Changing out the Alde fluid.

manyman297 said:

We’re on year 4 now with the new Rhomar glycol in these Tabs. I wonder how many people have actually kept with the 2-year schedule?

Selfishly grateful that some owners are taking the risk and not doing the recommended two year schedule. Curious to see how many years it will take for noticeable problems to occur. It will be interesting to see if anyone who took that risk is willing to admit their mistake if it comes to that.

I look at it like changing the oil in my vehicles at regular intervals. Sure I could go longer and not see any negative impact for years, but I chose to err on the side of caution.

My first exchange from Century to Rhomar took a long time with the learning curve and assembling the equipment for a complete flush. This winter it took less than two hours, but again I tried some new techniques that didn't use the pump system. I expect that the next time, in two years, it will be less than an hour. My 320 only takes two gallons. I purchased the glycol from my local nuCamp service center for $55 per gallon. I don't consider that cost or time to be a big deal for peace of mind.

As a car mec, thank goodness Alde did not make my car heater system .  I would much prefer to have the heat come up a little slower  (built with thicker metal) than have the mess I now have with the boiler leaking! Art

I haven't posted on this thread in a while since selling our T@b.  We purchased a used Cirrus 620 which I now need to flush and replace.  With the near impossibility of finding the Rhomar water, I've been "researching"  the European Alde's and have decided to go with what they use in Europe.

Apparently Alde has to use the non-toxic stuff in the US due to RV regulations here.  The reason being the fluid could come in contact with the water supply if there was corrosion.  In Europe they use G12eco antifreeze, which has Glysantin and ethelyne.  G12eco is the same antifreeze used in VW and Audi vehicles and has a 5 year lifespan.   It is also much easier to find in auto part stores for topping off.  Valvoline's Zerex G40 is identical, supposedly, to G12eco.  You can get a gallon of concentrate for less than $25.   

We never drink the water in our camper, just use for toilet and showers, so I'm not really concerned at all about contamination.  I also don't want to do this chore every 2 years, so this is the best route for our needs.

Yes, that is all true, however G12eco is mostly Glysantin, which is less toxic.  Most likely your VW Toureg uses the same antifreeze, and the same issues could happen with your TV with regards to contaminating the campsite, or more likely side of the road.  If it's good enough for European Alde's, it's good enough for me.  Just wanted to point out that for DIY'ers there is an option that could work for some people who don't drink the tank water, and have difficulty sourcing the Rhomar product.

AnOldUR said:

I don't claim to be an engineer and have not watched these videos, but it looks like copper was uses. Was using copper in a system that includes aluminum brought up? I may be missing something. Is the quote below valid in our situation?

"While both copper and aluminum tubing can technically be used in a glycol system, mixing them together is generally not recommended due to the risk of galvanic corrosion; this occurs when dissimilar metals come into contact within a conductive fluid, causing the less noble metal (usually aluminum) to corrode rapidly."

I have some Century fluid that is several years old. One gallon is sealed and unopened and the other gallon has been opened. My question is if there is a shelf life on this(yellow) fluid. Any thoughts? Thank you.

@BarrettWinsmere - what camper do you have?

Re G12 european fluid
i asked Truma if there was any reason not to use G12. She explained the fresh water contamination issue in the US, but went on to say this was highly unlikely as the fresh water system is pressurized and the Aldi is not; so in the event of a leak, the Aldi fluid would become diluted. I asked if Truma would use G12 if US regs allowed. Her response was - likely.

manyman297 said:

@ckjs Did Ferguson whip it to you? I tried to go through the hoops of getting the to sell me 5 gallons a couple of years ago. It was only $100 but they wouldn't ship it nor was there local branch able to get it shipped to them (which sounded bizarre). So I ponied up $250 to get Alde-branded Rhomar. Sounds like your price maybe included shipping? 

I recently called a local carrier of the Romar water products. He said I needed to have a commercial license to
buy it from them. It’s not even the toxic stuff. Probably a condition of their liability insurance. 

manyman297 said:

@ckjs Did Ferguson (s)hip it to you?

I'm lucky enough to have a Ferguson store only 10 miles away. I had to call a time or two (or perhaps I dropped by to order it), then picked it up later. 

There has yet to be any logic provided by Truma or folks here as to why Rhomar is in fact better than Century. Speculation has been that the cost and availability difficulties being reported point to simply profit.
In another thread I wondered if Amsoil Polypropolyne Glycol coolant would do the job - their specs suggest it likely would. Reference in that thread " alternate Aldi fluid" is made in an Aldi manual to the requirements for Aldi fluid and the Amsoil product would appear to qualify. 
Reference has been made to the use of auto type glycol as not being in conformance with 'regulations', hence the use of polypropylene glycol in the US. Has any one turned up this regulation? It would be interesting to read this reg.

@Cherokee These videos were phenomenal. Thank you! I don’t have the skills to do the soldering nor the confidence to drill the holes but it makes me wonder why nüCamp didn’t use a system like this. Seems a lot more thorough and efficient than just having one drain hole. I know cost would be a factor but still…