Alde System

DurangoTaB

Lisa...the Alde uses a sealed glycol system for heating, so you can do what Norm does in cold weather without worrying about lines freezing.  If you do add water for hot water, I believe the Alde (in addition to the lines) will soak up about 2-1/2 gallons.  There are 3 drain valves by the Alde...one for the Alde, and one for hot and one for cold water lines; I only drain them for winterizing.

sabel

You can operate heat without hot water. Set the thermostat control to the middle setting which has a hot water pan and facet symbol. That means you can have heat or hot water or both.

Here's a photo showing the yellow valve mentioned in the manual that drains the boiler.

jkjenn

Am I the only one who doesn't drain the boiler after every trip?

judymac

Jenn, we haven't drained foer every trip.  Are we supposed to?

Nomad

Other than winterizing, I've never drained the boiler I suppose if it's going to sit for an extended period you "might"

ChanW

We don't drain the water system, except winterizing.

They say you might want to "sanitize" once a month or something, which would include draining. 

hatbox

normfun said:

Yes. My trailer has NO water in it, never has. Been using the Alde all winter. Over 30 nights no problems. 

Wow.  Thank you for the guidance all...  I reckon I won't drain mine either.  The pdf guide said to do that after camping...something about an air cushion.

ChanW

I remember reading that too, about the air cushion. It might be smart to follow Alde's instructions. They probably know best. :-)

According to Alde, the cushion is needed to absorb any sudden pressure changes in the plumbing system.

I suppose, for example, it could be intended for when you shut off the water suddenly, or maybe even to absorb the water pump's 'pulsing'. It would be the same as 'hammer' in a home, which can damage the plumbing. In a home you do the same - put an intentional air cushion in the piping to absorb the 'hammer'.

With the Alde system, it would be a safety, in case of any weak spots in the system.

Thanks for pointing that out hatbox. I guess I'll drain my water lines more often... :-)

hatbox

Ok... In retrospect,  think I will drain that yellow valve occasionally too just for general purposes.  "An ounce of prevention..."  I guess they wouldn't put it in the manual to do, were it not necessary, right?  Thank you all.

USWildflowers

Happened to have the manual out since my Alde quit working (fuse). Here's what it says about the air cushion: "When the heater is in continuous us, however, this air cushion tends to dissipate. To maintain the air cushion, the hot water tank should be emptied approximately once a month, to ensure a new air cushion is formed in the heater." 

BTW, somewhere someone had compiled a list of fuses (maybe in this thread) that mentioned the Alde fuses as 3.15 Amp 5x20mm 250V fast acting; available from Radio Shack. When I went to RS they only had 250V in slow-blow, so I got 125V fuses in stead. Checked the manual to see if that would be OK, and I can't find either a reference to 125V or 250V on those fuses, only 12V, so I'm thinking either the 125V or 250V versions would work. Anyhow, I've now got a 125V fuse in there, and so far it's doing its job.

KevinandCindy

Thanks to jkJenn for the users manual, cleared up a few things for us.  Maybe I am confused, or slow, or both, but want to make sure I have things straight.

If I want to use the Alde system on propane only (boon docking and want to conserve 12V power) what are the slider settings?  Since the system seems to default to electrical first when both power and propane are selected; I assume the correct settings would be A (no power), F (propane on), I (heat and hot H2O), and probably L for temp starter. 

Sound right?  I assume that just because the power is set to A, the circulation pump will still function on 12V (and seems to draw 1amp/hr if I remember correctly).  Thanks for any clarification.

Leeh22

After reading and rereading I finally feel like I have a good grasp on the Alde with one exception.   No where do I find anyone, including Alde talk about anything other than the 0 setting on the large dial to the right.  I assume from my reading that sets the air temp at about 72 degrees Fahrenheit .  What do the other numbers do?????

Nomad

Yep - roughly 70-72 - The zero is just the "comfort" level.
The other numbers raise or lower the temp lfrom the "comfort" level ike a house thermostat.

Playc

Have not done the camp trip yet.  I plugged in Home power (with converter cable.  While nothing is turned on, I do hear a continuous huming sound under the seat, believe it's the ALDE.  Is it normal?

Nomad

It's probably not the Alde but the converter fan - If I recall correctly, it runs whenever the battery is being actively charged thru shore power. It will go on as charging is happening and off when not.

twocutes

Thanks, PX.  I have heard it, as well, and wondered ...

lavndrblue

Hello, we have a 2016 T@B CS-S Max and used our Alde system for heating over night for the first time last weekend. We had a lot of condensation inside the trailer and inside the galley when I opened it up the next morning.  Has anyone else seen this? Should we crack a window or something overnight?  

