Alde control - battery backup
I have just fitted an Alde back-up battery (two AA bateries in a small holder that plugs into the back of the Alde control panel.
All I can say is brilliant. It not only means that the day/time is maintained when the power is off, but also keeps the day and night settings switched on.
So you just need to power-up and turn on the Alde control panel. Nothing else to do!
Don't know why they're not fitted as standard.
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I don't think that I could be faffed setting up the time. Theoretically it would be useful for 4 days out of 5 whilst away I suppose. However Heating is not turned down at a specific time. When away OH may go to bed either 10pm or as late as 11.30pm.
in the morning the heating is turned up when I get up. That is anytime between 5.30am and 6.45am. Turned down when we go out if it is cold out and up when we return. (off in summer probably).
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Do you have Alde heating ET?
If so it is well worth IMO to get to grips wit the night set back thing.
We set ours up to step down to 13 degrees at about 11pm, then step up to 18 degrees in the morning.
For us, morning starts at about 7am.
Otherwise we set it manually when we go out
The battery back up saves the time settings, and the power monitor is also useful IMO.
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Yes K. We have Alde. Love it. Just that I can see no point in setting the clock when we want to turn it up and down at different times everyday. In the evening it is often set for 21c or 22c depending how bad my spine is. When OH decides to retire I often make up her front bench seat whilst she is getting ready for bed. I will either open the caravan door or the main roof light wide (depending on weather) and turn the heating down to 16C. We use sleeping bags and only use the lightest summer weight ones usually fully unzipped.
When I wake up I will put heating up to si and off to shower to give the heating a chance to warm up by the time I have had shower, beard trim etc and probably watched any local birds. So I want the heating on when I get up, not when I might get up as it varies. I get up as soon as I wake. Can be any time from 5.45 to 7.00 as a rule.
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I think that you are missing out on one of the best features of the control panel. Taking your example you say you can get up anytime between 5.45 to 7 00am so set it to come on at 7. If on a given day you get up earlier you simply increase the temp like you are already doing. For this to be worth while you do need the backup imho because you don't want to have to reset all the settings every time you go out. Overnight ours is set to 15C so if it's very cold it may come for a short time to keep the temp up.
Our last van had the Truma ultra heat system, without the time clock the Alde system doesn't offer any significant advantage with it, it is for us a great system.
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" For this to be worth while you do need the backup imho because you don't want to have to reset all the settings every time you go out."
But with my Alde, the older 3010, that is not the case without a battery back-up. The only setting lost is the clock's time setting; all the tedious other settings are retained without the need to have the battery backup. Realistically setting the time on arrival does not present much of a challenge, what 20 to 30 seconds?
I have though now fitted a battery back-up lead though yet to get away to use it. I agree it is a pity it is not a standard fit, but living without it for ten years was nowhere near the difficulty some paint the picture of having "to reset all the settings every time."
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My mistake, I hadn't realised that it was only the clock that was reset. However I do think that a lot of people use the system in the way that EasyT describes. To me that seems like driving a Porsche and never getting out of 3rd gear. (Other opinions are available 😀)
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Not sure what version ours is, but as with Ocsid we have to reset the clock when we move sites, plus reset the overnight setting to on, as this reverts to off. It does not seem to matter if I leave the 12 volt circuit on or not. Plugging in the car seems to switch it off. The whole process only takes about I minute, so to date I have not got round to fitting a back up.
I agree given the £2000+ cost of the whole installation it does seem penny pinching not to fit it as standard. However, that is a mode the manufacturers seem well entrenched in. Why else fill it with 2 year rather than 5 year fluid, which saves them a few pence.
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Ours is also the 3010, and all the times for other features were retained, only the actual day and time were lost, plus as Steve said the night time feature got turned off.
Having the back up prevents that.
However, as ours is wired to the van battery, if the battery is disconnected then we lose them.
Steve, the habitation relay in the van automatically cuts the 12v when being towed, you cannot prevent it.
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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 CoverTakes 10 minutes to make, and about same time to fit
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in the morning the heating is turned up when I get up. That is anytime between 5.30am and 6.45am. Turned down when we go out if it is cold out and up when we return. (off in summer probably).
So I want the heating on when I get up, not when I might get up as it varies. I get up as soon as I wake. Can be any time from 5.45 to 7.00 as a rule.
So easyT, what time do you get up.
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I do what lornalou does, not cos I get up at different times but because I can't set it up right. I had a proper go for the first time last week while away, set up the night time temp and the start / stop time but for some reason it seemed to affect the temperature in the 'van during the evening. I reverted back to plan A .....
