No Heat :-(

Nomad · December 2016

Moderator Note: Copied over from private messaging so can John gain the help from the whole group...

I have a 2015 Tab Max CS-S. I can not get the heater to work. I have awesome hot water, A full tank of propane with no fault light on the thermostat, good battery, 110 Volt source plugged in, and not. Both glass fuses on top of the unit are good. The 20 amp DC fuse is good in the other area. It will not work on AC, or DC. I disconnected both sources of electricity for a half hour, reconnected them, and still no heat. The unit is plugged in under the seat. The water tank is full ( if that matters).

In one of the threads, was said a possible broken wire from the controller to the unit, or a bad controller may be the problem or even a bad circuit board.

I live in Tulsa where the dealer sells truck accessories, and only has on occasion one T@B and one T@G trailer for his entire RV inventory.

May I possibly have one of the valves under the sink in the wrong position? Is that possible? The next nearest dealer is in Missouri, around 100 miles away. Somehow I think there is a simple solution to fix this. Can my local dealer (who I didn't buy it from) help me, or can I go to a local dealer who sells other brands help me. If changing the controller on the wall is the most likely fix, I can probably change that myself. Otherwise I can make an appointment in Missouri.

Do you have any other suggestions?

John / Tulsa, Oklahoma
(TulsaTime)

marknjudy · December 2016

I'm not expert, but indulge me a few questions that may help those who are much more experienced. Is it an Alde? Are you on shore power? Can you take a photo of the settings on your control panel? If it's an Alde and you have good hot water, that's a good sign that your Alde is working.

Verna · December 2016

@marknjudy, John does mention he has checked the two glass fuses on top, which the Alde has.

Verna · December 2016

John, have you checked your glycol level? In your CS-S, the reservoir will be located behind the toilet, behind the cargo door. You may need a mirror to see the level. If you are low and don't have glycol, you can add DISTILLED water to bring the level up.

Also, have you checked the electrical outlet that the Alde is plugged into? Take a hairdryer or a power drill with cord and plug into the outlet. If your portable tool works, the outlet is good. If not, be sure to push the reset button the GFI outlet...and I'm not sure where the GFI outlet is in a CS.

manny · December 2016

John, I have a 20117 cs-s max got it home at the end of july.. didn`t need heat about a month later wanted to ck everything out,, alde had hot water,,no heat . the plug going to the circulating pump loose .. plugged in tight. HEAT!!!... my pump is set at between 1 and 2 if u have that one.... check for any kinked hoses in the alde .. Manny

TulsaTime · December 2016

I'm set at 2 sparks or 3. Gas is on, Both heat and hot water setting and thermostat up to full blast. I plugged in a light to the same socket that the Alde was set on, and it was working. The battery is good, and doesn't matter if Im on shore power or not. Have hot water but no heat.

TulsaTime · December 2016

Thank You Verna! Glycol tank is totally empty! Now I need to see what glycol it needs and the mixture percentage. How could that have happened? I don't see any leaks.

ScottG · December 2016

Sound like you've figured it out. The heating elements are the same for both hot water and room heat, so if you are getting hot water but nor room heat it suggests either your circulator pump isn't working, or (as was your situation) it has nothing to circulate!

Check underneath your T@B. One of the hoses that sticks down should have a brass plug in it. That's the glycol drain--if the plug is missing your glycol has likely parted ways with your Alde. If the glycol is completely gone I think there is a special procedure that needs to be done to bleed the system after refilling.

Verna · December 2016

@TulsaTime, do a search (upper right corner of this page) and there was a recent discussion about glycol. My preference is to order it from Elsie at the NuCamp factory ( phone number on the right under contact numbers). I'm glad you have an answer.

