Alde load monitor

[funflair]

So have you ever tripped the sites electric hook up, bad enough when you have to go out in the rain and reset it yourself but even worse if you have to go find the warden and explain your predicament, especially in France.

The scenario is as follows, 6A electric and Alde heating on 1kw so taking just over 4A, wife switches on low wattage hair dryer and "click" the power goes off as you have gone over the 6A.

The solution assuming you have is of course to always remember to turn off the heating well that isn't going to happen so a better option is to let the Alde system do it itself by way off a load monitor, yes you have to have the Alde heating in the first place.

What does the load monitor do? well it does exactly what it says on the packet, it monitors the electrical load coming into the van and cuts back the Alde boiler as required by other demand, simples.

All it is is a "hall effect sensor" that the 240v live cable has to pass through before it goes to any consumer points, "this means disconnecting and then reconnecting a mains 240v cable so if you don't feel competent don't do it" the other end is just a plug that goes into the boiler and then it all talks to the control panel.

So you have to work out which is the main incoming live cable to fit the sensor, all systems will be different so you need to work this out yourself but just to make you laugh, yes all the power was switched off mains and inverter, I was messing about in the wires and there was a "click" and a 'flash" and boy did I jump
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I had touched the battery powered LED at the top of the locker!! not only that but I did it twice more and still jumped.

Thanks to Michael sallylillian for telling me there is a big access hole behind the consumer units to route the cable, I then spend half an our trying to route it through the wrong hole anyway it's in now.

Sensor in place and "into the void" at the back to reappear near the boiler hopefully

TBC

 

[Lenny HB]

You do like posing and showing off your electrics don't you Martin.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

I wonder?

 

[The Wino]

I wonder how long it takes to repay the cost of installation?
The other thing is doesn't the load have to be on the cable to sense it will it trip off the heating before the bollard trips?.
I wonder how much 1 KW of electric saves in gas costs?

 

[funflair]

You do like posing and showing off your electrics don't you Martin.

Well I haven't got a camera on my waste dump

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[funflair]

I wonder how long it takes to repay the cost of installation?
The other thing is doesn't the load have to be on the cable to sense it will it trip off the heating before the bollard trips?.
I wonder how much 1 KW of electric saves in gas costs?

Yes most likely not cost effective but only £50 for the convenience of being on 3kw electric and gas for a fast heat up and then putting the kettle on its nice for Jen not have to go out in the snow to flick the trip it measures the load as it comes in, we also have network compensation in the inverter/charger so I can now set that to 6A or whatever the supply is rather than setting it to 4A short when the heating is on 1kw as it doesn't see the Alde supply coming off before its own supply.

And even more importantly I like fiddling

 

[icantremember]

It's a useful accessory ... we had it fitted a couple of years back and never tripped the elh since.

 

[Spriddler]

Handy bit of kit. Tripping the bollard is a bind when one needs a site official with a key to reset it.

 

[sallylillian]

Good post Martin, I installed one on the Flair and straight away on the Liner. I simply do not understand why manufacturers fit an inverter charger with UPS power support and leave the Alde hanging free for peanuts in kit price. Putting such a power hungry device through the inverter charger is not wise either.

 

[Robert Clark]

Yes most likely not cost effective but only £50 for the convenience of being on 3kw electric and gas for a fast heat up and then putting the kettle on its nice for Jen not have to go out in the snow to flick the trip it measures the load as it comes in, we also have network compensation in the inverter/charger so I can now set that to 6A or whatever the supply is rather than setting it to 4A short when the heating is on 1kw as it doesn't see the Alde supply coming off before its own supply.

And even more importantly I like fiddling

Doesn't the Buttner inverter 'top up' the 222v socket requirements in the same way as a Victron one does with its Power Assist Feature?

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[funflair]

Doesn't the Buttner inverter 'top up' the 222v socket requirements in the same way as a Victron one does with its Power Assist Feature?

Yes it does Robert BUT you have some consumers that are on hook up only, Fridge, Alde, Combi Microwave oven (I moved this one over to the backed up) then you have sockets that are backed up by the Buttner inverter so you can set say 6A in the Buttner ICC panel and it will draw 6A at a backed up socket before the inverter joins in BUT it doesn't know you have the Alde on 1kw so using about 4A, so I have just been setting the Buttner ICC to 2A and it has worked OK.

 

[andy63]

All it is is a "hall effect sensor" that the 240v live cable has to pass through

Are you sure about that martin

But whether inductive or hall effect its a cracking bit kit..
I think you are getting lazy..with all these mod cons and toys...

Hope all is well..
Andy

 

[funflair]

Are you sure about that martin

But whether inductive or hall effect its a cracking bit kit..
I think you are getting lazy..with all these mod cons and toys...

Hope all is well..
Andy

Hi Andy

Sure? NO Hall-effect_sensor is it different being AC? anyway I know the cable has to go through it and it has now but all this is not getting it finished.

 

[funflair]

So that's me done bar tidying up,

Plugged into the boiler PCB,

Then covers back on and tick load monitor in installed accessories.

All done

 

[MR BLO]

That is a cracking little load surplussing device for the money. I too have had the exact same misfortune on low current hookup in the snow. At the time I had looked into upgrading my consumer unit but I sort of forgot about it. Hadn’t even considered investigating Alde. Thx funflair for sharing. For £50 it’s a simple upgrade that will be on order today although I won’t be posting any photos of my Bailey’s electrics though

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[WESTY66]

Well I haven't got a camera on my waste dump

You haven’t????
That’s shocking

 

[funflair]

You haven’t????
That’s shocking

Well when I say I don't have what I mean is I don't have a fancy dedicated one like Lenny HB does, if I can remember where the pipe is relative to the 360 deg camera I can use that
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