Is the Alde Worth Having?

Nomad

To show how extreme camping styles can be...Went and looked at a camper today with friends. Private party sale. Asked some general questions about mechanicals. Turns out the orevious owner had never fired up anything (furnace, fridge, air conditioner) in the years he owned it. Treated it like a hard-sided tent. Used the fridge like an ice box /cooler. Had no clue if anything worked. Had a standard car battery installed.

larrygon

My pressure valve went bad and recently had it replaced by the dealer. We'll the wife plugged in the T@B to start packing for our trip. It is kept in the garage and all the windows were open. Living at 7000 ft, the evenings are still in the 40's. I went into the garage the next morning heard a rumbling coming from the  T@B. The Alde was still on heat from the dealer testing it and the garage was a cozy 73 degrees acording to my clock/temp display! Amazing that it can heat a two car garage!

RollingLagrima

@larrygon, I can see it now news article headline: "Alde heater in T@B teardrop camper provides life-saving heat in 1000 sq ft shelter used to house displaced motorists trapped in blizzard".  

Soooo, while I originally saw the Alde as an extra I really didn't NEED when I up sized from a Silver Shadow, I seem to be using it more and more. The same goes for the shower. When it is cold or hot out, sometimes being able to get a hot shower and step out in to the T@B cabin which is at the temperature you like, is far better than traipsing across a campground to the shower house and then sweating (again) or freezing all the way back to the T@B.  

XPADREX

Ordering a without an Alde is like ordering a car without a radio. You may not use it, but the next person will demand it. Unless you plan on keeping the Tab forever, this is one item not to skip. 

The Tab can be plenty warm to 40F with a couple of folks inside, but he Alde helps keep the internal conference station own when your breath begins to show. 

We never used ours for the water (had the wetbath and never used it), but we certainly were glad for the heater on some early spring camping trips. 

XPADREX

BTW. We were like that hard sided tent guy. Used the fridge a few times, used the kitchen sink one- and used those potty bags in the toilet. 

Granted- we tend to camp at places with available facilities, and we just tended to reduce our need for washing to a minimum. I would have liked n external shower. 

Floridaloha

Newbie question (don't have my T@B yet), how long does it take to heat water when you turn the Alde on, assuming outside temps are, say, 50 degrees plus?  

ScottG

Not long. I haven't timed it, but 20 minutes is probably a safe estimate. Propane may be a little faster, but it comes up quick with electricity as well (both elements activated).

We only flip ours on when we need it. Typically once or twice a day for making dishwater.

Photomom

When we tried it we waited about 10 minutes and had hot water using propane. I think it was maybe 65 outside, don't know if that matters a lot.

Verna

I think the temperature of the incoming fresh water has an effect on the time. I think I allowed 30 minutes when in the desert and temps were in the upper 30's at night.  

Floridaloha

Thank you, that's fast! I probably won't need the heater very much for the first year, anyway, given that I'll be sticking sort of close to home while I learn the ropes. But I do want hot water. Is there any maintenance required for the Alde?

Photomom

Check your Alde manual, but the things that come to mind are checking the fluid level in the overflow tank periodically (mine was right at minimum so I added a couple ounces), adjusting the mixing valve for your desired water temp, and replacing the fluid every other year (you can get it from Elsie at Pleasant Valley.)

Keltdubh

For us...  The Alde and the 3 way fridge were the main reasons for upsizing from a Silver Shadow to a T@B.  We dry camp about 50% of the time, so electricity is not always available.  We love having hot water for dishes.  We love having heat on those cold winter nights.  And we really love having warm water for the shower to rinse the bug spray off before crawling into bed at night.  It has not been without some frustration.  There was quite a bit of a learning curve in figuring out how it all works.  If not for the sharing experiences of others in this forum, I think that we would have wanted to rip it all out.  Now that we know... it takes some adjusting to get the gurgle sound out, it takes a little time to initially warm up the water, it is more efficient on propane than electric and so on, we are happy as bugs in a rug.  Wouldn't trade it for anything.

Mouseketab

PXLated said:

We're the exact opposite. Roughly two years full time and maybe three hookup days a year.
But yep - All in your prefered style. However, when you try to sell it's not. It's about what a potential buyer's style is. The more options your camper has, the wider your potential market.

As someone who tends to purchase things for the long haul.... (buy new, buy exactly what I want, then use it till it goes to the junkyard, not resale, that is not a factor either). (We keep our cars for a minimum of 10 years). I was raised by folks that bought junk from the junkyard, rebuilt the engine, and drove for 10 years +, so don't even think about resale when purchasing something.

Nomad

But you're probably not the norm - Of course, neither am I :-)

ScottG

Me either. I buy it (or make it) the way I want it, enjoy it, and if it's not junk when I'm done with it, sell it at a yard sale price, or give it away.

Hmmm, guess that's why I'm not a businessman...

jkjenn

I can see how in the southeast the Alde might be less of a resale factor. Personally, I think it would be harder to sell a unit without a/c, especially in the southern states. You cannot always just move to higher elevations to solve the problem and humidity can make camping unbearable. I am currently camping at around 9100' with daytime highs in the low 80's and the fan has been fantastic, but only because of the absence of humidity. However, even if you don't need the heat, the Alde is a phenomenal hot water heater and uses very little propane.

Nomad

Good point - No Alde, no hot water.

Justjudy

We have not had the gurgling problem that some have experienced. We absolutely love the Alde. The hot water is HOT! and the general heat is so comfortable. I can't explain it...it's something about the quality of the radiant heat. It just makes it so cozy. I have never had that level of comfort in an RV.

Nomad

Justjudy - Lived with radient for 35 years so the T@B got my attention just for that - Love it.

Mouseketab

PXLated said:

Justjudy - Lived with radient for 35 years so the T@B got my attention just for that - Love it.

That may be a regional thing. Lived in the Southeast all my life. Have never even seen a radiator in person, much less lived with one. Have always had a central HVAC system with a heat pump. When I see house pictures with radiators, they look so odd to me.

Verna

Elementary, Junior High and High schools all had radiators, along with the older dorm at college. Radiant heat can be great in small places like our T@B, but have cold spots in large classrooms. 

Nomad

Mine weren' t big radiators - baseboard like the T@B ... nice, even, quiet heat.

Verna

The Elementary school and the Junior high school were built in the 40's, and the High School was built in the 60's. The old radiators that showed the heavy fins were in the older schools and the High School had the lighter fins like the T@B, but they were encased in "boxes, for the lack of a better word" and positioned under the windows.