat there you are good. If not and pump is running and glycol is hot an air bubble block is possible.

More on that depending on your results with these first checks.

Good luck and read the Alde manual for control panel details.

ps the Dometic CoolCat system is separate from Alde and one should not influence the other when the trailer is cold

Grumpy_G

Can I make the suggestion to read the OP closely please ? It says hot water is working so it doesn't really matter what heat source is used.
As mentioned above the Coolcat is a separate system so let's put that aside. The water heater is the outer layer in the boiler with the glycol being what is actually heated so there is at least some glycol in the system. I'd check at the Alde system itself if the heater hoses get warm and if the circulation pump is running. Both are easily done by putting a hand on it. Then double check all the settings in the control panel, hot water and heat, crank up the target temp etc..

cowboypete

Thanks for all of the great suggestions!  I will try them 1st thing in the morning.  Thank you again Bob
I will let you know what I discover

cowboypete

Question to Jilong, I have not seen the propane light come on.  Do I need to do something special to get it to light up?

Jilong

cowboypete said:

Question to Jilong, I have not seen the propane light come on.  Do I need to do something special to get it to light up?

You just touch the propane graphic on the touchscreen and it'll toggle from blue (unlit) to green (lit).

Mickerly

Plugged into external electricity, the Alde defaults to electric heat. Without external electric power it defaults to propane. If the hot water is working, the system is working. Set the thermostat temperature to something warmer than the current temperature. Wait 15 or 20 minutes and see if one of the convectors (small radiators) is becoming warm. It will take a while for the trailer to heat. When it heats, it will be much more comfortable than any furnace system, including the coolcat.

If the bed area is not warming, you probably have something blocking the air intake under the bed or the air vent above the shelf. This system is dependent on the natural movement of the air. Anything blocking vents will effectively turn off that convector.

If the temperature you set is very different than the cabin temperature, you can adjust the thermostat setting number from the services menu.

The guides on the Alde website are very good. They are well written for normal people, not the google translation or computer speak one often finds these days. They contain both clear instructions and techniques for use.