Alde 2Kw in cold weather not up to the job

[gus-lopez]

2kw elec heating will hardly do anything in cold weather, consider it a gentle warm breeze nothing more.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I had no idea the gas option was so much more powerful that explains a lot and answers my OP , many thanks

& diesel as well.Electric is really to operate lights & motors. For heating it is the worst thing you can use.

 

[funflair]

The quickest way to get ours up to temperature on electric is to use the Dometic freshjet 3000 air con on it's heat pump heating mode, it use about 1500 watts as it starts up but very quickly drops back to around 800 or less, the inverter charger with mains back up will run it off batteries while the hook up runs the Alde on 2kw or even 3kw setting.

 

[Howard B]

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

& diesel as well.Electric is really to operate lights & motors. For heating it is the worst thing you can use.

Why?

 

[Phill D]

Why?

At a complete guess!

It’s expensive to produce
It’s difficult to store in bulk
It has a relatively low calorific value per unit compared to other energy sources.

 

[Howard B]

At a complete guess!

It’s expensive to produce
It’s difficult to store in bulk
It has a relatively low calorific value per unit compared to other energy sources.

Whilst I dont disagree with the above, its not always that simple.
I am currently on a site for the next two weeks & electric is included in the site fees.
Temperatures have been well below 0C for the past few days. The electric heating on 2kw has been more than adequate, (i am sitting in shorts & t-shirt as i type).
So why would I use gas which i would have drive miles to refill. In my current situation as far as I am concerned its the best option for heating the van.

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[ChrisL]

I'm currently using a little ceramic heater I got from currys, it's 26⁰C inside and -1 outside, the heater is on the 1Kw setting and the thermostat is set at half, that's in an 8mtr A class Hymer.

 

[DavidG58]

Yesterday the temperature rose well above freezing, we started the day with both electric and gas to get from our overnight setting of 16C back to ‘our’ comfortable 22C when I turned gas back off

By midday outside was showing as 9C Alde still set to 22C but inside now showing 24C

Still that high when we went to bed, just got up for one of my many wee trips, it’s still 22C inside, but showing 9C outside

Really glad to discover just how efficient Alde is on gas and we go home tomorrow 13 nights away 8 off hook up and only just swapped gas bottles over, will refill at Woodall services before home

 

[stewartwebr]

If you had sufficient hook up to run 3kw but didn’t use it merely because of other items and a fear of tripping the hook up you may wish to invest in a load monitor for your Alde.
You simply connect the incoming phase supply through the coil at one end of the cable and the other end plugs into either the control panel or the boiler depending on the age of the system.
Once installed go into settings on the control panel, set the maximum current draw, so say 16amps on CMC site. The system monitors the current draw into the motorhome, so if nothing on but your heating it shall pull max current. If you switch the kettle on and it pulls 10amps the Alde shall reduce the current to Alde to 6amps and once the kettle has boiled heating shall return to max. No idea why Alde don’t instal as standard, I have installed 4 of them over the years. They cost around £60, first one was around the £30

 

[stewartwebr]

The other thing to check would be the speed of your pump. It should have settings 1 - 6 on the head of the pump, too fast in cold weather means glycol does not get sufficient time to heat as it passes through the heat cartridge and too slow means the glycol cools down too much as it transits the heating circuit. Alde recommends setting 4. Maybe worth checking yours?

 

[gus-lopez]

At a complete guess!

It’s expensive to produce
It’s difficult to store in bulk
It has a relatively low calorific value per unit compared to other energy sources.

This ^^^^^^

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[Shrimp]

Diesel heater!

 

[Pausim]

2 kW is simply not enough power in cold weather. That is my personal experience and this thread seems to confirm it.

 

[Nirvanauk]

I think I would have gone home.

 

[DavidG58]

stewartwebr i was aware of this facility, when I first went to Alde to be serviced they actually explained it very well, but as I needed a new pump and had a controller upgrade I resisted the extra cost but do think it’s a very good feature

Alde changed my pump and I thought they suggested the speed should be set to 3, but I will check that , I will also consider the load monitor upgrade , but TBH now I understand how much efficient the gas heating is I will be using that more when cold . Our MH literally drew 2Kw all day without reaching our set temp had we been paying on a meter I think that would be £20 / day. I filled with gas as we left putting 22 litres into 2 x 11kg bottles and changed bottles after 10 days mixed on / of site , even if I allocate all the gas used to the 6 non hook up days, when it ws just as cold, it works out at under £5 / day for gas

