Alde heat and hot water

Leo34

Hi other TaB owners. This is really our first season with our Tab S. We have made five short local trips, all in New England this season and learn something new each trip about camping and the TaB. We are both "hovering" around 80 and have not camped in many years but are really enjoying the trailer. Thank you all for this forum as it has helped us a lot. We are hoping to do a long trip next year - Massachsetts to New Mexico and want to make the TaB as comfortable as possible. We currently have a problem that we can't seem to resolve. During our last trip to western Mass. We could not get either heat or hot water. We had been able to get both on a previous trip.  We bought the trailer used but it was
never actually used from the previous owner so it was virtually new when we took it.

Since we were able to get both at least once we must be doing something wrong but we don't know what. When we did have both we were hooked up to both water and power and the gas tank was in use. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We have one more trip in September before Nancy has a knee replacement which will end the season for us until next spring.

Leo34

Nomad

So, couple questions...
It worked before when you had hookups - did you have hookups this time or were you dry camping?
What year is your T@B and do you have the analog or digital thermostat/controller? If the former, what did you have the slides set to?

Leo34

Thanks for the response! We had hook ups - water and power. The trailer is 2015 and only slightly used. We have the analog 310. Two electric bars plus the gas. We tried with both just hot water and hot water/heat. We tried with both 50 amp and just 30 amp. 

Photomom

A quick thing to check is the Alde's power plug under the seat. We found it unplugged after driving over a bumpy road. This has happened to at least one other T@B owner that I know of.

Failing that I'd check circuit breakers and fuses, including the fuses in the Alde's itself. There have been many discussions here about that topic. 

Leo34

Thanks Photomom! We live in a condo and our unit lives about four miles away at an outside storage area (secured at all times but no water or electric available). We'll check the plug this week.

Verna

@Leo34, many times the glass fuse(s) are blown in the Alde unit under the driver's side lift out sofa seat. Open up the seat, remove the black plastic cover and look for the green fuse holders. The front fuse is the one that blows most of the time. 

Here's a link showing the lime green fuse holder. Hold onto the fuse and fuse holder tightly because you'll have trouble finding it if you drop it under the sofa
http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/3591/replacing-alde-fuses/p1

Photomom

Another thing to check while you're there is the Alde fluid level. Should be a little above the Min mark, the manual says exactly how much. Not likely, I think, since it worked before, but worth checking.

Michigan_Mike

And Leo, you might want to upgrade to the digital thermostat some time down the road as although the analog thermostat works fine, the digital thermostat will make things a lot simpler (much easier to operate) and your life better.  You can regulate your heat MUCH better and actually select the temperature you desire inside the trailer!  Of course this is my opinion but I have not regretted installing the digital thermostat and it is well worth the investment in the newer technology.  

Nomad

Still haven't gotten around to installing the digital I've had in a box for almost two years. Guess the analog is working just fine for me.
Mike - Would it help their problem - diagnose what's wrong - or not be anymore helpful than the analog?

Photomom

The digital display has a "secret" service menu where among other things you can see the exact temperature of the boiler and the water it's heating, and do a reset of the Alde system. I've found that very useful in understanding how it works.

Other functions let you set temperature, time the ststem comes on and goes off, nighttime temperature, etc.

Nomad

The service menu sounds interesting. I guess the rest is just nice but not enough nice to get me to dig in and retool :-)

Tabaz

I did install the digital and don't see that much of an advantage.  Just one opinion mind you.

Ratkity

The major advantage I saw when installing the digital panel was the set temp was exact. For me, the analog was sort of hit and miss and I'd end up a little too warm in the middle of the night if just a tiny bit higher than the last time I ran the heat. User error, I'm sure, but I like the mad scientist-proof feature.

vanderado

Not sure if this is related, but has anyone else experienced this:
Last weekend the Alde hot water worked great on arrival to shore power, then the next morning hot water stopped working. After various cycles of unplugging from shore power, turning off battery, turning off panel switches, then waiting a few minutes, the hot water came back on. This is the 3rd time in 3 years. Not exactly a big problem but it is a little frustrating as the cause/solution seems random.

Smullis7

The digital popped a 'fan failure' error for me this weekend.  It took me about 5 minutes to find and search thru the manual, which told me that the Aldi will reset it in 5 minutes.  It reset and all was fine, but it was nice having the error pop up instead of me trying to figure out why it wasn't working if the reset didn't happen.  Now to troubleshoot what might have caused it and how to 'unhook the 12v power from the furnace' properly.  :-)

ScottG

There are safety doohickeys that will turn things on and off automatically (as opposed to a fuse, which just blows and stays off until you replace it). I'm not specifically aware of any of these in the Alde, but I don't really know.

