Where is the Alde Expansion Tank?

leenscottfl

The user manual shows an expansion tank used to determine the glycol level and to top off the system with glycol. For the life of me I can't find such a tank. Searched the forum, went to YouTube and to Alde website and no dice. Can anyone tell me where the elusive expansion tank is supposed to be?

jkjenn

This is not at all, intuitive. In the rear of the T@b, behind the bench set and below the overhead cabinets is a little shelf. There might be a thumbhole in it. You have remove the screws that are holding it down. The tanks is on the drivers side in that little area.

This thread has some good tips re: removing the shelf.

leenscottfl

You are right. Not at all intuitive. But there it was, in the one part of my T@B I hadn't gone into yet.

Once again I would like to thank you jkjenn for helping me with this as well as all the other T@Bers who have shared their hard won wisdom here for we newbies to learn from.

Photomom

I have a late 2016 T@B S and cannot find the Alde expansion tank! The back shelf area is quite different from earlier T@Bs. There is a shelf that lifts up but there is nothing under it but a storage compartment. It seems like the tank "should" be somewhere around where the charging station is but there doesn't seem to be a way to get there. 



Has anyone with a recent T@B managed to find it?

Ratkity

Look in the little door behind the potty (if you have the bath). 

Photomom

There is nothing in the compartment behind the toilet but the water pump.

I did find it. You have to remove the side panel (teensy square head screws). Heaven help me when I have to add fluid.



The level is right at minimum so looks like I should order some.

Verna

@Photomom, since you gave me the idea to put the storage area in the rear, I have discovered that you can hold a mirror along the back wall next to the reservoir, to see the glycol level. But first, take a Sharpie and color the hash marks and min/max designations on the tank, then wipe off the excess. You can see the level much easier than craning your head to try to see it. 

I'm using one of those mirrors that is magnified on one side and normal on the other side. 

Nomad

Ratkity - It's in different places depending on the model.

Ratkity

PXL, I noticed that. BTW, I am not only ziptie-impaired, but I am Sharpie impaired. If your hands aren't as steady as they used to be, a little rubbing alcohol can get off errant Sharpie marks if you happen to make your Alde overflow look like a 4 year old's art project! LOL.

Verna

Ratkity said:

PXL, I noticed that. BTW, I am not only ziptie-impaired, but I am Sharpie impaired. If your hands aren't as steady as they used to be, a little rubbing alcohol can get off errant Sharpie marks if you happen to make your Alde overflow look like a 4 year old's art project! LOL.

  

Justjudy

Thank you to all of you in the forum! I have been stressing about the glycol level in our Alde system, but couldn't even find the expansion tank. Now it's been found, the level has been checked, and all is well. Thank you, thank you.

allenb

So where is the infamous expansion tank on my new tab320s?

4ncar

allenb said:

So where is the infamous expansion tank on my new tab320s?

Exactly where the photos above show. Driverside, behind the side panel next to the shelf, below the speaker.

Bayliss

@allenb, just remove the two screws from the panel and slide the panel toward the front of the trailer.

allenb

Thx for the info, folks!

marjamr

it's not there on the 2021 320S. I've looked in every removable panel I can find and in every cupboard..still no tank.

falcon1970

ALL--
Once you manage to find the expansion tank, marking the "Max" and "Min" lines with a sharpie is a big help.  In addition, the Century TF fluid will fluoresce under UV light.  That makes checking the level a lot easier.  Lowe's carries a Craftsman UV flashlight.

Sharon_is_SAM

OK, per nuCamp Customer Service, the 2021 320 and clamshell model Alde glycol expansion tank is located in the bathroom, on the wall under the sink, behind a white panel that is held on with 4 white, plastic buttons.

marjamr

Sharon,
I did contact Tech Support and they emailed me back with that information. I found the panel. My panel only has two screws at the bottom holding it on covered by the plastic buttons. The plastic buttons threw me off when I was doing my search. my tank is filled almost full with glycol and it's impossible to read the max and min lines as they are on the side of the tank facing the front of the trailer and you can't get your head into that space. I can feel them with my hand but can't see them. might have to try a mirror. in any event, the glycol is a little above the max level I'm sure. Hope that's OK. 
It's cold here in North Central PA and I turned the Alde on via electricity and warmed the camper to 60F. The tank got pretty warm. I expect that's natural.

Sharon_is_SAM

@marjamr, you can either use a very clean turkey Baster to remove the excess glycol, or run the Alde for a while and see if the level drops.  If there is some air in the lines, maybe the glycol will displace it.  I think the biggest risk is from the gurgling that may push some glycol out the overflow tube.  You may want to check that the Alde pump is set to about 1.5 - they have been known to come from the factory set too high leading to a lot of noise from churning in the tank.  The pump is set low on the Alde boiler.

BywaysNW

On my 2021 320 Boondock, got the two screws out of the panel behind the toilet and under the sink, but the panel is caulked in. Does that mean the glycol tank isn't there or that it is there and NuCamp doesn't think I need to check it?

Sharon_is_SAM

You do need to check it, but first you need a thin, plastic putty knife to cut that bead of caulk.  

Can you take a picture?  The factory needs to know about that.

BywaysNW

Photo in bath of 2021 320 S Boondock shows factory-caulked panel covering glycol tank with screws removed.  Manual says to check glycol level in tank. Factory hides tank and seals it off.
A side note on ergonomics:  Nucamp uses screws that require a square screwdriver, not something in most toolboxes. I happen to have one that fits, but NuCamp has also chosen to use different sizes of same nonconsumer-friendly square driver in other locations, including back panels.  I will have to put on a mask and brave my hardware store to get behind those if that's where the tank is.

Edited for photo size.

Sharon_is_SAM

Pick up a #1 and #2 square headed screw drivers (Robertson).  Used almost exclusively in the TaBs.

BrianZ

Thanks for sharing the interesting photos, @Sharon_is_SAM.  Nice to see that NuCamp has now provided easier access to the fresh water line check valve connection just inside the outer wall.  Owners of these newer models should be aware that this has been a problem area for leaks on older models.  Simply check the thumbscrew connector collar periodically & hand tighten clockwise.

Sharon_is_SAM

@BrianZ - I didn’t even notice that fresh water connection, but you are right - much more accessible.  

Sharon_is_SAM

NuCamp Customer Service has been alerted regarding the Alde access panel caulking.  

Denny16

Yes, the inside panel with the cutout should be caulked, but not the removable access panel.
cheers

mntrails

That's what I figured too in order to keep water from getting to the edge of the panel.  I had to caulk the joints of the inside panel.  The outside access panel was also free of caulk.

Sharon_is_SAM

What inside panel?  

MuttonChops

BywaysNW said:

. . . bath of 2021 320 S shows factory-caulked panel covering glycol tank with screws removed.  Manual says to check glycol level in tank. Factory hides tank and seals it off.

Tend to be a glass-half-empty guy which was helpful in a career of Manufacturing Engineering where planning for the worst outcome kept things running smoothly.

Anyway, @BywaysNW discovery just re-enforces my wish NüCamp's newer models had Cassette/non-Cassette toilet options.  Continue to strongly dislike these two piece porti-potti solutions - - really hope my present unit lasts for decades.