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Topic: ALDE heating not up to scratch?

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Surfer01

02/4/2013 at 2:35pm
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We had our ALDE heating going over the Easter weekend when the temperature was down to -4C and during the day with wind factor taken into consideration it felt like -7C!
Although we had the ALDE heating set to 25C the highest it reached was 21C. The caravan has 2kw heating element for hot water. Using gas helped bring the temperature to a reasonable level.
The other thing we noticed is that the floor remain very cold and cold air around our feet. At least with the Truma blown air the vents were around your feet.
Very disappointed in the performance of the ALDE heating which is supposed to be better than the Truma blown air heating. Not sure how we could improve it without resorting to using gas.

JTQU

02/4/2013 at 3:52pm
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With a potential Alde boiler performance of 7.5 kw on propane plus electricity [or 8.5kw if you specified the 3 kW element option] then if your van is not getting up to temperature the fault clearly lies elsewhere.
Typically some van makers put in inadequate radiators so the Alde boiler can't run at a sustained full performance.
If the maker penny pinches and installs only a radiator fit capable of dissipating part of the Alde boiler output then you never will get the full sustained 7.5/8.5 KW performance from it.

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Surfer01

02/4/2013 at 4:05pm
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Quote: Originally posted by JTQU on 02/4/2013
With a potential Alde boiler performance of 7.5 kw on propane plus electricity [or 8.5kw if you specified the 3 kW element option] then if your van is not getting up to temperature the fault clearly lies elsewhere.
Typically some van makers put in inadequate radiators so the Alde boiler can't run at a sustained full performance.
If the maker penny pinches and installs only a radiator fit capable of dissipating part of the Alde boiler output then you never will get the full sustained 7.5/8.5 KW performance from it.

Thanks. If it helps it is a 2011 Lunar Delta TI.

birder99

02/4/2013 at 4:43pm
Location: Cambs
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Now probs with it in my 2010 delta. the only thing I would add is that sometimes 2kW is not enough to keep a large 'van warm on a cold windy day and that if you use much hot water it does tend to cool the heating down a bit until the water tank is up to temp again. When I am on ehu I tend to put a small (400W) oil filled heater near to toilet door to keep bathroom warm and I turn on my electric under carpet heating which although low wattage keeps feet warm and makes 'van appear warmer than it really is. If no ehu and using gas the Alde never has a problem in heating the 'van. Would never go back to blown air after using Alde system.

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Surfer01

02/4/2013 at 5:22pm
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and I turn on my electric under carpet heating which although low wattage keeps feet warm and makes 'van appear warmer than it really is.

I have never heard of this for a caravan. Please enlighten us. Thanks;

birder99

02/4/2013 at 5:36pm
Location: Cambs
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One of many under carpet heating suppliers

I take my undercarpet heating out in May and put it back in at the end of September as I tend not to use carpets during the summer.

There is a thread on Ctalk forum about this and while some say you don't need a thermostat I prefer to use one or my feet get too hot.

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Simon100

02/4/2013 at 9:45pm
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Surfer01. I would have your heating checked out. I have a Clubman and have no issues with the Alde heating. It is very warm, despite freezing weather, and thbere are certainly no cold spots. Much better thgan thbe warm air heating in my last van.

JTQU

02/4/2013 at 10:18pm
Location: Hampshire
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Rereading this are we talking about using the heating on electricity only?
That is only 2 or optionally three KW output and the van is a large 21 foot one.
I have serious doubts that 2 kws will maintain an internal temperature of 25 degrees C in an ambient with a wind chill of minus 7 degrees C.
Is your requirement realistic and within what Lunar designed for?

I was out over Easter but off EHU so on gas 5.5 KWs; that kept our 21 foot continental van easily at the 19 C we had set it to. Burnt 7 KGs of gas over the four days though.

