Alde System not working

maneibler

The Alde system in my MaxQ 2016 is not working. I have winterized the trailer and  I have set the control panel model 3010 214 with the left slider on the 2100 Watt setting (2 lightning symbols) and the thermostat on max setting 5. Please let me know if there is anything else I need to do.

Nomad

I always set slider #2 to propane even when on shore power - see if that makes a difference.
Also, check your fuses and circuit breakers.

maneibler

Thanks, I checked the circuit breakers and fuses. I will try the propane setting

Verna

Did you check the two glass fuses on top of the Alde?

jkjenn

maneibler said:

The Alde system in my MaxQ 2016 is not working. I have winterized the trailer and  I have set the control panel model 3010 214 with the left slider on the 2100 Watt setting (2 lightning symbols) and the thermostat on max setting 5. Please let me know if there is anything else I need to do.

Can you take a picture of your settings and tell us the length of time that has between turning it on and when you determined it was nit working?

Normfun

Don't forget the switch on the right has to be in the middle. Left to right the switches should be. Up 1-2, down if not using propane, up one click, turn the dial to the circle or where it's comfy. 

maneibler

I don't see any fuses on top of the Alde. The top is flat. There is a removable black cover but it takes a special tool that I don't have.

Verna

maneibler said:

I don't see any fuses on top of the Alde. The top is flat. There is a removable black cover but it takes a special tool that I don't have.

There is a black plastic panel on top of the Alde. Slide your hand to the right side (I hope your Q is the same as my S), slide your hand over the edge and you should be able to pull the black lid up. Inside, you should see two lime green cover for two glass fuses. 3.15 amp, 125V. Check each fuse to see if either is blown. My left fuse was blown and I didn't have hot water or Alde heat. 

maneibler

I got access to the two fuses in the top of the Alde haven't figured out how to get them out to check them.

RollingLagrima

Pull gently, horizontally, on the green casings. The fuses come out with the green casings. 

Verna

Thanks, Sally

jkjenn

maneibler said:

The Alde system in my MaxQ 2016 is not working. I have winterized the trailer and  I have set the control panel model 3010 214 with the left slider on the 2100 Watt setting (2 lightning symbols) and the thermostat on max setting 5. Please let me know if there is anything else I need to do.

The other thing is that it will warm up very slowly because it is radiant heat, not forced air. You can speed it up by running it on propane and shore power. Some people don't realize this, although might have been aware of it.

Nomad

As Jenn mentions, it heats the cabin slowly - but you can tell if it's working fairly quickly by feeling the heat vent holes to see if there's heat in the radiators. Or rais the seat and feel the radiators themselves.

JustJohn

Reading you description of your settings, you need to set the hot water toggle to the heat/hot water setting which is one toggle up...if you have not already done so. This setting is for heat  and if you have water in the system,also hot water, but must be on heat for the heating system to work.

ChanW

maneibler, that "lightning bolt" slider's second position is only for 950 watts. Position 1 and 2 are equivalent and position 3 is 1900 watts.

In the Alde docs for the US controller, note that the wattages are incorrect, they refer to the European model's 240V specs. The US version's is clarified here, from an updated user manual:

US version:
"THE HEATING ELEMENTS

All Compact 3010s are fitted with two 120 V heating elements with a maximum output of 950 W each. Select the heating element output on the control panel.

Always check that the input breaker of the vehicle has the correct amperage in  relation to the selected output. Note these  ratings are for the boiler only. 950 W requires a 10 amp breaker."

The controls have been described in another thread, with illustrations, I think. I'll see if I can find it for you.

Pop-T@B

My Adle system has also quit working several times. The first time, I did find a blown fuse as stated above. Replaced and all worked fine for awhile, then it quit again several more times. Please see the picture and you will see what was causing the problem ( am having trouble posting the pic, I will keep trying),  this may have been the reason for the blow fuse in the first place. I could jiggle the Alde control wiring harness on top of the Alde unit and the system would work until I towed it some where, then the same thing, it quit working, jiggle the wiring harness and it would start working again. I found the #2 and #5 wires on the Alde control wiring harness were not pushed in all of the way and not making contact 100% of the time. You might want to check this to see if you have the same problem. My T@B is a 2016 Max S made in late July early August this year.

Newfisher

I noticed this weekend boondocking the Alde on LP and not using the stabilizers, when you get up/down or jostle around the red light on the analog panel will flash every 1/2 second and you can hear the unit " re igniting" . I am sure they are designed for level front to back and right to left level for optimal performance. After a few seconds and several flashes, the unit performs well as if nothing has happened. We just find ourselves off road more than on road or campgrounds and being un-level is more common than not. It mostly depends on the time we park.

Ratkity

No one has mentioned that the electrical cord creeps out of the socket periodically. Check under the other seat on the same side of the Alde and check out to see if it's plugged in - I think there are plug gremlins out there.

ChanW

Newfisher, I've never seen that occurring, or heard of it happening, due to movement of the Tab.
I wonder if you have a loose connection of some kind? 