Barring that, a worn connection in a switch (like the Alde sliders) could cause a frustratingly intermittent loss of power. Again, I've never heard of this specifically with the Alde, but have had it happen on numerous other toys.

Equally frustrating, your various rituals of plug pulling and switch flipping may or may not have anything to do with why it starts working again. 

Photomom

As I mentioned, the digital control panel has a Reset function, not sure what it does exactly.

Does anyone know if there is a way to reset the Alde if you have the manual control panel? The fact that there is a Reset implies that there may be things that aren't reset by a simple power off/on. 

ChanW

Yes Photomom, word was, "back in the olden days" (2013, when we first saw the Alde here in the US), that the system could be 'reset' with the analog control panel, by unplugging all power to it for 10 mins. or so, and then powering it back on (as above).
I'm pretty sure it was in one of the Alde manuals.
edit: to clarify, that would include all power that goes to the Alde; shore power and battery power.

fwillison

Just brought home my new 2017 Tab S max Outback.  Read the manual for the Alde.  I find the system, the digital control panel, and particularly the manual to be completely confusing and non-intuitive.  The manual reads the way some Chinese electronics manuals do - obviously translated by someone who is not a native English speaker.  Perhaps the Alde manual is the same.

ScottG

ChanW said:

Yes Photomom, word was, "back in the olden days" (2013, when we first saw the Alde here in the US), that the system could be 'reset' with the analog control panel as mentioned above, by unplugging all power to it for 10 mins. or so, and then powering it back on.
I'm pretty sure it was in one of the Alde manuals.

I assume that includes disconnecting both AC and DC power. Sounds pretty much like what vanderado did.

I wonder what it is in there that trips and resets.

fwillison

To Reset (for the digital control panel): manual states to go into Tool menu, then scroll down to the last screen.  Reset is an option.

vanderado

ScottG said:

ChanW said:

Yes Photomom, word was, "back in the olden days" (2013, when we first saw the Alde here in the US), that the system could be 'reset' with the analog control panel as mentioned above, by unplugging all power to it for 10 mins. or so, and then powering it back on.
I'm pretty sure it was in one of the Alde manuals.

I assume that includes disconnecting both AC and DC power. Sounds pretty much like what vanderado did.

I wonder what it is in there that trips and resets.

ScottG:
You are 100% correct.

The Alde reset didn't work until I remembered to kill both AC (shore power podium switch) AND DC (battery switch). Then waiting 5 minutes. Shutting off AC only didn't reset the Alde. It may be coincidence but each time the Alde shut down on its own accord during a camp was when I had electric griddle plugged in cooking breakfast on a long cord @ picnic table. Not sure this is a direct coincidence or not. Probably not. By the way, cooking pancakes right at the picnic table is one of the highlights of our camps! The kids are experts at Olaf and Mickey Mouse cakes.

marknjudy

I just wish there was a good U tube video on how to operate the Alde. After reading the operator's manual AND playing with it, I am convinced that it is a marvelous little thing, but has a mind of its own. I either had hot water or didn't; and sometimes the heat was on when I didn't want it on (being that it was 100 degrees outside). My wife is 100% convinced that it only works when the fresh water tank pump is on and that doesn't compute to me.

But when it DOES work!

ChanW

Don't mean to be a negative nellie, but the fresh water tank pump has no connection to the Alde... You win.

Nomad

My Alde always seems to be in the "always just work" frame of mind - thank goodness.

marknjudy

I like winning arguements with my wife! It just happens infrequently.

Thanks for the input.  I think turning the radiant heat way down and patience to let the water get warm is the key. 

PXL, I think ours is too. We were overthinking it. 

Verna

@Leo34 posted the followI got on my wall:

"Thanks Verna, the right fuse was blown. I see some people have solved this problem by shutting down all power, shore and battery, which allows the Alde to reset. Will keep this in mind. We also found on the last trip that shore power included a 50 amp switch that we turned on. Would this cause the fuse to blow? Should the shore power never exceed 30 amp?"

Leo, before I changed from the analog thermometer like yours, I blew the fuse two times when I left the Alde analog thermometer on. But, other owners leave their thermometers on and they don't blow fuses. So, I'll attribute it to Fuse Gremlins playing with the Alde!

When you only have a 50 amp breaker and a 30 amp breaker, you don't need to bother the 50 amp breaker. It supplies 240V service to the monster Class A RV's. We only use 30 amps, which is only 120V. When you switched the 50 amp breaker, it is highly unlikely that caused your fuse to blow. Your T@B will never use all of the 50 amps, as the 30 amp cord will only allow 110V to enter the converter. 

Be sure to order some extra Alde fuses, either from Elsie at Pleasant Valley or through Amazon so you have them just in case this happens again.