Your opinion? The Alde relief valve

SnapDog

Earlier I posted about not being able to find the Alde safety/relief valve on our 2017 Outback. It turns out the dealer removed it. The person I talked to said they do this because the valves leak, water drips out the bottom of the Tab, and people were complaining of not having any hot water. I think I have read here that some valves leak, but I don’t recall that they leak more than a few drops. When I asked about using the valve for draining the Alde he said it wouldn’t be a problem. And when I asked about the safety/relief valve being a SAFETY relief valve, he didn’t really have anything to say except that I could talk to the person who actually removed the valve when I’m in next week.

I’m not sure if this makes sense. Surely the valve is there for a good reason? Should I insist they put it back or just let it go? Do any of you actually use that valve? 

Would appreciate your thoughts/opinions.

Verna

@SnapDog, if you could please write an email to warranty@nucamprv.com with a note to make sure Marvin Raber get this information, I would truly appreciate it. You know your real name, the dealer's name and your VIN, so you have the information needed to send this information. nüCamp needs to know when their dealers are doing something that may jeopardize their warranty or safety.  Thank you 

Photomom

Are you talking about the red thingy that comes out of the top of the Alde, or the yellow flap thingy that is on the floor?

RollingBnB

That is also a pressure relief valve to protect the Alde from high water pressure at a rv site
I would want it.

SnapDog

Photomom said:

Are you talking about the red thingy that comes out of the top of the Alde, or the yellow flap thingy that is on the floor?

Photomom, it's the yellow one that should be on the floor. ... hmm, don't recall anything red on the top. I'll look later today. 

ericnliz

@SnapDog, Find the guy that removed your valve, have him stick one arm through the front grab handle of a T@B on their lot, zip-tie the other hand to the one going through the handle, make him say repeatedly.."I love T@B trailers, I love T@B trailers!" Besides, that MIGHT keep him from doing any further damage to anyone else's T@B!
Just so 'ya know, that yellow "flip valve" is also how 'ya drain the hot water storage tank!  

Photomom

SnapDog said:

Photomom said:

Are you talking about the red thingy that comes out of the top of the Alde, or the yellow flap thingy that is on the floor?

Photomom, it's the yellow one that should be on the floor. ... hmm, don't recall anything red on the top. I'll look later today. 

In addition to the safety aspect, you also use that to drain the Alde when you winterize the trailer!

SnapDog

@Verna - Yes, I'll send nuCamp an email - thanks for your note. After talking to my dealer on the phone I felt like I should just let it go, but I don't think I will. 
@ericnliz - ya, I get to talk to guy who actually removed the valve in a couple of weeks - he's installing a new stereo. I'll bring along a couple of zip-ties with me just in case.

Verna

nüCamp warranty department has been warned to look for your email, @SnapDog. They will help. 

RollingBnB

Wonder what he did about the hole in the floor that the yellow valve drained into?

hobbithouse

Funny this topic should pop up. Two days into a five day camping experience, we terminated early due to an ALDE failure. Thurs. May 25th thru the 26th things went without a hitch. Shore power and gas fired options were working great. Sat. the 27th, woke up at 5:00 am and no heat. (1) Had been using electricity only as the gas fired option was a little noisy. The circulating pump would not turn on. The glycol reservoir tank was good. Hot water checked o.k. Turned up the thermostat, nothing,  switched to the gas fired option, no results. Replaced two blown fuses and got the solid red light so turned off all the sliding switches & thermostat on the ALDE control. I assumed this would negate any demands on the ALDE. 

(2)Approximately 30 minutes later there was green glycol running out of the reservoir and steam showing at the outside of the trailer around the ALDE, the smell of hot rubber and plastic filling the inside of the TAB. At this point the water had become scalding and from the sounds from the bowels of the ALDE, boiling. Opened the hot water faucet taps to relieve the pressure and to replace the hot water with cold water to cool the internal works. Left to find some glycol, no luck and returned.

(3)Returned to find the wife terrified and crying. More glycol spraying this time instead of running. Immediately opened the hot water tap at the galley sink to see boiling hot water at the spigot and ran inside to check the ALDE condition when a red hose blew at the top of the outlet side (hot), and a geyser of boiling water and steam filled the air and ALDE cabinet. I then ran back out and shut off the cold water supply. In the normal succession of things we broke camp and ended our so called mini vacation.

My concerns are: what happened to the safety controls, if any, that should have prevented this? Water, in what ever form of heating, should never be allowed to get this hot in any RV  I can't find anything thing resembling a pressure relief valve. The yellow valve on the floor is to drain the boiler. Not any mention of a thermal cut off switch for extreme hot water. The hot water has always been extremely hot, maybe way too hot. Mixing valve? Not to be found in our 2015 TAB CSS or mentioned in the manual. If earlier units were excluded perhaps a safety update or recall should have been in order. My ALDE owners manual is lacking in good information. Might work in Sweden, but not for me here in the U.S. Better dealer knowledge of the TAB components should have been another resource. Could have been terribly worse from scalding water burns and injury which we luckily escaped.
  
We'll start with a phone call to the factory 1st thing Tuesday, May 30th, for any help and advice. This will probably not be a warranty issue due to the age, however the safety and well being of my wife and self comes with a lifetime warranty, of which I will bitterly defend.
Any help from this forum will be appreciated, and I will keep this communication abreast of our progress. Also, please note that all my knowledge about the TAB and its components has been learned soley through this forum, which is priceless.

Bill and Robin
2015  CSS max
 

SnapDog

Wow, glad you and your wife are alright. Very frightening experience! Let us know what feedback you get from the factory. We have a different Tab year/model and it sounds like a different Alde control panel, but I'm sure the Alde units themselves are pretty much the same. I'd be interested to hear what you find out.