Alde troubles

luvmytab

Just replace fuse on Alde, it heated the actual boiler as it is warm. I set the thermostat at 3 heat symbols for heater, propane/battery  setting and hot waater/Alde setting and #5 high.
So, the boiler did heat up. The black hoses that are supposed to heat were cold. When purchasing, the dealer said that the black hoses get warm and provide the heating and that has worked in the past. The water did not run hot.
Anyone have a thread they can point me to so i can start understanding all this? or just any info for me.
I have read a few threads here and this answer is not coming up.
I think the water lines were played around with when my toilet water pump cracked and water went everywhere so possibly some of those shut offs are shut off.......not sure if the alde is part of the shut offs, thought it was just all the water lines.
HELP!!!! Thank you those who are active here with suggestions!

ChanW

You're water lines aren't part of the heat circuit.

First check your glycol expansion tank to be sure you have glycol in the system. The tank is behind your couch, under the small shelf back there, on the driver's side corner.

There are no valves involved in the glycol system.

Can you post a photo of the settings you have set on the control panel?

DurangoTaB

Pix of you valves would help too

luvmytab

I will take both photos today. heading out next week and looks like it could hit the 30's in yosemite at nite, will be nice to be warm and cozy!

ScottG

@luvmytab, please clarify. Are you saying that the Alde itself got hot, but there was neither heat to the cabin or hot water to the sink?

luvmytab

ok, here are the photos of the settings i have on my alde  thermostat and of the valves. I am purchasing(finally!) a power drill today to remove screws from back wood panel to check glycol. I removed 2 screws without a drill and had enough of that.
ves

luvmytab

scottg, the actual tank in back got warm, but not the black tubes that usually get warm when alde is on.

ScottG

The valves look correct. Regardless, as ChanW noted above, the domestic plumbing has no effect on the cabin heat operation--you can even run the cabin heat with the plumbing fully winterized.

Assuming you have enough glycol in the system, and that it is actually cold enough for the thermostat to kick on, it sounds like your circulator pump is not running. You should be able to hear it start up and run with a slight whirring sound.

If this is the case the root cause could be the pump itself, the power supply, or possibly the thermostat.

ericnliz

There is an adjustment on the pump itself, and I'm wondering if it didn't get shut off completely. Down by the floor, the pump should be located by the blue water line on the left in the picture towards the front of the trailer where the pressure valve for the hot water (yellow flip valve) valve is located. (It should be almost straight down from where the top brass colored valve is.) You will see a black round valve in line with the larger black glycol  hoses on either side of the valve with a small red dial on the front of it. Turn the little red dial clockwise (make sure you remember where it WAS before turning in case you have a bad pump, or if it is in fact working), you will either hear an increase in the pump speed, hear the pump start circulating, or hear nothing at all. If your thermostat is set high enough, you should experience either faster, or the pump starting to run. If no noise at all, it could very well be a bad pump.
I don't know if you checked your converter box to see if possibly there is a breaker thrown, or a bad fuse, but I would check there also. What you are experiencing is going to be a process of elimination to determine what the actual problem is. Be patient, and try ONE thing at a time so as to determine what is actually causing the problem.

Verna

Turn the right knob to 5 to make sure it will be asking for the maximum heat. Zero, is 68*, if I remember correctly. 5 will be over 75*+ that the Alde will attempt to make the inside temps reach. 

TabberJohn

On the analog controller the o mark is the median room temperature indicator (72 degrees F, 22 degrees C).
No clue why they decided on that scale. 5 must be the Swedish sauna setting.

RollingLagrima

Photo of dial described by @ericnliz

luvmytab

thank you all.....I did hear the whirring sound after replacing the fuse. It was warm when I tried it so that may be the problem. I will do the process of elimination thing. I will be surprised if glycol is low as I've only had it a couple of years, (somewhere I read glycol should last 5 yearsish) and hardly used the heater. thanks for all the info. I will continue my quest. Who knew that my quasi-retirement years would include hours of troubleshooting mechanical operating systems (never a strong suite for me) so I can go have fun in the great outdoors without the tent thing........I did not know the difference between a watt and voltage before my T@B entered my life.
Alde manufacturing is located in Vancouver, WA. I will be driving right by on our trip. They have a very informational website with manual downloads and online support including FAQ that I started to investigate yesterday........
Link:  http://www.alde.se/usa     

ericnliz

@RollingLagrima, Thanks for the photo!!!! Yes, that is the one!!! I have a hard enough time just getting in to position to see the darn thing, much less photograph it!!!
@luvmytab, Sounds as if you're on the right track to reaching that "warm, fuzzy" feeling.! Best to be able to troubleshoot now, rather than on your trip. Not only that, but, IF the situation were to arise again, now you know how to fix it!

luvmytab

I am so excited this morn.
After all the troubleshooting advice, I chose the next easiest step (after replacing broken fuse, deciding to get the fast fuse)
Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AN353VO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I drove to my T@B when it was 45 degrees out at 5am. Turned it all on and there was no whirring sound like there was a few days ago. Then I remembered to turn on battery cut off knob......Bingo, the whirring sound. Drove home (1 min away)....half hour later, when I stepped into my T@B, it was so warm!!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone!!!! 

Next step is to check all the fuses in the panel and make sure they are OK and pick up some extras. We will be using shore power at some of the sites.

ScottG

@luvmytab, the dial thermostat on the analog Alde control panel controls the circulator pump--it turns the pump on when heat is needed, and off once the cabin warms up. The Alde's heaters (electric or propane) are operated independently by the other controls and by internal thermostats.

So, if the Alde itself is warm and you are sure you hear the pump spinning--but you are still not getting heat to the radiators--that narrows it down to a circulation problem. Low glycol or trapped air would be my first guess, but a malfunctioning pump or even a blockage in the glycol loop could be to blame.  

RollingLagrima

@luvmytab so the good news is it was something simple (battery cut-off switch). The other good news is that if it ever happens again and it is not the battery cut-off switch, you now are experienced in aldea scavenger hunt troubleshooting!

Ratkity

Great news @luvmytab!!!