Alde Heating
Having just modernised to Alde wet heating I am having a few teething problems - most probably operators error! It may sound a daft question but if I keep the heating ticking over in winter at home - do I have to have the Aquaroll attached and the hot water system on?
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There is no need at all for fresh water to be in the Alde for heating duties.
By far best in winter to drain the fresh water system down, just incase the Alde has a power cut.
I see little point leaving the Alde on continuously over winter. I just put mine on occasionally if it gets very cold.
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Thanks both - I have always kept the old caravan on a low setting to prevent damp - and I hear what you are saying. One of the reasons for asking is last night the heating didn't even click in when it should have done and I was wondering if my mistake was not to have the aquaroll in place. So back to operator error perhaps! I have had a few issues with the whole electrics and yesterday the main control panel looked as though it had run out of batteries as I could scarcely make out the writing. I found no fuses out of place or trips - so I restarted it all - so maybe the heating will work tonight! Going away soon so I don't want to be cold!
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Check the timer settings to see if it has been set for a lower night time temperature and the clock is out.
If I recall the night time "set" to be active is shown by a little moon icon on the panel, in my 3010 case along the bottom of the LCD screen.
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If you don't have the optional memory battery on the Alde system a lot of the settings (including clock & date) will be lost when mains power is removed, (i.e. on the journey home from site).
If you are using the night settings there is a tick box to invert the display, this could be the cause of the dim looking display.
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When we noticed some damp adjacent to a front window, we left our Alde heating on, while parked at home, for a week, to help dry it out. Because we have a smart electricity meter, we can measure our consumption by the day. Some while later, we noticed a substantial rise in the month, which we tracked down to the caravan drying week. I’d take care if I were you, to manage consumption down, with maybe an oil filled radiator, set just high enough to keep any frost at bay.
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Agreed.
In over 45 years I've never had over winter heating in the caravan. Just ensure all traces of food are removed and that it's well ventilated.
I don't understand why people bother putting desiccants (salts) in their caravans whilst in winter storage. The caravan would need to be air tight for them to be effective.
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I have generally done the same for the last 35 years except for last year. When we came back from our 2 week Christmas break I was suffering with my arthritis, the waeather was cold and I could not be faffed as also had some problems to sort out for eldest daughter. I put the Alde on 5c setting. It was not particularly cold for the remaining time and so rarely seemed to operate.
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And maybe not? We all think differently. My caravan has reasonable ventilation. In my view as water is removed by the dessicant it is simply replaced by more moisture in the air from outside. If I put a large 50 ltr completely air tight sealed storage box outside with dessicant it would doubtless dry the air in the box. If I were to punch a pencil sized hole in the side of it I would expect that after a month the air inside would be no drier than the ambient moisture levels outside the box.
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Problem is that the moisture ladened air from outside just replaces that which now sits in those dessicators. Bit like Canute attempting to stop the tide nature will balance thing up. The real solution is to prevent dead spots as far as ventilation is concerned and remove as much moisture absorbent materials from the van as possible. They will hold that moisture just as much as the dessicators do.
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Yes, I'd go as far to say that the air inside the dessicator vessel also remains pretty much the same as that ambient air in the rest of the van as far as moisture content is concerned. Also, they will only 'act' on that minuscule amount of air which passes through them and that in the van is huge in comparison. Ventilation to keep the air moving which helps eliminate dead spots and then reducing or removing potential reservoirs of already condensed water from inside the van helps.
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Empirical evidence points to different occurrences than those raised above - but I’m not influenced by other people’s theory. We have a solution in place which actually works, so I’ll be continuing with it and companies like Towsure will continue to supply dessicating systems. It’s worth noting that no one has asked how much liquid we accumulate. Even though it’s a measure of dessicator’s efficiency. Perhaps you’ve assumed... Maybe incorrectly? Have any commentators actually tried dessicators?
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Yep, waste of time in a van with vents. They draw the damp air in so obviously the box will contain water. Towsure know how to keep the tills ringing😀. Still, if it makes you happy, that’s all that matters.
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Empirical evidence is based on experience Jenny. My experience over 35 years of having a caravan is that there is no need for desiccants. I therefore assume that you have stored without dessicants and found a problem which they cured. Is that the case?
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"It’s worth noting that no one has asked how much liquid we accumulate."
In my case asking would be pointless as the answer is irrelevant.
There can be no hint in the quantity of where that liquid came from.
The quantity only reflects the amount and status of the desiccant, the humidity history of the air it is exposed to and the time it has been exposed.
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I’ve certainly found that our caravan, stored with dessicators has felt less damp than before they were used. Early days away create markedly less condensation on cold surfaces too. Upholstery lacks the cold and damp feeling sometimes experienced during pre dessicating days. Like you, my experiences span many years, 50 in our case. But that time has created an assortment of experiences. Our 1970s built caravan leaked like a sieve. No chance of desiccators saving that one. Three more have suffered leaks since then. When we stored at home, we used a small oil filled radiator, set to a low temperature, which was the best protector of all. The misconception that cold air releases more water than warm summer air is the reverse of the truth. And caravan ventilators tend to be quite small. The biggest source of fresh air ingress is usually the dreadfully inefficient sealing behind the fridge. Vent covers will go a long way towards remedying that issue. So “no” I don’t perceive dessicator salts as a “cure” for damp, rather more as a means to reduce it - cheaply.
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Companies will stock and sell whatever their customers want to buy.
Having used desiccators for the first winter of caravan use only, and not since, I too consider them a waste of money. The rate of air-change within them is far too great for them to be effective.
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For your Alde 3V supply, you can buy the OEM one from Alde, or for £2 make your own.
Amazon sell two bits you need;
20.5" Long Power Button Switch Cable for PC Switches Reset Computer and
SODIAL(R) 2 x AA 3V Battery Holder Case Box Slot Wired ON/OFF Switch w CoverWithout our hobby, what would we do in our spare time??
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