Is it feasible to run Alde hot water off inverter?

[jongood]

Always after a way to gain a bit more benefit from solar, I'm wondering if I could get to the connection for the 1 kw element on my Alde 3010? My plan is to put a separate connection through a manual switch to power it from my inverter.

 

[MichaelT]

I run my fridge off inverter if there's enough sun so I would think it should work.

 

[EuroTrotters]

No

Minimum setting on our ALDE was 1kw.

You will deplete the battery in no time, even with say 500w solar .

 

[EuroTrotters]

I run my fridge off inverter if there's enough sun so I would think it should work.

Compressor fridges are okay running off solar . But 3-say absorption heaters are a big power consumer

 

[MichaelT]

Compressor fridges are okay running off solar . But 3-say absorption heaters are a big power consumer

It takes 15a (3 way) so if I'm getting 20a off solar I can run it and still charge the batteries.

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[Onemanandhisdog]

No

Minimum setting on our ALDE was 1kw.

You will deplete the battery in no time, even with say 500w solar .

If it's just for hot water and not heating it will only need to be on for half an hour or so.

 

[jongood]

No

Minimum setting on our ALDE was 1kw.

You will deplete the battery in no time, even with say 500w solar .

I also regularly run my fridge freezer off 12v (n+b are wired to allow it) takes about 28a
By my calculations 1 kwh is 83ah and I reckon it would warm the 8 litres in the boiler in less than 1 hour, if I then turn it off it lasts for several hours. 8 litres would be enough for a quick shower when we get off the beach etc.

Ive got 480ah lithium and 800w pv.

 

[MichaelT]

No

Minimum setting on our ALDE was 1kw.

You will deplete the battery in no time, even with say 500w solar .

I think 1kw is about 5a at 230v so should be OK so long as you have more solar coming in than that? Happy to be corrected if my calculations are wrong.

 

[EuroTrotters]

I also regularly run my fridge freezer off 12v (n+b are wired to allow it) takes about 28a
By my calculations 1 kwh is 83ah and I reckon it would warm the 8 litres in the boiler in less than 1 hour, if I then turn it off it lasts for several hours. 8 litres would be enough for a quick shower when we get off the beach etc.

Ive got 480ah lithium and 800w pv.

Do you have a heat exchanger from the engine linked into the ALDE ?

 

[MisterB]

We can run our Truma off the leisure battery albeit it takes a fair amount of power. We can also run it when driving so we can have hot water when we arrive.
Still in the experimental stage to see the viability of it, but like you we wanted to make use of excess power.

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[tezza-alli]

In the summer on good days I run our 3 way Dometic tower fridge freezer on solar and still use all our other 240volt items ie 1000watt kettle, induction hob and small oven 1300watt etc.
560 amp lithium with 605 watts solar on roof plus a free standing fold out of 160watt.

 

[Lenny HB]

Ive got 480ah lithium and 800w pv.

As you are in Marocco the answer is probably yes but I wouldn't do unless you have a good quality inverter like a Victron.

 

[MichaelT]

Here is my thread about running fridge.

Running Fridge off inverter

We are currently in Spain at Vera Playa. I bought a portable solar panel to use whilst away in winter to help the 400w roof mounted ones. Is a 200w renogy one that I connect to a victron mppt 75/15 controller using Anderson connector. Yesterday I deployed it to test as I couldn't at home due...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[jongood]

Do you have a heat exchanger from the engine linked into the ALDE ?

Yes, but really thinking static but off grid situations

 

[jongood]

As you are in Marocco the answer is probably yes but I wouldn't do unless you have a good quality inverter like a Victron.

Not victron but pure sine wave.

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[Ads86]

Always after a way to gain a bit more benefit from solar, I'm wondering if I could get to the connection for the 1 kw element on my Alde 3010? My plan is to put a separate connection through a manual switch to power it from my inverter.

I've tried the this week on my new setup and the battery didn't like it. I have a single 608ah fogstar and what I found was the battery would drop it's voltage after around 15-20 minutes and then shut down. I've been told if I had 2 batteries rather than 1 then this could possibly work much better. The 90mm wires from the battery got a little bit warm.

I've got a 3k victron multiplus smart inverter but it seems one battery stops me from using it's full potential

 

[Lenny HB]

Not victron but pure sine wave.

As long it's a well known brand, a cheap Chiese one my bugger the electronics.

 

[Jabstatt]

We went five days off grid last summer in uk using inverter for two showers a day!

Cheap pure sine wave Renogy inverter.

Tony

 

[jongood]

We went five days off grid last summer in uk using inverter for two showers a day!

Cheap pure sine wave Renogy inverter.

