# Alde heating water loss



## 93087 (May 1, 2005)

Hello is there anyone out there that has had a problem with the alde heating system.
Ive just been away for christmas in my Burstner 747 and the heating is playing up.The coolant in the top of the  reservoir is going down as if its leaking,but there are no visible leaks,has anyone had this problem and whats the cure.thanks


----------



## androidGB (May 26, 2005)

Is the heating still working?.

If you have a fluid loss it will be replaced with air and will eventually stop working. Make sure you top up the system when it is stone cold because the fluid obviously expands and can give you a false reading.

In my Benimar I had a leak where the metal pipe joined a rubber elbow in the Luton and the fluid made it's way out above and behind the passenger door.

Its an excellent system but as the pipes are concealed leaks are difficult to locate.


Andrew


----------



## 92180 (May 1, 2005)

When you last used the system was the heating operational , if this was some time ago it could be that the system has some air in it. have you tried feeling all the radiators for heat , most likely is the Luton area heaters, look for a cool one and maybe some air is locked in. Best to do these test with the unit on gas and electric - max heating power. The unit has an automatic air bleeder so it will eventually get out, it is located on the left hand side of the heater. 

Is the level dropping at a rate or just slightly and over what period hours or days. 

I have the same system and am interested in resolving this matter for future reference. Please keep us posted.


----------



## 93087 (May 1, 2005)

:Thanks for replies guys keep em coming.The story is I inadvertantly switched on the heating and hot water combined with no fresh water in the hot water system.You can run the heater only with no fresh water in but not the combined,We use this motorhome all the time and Ive had no probs in 2 years with the heating system,after this cock up we went away and at first everything appeared ok after a day the heating wasnt on so I checked and found the top up tank empty,I put half a litre of coolant in and heating was ok,a day later same thing, Im worried Ive cracked the boiler between the heating and hot water system as there are no visible leaks on the van and the coolant has got to be going somewhere,Im waiting for alde to get back to me so keep you posted,in meantime anyone else done the same idiot trick.....  
steve?


----------



## eddieo (May 1, 2005)

maxwell said:


> :Thanks for replies guys keep em coming.The story is I inadvertantly switched on the heating and hot water combined with no fresh water in the hot water system.You can run the heater only with no fresh water in but not the combined,


Mmm.. I think thats not quite right, I have had ALDE in last 2 campers. pretty sure that water in or out of tank makes no difference as controls/stat takes care of this eventuality. what does make a difference is that if you leave water in heating tank when van stored/not used this can cause frost damage and major problem. have had no trouble with mine. plus mine had bleeding valves at high point in alcove bed - under bed base slats.

Also, mine had a 8 litre glycol/water mix (in a compact demountable camper with 8 rads) a half litre wouuld not be enough to fill a system? If you cant ID leak check for airlocks - there must be a bleed point at high level somewhere

Good luck and hope its not something to serious

well I think thats my last post will have to join now!


----------



## fdhadi (May 9, 2005)

Hello Steve

Fill the header tank up until 1cm before the max mark. I understand you can use a mix of water & anti-freeze.
Drive the near side front end of the m/h up a ramp so that this is the highest point. Bleed the n/s front rad in the alcove.
Check the header tank level and refill as needed (1cm below max mark)
Repeat this for the off side front alcove rad.
Check the level again & re-fill as above.
This is the best way (according to Barrons) to bleed this system.

Hope this helps


----------



## cairngorm (Nov 10, 2005)

*Problems we have had with Alde*

We set off with our Dethleffs with this system and we seem to have had problems getting the system set up properly.We notice that the heat does not come up part of the back wall and although the rest of the system seems to work fine. Would this indicate an airlock as we do not hear any murmuring in the motorhome.Cairngorm


----------



## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Cairngorm,

Have you followed the procedure in the user manual for checking the level in the expansion vessel and bleeding the system?

If you don't have a user manual, what model do you have?

Dave


----------



## androidGB (May 26, 2005)

Air can certainly be a problem in these systems. It is for this reason that Alde sell a pump (mainly to dealers) to force the liquid in under pressure thereby forcing the air out. It can be very difficult to remove using the "inclanation procedure"



Andrew


----------



## cairngorm (Nov 10, 2005)

DABurleigh said:


> Cairngorm,
> 
> Have you followed the procedure in the user manual for checking the level in the expansion vessel and bleeding the system?
> 
> ...


