Alde HE3020
On reading through the Alde HE3020 boiler booklet, it states that every 10 days you should renew the air cushion in the water heater so as to create a new air cushion . The air cushion is apparently to allow expansion to take place and to protect the boiler against pressure impacts from the freshwater pump...Does anyone do this task and do you do it every 10 days.
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Our manual says to renew it once a month. However, as so far we have only ever spent 2 weeks at a time in one place it has never been an issue. When we have our seasonal later in the year I will have to remember to do it. Although as part of that will be in possible frosty weather, I will be draining it down then in any event.
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There was no separate Alde booklet with our van. Just several pages in the hand book. As you can see it specifies approx a month. However, I think ours is the earlier 3010, so that may explain the difference. Seems strange they have designed something that needs draining more frequently though.
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What a load of faff. Better off with blown air.
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Quite possibly the 3010 has different maintenance to the 3020...Swift don’t give handbooks with 2018 vans. In the pack of other literature that came with my 480Alde there is an Alde book. On page 32 under the heading “IMPORTANT INFORMATION” is their reference to this opening, for a few seconds only, of the safety/drain valve on the boiler and this to be done every 10 days..They say as follows “ the air cushion allows expansion to take place and protects the boiler against pressure impacts from the fresh water pump”...Alde may be what most owners are now specifying as a “must have” item in their new van, but the do’s and don’ts of having this boys toys, make you wonder if blown air was not preferred as it’s so nice and simple.!.
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...Alan, that would be my approach, too....
although we have Combi, once we get beyond possible deep frost weather, fairly rare here anyway, we tour regularly and would not be draining hot water system as a matter of course....
so, there would be water in the boiler (albeit different water
) in the boiler almost continually.....not difficult to drain though, as you say.1 -
I believe the instructions also recommend that the heater/tank is drained prior to towing to lighten the load, something I always do.
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The issue is with the hot water, not space heating or the inhibited water used in the wet systems. Even with blown air you have to have some hot water boiler, integrated or standalone.
I am sure the "pressure impact" protection issue afforded by the "air cushion" relates much more to systems fitted with diaphragm positive displacement pumps rather than rotor-dynamic pumps that don't inherently pulse. It will also help the function of pressure switched water systems by giving a bit of compliance, as accumulators do in these types of systems. Then the system will not auto switch on and off so frequently or be so sensitive to minor internal or tap dripping leaks cutting the pump in and out.
Actually the air cushion will be largely self generating as cold fresh water holding dissolved air is warmed in the boiler it will leach out some of that air to replenish the cushion.
I have submersible pumps so rotor-dynamic and thus not pulsing, plus I have a micro-switch based water system, therefore I don't feel a need to routinely replenish the cushion. I frequently drain the water system down before travelling if say I know we are not going out again for several weeks.
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Following on from my last post, I remember the then Chairman of the Volvo Owners Club coming to see our brand new T.E.C. caravan on a rally one weekend. ( 2001 ) " What no carpets,?" no and since then I don't know of a UK 'van that has fitted carpets, but it did have a fixed bed, separate fridge freezer, 50 ltr inboard water tank, inboard plumbing, 14" alu wheels, shock absorbers, Alko Euro axle, insulation so good we hardly ever used our blown air heating, but this Alde wet heating system in our new Hymer really is a step in the right direction regards habitation and water heating.
Happy caravanning.
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