Tony

Do you have any pics of connections please? I'm still in Maroc so reluctant to do any dismantling here.

 

[jongood]

I've tried the this week on my new setup and the battery didn't like it. I have a single 608ah fogstar and what I found was the battery would drop it's voltage after around 15-20 minutes and then shut down. I've been told if I had 2 batteries rather than 1 then this could possibly work much better. The 90mm wires from the battery got a little bit warm.

I've got a 3k victron multiplus smart inverter but it seems one battery stops me from using it's full potential

Did you set the aldi control to 1kw?

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[Ads86]

Did you set the aldi control to 1kw?

I did yeah.

The victron app was showing it pulling around 1400w

It did work, but I think my issue is having only one battery, albeit it's 608ah the rate of discharge doesn't do it any good.

I am a total novice with this stuff

 

[Jabstatt]

My Renogy inverter, 4kw, is on my ehu line and falls over automatically.

Tony

 

[Carpmart]

I heat all our hot water only from 12v/Solar now.

I’ve installed a separate 10l hot water tank with 12v/230v elements. The 12v is 200w, 230v is 800w.

Works brilliantly and means I never waste any solar opportunity as once batteries reach a certain SOC (voltage) the hot water kicks in. Can manually override too. Can also use whilst driving so the DC DC charger heats the water…

Next step is to add a diesel heater to heat the water just from diesel…

Have a look here

WATER HEATERS | Bobil Vans

Water heater kits for your campervan conversion, giving you hot water via our Bobil hot water kits to heat water from your diesel heater or battery in your van.

www.bobilvans.co.uk

 

[Tombola]

quite easily, if you have a large enough inverter, solar and battery bank.

 

[dpsuk999]

I heat all my hot water (Alde 1kw setting) via the inverter when not hooked up. I have Home Assistant running all my electronics and simply say “Alexa hot water on” and during the summer when we don’t require any heating I leave the Alde switched off and have the external start wired to a Home Assistant relay linked to Alexa. When the hot water is heating up the amps draw is approx 80 amps so I set an automation that when Alde external start is on and current draw is less that say 75 amps then Alexa announces hot water is hot and turns off Alde. This takes into account normal amps draw from daily use and not large draws

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[jongood]

I heat all our hot water only from 12v/Solar now.

I’ve installed a separate 10l hot water tank with 12v/230v elements. The 12v is 200w, 230v is 800w.

Works brilliantly and means I never waste any solar opportunity as once batteries reach a certain SOC (voltage) the hot water kicks in. Can manually override too. Can also use whilst driving so the DC DC charger heats the water…

Next step is to add a diesel heater to heat the water just from diesel…

Have a look here

WATER HEATERS | Bobil Vans

Water heater kits for your campervan conversion, giving you hot water via our Bobil hot water kits to heat water from your diesel heater or battery in your van.

www.bobilvans.co.uk

how do you route it to showers etc?

 

[Carpmart]

how do you route it to showers etc?

It’s just plumbed into the hot side of the Motorhomes pipework. I’ve bypassed the boiler in the Alde system.. you could have it connected with a shut off value to the Alde tank and and a shut off to the solar powered tank, then just select which you want to use to heat the water. Worth installing a couple of non return valves and also an accumulator near the 12v tank.

Happy to discuss if you are genuinely interested in this approach.

 

[Reallyretired]

I think 1kw is about 5a at 230v so should be OK so long as you have more solar coming in than that? Happy to be corrected if my calculations are wrong.

100A at 12v so that's a lot of solar

 

[jongood]

100A at 12v so that's a lot of solar

Me and AI reckon its 83.
I wonder if either of us are correct

 

[AdrianChen]

I heat all our hot water only from 12v/Solar now.

I’ve installed a separate 10l hot water tank with 12v/230v elements. The 12v is 200w, 230v is 800w.

Works brilliantly and means I never waste any solar opportunity as once batteries reach a certain SOC (voltage) the hot water kicks in. Can manually override too. Can also use whilst driving so the DC DC charger heats the water…

Next step is to add a diesel heater to heat the water just from diesel…

Have a look here

WATER HEATERS | Bobil Vans

Water heater kits for your campervan conversion, giving you hot water via our Bobil hot water kits to heat water from your diesel heater or battery in your van.

www.bobilvans.co.uk

We had a twin coil Calorifier before (60l) - one coil to a deisel heater (eberspacher, but Chinese copy would work) and one to the engine coolant (that one was direct into the engine circuit, but for a longer pipe run I guess a heat exchanger would be better). The engine got the water in the tank very very hot so it lasted quite a while. There was also a 230v element 1200w from memory which could run off the inverter.

Might well change over the Alde system to diesel later in the year, so then would be a good time to think about this stuff....