Still learning after 11 years with same MH

 

[Phill D]

Yesterday the temperature rose well above freezing, we started the day with both electric and gas to get from our overnight setting of 16C back to ‘our’ comfortable 22C when I turned gas back off

By midday outside was showing as 9C Alde still set to 22C but inside now showing 24C

Still that high when we went to bed, just got up for one of my many wee trips, it’s still 22C inside, but showing 9C outside

Really glad to discover just how efficient Alde is on gas and we go home tomorrow 13 nights away 8 off hook up and only just swapped gas bottles over, will refill at Woodall services before home

Does your Alde control panel have a night mode?
We set ours to night mode from around 10.30 to slowly drop to 16’c then it kicks back into day mode at 7am back to the day temperature.
We can set both the time and temperatures.
I’m right impressed with it over the 6e Truma we had.

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[DavidG58]

Does your Alde control panel have a night mode?
We set ours to night mode from around 10.30 to slowly drop to 16’c then it kicks back into day mode at 7am back to the day temperature.
We can set both the time and temperatures.
I’m right impressed with it over the 6e Truma we had.

Yes it does and we use it pretty much identically to yours , when it was at its coldest and that was only -2C I was aware that it had cut in most nights around 2-3am while up for the loo

I think the wind in the last couple of days took it down much more quickly

 

[KNWH]

The other thing to check would be the speed of your pump. It should have settings 1 - 6 on the head of the pump, too fast in cold weather means glycol does not get sufficient time to heat as it passes through the heat cartridge and too slow means the glycol cools down too much as it transits the heating circuit. Alde recommends setting 4. Maybe worth checking yours?

I never knew our pump had a speed setting until I changed the antifreeze earlier this year!
They recommend you run it on 6 for a maximum of ten minutes to help purge air out of the system. The knob was installed in such a position that I could only read it with a mirror and torch

 

[KNWH]

When we first got our MH I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get the heating to come on in the morning like I wanted. The instructions that came in the handbook were very basic but I downloaded the full version and carefully followed the procedure without success.
Went to the NEC show that year and visited the Alde stand. Helpful chap went through it with me, but it was just the same as what I thought I’d already been doing.
Tried again on my return and stumbled across the section on setting the correct time.
What? The ‘display time’ function had never been turned on and so I naively assumed it was getting its time signal from the main MH control panel.
Set the correct time and problem sorted. Wife not impressed.
Oh dear, I’m supposed to be an engineer

 

[DavidG58]

What? The ‘display time’ function had never been turned on and so I naively assumed it was getting its time signal from the main MH control panel.
Set the correct time and problem

Also beware if controller is turned off or battery changed etc will reset time and date it’s caught me out a few times, usually noticed by heating not going off before bed or waking up sweating in bed

 

[kiltandsari]

Alde has a pump not a fan, maybe you have a different system

Our Alde system has a fan located under drivers seat which kept us awake when we first took delivery of the van. Marquis didn’t know of fan when we enquired but fan speed control is in centre of Alde control panel.

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[AdrianChen]

Also beware if controller is turned off or battery changed etc will reset time and date it’s caught me out a few times, usually noticed by heating not going off before bed or waking up sweating in bed

Yes - we got the little battery holder thing (an ebay copy of the Alde one - was a bit cheaper), so until the AA batteries run out I dont have to remember to reset the date/time.

Alde Battery backup - Alde

Used to retain the control panel settings when the vehicle’s main switch is off. For 2x AA batteries (not included).For control panels 3010413 /...

www.alde.co.uk

 

[Zentex]

Blimey this post has reminded me to empty the water tanks and drain the camper- I was expecting to use it one last time this year but whilst visiting mum in the NE I was rushed into hospital for an emergency strangulated hernia 300 miles from home and my camper - just got back a few days ago after 6 weeks and completely forgot I need to Winter it ! Thanks Westy66 for your frost duty comment !

 

[ambo2camper]

Just get an electric blanket to keep yourselves warm. It’s by far the most efficient and economical.

 

[KNWH]

Also beware if controller is turned off or battery changed etc will reset time and date it’s caught me out a few times, usually noticed by heating not going off before bed or waking up sweating in bed

Indeed. Remembered this so far, but only a matter of time…. (no pun intended)

 

[jp11]

It depends on the ambient temperature. I have a "5kw" Chinese diesel heater in my minibus conversion. I use full power to get up to 20C (less than half an hour). Then, turned down as low as possible, (said to be about 2kw) it has maintained 21C at recent approximately zero ambient temperatures. Of course it depends on level of insulation (my van also has 10mm closed-cell foam thermal panels on all the glass). At its lowest setting it uses 0.13 of a litre of kerosene per hour.

