Alde leaking as it heats.

Robermcm

pthomas745 said:

There have been several "cracked" Alde tanks with no relation to winterizing.  The Alde "air cushion" is really only a factor with the trailer using the fresh water tank and the pump for more than 10 days in a row or so.

(Another confusing Alde thing they don't bother to explain.)

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/12808/alde-maintenance

So, I would wait and see. 

For your pressure check, don't forget the low point drains and the faucets.

you mean, make sure all point are closed so it CAN build pressure, I presume? ( I’m capable of bad interpretations )

pthomas745

And, I'm capable of bad sentences, too!  Yes, that is what I meant.

Robermcm

Update: I was able to pressurize the system in city mode, minus the Alde loop. It held pressure and all hot and cold lines ejected pink foam or liquid. Hurrah for small miracles. The trouble I was having pressurizing with a bike pump was that I didn’t reverse the screen on the inlet, thus my pump read zero pressure because the pressure was being held back by the ‘do not press when pressurized’  inlet valve. I’d read to do that reversal somewhere talking about some process (most likely the winterizing process) but it didn’t say WHY to reverse the screen and so it was lost. Why, for me, is everything to understanding. 

So, back to just the Alde boiler needing to be replaced. If that could ever be a good closing thought, this would be the moment! Back with those results in a week or three. 

bergger

@pthomas745 it is possible for someone to think they have winterized the trailer but still have the Alde full of water.  It is possible the previous owner put the trailer into winterize mode, which will bypass the Alde, drained the water lines, filled them with antifreeze, drained the fresh water tank but never drained the Alde.  If it was full of water it would damage the tank but the rest of the plumbing would be fine.  With the exception of the drain lines from the Alde possibly having some damage.  Since the drain valves for the Alde are under the bed and not outside the trailer with the rest of the drains I could see that happening to someone who is not experienced or did not bother to read the instructions carefully enough.  Hopefully for @Robermcm it is a defect in the unit and not just a mistake from the previous owner.   

Robermcm

I’d like to close out this thread by saying that the boiler was indeed ruined by water left in it and freezing temperatures crushing it and cracking the weld between water and glycol. I posted a bunch on those details in another ‘glycol’ thread. 

The gifts of having this issue were multiple:
- I learned about this tab forum, how to navigate it and met wonderful, helpful members. 

- I learned a ton about my tab trailer and the Alde system in searching for what was wrong
- and the biggest gift was that I had my faith renewed in people. 

The lady who sold me the trailer as-is, and with no knowledge of the boiler issue, was kind and considerate in sharing in the material cost of its repair. She and her son-in-law, and people like them, are my hopes for real healing in a world that seems more unsettled than ever. Their actions make me want to be a better person.  If they can make it right for a stranger like me, at a real cost to them in their pocket book, then I’m sure I can find many places in my life to be like them. Passing it forward the best I can. If I slip, they will be a reminder. 

Thanks Julie and Shawn.