Water leaking out of overflow tube

ScottG

@lkc001, that is true for our 320s, but I think the 400s (at least some of them) incorporated an additional regular drain valve for the Alde. It sticks in my mind because it seemed a little redundant given that the yellow flapper serves the same purpose. I remember being confused and asking about it in an earlier discussion.

lkc001

Ha!  Proves my aging brain can keep learning & retain info!😁

Sharon_is_SAM

According to the Alde Manual for both the 3010 and 3020, you use the Safety/Drain Valve to empty the hot water tank.  The Hot and Cold Water drain valves drain the plumbing.

lkc001

That's my understanding

ScottG

I found the discussion I mentioned above (complete with pictures). There are three quarter turn ball valve drains in the 400, and the middle one is the same line as the yellow flapper valve.

@Sharon_is_Sam, in that particular discussion you said the middle quarter turn valve was for draining the Alde. It's still not clear to me why that valve is needed in addition to the yellow flapper. If I could actually see the plumbing on a 400 it might make more sense. If it were my T@B I'd just be sure to open 'em both.

Back to this thread...  It's still not clear which of those various drains was leaking water in @sdenhof's 400, but I'm stickin' with my original bet that it was the yellow flapper opening under pressure. If all the others were in fact closed, that's about the only place it could come from.

Sharon_is_SAM

@Scott, I reviewed the discussion regarding the 400 Alde drain plumbing.  The only thing that I can guess is that the yellow flappers main purpose is for relief of excess pressure, however it can be used manually as well to expedite the drainage of the Alde tank.  @sdenhof, said he never used the yellow flapper which, when used when the Alde is toasty, it really enhances the drainage of the tank.  So, I suspect his tank was not completely emptied - he did not measure the outflow either.  Spencer, the Alde rep, reported during his uCamp session that, a little water left in the tank will do no harm.  I wish we had a 400 plumbing diagram like you made for the 320s.

sdenhof

Thanks everyone! How can I make sure all the water is out next time?

ScottG

I'm not entirely convinced that you can ensure all the water is out. One of my beefs with the Alde is that there is no way to physically check the water level in the tank. In addition, I've found that under certain circumstances it doesn't drain even when you open the yellow flapper valve (YFV).

So, I just go by volume. I know there should be ~2.5-3 gallons in the tank. I open the YFV first and if that much comes out, I'm happy. I also run pressurized air through the tank, though I'm not sure that makes a whole lot of difference difference.

As @Sharon_is_SAM noted, a little residual water in the system shouldn't hurt anything so long as it has room to expand when/if it freezes. It's when water freezes and expands in a confined space (like a full pipe) that things start to break.

sdenhof

Thanks for the help! Off to Moab feeling much better:)

Sharon_is_SAM

I believe the Alde in the 400 holds the same amount of water as the 320.  So, assuming you have just disconnected your city water connection and the tank is full and the system is pressurized, place a bucket under the TaB directly under the Alde Safety/Drain flapper valve and raise the tongue (don’t crush the bucket).  Open a cold water faucet to prevent a vacuum and then open the yellow valve to drain the tank, then I would open the other drain valve on that line and empty the water from that line.  

BrianZ

Correct, @lkc001.
There are 4 drain valves: 
1) fresh water tank drain below door
2) Alde hot water tank drain (yellow)
3) hot water line
4) cold water line

lkc001

@sdenhof---read through this post carefully and people have explained how to use the yellow valve and there are also other posts with great info on how to winterize.

lkc001

@Sharon_is_SAM--do you need to tilt the tongue end up to get the alde to drain properly on a 320S?

Sharon_is_SAM

I use gravity to drain the other lines, so I just put the nose up.  If I remember correctly, the first time I drained the Alde, the TaB was level, then more drained out when I raised the tongue.  So, after that, I have always drained it with the nose up.

lkc001

@Sharon_is_SAM— good to know thanks