Michigan_Mike

I agree with Chan and RK, check the connections on both ends.  Alde harness plugs into the unit under the black cover as I recall and also into the back of the thermostat.  

wizard1880

There's a couple examples of folks here finding their Alde's 120v plug disconnected, particularly after a bumpy trip or off-roading.  It's certainly not unheard of.

I don't believe the Alde is susceptible to tilt angles and operation; I do know it's very sensitive to a steady supply of propane--it's possible the bumping jostled the tank or one of the regulators causing a brief surge or restriction of propane flow.  Just some theories anyway.

Ratkity

When building those old tower computers with the bizillion fans for gaming, there was a problem called "card creep" - no not scary nerds peeking out of the towers --- but even though the cards were normally held in by a screw, sometimes they needed to be re-seated. After all the sleuthing suggestions, it's off the the dealer! From someone who changed the analog to the digital thermostat, there's reams of wire behind the wall, just keep gently pulling up and there's a mated connector there. Just pop it apart and put back together and shove (gently) the tremendous cord bundle back.

LauraRey

Ratkity said:

No one has mentioned that the electrical cord creeps out of the socket periodically. Check under the other seat on the same side of the Alde and check out to see if it's plugged in - I think there are plug gremlins out there.

Actually, mine does that as well.  I noticed when I was at our campsite.  It had slipped about 1/4 inch out of the socket.

ScottG

@Newfisher, you stated you were boondocking and running the Alde on propane when the problem occurred. While the Alde's 120V electrical cord does seem to have a habit of creeping out of its receptacle, the cord serves no purpose unless you are connected to shore power.

The operating instructions for the Alde analog panel state that a flashing red light indicates a low DC voltage (<10.5V) condition. This resets itself automatically once sufficient voltage is restored. (A solid light indicates a propane or overtemp fault.)

Assuming you have a sufficiently charged battery, this suggests that the problem stems from a temperamental connection somewhere in the 12V power supply to the Alde. This could be at the converter, in the wiring harness mentioned by Michigan Mike, or in the circuitry within the Alde itself. Follow the entire pathway and check any connections you can get your hands on. I've found many of these 12V connectors are not particularly robust or tight fitting--it's not hard to imagine that a little shaking might just be enough to cause a momentary interruption in power.

Good luck and please let us know what you eventually figure out!

Newfisher

Thanks Mike and Scott. I just thought it was too many cheeseburgers and my 6'4" body trying to get comfy with the wife and dogs. I will check all of the connections as mentioned and report back. 

WaterHiker

I took my Outback on a check run near the Sonora Pass in California. Ran it on LP, at night the temp dropped to 25, and the Alde stopped working and gave a gas failure fault. Reset it, same fault. Switched to electric, same fault again. When the outside temp reached 45 it came on like nothing happened. Checked the Glycol Reservoir and double checked the LP cylinder  everything checkout out ok.  I'm stumped since it should have worked on electric but it still threw a gas failure fault. Any suggestions???

ericnliz

@WaterHiker, Is your trailer level? Check your Alde circulation pump setting. Make sure your temp is set correctly for the "temp" circulation mode. Have you tried turning the temp up on the "menu" screen to see if it reacts differently? What year is your Outback, digital, or analog screen? Last question, did you turn the setting for propane (bottom one) on? If so, and you don't want propane, turn it to the "off" setting. Let us know, we'll try to help.

ScottG

@WaterHiker, my only guess--and a weak one at that--is a temperature (and possible elevation) related flow issue resulting from low propane levels in the tank or possibly a temperamental regulator.

When you switched to electrical, did you turn the propane off? Electrical takes priority when it is activated, but propane can kick in to supplement in very cold conditions. If you left the propane on I would expect that you would continue to get the fault, which apparently shuts down the unit.

ChanW

I remember reading that a reset of the Alde was sometimes needed.
Try "resetting" the Alde system by totally shutting it off, and disconnecting all power from the Tab (including the battery, via the battery shutoff). Leave it disconnected for a minute or so.

ericnliz

On the newer digital Alde, there is a reset in the tool menu. Go to your tools, and scroll all the way through until you get to the "Maintenance", "Reset" screen, and choose "Reset". This will "Reset" to the default settings.
The other thing I noticed re-reading your above post @WaterHiker, was that it "magically" came on at 45*. There is also a setting for the temperature for inside the trailer, and outside the trailer in the tool menu. If you have a manual (Alde) with you (and if not, print one out for future reference to keep in the trailer) , after "Resetting", follow the directions for whatever the heat source is that you wish.

Photomom

ChanW said:

I remember reading that a reset of the Alde was sometimes needed.
Try "resetting" the Alde system by totally shutting it off, and disconnecting all power from the Tab (including the battery, via the battery shutoff). Leave it disconnected for a minute or so.

If you have the new Alde control panel, a reset is much easier. Use the Service menu and look for the Reset option.