We do have a manuel for the Alde side of the system.But sadly our English translation book for the Dethleffs manuel, had not arrived when we picked up the van in Germany.Is a cold spot a sign of an airlock as the rest of the van is warm enough. Cairngorm


----------



## 93087 (May 1, 2005)

:Hi guys
thanks for all the help,Ive eventualy found a leak in much the same place as androids on the elbow going up to the luton,coulnt see it but saw a drip under the front of the motorhome when it was finally dry on my drive.The leak was due to the spring clip having never been fitted properly, it was on the the rubber hose but not over the metal tube part so in effect it should never have sealed(not impressed Mr Burstner)it amazes me why it never leaked before, anyway slid the spring clip up so it sealed the rubber against metal pipe bled system and jobs sorted.Going to have a glass of wine now I dont have to worry about buying a new boiler.happy new year to all...P


----------



## androidGB (May 26, 2005)

Thanks for letting us know how it all worked out, and I'm glad everything is now OK, and you can now enjoy your well deserved glass of wine :lol: 


Andrew


----------



## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

"Is a cold spot a sign of an airlock as the rest of the van is warm enough. "

Cairngorm,

Well that depends on what you mean by a cold spot. Even in a normal domestic central heating system, a cold spot can be due to any of a poor heating system design, lack of radiator balancing, air in the system or a fault (eg worn pump). You decide which by investigating the cold spot!

So, is it where radiators aren't, or where they are but at least a part of the radiator isn't as hot as others? If so, which part, the top of it, or even at its inlet? Etc. etc. 

Dave


----------



## Dopeyngrumpy (May 13, 2005)

androidGB said:


> Is the heating still working?.
> 
> In my Benimar I had a leak where the metal pipe joined a rubber elbow in the Luton and the fluid made it's way out above and behind the passenger door.
> 
> ...


Andrew - I've a similar problem on my Benimar - how did you get into the pipes and how did you find the problem ?

Thanks

David


----------



## cairngorm (Nov 10, 2005)

DABurleigh said:


> "Is a cold spot a sign of an airlock as the rest of the van is warm enough. "
> 
> Cairngorm,
> 
> ...


Dear Dave the alde wet water system has a pipe running round the "circumference "of the van and the heat is suppossed to permeate up in a convection manner.The pipe is perhaps running out of heat as it will becoming back to the burner after the next corner turn. I was really wanting to know if that was normal with this device.
Cairngorm


----------



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Loss*

Hello folks!

Fitted my Heat Exchanger and now have and Airlock on the Alde side of things!

Anyone any suggestions how to get rid of the airlock?

TM


----------



## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

*Re: Loss*



teemyob said:


> Hello folks!
> 
> Fitted my Heat Exchanger and now have and Airlock on the Alde side of things!
> 
> ...


Is it just a matter of venting all the rads and doing the highest point one last. Just my logic TM but have never had to do it.

steve


----------



## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Hi all,

I have resurrected this thread because I have a problem with my Alde heating system.

There is an automatic air bleeder valve situated beside the boiler with a drain pipe through the floor. The little bleeder is dripping fluid out and consequently lowering the level in the header tank until the pump stops pumping.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so, any advice would be gratefully accepted. I will contact Graham Cutmore for a replacement valve if necessary but it looks like I will have to drain most of the system to change it.

Oh joy.


----------



## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

fdhadi said:


> Hello Steve
> 
> Fill the header tank up until 1cm before the max mark. I understand you can use a mix of water & anti-freeze.
> Drive the near side front end of the m/h up a ramp so that this is the highest point. Bleed the n/s front rad in the alcove.
> ...


I think that the above information is wrong. The header tank should be filled to 1cm above the Minimum Level when cold. This allows for expansion under pressure to near the maximum level.

If the tank is filled to the maximum level then I think that the system will ditch the fluid (hopefully) via the pressure valve. I wonder if this is the case with 747?

Ron

PS. I'm assuming that we are talking about the 3010 compact boiler?


----------



## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

ob1 said:


> fdhadi said:
> 
> 
> > Hello Steve
> ...


You are correct Ron. 1cm above MIN level when cold is right.

Steve


----------



## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks for the replies.

Mine is the Compact 3000 model and I think I have sorted out the problem.

I removed the air bleeder and removed the cover. There were some pieces of plastic inside (?) which could have stopped it from closing. When I put it back together, I was able to pressure test it with my garden hose and it was not leaking anymore. I will have to drive it somewhere flat to be certain it is fixed as my drive is sloping and I did not notice any leak before our last trip.

Now all I need to do is clear the blocked pipe from kitchen sink to waste tank and then strip out my windscreen wiper assembly (it has seized solid) and we can get out on the road again. :lol: 

Is'nt motorhoming wonderful. :x


----------

