Alde Heater

j_ntabowners

Hello,  My wife and I tried to use the Alde heater in our 2015 t@b over the weekend on propane and battery and couldn't get it to work. Checked the fuses and all were good. Battery charged, propane ok (stove burned hot and strong) - [don't worry we didn't use it as heat source ], and plenty of water in the tank No red light on the thermostat.  Anyone have any ideas. Do they get vapor locks?

DPro

Issues with my Alde as well. Tab s max. My fuse in fuse panel is a 20a and panel says should be 15. I am wondering is your fuse a 15a or 20a. Maybe we can figure this out together. Should it be a 20a or 15a. Anybody know if that may be the problem? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

j_ntabowners

Also just so I'm on the same page could someone post a picture of their thermostat settings with the correct setting.  my set up was (from left to right) 1 - up to first notch, 2 - up to second/top setting 3- (for hot water up to second notch). 

j_ntabowners

DPro, I'll take a look at the fuses and let you know

DPro

That would be great . Thanks.

Tabaz

Search for "Fuses for Newbies" for the Alde fuses (and others).  Regarding the control panel, there are several links.  Here is a picture that is configured for
(shore power, no propane and cabin and water heat.  The temperature setting is at around 70 degrees (between 3 and 4).

DPro

Discovered left fuse needed to be replaced in Alde unit. Installed about an hour ago and now have hot water working. I would still like to know if fuse should be a  20A or 15A in panel? Dealer had 20A in panel when purchased last year. 

Nomad

Justjudy

Our 2015 S Maxx is in the shop right now because our Alde is not working on shore power or propane, either one. It seems like there is no power, but all fuses and outlets are working. They have said they are hoping to get it back to us tomorrow. As soon as we get it, I will post everything I know about the issue. It may help someone else down the road. But I would like to say here, too, that the Alde had been an absolute dream for two years, having HOT water is wonderful. With our old teardrop we had to heat it on the stovetop. And the radiant heat provided by the Alde is the most comfortable and cozy that I have ever experienced.

j_ntabowners

it's a 20 amp fuse

j_ntabowners

Thanks for the pics OutbackAZ and PXLated, and I look forward to hearing what you find out JustJudy.

DPro

Ok. thanks. I guess if it blows I will replace with 20A fuse. I remember when doing walk thru that he said to replace with same fuse but when I was checking fuses to see the Panel only said 15A.  Thanks again everyone. Being up in Canada with no real dealership near buy is frustrating. This forum is great. I agree with j_ntabowners for the pics. In the post "fuses for Newbies" it is a 15A  blue fuse. 

Nomad

The pic I posted was one I got off the forum a ways back. Am on the road so can't look at mine but will when I get a chance.

FromupnorthQC

Have you looked at the Alde fuses 3.15 amps, under the back seat. When we took out our M@X first in 2015, we blew a fuse. Took our trailer back to the dealer, they replaced with a 5 amps. You can buy these fuses at Radio Shack, looks like electronic glass type fuse. Open top plastic cover of your Alde heater, grab and pull the green plastic fuse holder and check them out. Always keep a bag of these fuses with you..

fwillison

They can get vapor/air locks.  North American versions all are supposed to have automatic bleeder valves. Euro versions have manual bleeder valves it seems.  The Alde manual says to check for heat transfer along the pipes.  If the pipes only get hot for a foot or two beyond the boiler that indicates the system needs to be bled.  The manual describes a process where the trailer is put nose down, then bled. Then put nose up, then bled again.  Of course, this would seem only applicable to the manual bleed systems.  I suppose it wouldn't hurt to turn it on and feel the pipes.

Fred

j_ntabowners

I found my problem, but I think I'm on my own for repairs. looks like the water supply line into the Alde unit was shut off, When I picked up my brand new t@b at the dealership last April it was winterized, but I was a newbie, and didn't realize they must have shut off the supply line when they drained everything. We used the heater once a couple of months back, and it worked, then when we went to use it last week-end it wouldn't work. Last night I opened up the storage area and I found the closed supply line. My heart sank. Not sure what kind of damage it sustained by using the heater without having that open, but I'll take it in and find out. 

