ALDE Heating

[lorger]

We have ALDE heating in our new van and have a few questions as all our other vans had blow air heating.

How fast does it heat up the van?

What setting should the pump be on ?

It has two setting for circulation pump what setting is best ? (Pics below)

Does any one use the INet with a SIM card and would you recommend?

 

[CazPaul]

We have the old controls with slider switches, simple and easy to use. Alde is great but does take a while to get going, if it s not been used for a while and still cold then a good hour, we have a Truma heater in addition for a quick heat whilst the Alde is warming up.

 

[Camdoon]

Rest assured that any time there is an Alde/Truma debate there is only ever one person who would have stuck with their Truma and most have said they would make an Alde a requirement on their next van.
You need to search for the Alde 3020 manual which will explain about the pump (I have this on a laptop so memo to self send it to tablet). You will not need to change the pump settings on a regular basis. You need to understand how to bleed the radiator along with general use to get the most out the system.
As for the iNet, it is rather expensive and there are already manual timer controls which can be set for day/night settings. I have an internet control for my house heating and rarely/never use it so envisage even fewer occasions for a van. The cost is the equivalent to a lot of gas. No doubt some people will use the facility all the time but even as a gizmo enthusiast unless the iNet could let me monitor the van in other ways then it is a step too far to after install.

 

[funflair]

Hi Gerry

Happy new van

The two pump settings on the Alde "Mode" which used to be "called continuous mode" which would run the pump continuously and modulate the boiler temperature to maintain a room temperature, the upside of this is a very even room temperature without the on/off of the next setting, the downside is that as it cools the boiler to maintain room temperature it also cools the water that you will want for a shower the other option "therm" is where the pump is controlled/off to maintain a room temperature while the boiler sits at an even temperature with hot water on demand.

Simple answer, leave it on "therm"

We don't have the iNet but it could be an addition for the future as it looks dead easy too fit.

Have you got a heat exchanger?

 

[rb62]

We always start ours on gas it we want a quicker warm up then put it on electric (if available) when the systems up to temperature.

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[funflair]

We always start ours on gas it we want a quicker warm up then put it on electric (if available) when the systems up to temperature.

You should be able to start up on both electric and gas and if you set the priority to electric it will then just use that to maintain the temperature only calling on gas again if the electric can't cope.

Martin

 

[Clarky]

As others have said, just leave the pump setting on 'Therm'.
Alde heating does take longer to heat the van than blown air.
When you think about it it has first to heat the water jacket in the boiler, then pump the hot water round the system before the rads can start to warm the air.
In fact it really doesn’t take long, particularly on gas and electric.
Once the van is warm though it will maintain a lovely even temperature throughout the van.
It's a far superior system to hot air and makes cold weather trips much more comfortable.
Enjoy your new van.

Richard.

 

[tonyidle]

Have you got a heat exchanger?

We have and it makes a tremendous difference. The system is fully up to temperature after a trip. In really cold weather I put the heating on mains for an hour or so before we leave anyway & run with it on gas whilst travelling.

 

[lorger]

Thanks for the answers guys, it was the fact it was taking slightly longer than expected and the I noticed the pump speed was set at around 1 or 2 and wondered if this was the reason but reading up on it that sound correct.

As for the pump settings on the screen it’s set for Therm but it was the setting above that I was wondering about, I’ve read the manual which is clear as mud.

 

[lorger]

Have you got a heat exchanger?

If this is the part that comes from engine then no!

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[funflair]

We have and it makes a tremendous difference. The system is fully up to temperature after a trip. In really cold weather I put the heating on mains for an hour or so before we leave anyway & run with it on gas whilst travelling.

Why would you run with it on gas while traveling?

 

[tonyidle]

Why would you run with it on gas while traveling?

Because unless it's parked on my drive it's always on gas - I never turn it off. If I'm on EHU it'll use electricity even though the gas is on unless electricity can't keep up. It simply means that under all circumstances we have hot water. The heating is left under the control of the room thermostat so it won't come on anyway unless it's needed.

 

[Dagraton]

Having spent a few years with blown air systems in previous motorhomes, I'm fairly new to an Alde heating system installed in a Bailey Autograph. It's certainly quiet and seems to use the same amount of gas or electric as a blown air system. Many have commented that Alde heating systems are slow to get going and this seems to be the case for us. We have yet to try it in very cold conditions so I'm reserving judgment on that one. A shortcoming as I see it is that many of the heater vents are fixed in the floor and are bound to collect dust and other muck off the floor. We have a dog. I can see no way of keeping these vents free of debris. Also, there are two large radiators - one in the bathroom which makes sense and one in the wardrobe which seems a bit unnecessary - it would be better located in the living space. There again, these are probably design issues with the Bailey rather than the Alde heating system.

 

[funflair]

A shortcoming as I see it is that many of the heater vents are fixed in the floor and are bound to collect dust and other muck off the floor. We have a dog. I can see no way of keeping these vents free of debris. Also, there are two large radiators - one in the bathroom which makes sense and one in the wardrobe which seems a bit unnecessary - it would be better located in the living space. There again, these are probably design issues with the Bailey rather than the Alde heating system.

Yes indeed, our Alde system has all the vents higher up behind the furniture and across the dashboard, the floor and a towel rail in the bathroom are also heated by the same system.

 

[Camdoon]

Having spent a few years with blown air systems in previous motorhomes, I'm fairly new to an Alde heating system installed in a Bailey Autograph. It's certainly quiet and seems to use the same amount of gas or electric as a blown air system. Many have commented that Alde heating systems are slow to get going and this seems to be the case for us. We have yet to try it in very cold conditions so I'm reserving judgment on that one. A shortcoming as I see it is that many of the heater vents are fixed in the floor and are bound to collect dust and other muck off the floor. We have a dog. I can see no way of keeping these vents free of debris. Also, there are two large radiators - one in the bathroom which makes sense and one in the wardrobe which seems a bit unnecessary - it would be better located in the living space. There again, these are probably design issues with the Bailey rather than the Alde heating system.

It is the difference between having a fan heater in the corner and central heating. While central heating takes longer it is a more natural heat without cold spots. Most folk vow not to revert. Like funflair our Adria has vents behind furniture, under floor heating and a radiator in the shower. The issues you mention look more Bailey installation issues.

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[rickwiggans]

The pump setting runs from 1-5. Setting 5 is for use during installation and bleeding. Normal use requires a lower setting, otherwise it is noisy. The exact setting depends of the system design, and the size of van. Alde reckon that 1 or 2 is correct for most vans, so you are correct. We run on 2. I know 5 is noisy because ours was left on 5 when we took delivery, and it took me a while to figure that out.