Using Alde heating on gas only
We are considering purchasing a new motorhome with Alde heating. As we often rally and don't have electric, does anyone know how the heating will perform on gas only? We will have a 2nd leisure battery installed and are usually away no more than 3 or 4 days
in winter but up to a week at a time without EHU in summer.
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For Alde heating to work the pump has to be running. This is powered from 12volts and draws about 1amp from the battery. I have a 200APH battery and can get by for 3 days in the winter, 4 days if other usage is restricted. In summer I have not tried a week off hook and wouldn't try without a some means of recharging the battery. I would fit a solar panel.
peedee
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A lot of factors need to be considered, more than you mention in your post. However, from a very general standpoint and to give an example we have just returned from 4 weeks in Germany with an average tepertaure during the day of 3 Degrees C. We have a 9.5m
motorhome and have the temperature set at 20 Degrees C during the day and 15 Degrees at night. We do not siwtch the heating off when we go out only reduce it down to around 17 Degrees as we feel this is more efficicent with regard to gas consumption. But if
power is an issue i would suggest you shut it off when you leave.If you are using the van at these temperatures and have a second battery I don't think you will have any power issues, however, you may have gas issues. I find we use around 13kg of gas to maintain the heating at the temperatures stated above. I have a refillable
tank so no huge issue, but I am not sure hwat you will have. It is something else to think about.I would never return to blow air heating. Once you have Alde you will not go back trust me. I seen a comparison between blow air and Alde and the power and gas consumptions were very very close with regard to usage. If you manage with blow air you will be
fine with Alde.Hope you have many safe travels and good times in the new van
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We've used Alde heating in gas-only mode without problem for many 3 and 4 night rallies over the years, often in mid-winter when it's been chuffety cold to say the least.
May I suggest that you're maybe asking the wrong question?
In summer, even in the UK, you're unlikely to have the heating on very much so it really isn't an issue.
In winter, of course you want heating. The question most people ask is which uses the greater amount of power; the continuously pump on an Alde system or the on/off fans of a Truma system.
The answer, based on the experience of numerous fellow ralliers, is that there's nothing much to choose between them, the build quality of the van being a more important factor.
Some it comes down to personal choice, and on that I'm with most users that the Alde system is much more comfortable to live with.
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I find we use around 13kg
of gas to maintain the heating at the temperatures stated above. I have a refillable tank so no huge issue..A day, a week, a year?
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I find we use around 13kg of gas to maintain the heating at the temperatures stated above. I have a refillable tank so no huge issue..
A day, a week, a year?
This is one of the reasons I refrain from getting involved in this forum. You endeavour to try and assist someone and then the sarcastic poster appears.
A week, a month a year??
Okay I probably missed an important bit of information from my comment. However, in my opinion a post along the lines of, “what period of duration are you talking about” would be far more appropriate than the sarcasm posted…..tell you what you guess the time period and I will head back to my usual forum where people value your opinion and trying to help.
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I find we use around 13kg of gas to maintain the heating at the temperatures stated above. I have a refillable tank so no huge issue..
A day, a week, a year?
This is one of the reasons I refrain from getting involved in this forum. You endeavour to try and assist someone and then the sarcastic poster appears.
A week, a month a year??
Okay I probably missed an important bit of information from my comment. However, in my opinion a post along the lines of, “what period of duration are you talking about” would be far more appropriate than the sarcasm posted…..tell you what you guess the time period and I will head back to my usual forum where people value your opinion and trying to help.
It's a case of don't let the Bar stewards grind you down.
Anyway over what period was your gas usage?
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Sorry you took it that way. It wasn't intended thus.
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Alde will use approx 1/2 kg of gas in one hour on a high setting. Once your thermostat kicks in, you will use less.
13kg = 26 hours on full pelt, altough realisically, it wont be on full pelt all the time, it will be on, off, on , off etc
Russ
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These days the choices seem to be “generally” limited to 12 volt powered heating systems, the fitting of units like the older Truma/Carver convector heater that gave some heat without using 12 volt power are gone. So 12 volts will be needed to push water around or air around and to feed the burner; I don't think the amount of 12 volts used to do similar jobs will vary much.
The same goes for gas usage; if the van requires “X” Kws to be heated then it will use just the same amount within close limits whatever the technology of the unit.
The Alde though provides heat throughout the structure, not a local warming blast. Therefore you can find somewhere warm much quicker with a blown air system and if you want to be frugal you can sit in the blast, but the van elsewhere will be cooler. If you want them both to provide equal warmth throughout then you need to input the same amount of power.
I have a German caravan with a 6.3 metre body and a 90 Ah battery. Doing a long weekend off EHU in outside temperatures that we would go away in is viable without going below half charge. We have an 85 Watt solar panel and in crisp winter this gives something, but in typical overcast winter days it is not worth deploying.
We are with those who will not readily buy a van without a wet heating system.
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We have owned four caravans fitted with Alde heating and have used the caravans on Centre rallies without EHU througout the year. Gas consumption is greater than when using a conventional gas heater but the heating efficiency is superb, particularly with the underfloor heating which was fitted to our last caravan. Over the New Year we found that two 120AH batteries connected in parallel, lasted four days as our 85amp solar panel had little effect during the winter months. We have spent many two week holidays in the caravans between Easter and October where the heating has worked effectively with no other electrical backup other than the solar panel to replenish the batteries. Overall the Alde system is highly recommended if you are prepared to pay for the extra LPG.
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Sorry to jump in on this thread, and I am also new to Alde heating.This weekend, is the first rally weekend without mains hookup, and what is confusing me using Alde heating is I cannot find any instructions how to turn on the water heater on, whilst on
gas.Is this function selected automatically with the van heating? i.e. just by pressing the "flame" icon.I have attempted to read the manual,but nothing is mentioned individually about water heating on gas.
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Our's opperates in exactly the sameway on gas as it does on electricity. With ours you can set the controls to prioritise Gas or Electricity, I have set it to prioritise electricity. However as the majority of time we are not on EHU, so although electric
is selected as the default first choice as there isnt any it simply uses gas.0 -
Hot water comes on automatically, gas far superior in heat up terms/ times for obvious reasons.
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We were away 5 nights over new year in cold conditions, no hookup, Alde heating on 24/7, down to 12 at night, 17 or 20 rest of the time, depending if we were in the van or not, three cooked breakfasts, showers each day, we used 18 litres of LPG, batteries
were fine. We have two 110 batteries with two 120 solar panels.this last weekend we were away 5 nights again, not quite so cold, heating on during most of the day but only twice overnight, showers each day, several meals cooked in van - used 11.5 litres of gas, again batteries fine.
we would not ever go back to blown air, radiators are much more efficient, no cold spots in the van at all.
we have gaslow hence I know exactly how much gas we used as we fill up after each trip when possible.
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