Nomad

I've never had it but others have and yes, crack a window and/or the top vent.

jschemel

we crack a window AND
open the top vent and our condensation is almost non existant

Normfun

We also crack a window open. But we also run a small USB fan to keep the air moving. Never had any condensation. 

jkjenn

I have never had condensation. I almost always have the vent wide open, though. I did close it a little when it got below 20 degrees. I also crack a window.

SweetlyHome

We don't have an Alde, living in Florida we decided against a central heating system.  We do however experience condensation on cool nights.  You can always first spot the condensation where the aluminum frame bars contact the inner wall.  We always leave the vent and window open a crack to prevent that.

Michigan_Mike

connie6465 said:

Another item of concern:  Ours is a 2015 T@B.  Though the Glycol only needs to be changed ever 5 years, there is NO drain hose or valve to drain the Glycol.  I looked everywhere on the unit, and was informed by Alde that T@B neglected to install a drain line on a number of T@B's, which they should have done.  When the time comes, I'll figure a way to do so.   I have found Alde US in Vancouver to be most helpful and responsive, especially Joe.

If you contact the factory (ask to speak to Ed Kauffman) I am sure they will correct the problem for you.  They should be able to make arrangements to make the modification for you and this should not be an issue, given it is not there and they created the issue.  They will make things right as they do want happy campers.  

Photomom

I'm with @jkjenn. Very interesting thread. My career was in software development, where the only way to control chaos is to have carefully controlled version releases. Each release is accompanied by a document that specifies exactly what is new and different from the previous version. Perhaps T@Bs should be known not only by the year, but also the version within the year, e.g. 2015.1, 2015.2, etc. With each version being documented.

Either that or build all T@Bs from a year exactly the same way. Like auto manufacturers do. As they increase production I can't imagine the factory and dealers will be able to keep up with all the variations.

lavndrblue

lavndrblue said:

Hello, we have a 2016 T@B CS-S Max and used our Alde system for heating over night for the first time last weekend. We had a lot of condensation inside the trailer and inside the galley when I opened it up the next morning.  Has anyone else seen this? Should we crack a window or something overnight?  

We cracked windows this time, and it helped with the condensation in the cabin, however we still had condensation in the galley. It looks like there is some water damage in the corners of the hatch :(  I don't want to leave the hatch open over night, so I'm not sure what to do.  Having the T@B winterized this weekend so I will ask them what they suggest.  Thanks for your responses!!! 

TabberJohn

Having consumed this thread and a few others related to Alde in their entirety (whew!), I am left with some lingering questions.
The analog 3010 214 thermostat is 950 watts on both single and double lightning bolt settings due to US voltage limits. The manual calls them cartridge 1 and 2.
How does using one cartridge (950 watts) versus both (triple lightning bolt = 1900 watts) affect maintaining the desired temperature setting (3,0,4,5)?
Is it a good idea to enable both cartridges to raise the temperature faster then switch to one cartridge to maintain that temperature?
Would the digital thermostat handle this automatically and moderate the heating elements based on demand?

wizard1880

I'm not sure if the 3-bolt setting would use just a single element (cartridge) to do the slight maintenance of temperature.  My guess is that it will use both always.  A call to the Alde of USA office might provide more insight.

When I have 30a service available, I always leave it on 3-bolt so that the cartridges wear evenly.

ScottG

@TabberJohn, I've wondered the same thing. I'd bet a nickel @wizard1880 is correct, and that the only advantage of using both elements is a faster heat-up time.

Last summer I did some testing to confirm that the "hot water only" setting does raise the water temperature higher than the "heat and hot water" setting. I've considered a similar test to compare propane vs. two electric elements vs. one electric element, but with the T@B now stashed for winter that's a project for another season. 

TabberJohn

The temperature difference was an interesting discovery so I did some more digging.
I found an updated manual online with an analog thermostat page not included in the Alde manual I have.
Notice the I and J entries on PDF below indicate 131 degrees (heat and water) versus 149 degrees (water only). 

ScottG

TabberJohn said:

The temperature difference was an interesting discovery so I did some more digging.
I found an updated manual online with an analog thermostat page not included in the Alde manual I have.
Notice the I and J entries on PDF below indicate 131 degrees (heat and water) versus 149 degrees (water only). 

Yup, that's what I tested and confirmed. Full results here: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/3225/alde-hot-water-test/p2