ColoradoJon

The Alde cabin heat can be used without water in the tank, according to the Alde FAQ.  Unless you are talking about the coolant, but I don't see that being a problem either.

ericnliz

j_ntabowners, Have you tried putting water in the system to see if it now works? I think at this point, that would be my first course of action. Please post what you find out, thanks.

Nomad

Yes, you can use the heater without water, in winterize mode. Did it for a couple of months last year.

j_ntabowners

Thank you for that good news.  Yes, I did put water in the system, and still nothing. I think my next step is to look for the fuse(s) that's on the heater itself and check.

Nomad

Be careful - Don't drop it, can be unrecoverable.

j_ntabowners

Will do, -- Using 'Fuses for Newbies' as my guide, by the way really nice job of documentation OutbackAZ

wizard1880

Remember that if you winterize with pink antifreeze in the Alde, you can't use the heat.  I don't think this is a problem with the newer models with the bypass.  Ours was one of the first ones with the Alde, so I just use an air compressor to winterize instead.

Ratkity

The Alde is a closed system. It shouldn't have to be drained for the winter. You can use the heat all winter long. Winterizing involve the water lines, not the lines going to the Alde. So that includes the water tank, the holding tanks, the water pump, shower pea trap, shower head, kitchen faucets and pea trap of the kitchen. The Alde itself has a tank about 2.5 gal where water resides. That can safely be drained. Many people just blow air through the lines and that's very acceptable. Be mindful of the dump gates. Those can freeze as well as the drain valve for the fresh water tank.

Nomad

That last sentence is important - pour a little pink RV atifreeze down the sink/shower/toilet so the dump valves and traps get protection.

ericnliz

Ratkity & PXL, Thanks to you both for the heads up on the winterizing as this will be our first attempt at this process.

Allie

I just changed the 3.15a fuse in my Alde also.  I would like to test it before going out again.  My garage outlet is 15 amp.  The A/C fuse in the trailer is 20 amp.  Can I plug the trailer into the garage outlet and turn on the furnace?  I don't understand enough about electricity, but it seems that a 20 amp fuse would mean more than a 20 amp outlet is required.

ScottG

Nope, that's not quite what it means. Plug in and test away!

The worst that will happen is that the 15 amp breaker on your garage circuit might trip if you use the three "lightening bolt" setting. Stick to one or two lightening bolts and you should have plenty of juice.

I'll spare you the lengthy explanation, unless you care... :-)

Allie

Thank you Scott.  The more bolts, the more amps required is the way I read this.  Makes sense.  I know that 15 amps uses a certain gauge of wire (the lower the gauge wire number the higher the amp capacity.  Inverse being higher the gauge wire number, the lower the amp capacity.)  The fuse blows, or the circuit trips when too much amperage goes thru to small gauge wire.  Thats why it is important not to put a fuse higher rated than the wire capacity.  The wire could heat up and the house burns down.  At least in my feeble mind, that's the way I understand it.

ScottG

You got it, Allie. Your mind's not that feeble if you understand it that well! Here's a little more to chew on...

Watts (the amount of "work" produced) is equal to volts (pressure) x amps (flow). Volts remain constant (120 in this case), so a higher wattage device will demand more amps. And--as you correctly noted--wire of a certain size can only accommodate so many amps before it overheats and creates a fire hazard. Circuit breakers and fuses disconnect the power before this occurs.

Therefore, your capacity to do work is limited by the smallest wires in the circuit. While your 20 amp rated T@B wiring can accommodate 2400 watts, your 15 amp rated garage wiring can only accommodate 1800 watts.

You are also correct about the lightening bolts. The Alde has two 950 watt heaters. Turning them both on (three lightening bolts) draws 1900 watts. Since this is a little over the rated capacity of your garage circuit, you might trip the breaker (or blow the fuse) on that circuit. However, if you turn on only one of the heaters (one or two lightening bolts), you should be able to test your Alde while remaining well within the capacity of your 15 amp garage circuit.  

Allie

Thank you.  Formulas!!!!!  As a math major, I can relate to that.  I just have to play with some numbers for a bit to get the hang of it, then I'll store it in my mental "electrical file".
I think that may be the part missing to verify capacity.