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I fitted the back up system to my 3020 about 18 months ago. Can anyone tell me how long the battery’s can be expected to last. There were no indications of this in the instructions, and the Alde technical info. doesn’t cover it either.
Ken
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So easyT, what time do you get up.
In the caravan usually not before 6am but always before 7 usually 6.15. At home usually between 5.30am and 7 but usually just before 6.00.
I usually get up when I wake at home if it is around 5am or later.
The other thing about having temperatures preset is that I have arthritis in my spine. That means that if I have been out in the cold during much of the afternoon when away in cold weather I find that. even though I have had warm clothes on I sometimes feel a need for more heat than usual, and particularly if we come in about 4pm in December and I have been prepping food and cooking. At home I might sit in my study, off the kitchen and rest my spine occasionaly whilst making a meal. When food is nearly ready and plates are warming I will sit down for 5 mins whilst Fliss dishes up and takes the meals to the dining table.
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Should we assume that those who advocate setting the temperature manually on waking and before retiring, do similarly at home with their central heating? Are domestic central heating controllers used without regard to timed switching? Should replacing the convenience of home automation with manual controls be preferred, when remedies are available at low cost?
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Why assume anything? People do what suits them, just as you do.
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I make no assumptions. At home our heating will come on at around 5.30am at this time of year for 30 or 40 mins. It comes on about 3.30pm also for 30 mins from memory. If it is a particularly cold day we will flick it on by advancing it and it will go off after the next timed period at about 4pm. The temperature is controlled by thermostatic valves.
We run it that way because it suits us. We never run it after OH goes to bed at 10 - 10.30pm, should it be on. I sleep less and I may well go to bed after midnight and be up around 6am. If caravans had the same thermal insulation levels as our home I would probably not use the heating overnight in the caravan
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The Alde system could certainly replicate the control system at home. The caravan itself though would not afford the same 'thermal mass' (not sure if that is a correct term or if I made it up). During Spring, Autumn and much of winter my home holds the heat well and far better than the caravan which will heat and cool much more rapidly. Hence the need to have some level of heating for much of the time in winter when in the caravan. So at home where I would switch heating off at night and have the top window slightly open in the caravan I merely lower the temperature.
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A very useful contribution for those that don't have the feature, but as DD has already raised could you please identify the polarity needed?
I suspect some will be too worried about potentially doing damage unless they knew which way round to wire the battery up. The plug itself is polarised so it is only the battery box to lead where we can get it wrong.
Again thanks for identifying the lead needed.
Note; I think this is only going to be suitable for use with the current 3020 Alde units? I would be very reticent doing it with the 3010 version, without deeper knowledge. That used a direct to van's battery solution, probably the Alde lead including some voltage conditioning feature.
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We had an Alde and it was frustrating that some of the settings were lost when the power was off. The Truma doesn’t suffer from this. The heating timer is very useful for switching on using low power electric early in the morning so there is plenty of time to warm up.
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We use a Nest controller at home, which captures outside temperature fit our postcode, then calculates, based on experiential learning, how long it will take to heat the house to our programmed temperature, and switches the boiler on accordingly. While I agree that a caravan’s thermal efficiency is less than your house, it’s compensated by the van’s much smaller volume. Which leaves any objection due to waste, with little credence.
Of course, it’s your choice how you control your heating. But arguments supporting both manual and programmed temperatures, can only centre around convenience, not cost. Which is perhaps why so many posts are in favour of using Alde’s full facilities - and battery backup too.
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But arguments supporting both manual and programmed temperatures, can only centre around convenience, not cost.
I agree. However the Alde controller does not know what time I am getting up in a morning. Nor do I
. When I wake up I usually get up and my first port of call is to put the kettle on closely followed by the toilet which takes me right past the controller. Sufficient convenience for me. 0 -
"I like the idea of a battery back-up but in the three years we have had the van the main power switch has never been off so we have never lost the settings."
DD, with our and I expect most post 2006-ish caravans the habitation relay unfortunately does that switching off of the feed to the Alde, once power from the car is sensed through the 13 pin electric coupling.
So, the loss of the "clock" setting itself is a bit of a pain for those of us who like you wish to exploit the programmable phasing of the set temperatures. Mine did not lose those more tedious to set array of switching times and the temperatures, just the actual time, ie the "clock". Resetting that was but a few seconds job, but having the back up as we have now is nicer.
I can understand those who don't want the disciple of these timings, we do. With the feature the heating is rising before either of us is awake to rise and get it going so come our rising time things are already more comfy, very nice these colder mornings. Our house is set up just the same, automatically coming on and off.
So, getting this for the few £s kindly identified above I am sure will be welcomed by many.
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