ChanW · December 2016

TulsaTime, if you can find Sierra brand propylene glycol, or Prestone Low-Tox locally, these have been recommended by the manufacturer. They would be mixed 50:50 (or follow the directions for the temperature protection needed).
If you get it from Elsie at NuCamp, I think it's pre-mixed.

marknjudy · December 2016

@Verna, good point. Kind of missed that. I was just trying to get as much info on the table to help the experienced like yourself. Great fix. And fast. I'll file that away for fiture reference as that wasn't even on my tadar screen.

That's why I love this place!

TulsaTime · December 2016

So far I only added DISTILLED water and no glycol. Its heating nicely now, but I may have over filled the resovor . I didn't realize that the max is about a third from the top, yet I nearly topped it off. It is leaking out from under the shower pan. Its not a problem if that is just an overfill situation, because its nearly impossible to find or to fix a leak down low in that tiny compartment.

Yes the drain plug was there behind the wheel directly below the Alde system

Thank you ALL for your help.

Joe

TabberJohn · December 2016

1/2" above Min is considered "full". You need a glycol mix. There is a chart somewhere with suggested %. You probably don't want to go below 50% glycol.

TulsaTime · December 2016

Locally I bought some Camco Boiler Anti freeze for Hydronic Heating and Cooling systems. It contains Propylene Glycol. It's pink, not yellow. I'm not sure I'll use it unless I'm sure it is okay. For now I can expect a mixture to seep out from under the shower for quite some time. I added a half of a gallon of water. I'm not sure how much the system holds. No real threat of freezing, but I'm sure the seals or pumps would welcome the lubrication from the glycol.

ChanW · December 2016

That's a lot to add, it seems.

You might want to get that little mirror out and check the connection on the bottom of the glycol reservoir tank. The tanks have been known to crack there.

TulsaTime said:

Locally I bought some Camco Boiler Anti freeze for Hydronic Heating and Cooling systems. It contains Propylene Glycol. It's pink, not yellow. I'm not sure I'll use it unless I'm sure it is okay. For now I can expect a mixture to seep out from under the shower for quite some time. I added a half of a gallon of water. I'm not sure how much the system holds. No real threat of freezing, but I'm sure the seals or pumps would welcome the lubrication from the glycol.

TulsaTime · December 2016

Thank You ChanW, I'll get a smaller mirror to reach down there. Heck, I may reach down with my phone and take a picture! I think its empty already. It's helpful to know the tendency is for the tank to crack. Either the water has been distributed thru out the system or the leak may be the reservoir.

Nomad · December 2016

There haven't been mant reports of reservoir cracks but just enough to check for that. The leak on the floor kind of points in that direction.
Don't drop your phone down there.

Photomom · December 2016

ChanW said:

TulsaTime, if you can find Sierra brand propylene glycol, or Prestone Low-Tox locally, these have been recommended by the manufacturer. They would be mixed 50:50 (or follow the directions for the temperature protection needed).
If you get it from Elsie at NuCamp, I think it's pre-mixed.

The glycol you get from Elsie is definitely premixed and ready to use. Both Elsie and Ed confirmed this to me.

trainwrecked · December 2016

I discovered the barb on the bottom of our glycol reservoir was broken last week. The hose was still attached but the barb was cracked inside allowing a slow leak.

TulsaTime · December 2016

I may have the same problem or it may be because one of the lines is not installed high enough for the clamp to be installed above the flange at the bottom It appears that I'll have to disconnect the lines from under the seats to push enough slack in the lines in order to allow me to raise the tank out of the hole. This will be a project to work on when I get to Quartzite early January. Until then I ordered a buddy heater.

Tabaz · December 2016

I had the same problem. The nipple/barb under the plastic tank had cracked. No new issues since replacing the tank (done by the dealer under warranty).

trainwrecked · December 2016

Mine is also being fixed by the dealer under warranty. I think with mine the issue might have been stress from the hose to the radiator pulling sideways on the barb. Combine that with the tank going from cold to hot quickly and it seems like a recipe for a stress crack.

TulsaTime · December 2016

I bought my 2015 CS S used. It came from South Texas. I doubt the heater has ever been used until now.

No Heat :-(

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