Alde heating loop parts

AndreO · October 9

Does anyone know if Nucamp has switched the heating loop pipes from 22 mm to 19 mm in the more recent year trailers or are they still building with 22mm parts? I have a 2018 Tab400.

GBL_citruscountyfl · October 10

I've been ordering all the rubber hoses off Amazon in those sizes using the rubber radiator hoses or silicone radiator hoses. Even the brass or SS barb fittings can be found in the 7/8" and 5/8" OD fittings. Yes, brass and SS are approved fittings to use on E. Glycol, and I've never had any dissimilar metal corrosion issues.

pthomas745 · October 10

The US trailers have 22mm ID hoses to fit the various convectors and fittings in the Alde. I would have to look again, but if you are searching for Alde parts, and wind up on a European "caravan" web page you might see different hose diameters. Since Truma has gone completely "radio silent" in the USA, the only place to really see Alde parts is on the European sites. When I rebuilt my 2017 convectors and hoses after corrosion cleaning, I used simple 22mm EPDM hoses (or, 7.8th, like GBL said) and they worked fine.

What is it exactly are you trying to do>

AndreO · October 10

Actually, after a 3 month ordeal, I have managed to pick up most of the parts I need for a total Alde heating loop refresh. However I'm having an issue getting 22mm extended bleeder from NuCamp. My dealer said they don't carry it. I'm not sure why as if they are still building using 22mm hose they should still be carrying the extender bleeder.

This whole going through the dealer requirement has been a total mess. It's like both the dealers and Nucamp have no idea what parts go into the tab 400. The dealers go as far as asking me to provide all the part numbers. I did and included pictures and description and still had numerous missing and incorrect parts shipped or was told they don't carry them.

Bottom line is I missed the entire year's trailering.

pthomas745 · October 13

@AndreO "Some dealers"…are better at ordering parts than others. I had decent luck with basic Alde parts a couple of years ago while cleaning convectors, etc, I used "Missouri Teardrops". I understand that Princess Craft in Texas is pretty good at it.

What you are encountering is the "right to repair" your own equipment issue. In everything from cell phones to John Deere trailers, actual owners have been prevented from doing their own repairs, or even buying basic parts. Truma seems to be firmly into the "you cannot repair your own Alde".

The Alde parts are available from various web pages in Europe. I can find the part number for the basic "Bleeder hose" part you are looking for but only one with the simple "T" fitting and the hose extending up. Is your bleeder hose ok? This web page has several of the various fittings, and one has a simple tube which I assume is just a longer bleed hose. If you search for your part number, there are several different vendors and parts suppliers that might be able to help with a couple of emails, etc. The US hose size is 22MM, and that would be the thing to check on.

https://www.thecampervanshop.com/?s=alde+bleeder&post_type=product&dgwt_wcas=1

The other dealers I see over in the UK are "Prima Leisure" and LeisureShopdirect. The link below is the google search for the part.

Alde extended bleed valve

AndreO · October 13

@pthomas745 First I apologize for the following RANT!

Yeah that whole Truma thing is bordering on illegal.

1. Federal Antitrust Laws (Unlawful Tying Arrangements)Under the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Act, restricting the sale of a part unless it is paired with the company's installation services can be classified as an illegal "tying arrangement". [1]

The Rule: A company cannot leverage its market power over a desired item (the replacement part) to force consumers to buy a secondary, tied product or service (the professional installation). [1]
When it is illegal: If a manufacturer dominates the market for a specific machine or device, and preventing the direct sale of spare parts effectively shuts out independent competition or creates a monopoly on repairs, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or private parties can sue for antitrust violations. [1, 2]

Truma is counting on the fact that it would cost you more to go to court than just accepting the ripoff.

However that aside its NuCamp's current ordering via a dealer system needs an overhaul.

The idea is to work like a car dealership. I get it. NuCamp is trying to cut their costs and bolster dealer profits.

However the systems behind parts supply used by Ford, GM Etc. simply are not provided by NuCamp. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it was absolutely not well though out or implemented. Without going into all the points of failures I have run into, it has added significant cost, confusion and time to the process. It is obviously NOT just a dealer issue either, as one of my orders not only was missing half the ordered items but some were even the wrong parts. Not to mention the added markup and double shipping expense as they will not send it to the consumer directly.

OK, there is one other area I wonder about. Seeing as many NuCamp trailers are now needing to replace the Alde heating loop parts due to the VERY well known crevice corrosion issue. (A topic for another day) How is it NuCamp is not acutely aware of exactly what parts that are needed to refresh that system? It should be a no brainer to provide a list of parts for it to the dealers so they know what to order and NOT ask the consumer to search the internet to provide them with the part numbers they needed. Isn't that why you need to go through the dealer in the first place?

Not asking for the world here just a decent supply chain. 4 - 1/2 months in and I'm still trying to get the right parts. Now that's a broken customer service system!

Alde heating loop parts

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