david lloyd Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I have read lots of reviews on vans with Alde heating and spoke to the occasional motorhomer who has it and everything I have heard so far seems to say it is very good. But, in comparison to something like the Truma 6E how good is it? Those of you who have tried both in recent years may be able to give a knowledgeable answer as to how it compares in terms of heat output, gas usage, 12v power drain and, overall, whether it is worth the extra expense in the long term. Our Chausson has the Truma 6DE (diesel/electric) and so far we are quite disappointed with it. On dual fuel it belts out the heat but on either fuel alone it is quite weak and, largely because it is situated right at the rear of the van under the rear beds, it hardly warms the cab (lounge) end at all. It has been quite chilly in Spain and without hookup it takes ages to heat up the van. The other major factor is how much 12v power it takes. This is considerably higher than most blown air systems I think. So would anyone recommend Alde as the way to go if ordering a new van in the future? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocsid Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I would have to be completely seduced by any vans other charms to forgo having an Adle heating system. Any diesel fueled system is going to "eat" 12 volts as diesel is a reluctant fuel to burn and it is a liquid, so needs atomising and a sustained ignition source. So going away any route from diesel to propane will drastically save 12 volt energy. Blown air systems give you near instant warm air fed spots to linger in getting warm. Wet system need to warm all the structure and so seem to take much longer for things to get warm enough to shed a coat etc. If a van needs "X" amount of kWs to be up to temperature then it does not matter which system you use re fuel use, they all have near identical efficiencies. Just with blown air you might simply settle for a few warm spots not overall warm so save fuel. If the maker does not design in the right amount of radiators and allow them to convect properly then despite the Alde's massive heat output on gas and electricity, the system will only be as good as the installation allows. Much like poor blown air so often is as well. Alde does not take a lot of 12 volt power, not more than a blown air system. The Alde needs "fresh" antifreeze fluid so things don't corrode. The better fluids last 5 years, but many van builders send them out with two year life fluid because the dealers like you popping in and lining their pockets as regularly as possible. Expect to be relieved of £150 from the greedier ones every two or 5 years depending on what fluid you mandate they use. Changing the antifreeze is a not too challenging DIY job; if buying ther product via automotive factors you can use top quality products and spend up to £30 for 5 year stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Thank you for that ocsid, an interesting viewpoint. As you say, all systems (blown air or otherwise) are only as good as the designed installation. One of the reasons our (diesel/electric fuelled) system doesn't work so effectively is because the heat source is way back at the rear of the van and by the time the blown air reaches the last output vent under the dining table it is not too hot. Conversely, the rear bedroom, served by two vents in close proximity, is really warm, too warm. Similarly the bathroom gets very warm, very quickly. To try to improve matters in really cold weather I shut off one bedroom vent and another near the kitchen (as there is a second one opposite near the entry door) and try to get more heat up front. I realised Alde systems ran with special antifreeze but thank you for giving the cost for replacing this. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 David Truma Combi heaters are much less tolerant of poor installation than the C-Series appliances they superseded. You might try this experiment. Get your heater up to heat on diesel to the point where it is blowing hot air out through the air-outlets as much as it normally does. Make sure all the air-outlets are fully open. Now fully close all those air-outlets from which the hottest air is emerging. You are likely to find that this causes the heater’s blown-air fan to go into overdrive blasting hot air through the outlets at the front of your motorhome. This should show that, if a Combi heater’s installation comprises a mixture of particularly short air-trunks and long ones, not only will the heater direct warmed air towards the outlets closest to it, but the heater’s fan will not reach its design maximum speed and the air-flow will remain reduced. NOTE: It’s just a test and conflicts with Truma’s operating instructions, SO DON’T LEAVE THE OUTLETS CLOSED FOR MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Derek Uzzell - 2017-01-31 2:55 PM David Truma Combi heaters are much less tolerant of poor installation than the C-Series appliances they superseded. You might try this experiment. Get your heater up to heat on diesel to the point where it is blowing hot air out through the air-outlets as much as it normally does. Make sure all the air-outlets are fully open. Now fully close all those air-outlets from which the hottest air is emerging. You are likely to find that this causes the heater’s blown-air fan to go into overdrive blasting hot air through the outlets at the front of your motorhome. This should show that, if a Combi heater’s installation comprises a mixture of particularly short air-trunks and long ones, not only will the heater direct warmed air towards the outlets closest to it, but the heater’s fan will not reach its design maximum speed and the air-flow will remain reduced. NOTE: It’s just a test and conflicts with Truma’s operating instructions, SO DON’T LEAVE THE OUTLETS CLOSED FOR MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES. Lovely, thanks Derek. It might explain why sometimes the blower seems to be just ticking over and other times it sounds like a C130 taking off. As I said earlier, I routinely shut off at least two of the vents closest to the heater and this does improve things a little but the heat at the cab end falls far short of what is comfortable. Next time out I shall try your experiment. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monique.hubrechtsgm Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 It is used on all premium motor homes and runs on propane and electric site power. You can preheat the house and the hot water boiler by the engine coolant during travel. Just by running the alde pump and thermostat setting. But their is much more: Front window,seats,bathroom etc , all ending up at a stable temperature.And you can preheat your engine. It takes some space for the radiators. And you have to tap the boiler each month to suck in a new air cushion because you have a Siamese all in one boiler, hot tap water separate from the alde G13 antifreeze 5 years validity. In case of air in the system use the alde tool.You will not find back all individual air release valves under the side grills be cause the grilles have hammer push in.And can not be removed by hand to reach them or for the vacuum cleaner. I did but you have to break one side but you can put back whit the one left. In case both are gone use some glue or a new grille.Look at a video how a alde is fitted into a motor home. I have no clue about the dust- debris collection in all these truma airpipes The start up of diesel ebersphacher is a wake up call. But technicality advanced burners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Ocsid - 2017-01-31 11:57 AM Any diesel fueled system is going to "eat" 12 volts as diesel is a reluctant fuel to burn and it is a liquid, so needs atomising and a sustained ignition source. So going away any route from diesel to propane will drastically save 12 volt energy. Previously I've had both Mikuni and Volvo Ardic diesel-fuelled blown air systems and currently I have an Eberspacher Airtronic (plus an Eberspacher Hydronic hot water system) and none of these use a 'sustained ignition source'. The 12v glowplug is energised during the start sequence (c. 1 minute) but after that it is switched off and the burn is maintained solely by pumping pulses of diesel through a gauze screen into the hot combustion chamber. Anyway.. moving onto the Alde it's all good in my opinion except for: - slow warm-up time - high gas consumption On the first point, it can take 2 to 3 hours to bring a frosted van (our frosted van at least) up to toasty temperature. Regarding gas consumption we can get through 12 litres of gas in one night away in freezing conditions, so you really do need to have the gas bottle capacity and the means of replenishment sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monique.hubrechtsgm Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Fully agreed. At freezing minus six the alde pump comes in very rapidly, but having two parallel battery no problem and some solar. It is ideal if you have site power money for nothing on some sites. On gas you pay the bill. It has more watts than truma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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