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[Tude]

We have been away for 10 days 50/50 off grid / on site, we both have colds and need MH to be warm

We have been in north east and Scottish Borders daytime temp around freezing most days

On gas for first three nights we were fine, then on hook up, set to 2Kw as other things running (coffee maker) didn’t want to have to remember to reduce, barely holding 20C on constant and feels cold

So I turned gas back on as I understand it assists the electrics and all good again

We used an 11kg bottle in our first 7 nights (4 off grid) and filled up as we left so know we have plenty of gas to see us through

Tonight I used gas to get up to 22C then set back to 2Kw electric only , temp has dropped to 21C despite running constantly

Almost feel sorry for C&MC taking 2Kw 24/7 although we do set to 16C from 10-7

I am presuming we are doing everything correctly , pretty hard to get it wrong really

16 is not high enough gas is the best but our alde is fabulous on leccy just turn the dial a little hotter. Truma is crap on leccy but ok on gas. But you can mix it on both

 

[DavidG58]

Just get an electric blanket to keep yourselves warm. It’s by far the most efficient and economical.

We carry two fleecy throws that I did wrap myself up in to smiles from Bev

No sympathy, but I do keep forgetting that my radio therapy has genuinely left me feeling cold more easily , it’s maybe just that

But home now with the ultimate 7Kw solution

And yes I know I need to close the blinds to keep the heat in, I will when the rugby finishes

 

[Henry Walpole]

We have been away for 10 days 50/50 off grid / on site, we both have colds and need MH to be warm

We have been in north east and Scottish Borders daytime temp around freezing most days

On gas for first three nights we were fine, then on hook up, set to 2Kw as other things running (coffee maker) didn’t want to have to remember to reduce, barely holding 20C on constant and feels cold

So I turned gas back on as I understand it assists the electrics and all good again

We used an 11kg bottle in our first 7 nights (4 off grid) and filled up as we left so know we have plenty of gas to see us through

Tonight I used gas to get up to 22C then set back to 2Kw electric only , temp has dropped to 21C despite running constantly

Almost feel sorry for C&MC taking 2Kw 24/7 although we do set to 16C from 10-7

I am presuming we are doing everything correctly , pretty hard to get it wrong really

We spent a winter in Sweden running Alde heating using 2kw electricity only the vast majority of the time. Only an occasional boost from the gas was needed when temperatures really plummeted (double digits below zero). We do have a metal roller shutter on the front screen which makes a big difference in reducing heat loss.

 

[Gooners on Tour]

We have been away for 10 days 50/50 off grid / on site, we both have colds and need MH to be warm

We have been in north east and Scottish Borders daytime temp around freezing most days

On gas for first three nights we were fine, then on hook up, set to 2Kw as other things running (coffee maker) didn’t want to have to remember to reduce, barely holding 20C on constant and feels cold

So I turned gas back on as I understand it assists the electrics and all good again

We used an 11kg bottle in our first 7 nights (4 off grid) and filled up as we left so know we have plenty of gas to see us through

Tonight I used gas to get up to 22C then set back to 2Kw electric only , temp has dropped to 21C despite running constantly

Almost feel sorry for C&MC taking 2Kw 24/7 although we do set to 16C from 10-7

I am presuming we are doing everything correctly , pretty hard to get it wrong really

Ours works exactly the same as yours!

 

[Ducatian]

If you had sufficient hook up to run 3kw but didn’t use it merely because of other items and a fear of tripping the hook up you may wish to invest in a load monitor for your Alde.
You simply connect the incoming phase supply through the coil at one end of the cable and the other end plugs into either the control panel or the boiler depending on the age of the system.
Once installed go into settings on the control panel, set the maximum current draw, so say 16amps on CMC site. The system monitors the current draw into the motorhome, so if nothing on but your heating it shall pull max current. If you switch the kettle on and it pulls 10amps the Alde shall reduce the current to Alde to 6amps and once the kettle has boiled heating shall return to max. No idea why Alde don’t instal as standard, I have installed 4 of them over the years. They cost around £60, first one was around the £30

This function is provided by some Hab controllers, eg the Sargent EC600 has a secectable AC Current Limiter (you choose the limit) which switches out the heating elements as you describe.

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