2017 Classic -- No Hot water?

[Joellen]

First real trip since picking up our 2017 Classic 30...it's not as easy as it looks. Driving is the easy part! We have been from Cape Cod to some unknown place in CT to Gifford Pinchot State Park in PA and now in High Point, NC and have yet figured out how to turn on the hot water! We are able to get cold water but if you turn the faucet on hot, there is no water at all. We have read every piece of paper we have and are still stumped. Any suggestions? We have had full hook ups and and campground facilities but our next stops are boondocks going and it would be nice to have a little hot water.

[overlander63]

Sounds like one of the bypass valves for the water heater is closed instead of open. Check the valves, they should be under the front dinette bench.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Head over to the owners manual and take a look at "winterizing the trailer". They go through a bunch of stuff about setting this valve here or that valve there. First step is to make sure all those valves are in the "not winter" mode.

Bob

[kendrick.l.j]

I have been part of the '17 Classic hot water crazy. I am sure I did everything wrong the first couple months and I am trying to think back to if I ever had a situation like yours and I am thinking that one of the valves under the dinette (where Alde lives) has to be blocked. But then I thought some more and I am wondering if your mixing valve may be faulty. Not saying it is but I remember that when I was working through the steps I had a noted decrease in pressure when turning the faucet on Hot. I didn't have completely no water like you are discribing just less. I know, this isn't helping at all....just wondering if a broken mixing valve would cause it.

[Joellen]

The lack of any water was a closed valve....I swear we checked that first, but must have missed it....now we have water but it is cold. Can't seem to get it to heat up...

Any thoughts?

[james.mileur]

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f540...on-159190.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f540...de-162472.html

This is the collection of corporate knowledge for your heating system. I'd recommend Ado first and download the ALDE Manual, which you did not get from Airstream.

Welcome to the BAT Club.

James

[kendrick.l.j]

What James said. Please read the thread on Much Ado. The information you will find there is not provided by Airstream. Sometimes it is an easy fix, others not so much but please believe us as those who actually own and use this model have achieved enough hot water for two people to take normal (not navy) showers. Airstream will tell you it is not possible but it is.

[bbandeddie]

Originally Posted by Joellen

The lack of any water was a closed valve....I swear we checked that first, but must have missed it....now we have water but it is cold. Can't seem to get it to heat up...



Any thoughts?

Do you have no hot water on both electric and propane? It is possible, if you had the hot water tank on electric and the tank was empty that you have burnt out the heating element.

[james.mileur]

Originally Posted by bbandeddie

Do you have no hot water on both electric and propane? It is possible, if you had the hot water tank on electric and the tank was empty that you have burnt out the heating element.

Not applicable to ALDE in Classic 17/18. Electric elements are in the glycol chamber which heats the sanitary water in the adjacent chamber. That's why you can have heat without the domestic water system full (i.e., drained for winter).

[james.mileur]

http://www.alde.se/media/110714/v-30...487-us-can.pdf

[ExStreamin]

Originally Posted by bbandeddie

Do you have no hot water on both electric and propane? It is possible, if you had the hot water tank on electric and the tank was empty that you have burnt out the heating element.

This is easy to do when winterizing/de-winterizing. It should still work on propane though.

[GlideMC]

I have the same unit (2017 30' Classic). I had to take mine back to Jackson Center because the Alde unit wasn't functioning. It turned out that a wire in a raceway under the floor had gotten pinched. The technician replaced the wire and it corrected the problem (breaker popping). What may be of more interest to you is that they told me there had been a recall on the Alde mixing valve under the front dinette seat. They replaced it while they were working on the wire problem.

[kendrick.l.j]

I have always suspected that I was not the only one with a defective mixing valve. I betcha those 2017 Classic owners who have followed all of the steps that James and Bud have outlined in the Much Ado Alde thread and they still don't have adequate hot water have a faulty mixing valve. Just my opinion.

[Taroni]

My 2016 Flying Cloud has hot water on propane, but electric is only warm. What a pain. Trying to get it fixed in Montana now easy either.

[69SoulShine]

If you are still in High Point you are just down the road from Out Door Mart, a top notch Airstream Dealer with a great service department. Might be worth stopping in.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I have a nasty suspicion that you need a reasonable load of glycol in the "heating" system to get the hot water to really work right. In any case, it's worth pulling the cover in the cabinet over the toilet and checking the glycol. If it's low you will need to fill it for later in the fall when you need heat.

After doing this and that, there is enough hot water that we need to run the shower controller about half way between hot and cold. A few months ago, showers with it pegged to hot were really cold. We never did the scald adjust reset, but did all of the other stuff outlined in the main Alde thread.

Bob

[Joellen]

Finally giving up on trying to trouble shoot remotely. Our dealer suggested calling "coach net" for service. They provided 2 years of coverage with the purchase. Anyone have experience with them?

[kendrick.l.j]

Joellen, you have a new Airstream that is still under warranty and the Airstream Dealer suggested you call Coach Net? Why would you do that? Have you talked to Airstream in Jackson Center?
As I see it the problem you have haveing with the Alde system can be addressed here within the Forum. I understand you frustration because I had the very same problems last December when I picked up my unit but with the help of this forum I was able to get every problem solved without going to a dealer anywhere.
As anyone from this forum PM you? I promise that there are several 2017 Classic owners that would be happy to help you, my included. Please let us help. You asked for opinions so here is mine, Going with Coachnet is a complete waste of money.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Joellen

Finally giving up on trying to trouble shoot remotely. Our dealer suggested calling "coach net" for service. They provided 2 years of coverage with the purchase. Anyone have experience with them?

Hi

About all Coach Net will do is send out some guy named Bob with a really big tow truck. Next question will be "where do you want it dropped off". It's not quite that bad, but almost. However much help you can get over the phone about the issue is *way* more than they will be able to supply you on a problem like this.

Your only real options are:

1) Get the trailer to a dealer and let them run through things
2) Get the trailer back to the factory for them to run through it
3) Sort it out yourself with assistance from various sources

The Alde fiddling is mostly pouring blue gunk in a tank and/or twisting this or that knob or valve. Not something everybody wants to dig into, but it can be done. Winterizing the trailer is very much the same sort of thing. It just involves different gunk and different valves. Same options there, do it yourself or get it to a dealer. Both are "routine maintenance" on the trailer.

Bob