Alde no heat but hot water

Robnrina

I have a new 2019 320s that we bought in December.  I have had the alde system running in our yard much of the time on electric, or both electric and propane without problem.  We have camped once and it worked fine on shore power.  We went on the second short trip this time without electric and the heat did not work on propane, however the water was hot.  I took pictures of the settings, making sure the timers were off, and priority set was to propane.  After we came home, the alde wont heat on electric either, only heats water up.   I checked the 2 15 amp fuses in the black panel and they were good.   Any help what to check?  Thanks, Rob 

ChrisandAlexis

@Robnrina, have you checked your glycol level?

Sharon_is_SAM

So, the Alde is heating, but it sounds like the glycol is not circulating.  Is that the 3020 Alde version?  This sounds familiar.  Make sure the Alde is plugged into the under bench outlet first.  Apparently, heat and hot water simultaneously are dependent on placementof the hot water selector in the middle (not on boost as it will stop the circulation of the glycol used for heating the cabin and if you turn off the Hot water completely, you will not have heat or hot water).  Here is a previous discussion.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/7952/no-alde-heat-on-electric-but-it-works-fine-on-propane/p1

Robnrina

@Sharon_is_SAM Yes, 3020 alde.  Yes, checked and is plugged in. I don’t have the hot water boost on at the control panel at all.  There is nowhere to turn off my hot water that I can see.  

Robnrina

@ChrisandAlexis no, why would we have to do that in a brand new t@b?  

Robnrina

@Sharon_is_SAM having difficulty getting a picture to load

Robnrina

@Sharon_is_SAM but my shower symbol on the alde is black

Robnrina

@ChrisandAlexis where is the reservoir?  It shows the reservoir in the manual, but does not say where it is located?

BrianZ

Check 12V fuse for the Alde circuit that powers the Alde pump. 

Robnrina

@BrianZ where is 12v fuse located?

BrianZ

@Robnrina,
On our 2018 T@B it is circuit #5 on the converter panel, shared with the ceiling fan.  


Also, I  believe @Sharon_is_SAM was saying your water temp setting should be at the halfway point as shown below, ant NOT all the way up, as that turns the pump off to boost water temp.  When pump is off, glycol stops circulating, so no heat going to the cabin.

Robnrina

@BrianZ ok, yes.  We checked that fuse, I thought it was called something else.  It was fine.  Thanks!

Robnrina

Thanks everyone we figured out where the tank is, and it is empty!  I have no idea why.  Turned off the alde.  We will contact dealer, as on warranty 

lkc001

@Robnrina--You can order the glycol from Amazon (search for previous posts on this site--someone actually posted a link) and you can fill it yourself without having to wait for the dealer to call you back or you having to take it back to them just to put more glycol in.  There are also posts on here that talk about how much to add--don't fill it completely up or it will boil over!  Also previous posts as to where to find the glycol tank depending on what model Tab you have.  Much easier to figure out how to do many things myself than to keep taking it back to the dealer then they have to keep it for so long. . . . just my 2cents.  I also learned a lot more about how the systems work from reading & research on this site on how to do things myself.  If you are leaving your alde on continuously that is going to burn through more glycol faster & also more wear & tear on the system.  Is there a particular reason you are running it constantly?

Robnrina

@lkc001it has been cold here, 40’s and 50’s, and I have been working on it...organizing, bedding mods etc, so I wanted a comfortable working temperature.  We have only had it 6 weeks!  I assumed that there must be a problem for the glycol to be empty so fast. 

lkc001

I really don't know how fast you would burn thru glycol with it running constantly, but certainly much faster than just camping trips.  Hopefully someone else with more knowledge than me will post on that.   You should also check under and in any areas that are below the alde or where the alde is located to see if it has leaked fluid--it is greenish-yellow.  

mona

Two things to check. First, check to see if the screw on cap is tight. If it’s loose, the glycol evaporated. Easy to remedy, just add glycol. Second, feel the bottom of the glycol tank where the connections are. There should be no chrystally or wet feel there or seen on the flooring under that area and the area where the Alde is located. That indicates leaking, and service is warranted. 

Jeannie

Sharon_is_SAM

Also, under the TaB is a capped port that allows for glycol drainage.  If the cap got bumped off, then all the glycol can be lost.

ChanW

@Robnrina, I'd guess that the Alde won't 'use up' large quantities of glycol if it's not leaking. And evaporation of a tank of glycol with a loose cap would take months or more.

In the past, the glycol holding tank has been known to break at it's lower hose connection. You could check underneath the tank for residue.

Or, as @Sharon_is_SAM, suggested, check the drain tube under the Tab. It's the larger rubber tube that sticks out the bottom of the Tab, and should have a plug in it.

PamandJohnUpNorth2

@Robnrina   Below is a picture the fluid used (same as factory uses) and attached is the Alde 3020 manual. The manual explains the filling and bleeding process. Of course this will only be useful once you have found the source of the fluid loss so we wish you good luck in soon finding the cause as others have suggested a few good places to look.

lkc001

@Robnrina--did you figure anything out yet?

BrianZ

@Robnrina, as @Sharon_is_SAM said, check the Alde glycol drain tube under the T@B to see if the drain plug is still there.  Look under the driver side between the tire and the stabilizer for the drain tube, which normally has a red plastic plug with metal clip to prevent glycol from leaking out.
Here's a photo showing it in relation to the other nearby drain tubes..

This view is from behind the driver's side wheel looking to the rear, so driver side is at right & rear is at bottom.
(Ignore angle iron, which is a custom bracket mod I added for mounting new stabilizer jacks).

Robnrina

Thank you for all the helpful ideas. the glycol cap was tight, and the cap underneath is secure. We can’t see where it has leaked, so no, we have not figured it out.  I did order the glycol from amazon.  

Ratkity

mona said:

Two things to check. First, check to see if the screw on cap is tight. If it’s loose, the glycol evaporated. Easy to remedy, just add glycol. Second, feel the bottom of the glycol tank where the connections are. There should be no chrystally or wet feel there or seen on the flooring under that area and the area where the Alde is located. That indicates leaking, and service is warranted. 

Jeannie

Please look to see if any glycol is on the floor under reservoir. Check levels after running it. The first time it circulates, you'll see the reservoir go low. That's the system filling up. Add more glycol after that happens. You'll see bubbles come through as the air is pushed out. Keep us posted!!!!

ChanW

Another potential junction where it could leak our would be the air-bleeder valve. 

On ours, it's located in the passenger side rear corner of the Tab, under the back shelf. The bleeder fitting is a brass screw-knob, it's installed in the rubber hose between the rear radiator and the right side radiator, and it should be screwed in (clockwise) tight.

Check in that area for leakage too.

Robnrina

@ChanW thanks 

Robnrina

Just to let you all know....according to the service department at Poulsbo Apache RV, our alde reservoir was cracked.  But I don’t understand how it became cracked, we have only had this brand new 2019 for under 2 months!?!  It is disconcerting to me.  😕

Sharon_is_SAM

There have been reports of cracked reservoir outlet nipple valves.  I will try to find the post.  

Sharon_is_SAM

I got lucky @Robnrina.  Here is a link with pics.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/7075/glycol-reservoir-repair-while-camping

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/2055/outstanding-customer-service

lkc001

I would be interested to know from the nucamp people, if this issue with cracked glycol tanks are a large problem, if they get many reports on this?  

Sharon_is_SAM

The forum perps have heard only a handful of owners report issues.  From time to time the glycol drain plug goes MIA and empties the reservoir, but that is a different issue.