Alde heating 1w,2w or 3w setting for 6,10 & 16 amp
Not had this type of heating before, just blown air on a bailey. Got to a site and just plonked it on what temp and that was it. With this heating it asks for watts, so I'd like to know what one would be selected for sites that have 6, 10 or 16 amps.
When we picked it up the dealer said ask the campsite on what setting as they would know…
Any advice will be much appreciated, thanks
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Does your caravan have the Load Monitor fitted? I was looking at the instruction video for the Alde 3030 and it said that selecting the site ampage on the load monitor was only relevant if the Load Monitor is actually fitted. We have an older van which did not have it fitted by Swift, I added it myself, so do not assume it is fitted.
You choose the ampage to match what the site provides, either ask them or check the breaker in the hook-up point. Most CAMC sites will have 16 amps, but there used to be a few with only 10 amps.
The system works by monitoring what you are using in the van, and if you attempt to use more than you have set, and the Alde is running, it cuts off the Alde and then steps down its power use to the appropriate kW and turns it back on. You will not notice it was initially cut off as it operates very quickly.
It only cuts off the Alde, if you are using too much on other appliances, you will still trip the breaker.
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so in theory then roughly it would work out like 1k=6 amp, 2k=10 amp & 3k=6 amp….
Many thanks much appreciated
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I think you have it a bit wrong.....3kw will draw roughly 12 amps. We never use our Alde heating on 3kw, finding the lower setting sufficient for heating our caravan.
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To be precise, officially the European voltage is 230v plus or minus 10 percent. i.e. the voltage can range from 207 volts to 253. The norn in UK is 240v while on the continent you are likely to encounter voltages between 220 and 230 volts with the latter being the norm. Therefore, current drawn from the supply to one decimal place will be:
Power 240v 230v 220v
1Kw 4.2A 4.3A 4.5A
2Kw 8.3A 8.7A 9.1A
3KW 12.5A 13.0A 13.6A
peedee
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sorry did mean 3kw=12 amps… shouldve read it before posting …
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I fitted something similar to this, although when I bought it, I'm sure it was only about £10 or so:
It's possible to set an alarm - so that the screen flashes and 'beeps' at you when the pre-determined current draw is exceeded. Mine is set to 10 amps since that tends to be the lowest limit we regularly encounter. I've found it extremely useful - and reliable - despite Amazon saying it's 'regularly returned'.
I also found it useful when we had a fridge/freezer malfunction which turned out to be due to low voltage - which the meter monitors as well.
So - if you don't have the Alde Load Monitor - this is another way of achieving almost the same functionality.
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TBH I havent a clue, only just got it so havent been out in it yet… Im only used to blown air due to a previous camper, motorhome then a caravan and now this one has what were calling central heating 😊
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Can you ask the place you bought it from, or the manufacturer?
One sign that it is fitted would be some sort of clamp on the incoming cable from the EHU, if you can trace the cable easily.
What caravan make and model and year is it, someone here with the same van may know the answer.
Otherwise…..try overloading the breaker and see what happens!
The Alde system is really good IMO, though it does take longer to warm up initially. What we do on arrival on site is run it only on gas, heats more quickly on gas, and plug in an electric fan heater meantime for instant heat. Once we are warm enough we turn off the fan heater and switch the Alde to electricity. We only have 2kW on our Alde as our van is from 2008.
Good idea to carry a small fan heater as a back up anyway, just in case the van heating fails.
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With this heating it asks for watts so I'd like to know what one would be selected for sites that have 6, 10 or 16 amps.
Isn't that the same as for the blown air system you had? Apart from you now have 3Kw to choose from?
Got to a site and just plonked it on what temp and that was it
didn't you choose either 1 Kw or 2 Kw on your blown air system? Or am I missing something?
On most club sites you'll have 16 Amps.
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Once you get your head around the watts and ampage, you might want to consider something else as well. More sites are using metered electric nowadays, and there have been posts from outfit owners who have been shocked at their metered costs, particularly in the colder months.
It’s just like being at home really, the more heat you want, the more you will pay, so something as simple as wearing slightly warmer clothes inside could lower your costs at the meter. As will moving around a little bit, using a throw, lowering the temps inside if you go out. All depends on your individual needs/wants of course, but better to understand the situation rather than face an extra £10-15 per night metering costs on top of pitch/person fees per night. Where sites are not metered it also helps keep the average pitch price lower for all users as well.🙂
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