Thermostat on/ near boiler

Tea

I could not get the Alde to heat the cabin this past weekend. I was hooked up to electric at the campground.  My son said he saw a thermostat on or near the boiler. I didn’t see it so I can’t describe it.   What does this thermostat control and how is it separate from the wall thermostat? I have a 2017 320-S (inside shower).  Thank you.  

DougH

Sounds like you may be describing the mixing valve near the boiler (fine tuning the hot water temperature).

The default electric setting of "1" barely warms any water or the glycol that goes to the radiators / convectors.  I have to use setting "2" on electric to warm the cabin significantly. 

Which setting were you on? 

Tea

My son says it was on the lowest setting, he doesn’t remember the number.  

Tea

Thank you.  I will put it on 2 next time out.  Appreciate the comment to help. 

Sharon_is_SAM

Tea, take a picture of what looks like a thermostat under the bench.  There is an Alde pump control that allows you to increase or decrease the rate of glycol circulation through the cabin.  If set too high, the reservoir gurgles loudly.  If set too low, the cabin may not heat well.  Most people set it between 1.5 to 2.  

To heat the cabin, besides setting the thermostat and turning the electric up to 2, you can also use propane.  Open your propane tank and on the Alde display select LPG.  The propane kicks in when your cabin temperature is several degrees below your set temperature.  Then the propane cuts out when cabin temperature is reached.  This will bring up the temperature faster than electric alone.

Tea

Sharon, I am unable to take a picture now as the camper is on a storage lot.  I will increase the electric setting when I camp again, probably mid January.  Thanks also for the propane info. This forum is awesome. 

Sharon_is_SAM

Welcome.

Homebodyatheart

@Tea I usually set my Alde thermostat higher (78'-80') than I need it until I am warm enough, then turn it down a bit. I need to work on other adjustments but for now this works for me. I am not fond of being cold (and my joints even less!) and I love the Alde heat! Good luck!

Tea

Thank you Homebodyatheart. 

N7SHG_Ham

Homebodyatheart said:

@Tea I usually set my Alde thermostat higher (78'-80') than I need it until I am warm enough, then turn it down a bit. I need to work on other adjustments but for now this works for me. I am not fond of being cold (and my joints even less!) and I love the Alde heat! Good luck!

A thermostat is an on/off switch that calls for heat when below the set point. Setting it way higher than your intended temperature will NOT make it get warmer faster. Won't hurt anything, but a myth that it hurries the heater along. If it is 60 and you set it for 70, it will get to 70 just as fast as if you set it to 100.

Homebodyatheart

@N7SHG_Ham I understand how the Alde works and that as a radiant heater it can take longer to get to temp than other types of heaters. I love the Alde heat! The reason I set the thermostat higher at the start has nothing to do with heating faster, because it won’t, but  because it tends to think it’s up to temp and I’m still cold. I haven’t called NuCamp to ask where the sensor for the thermostat is located. That obviously affects it’s function. I believe there is an adjustment to be made, I just haven’t done it yet. Now when I’m warm enough I turn down the thermostat till I hear the Alde click  off. I also close my windows up late afternoon, holding in some heat of the day to help. Works well for me. As with many systems, one finds what works for them and it may not for others. 

Sharon_is_SAM

I think the thermostat sensor must be in the display.  We notice if we crack the driver side window and the fan, the cool air drafting past the display lowers the display temp, but the cabin temp from a portable thermometer in the front of the cabin does not change.

pthomas745

Here is a thread that says the thermostat is in the display or the manual controls:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/3741/where-is-the-alde-room-thermostat

With the electronic control, you can also "correct" the thermostat if  you want to.  Page 13 of the 3010 manual calls it the "Offset" (temperature adjustment).

There is also a separate "external" Alde thermostat, talked about in this blog post.  I swear someone did this mod a while back but I cannot find the thread.

http://baileyunicorncadiz3.blogspot.com/2017/02/alde-external-temperature-sensor.html