Alde wet heating v blown air
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There is no fan with the Alde system, the fluid is circulated through the radiators by a pump.
(actually there is a fan, but it sits in the gas exhaust system)
We carry a small electric fan heater for emergencies, so could use that to circulate air if necessary, but have only resorted to that when our air con stopped cooling one year.
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We have the Alde heating in our current van, now 3 years old and find it far better than blown air which we had in a 2 berth previously esp as we use the van all thro the year.
Whilst we were away last week the mother board failed and replacing it has cost over £400 so a possible consideration?
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Actually Alde do list a fan that sits behind a convector to force air through it as an option. This can be run independently of the heating so would act similar to the old Truma system which did have the advantage of moving the air about on hot days
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We had to have ours replaced last year while in York, it was 8 years old. Mobile engineer came out to the site, cost was £258, I though that was bad!
The actual fault on it was very minor, so I kept the old board and replaced the failed component. Whether it will actually work again is another matter!
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Dave, if it is the latest Combi then you should have this function....
heres how to find it....
turn the heating temp control to OFF
turn the hot water temp co trol to OFF
now look at the FAN control...you should now have an extra option over ECO or HIGH.....you should now see the option VENT
once you select this, you will also be able to set the cold fan speed to any value between 1 and 10.
hope this helps.
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You need to set the heating to off and then turn the fan on to your desired speed to have cool air, we set our fan on the lowest keeps it just right, if its a really hot day increase the fan speed. If you look in the manual it tells you how to do it
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despite not having had an ALDE system in a van, i can see that it is a more sophisticated system and can be supplemented by various heat exchangers which (in a MH) allow engine heat to be transferred into the boiler unit to provide ('free') heat and got water en route...
however, the Truma systems are also pretty good these days, our Combi 6E will (ill wager) heat the van heated from scatch more quickly than an ALDE one, because air heats up much faster than the heating fluid.
but, transferring heat from the boiler to the extremities of a van (especially a large one) is better by fluid as it loses heat much less easily than longer air pipes...
however, IMHO, one of the best things to enable any heating system to work well is to have a double floor, where heating pipes (air/fluid) run between the floors, not outside the van as in some cases, heating it as a byproduct of running the heater.
this effect is equally apparent with ALDE or Truma systems....warm feet.....oh, and no freezing water pipes or tanks...
similarly, placing a Truma boiler amidships will even out heat distribution minimising cold spots....theres no real excuse for some of the poor designs (and poor installations) seen on some vans these days.
the timer system on the Truma seems simple enough to me whereas comments regarding ALDE suggest its not too easy for the inexperienced...
also, with a Truma, dont be afraid to use mixed mode (gas/electric) to warm the van on arrival....as the van warms, the system will ease off the gas and revert back to electric only.
but....if youre a one gas cylinder every decade user, this will obviously go against the grain.....
re: hot water, Id say the Truma delivers a tank of hot water (from cold) in about 20-25 mins just using electric, use gas and this will be faster, if required.
one advantage of the Truma is that it has a larger hot water tank (from memory) 10ltr agains 8ltrs of the ALDE....better for two comsecutive showers without a reheat.
so, a good install can help make the most of any system. each have their advantages, not forgetting cost/weight....
we are very happy with the Truma in our van.
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One of the concerns, I had when we first got the Alde system was the heat up time. Upto now we have been very impressed. However it hasn’t had a real hard test where the caravan has cooled down to well below freezing I’m not sure how long it would take in that circumstance.
I have stated before I believe that all these heating systems are very dependant on the quality of manufacture. So if you have an hot air system with long runs of uninsulated ducting outside it isn’t a recipe for success. Likewise with the Alde system a manufacturers literature will tell you that the boiler is capable of an output 8kW or what ever it is. But what I have never seen quoted and I have no idea in my own van is the ability of the system to use and distribute that heat output, ie the capacity of the convectors fitted.
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"But what I have never seen quoted and I have no idea in my own van is the ability of the system to use and distribute that heat output, ie the capacity of the convectors fitted. "
Important in that is the ability of the convectors to convect, such as how free circulating is the air to and from them. Not putting them in bed lockers where bedding can be restricting the air flow, but in the void of double bottomed and sided lockers, their placement being carefully optimised to augment the chimney effect. Getting adequate off the side air vents pinches the inter bench spacing, upsetting the stylist so not well addressed in the "design".
Sadly I think the builders only real focus is to get the word "Alde" in the sales brochure, not the product correctly installed in the van'motorhome. But then I feel in this industry there are many examples where they are not employing "designers" just "stylist" in all the engineering design decision making.
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Entirely agree with you. I have seen convectors in bed boxes unguarded, therefore candidates to be damaged. But I do sometimes think that the positioning of a sticker saying Alde inside or whatever has more thought put into it than any other aspect of design and installation
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Many comments about cold spots in Truma-heated vans may be because they haven't experienced Isotherm, the behind-the-seats warm air ducting fitted to recent vans like our Lunar. We've been in ours when it's been freezing outside and haven't had any cold spots. Also, I think the blown-air system is more suitable to smaller vans with shorter ducting runs.
It seems that Truma systems are used in the budget/middle ranges while Alde systems are almost a necessity in the upper market segment. This may be a marketing ploy or a means of justifying a higher price tag. Interesting the number of commentators who have an Alde system but carry a fan heater 'just in case'.
I can't get excited about either system as I think both fulfil their primary purpose well. When choosing a new van there are many other factors which are more important to me. However, if pressed, I'd go for a modern Truma system because it's lighter, cheaper and maintenance-free.
Edited for schoolboy grammar errors!
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Interesting the number of commentators who have an Alde system but carry a fan heater 'just in case'.
When I had a blown air system I carried a fan heater just in case as well. Whatever heating system to me a back up is a no brainer in cold weather as is ensuring sufficient gas in case of a power cut..
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That's what hotels are for.
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I think you mean kilowatt David.
Also make sure it is on. In our Bailey it has a separate switch. So although it shows ON at the control panel, that is not necessarily the case. A couple of times we have set up and gone out hoping to come back to a warm van, only to find it cold.😂
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Like others, we have always carried a back up for whatever type of heating system we had, not just Alde. Being prepared so the holiday can continue is only sensible, especially if you venture abroad.
Our spares also include a water pump, a battery charger, a water connection hose, a hook up lead, a Truma regulator, lightbulbs, fuses, and an assortment of small bits and pieces that are often needed.
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so, 3kw on the ALDE, a std 3kw domestic kettle from home, a fan heater (just in case)......no wonder site leccy supplies are going pop!
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arent most of them 1-2kw? ours certainly is.....
how many KW do you think a 16a supply gives you?
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try using an approximate UK 'generic'....
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exactly, you're 'simply' right, but so why so evasive?
my point was that it was recommended (for fast heat up) to use the 3kw setting...add in pretty well any other appliance and it will trip the supply.
yes, i get it....your fan heater uses nothing whilst in the cupboad, wonderful, we all have items that work in the same way....use no power while not switched on....how useful is that?
isnt it better to make folk aaware of how close to tripping the supply they are when using big ticket power items like ALDE and domestic level kettles, rather than a cryptic comment about how economical a device is while sat in a cupboard?
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