Alde Air Circulation in 320 Boondock while sleeping

CandJB

My wife and I just had our first outing with our brand spank'n new T@B and loved it! We were lucky with the weather in that we had warm days and cold nights that allowed us to try out everything. We didn't quite have enough bedding for as cold as it got (only down in the 40's), and got a little chilly.

The Alde was generating heat, but it wasn't enough to keep things very warm. I noticed when I raised the cushions from their bed position to the back rest position that it was toasty warm under the cushions. The floor wasn't cold, but only the areas where the Alde unit and A/C are located were what I would call warm. Things warmed up some after I raised the cushions. But the interior didn't become really warm until I made coffee on the stove top. I did have the upper vent open a little and each window was open just enough to vent.

I was careful to not block the vents at floor level under where the table usually is and we didn't have anything stowed in the area holding the Alde unit.

I've seen posts from people who have been out in sub-zero weather that left me with the impression they were plenty comfortable.

Is there something I should check about air circulation?

pthomas745

Sound like you have done the basics of making sure the vents weren't blocked.  Did you check the area along the back shelves?  That small gap back there is where a lot of heat will radiate up into the cabin.

I know that some "venting" is suggested, but it would seem you may be letting in more cold air if "all" the windows are slightly open and the roof vent is open, too.  This may be "too much" venting. 

The Alde thermostat is located in the Alde control panel.  Since it is nowhere near where a human could be, the temperature you ask for may not be what the Alde will give you.  What the Alde senses as 70 degrees in that warm control panel is not really close to the temp where the humans actually are.  So, the control panel is comfy, the humans are cold.  So, turn that thermostat up a bit until you are warm.  When you get the hang of this, there is a "temperature offset" in the Tools menu that can help with this. 

Other stuff: were you on shore power or propane?  If on shore power, were you using "1KW" or "2KW".  The Alde on electric is just basically a home space heater.  On 1kw, it is probably 800 watts, on 2Kw maybe 1600 watts.  The electric can eventually warm the trailer, but it is a little slower than propane.

And, even if your trailer is new: some trailers come out of the dealers with just not enough glycol in the Alde.  Low glycol means less fluid to heat, which means less heat.  Take a good look at your glycol level with the Alde cold and see where the glycol level is.

pak

We use a small battery operated fan for under the bed. This helps with circulation of warm air under the bed.

Mickerly

We only vent the front window to the vent slot. The ceiling vent is the most important in reducing condensation. Hot humid air moves to the highest point. We open the vent just short of seeing sky. Maybe 3/8inch.

I'm not sure what year you have. In our 2018, the side radiator has more openings to the under-seat cabinet than to the cabin. Covering the openings in the storage cabinet with card board taped down with masking tape provided significant improvement on the heat in the cabin.

We haven't notice much difference in heating the cabin between 1kw and 2kw. I'm sure there is some. It does make a big difference in heating water. To understand what is going on, there are two electric heating elements. You are choosing one or both.

There should be an opening in the back for the heat to rise up. The system is dependent on natural air flow. If the wood for the shelf is too close to the back outside wall, there is no gap for the heated air. That may be why lifting the edge of the bed made it better.

CandJB

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions, I’ll check them all.

I have a 2023  model. I was on 30 amp shore power (no where close to water, so I was really, really a long way from a shoreline 😉) and set at 2Kw.

I’m sure that on my side of the bed, I was causing some flow blockage. I had that side “elbow” cushion shoved into the space above my head. I did notice, to my surprise, the floor was warm. Later, when I was changing from bed to sofa set up that I noticed how warm it was under what had been the head of the bed.

I have the feeling that it doesn’t take much to get it toasty because it got almost too warm from the stovetop heat in the time it took to make a pot of coffee.

AnOldUR

pak said:

We use a small battery operated fan for under the bed. This helps with circulation of warm air under the bed.

I've been considering this idea and recently purchased a fan that should be here soon. My plan is to put it under the bed by the convectors to help the natural convection push air up the rear wall. I haven't decided on how to wire it, either a speed control wall switch or wire it in-line with the glycol pump so that when the heat is on the fan will blow. I'm sure that others have done something similar. Care to share your method and results?

bjn2

@CandJB - How is your bed set up? The radiator at mid-trailer vents through the slot near the top of the passenger side storage bay. If your bedding drapes down over the kitchen side of the bed area, that would trap heat within the dinette footwell area. We dislike the claustrophobic but logical heads-under-cabinets bed position. Sleeping sideways is better for us, but that means one person has to crawl over the other to exit the bed.

Now we're going with separate side beds that leave some of the footwell area open. Easier exit from bed and better air circulation for the heat. I added some Lagun mounts that let us use the table as a headboard (or footboard) on the passenger side. There's a sliver bracket screwed to the table behind the vertical mount. The mount we added next to the battery cutoff switch lets us position the table for use as a countertop. I've detached the wall cushions so we don't have to dangle them in the footwell as shown in this photo.



We currently have a pair of Exped Deepsleep mattresses that are 72" L x 25.6" W that we use atop the cushions. I got some cut foam from the Foam Factory (Lux Foam 5" x 4" x 32" L) to fill in the gap when we pull the sliding bed support out to the width of our mattresses.

CandJB

Our first night was having cushions in a full bed layout. After that, the side above the vent in your picture was left in the couch position. I never felt heat coming from that vent. I just assumed it was for the A/C.

Basil48192

Just for reference:  I have a 2021 320S and have done quite a bit of late fall camping in Michigan.  I typically sleep in the twin-bed configuration and, so far, have been very comfortable when night-time temperatures are in the low to mid 30's.  I haven't changed or added anything for circulation.  I typically start the heat at 68° F, about an hour before I plan on going to bed.  The first time in cold temperatures, I set it to 70° and had to get up in the middle of the night to turn it down.  
I know this is not a solution for your issue....but I wanted to give you some perspective.

Sharon_is_SAM

@CandJB - I would avoid cracking the driver side window as cold air will effect the thermostat in the Alde panel and making the Alde cycle more.  We have success with circulating the air by venting the front window and just barely cracking the fan vent.  We have a MaxxAir fan, so that may be a little easier for us to do.