Post last edited on 02/04/2013 22:27:07

issym

02/4/2013 at 10:36pm
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We took delivery of our new Lunar Clubman on Thursday and also found it struggled on the Saturday to bring the heat up. We also had a problem with low voltage supply to the fridge and wondered if the heating was also struggling. We swapped everything to gas and this brought the temperature up.We swapped the heating back to ele ctrics once the temperature was up and it maintained it a a lovely temperature. The floor was chilly but no different to home!

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jaqugra

02/4/2013 at 11:37pm
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JTQU - how does your battery cope when you are not on electric if running the central heating? Was looking at newer vans but quite a few don't have a gas fire when they have ALDE systems.

blueexpo97

02/4/2013 at 11:59pm
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Quote: Originally posted by Simon100 on 02/4/2013
Surfer01. I would have your heating checked out. I have a Clubman and have no issues with the Alde heating. It is very warm, despite freezing weather, and thbere are certainly no cold spots. Much better thgan thbe warm air heating in my last van.

I would agree with just about all of that apart from our bathroom can be, shall we say cool. I put this down to the vent directly above the shower cubicle.

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JTQU

03/4/2013 at 6:54am
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Quote: Originally posted by jaqugra on 02/4/2013JTQU - how does your battery cope when you are not on electric if running the central heating? Was looking at newer vans but quite a few don't have a gas fire when they have ALDE systems.

I am not sure it would as we have the heavier duty inline pump and together with the boiler the measured current drain is 1.6 Amps. Whilst these are not on continuously but cycling even if on a third of the time this would drain the battery by 12.8 AH per day, so 51.2 Ah over this four day break. We have a free standing 85 Watt solar cell and this ate the job including a modest hour or two of TV just to keep up with the news etc. Whilst it was bitterly cold the sun through the windows actually meant the Alde was not working over quite a bit of the day. I monitor the solar panel and the power it gathered ranged from 14 to 10 AH per day and every day had fully recharged both the van's 80 AH and TV's 60 Ah batteries, well before the sun dropped.
With the header mounted pump I read the current draw is somewhat lower, though have never had one to measure that. The boiler when on combustion fan draws 0.6 amps.

JTQU

03/4/2013 at 7:37am
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I should also point out that unlike the OP we were not keeping our van way up at 25 C but a comfortable for us 19 C.

At 25 C the boiler would be on much much more of the time quickly flattening the battery and burning more gas than we could have carried!

One day the sun alone through the windows got us up to an indicated 26 C, actually too hot for us, requiring the fly screens to be drawn.

Post last edited on 03/04/2013 07:43:11

Surfer01

03/4/2013 at 9:55am
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Quote: Originally posted by birder99 on 02/4/2013
One of many under carpet heating suppliers
I take my undercarpet heating out in May and put it back in at the end of September as I tend not to use carpets during the summer.
There is a thread on Ctalk forum about this and while some say you don't need a thermostat I prefer to use one or my feet get too hot.

Thanks for the link. Well worth investigating. We had the temperature set to 22C, but when it did not reach that temperature we changed it to 25, but it made no difference as the highest was about 21c except by our feet where it felt like -1C!
I noticed that in the Lunar Delta and I suspect the same for the Clubman, under the front chest of drawers is a very large vent, but not in the floor. This allowed a lot of cold air into the caravan.
We are away this weekend and will look at blocking up this vent to see if it improves the temperature.

TonyC52

03/4/2013 at 10:57am
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All caravans need their ventilation but it could have been the wind direction was straight into the large vent you mention which caused the cold around the feet.

My caravan is well insulated and once up to temperature never have a problem with being cold, even away this winter when everything outside froze up. Only run on both gas and electric when first set up to get up to temp then on 2kw elec rest of time. Often see it is not on as up to temp. The radiator in our bathroom makes this very warm.

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JTQU

03/4/2013 at 11:54am
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Try running your full awning skirt along the windward side of your van, pegged well down to stop the draughts but retain ventilation?

I positioned my van vent/door free side against the wind which also thankfully placed the bulk of the windows towards the sun.

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