Much Ado About ALDE

[kendrick.l.j]

I leave the water running while taking 10-14 minutes showering.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by kendrick.l.j

I leave the water running while taking 10-14 minutes showering.

Hi

..... while plugged into 480V AC ....

Bob

[SeaMover]

Thanks for the reply to my issue. Yes I checked all 4 bleeder valves in the bedroom area no evidence of any open valves or leaks at any of them.
Suspect pipe disconnects somewhere in front behind night stand as excess ran out the floor of the rig at both corners. Probably all three and 3/4 quarts I put in.
I can do a lot but do not think I will tackle dismantling the Twin Bed area to find a pipe leak.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by SeaMover

Thanks for the reply to my issue. Yes I checked all 4 bleeder valves in the bedroom area no evidence of any open valves or leaks at any of them.
Suspect pipe disconnects somewhere in front behind night stand as excess ran out the floor of the rig at both corners. Probably all three and 3/4 quarts I put in.
I can do a lot but do not think I will tackle dismantling the Twin Bed area to find a pipe leak.

Hi

The plumbing fittings used on the Alde are pretty conventional. Getting one cross threaded or not tightening it are both real possibilities. Since you have a "puddle on the floor" a leak is a pretty good bet.

Bob

[SeaMover]

Bob,

Hot showers are over rated anyway! Lukewarm will have to do for another month I am not moving the rig to go fix it now.

[paiceman]

Seamover: If you have no or little Alde Fluid in the boiler the advice from Alde is to not use the system.

Bud

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by paiceman

Seamover: If you have no or little Alde Fluid in the boiler the advice from Alde is to not use the system.

Bud

Hi

..... which gets back to my observation that the heating system for the glycol and the heating system for the hot water are pretty closely associated with each other.

Bob

[paiceman]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

..... which gets back to my observation that the heating system for the glycol and the heating system for the hot water are pretty closely associated with each other.

Bob

Yep:

They
actually from what I've been told and read are in the same compartment of the boiler, simply different "jackets" is how it was explained to me. One for the Alde fluid to provide heat and one for the water for hot water. But, I was told also that no Alde, do not run the boiler at all.

Bud

[lukeysh714]

Have a 2017 Classic 30' with Alde. The pump speed knob on pump is set at 3.5, as stated in manual. But, my control panel has a button for adjusting pump speed. I can go from 1 to 5 on the setting and the sound of the glycol pump does not change. When I adjust with the pump knob, it definitely changes sound of the "hum", so I would expect to hear change in speed from control panel. Is the electronic control speed adjust not hooked up,,,is it an option not utilized, but control panel still shows options???

[ksteve06]

Airstream does not use that feature on the firefly control panel.
https://www.airstream.com/blog/using...ystem-classic/

[kendrick.l.j]

Luke, I gave up using the control panel to adjust the speed. It never seemed to do anything in mine. Once I got the system running perfectly I have been able to keep the speed at 3.5 by adjusting it under the dinette.

[ajwbarnard]

So I have read through this thread. I had started another one about 2018 Classics and Alde. I have been living without hot water for about a month because I don't feel like I have enough mechanical expertise to try all of these possible solutions. For example, I don't want to take the fire extinguisher off the wall and hope it will go back on fine. I have an on-site service call (no tow vehicle, permanently located for the time being) on Friday. Am I foolish to think that a dealer might be able to fix it? I emailed JC and got a pamphlet on how to change the mixing valve. I don't even know if I know enough to know if what a service person might try is a good thing. My only new "symptom" is that even though the heat does come on, it takes hrs to take the temp up 10 degrees. (55 to 65). Does that point anyone to a particular issue? With all the potential solutions, how do I know what is specific to the 2018 and not 2017?

[kendrick.l.j]

"I don't feel like I have enough mechanical expertise to try all of these possible solutions. For example, I don't want to take the fire extinguisher off the wall and hope it will go back on fine"

I am hoping that I completely misunderstood what you meant.

You have an Airstream but no way to get it back to an Airstream dealer but want the dealer to help you. You don't t trust the on-call service tech to know what he/she may be doing but you don't want to touch anything yourself because your aren't sure you can get it back together. You read the threads about the Alde but haven't tried anything yet you still don't have heat or hot water.
Wow, really? I must have missed something.
When I bought my Airstream back in December I was cold and desperately needed a hot shower quickly so I was very motivated to get my system working properly. I am a recently retired female who has never owned and RV before but I was willing to do whatever I needed to do to get things fixed. I didn't have any tools with me other than some screw drivers, duct tape, WD 40, a flashlight and this forum and I got it fixed. Mostly, 3 other Classic owners got me up and running. I did not have to go back to the dealer.
AJW, you gotta try something's, maybe all of them. You got nothing to loose.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The two service options are DIY or Dealer. There is no third option ....This is true of all RV's not just Airstreams.

Bob

[ajwbarnard]

What I am really asking, since I have a on-site service apt on Friday, is whether or not I should trust that the dealer knows what he is doing? We bought at this dealer because of deal and location, not because of reputation. The service mgr when talking with him about Alde problems said to check a panel on the outside of the AS which doesn't exist on the 2018. I read posts in here that the only way that this is going to be fixed is by Jackson Center. So I am really looking for that opinion. How well does AS train its dealers in new products in for repairs or am I just going to be an training experience for the dealer's techs? No hot water obviously was something the dealer did not pick up on when it was in their pre-delivery inspection.

[ajwbarnard]

Originally Posted by kendrick.l.j

"I don't feel like I have enough mechanical expertise to try all of these possible solutions. For example, I don't want to take the fire extinguisher off the wall and hope it will go back on fine"

I am hoping that I completely misunderstood what you meant.

You have an Airstream but no way to get it back to an Airstream dealer but want the dealer to help you. You don't t trust the on-call service tech to know what he/she may be doing but you don't want to touch anything yourself because your aren't sure you can get it back together. You read the threads about the Alde but haven't tried anything yet you still don't have heat or hot water.
Wow, really? I must have missed something.
When I bought my Airstream back in December I was cold and desperately needed a hot shower quickly so I was very motivated to get my system working properly. I am a recently retired female who has never owned and RV before but I was willing to do whatever I needed to do to get things fixed. I didn't have any tools with me other than some screw drivers, duct tape, WD 40, a flashlight and this forum and I got it fixed. Mostly, 3 other Classic owners got me up and running. I did not have to go back to the dealer.
AJW, you gotta try something's, maybe all of them. You got nothing to loose.

I am not desperate for a hot shower. I am in a Campground with full hookups and hot showers that I do not pay for. So I have the luxury of eating for the people who I have contracted with to fix it to fix it. But given the information I have read here, I am trying to determine whether it is this group's opinion whether or not dealer service is going to be adequate. Somewhere, it was said in this thread, they won't let a dealer touch it, only JC. Is it naive to think a dealer should have the resources including support from AS to fix this issue? And what could/should the time frame be? My trailer is in VT. We have about a month left of having water even in the trailer.

[james.mileur]

Ajw, when the tech comes out, the first question, 1) have you been to JC factory training on 2018 Alde system. 2) Do you have the 2018 Alde Boiler manual. 3)Do you have a manual for the Alde pre heater 4) How many 2018 Alde / Firefly systems have you been able to correct that were not working.
While those service guys have experience on Airstream, based on the 17 Alde rollout, they were learning on the run, like all the owners, except they had hot showers and heat at home.
After those questions, you can make an informed decision to let them tinker with your system. At the least, they should collect all the symptoms and call JC for guidance (normal for this company). My selling dealer didn't have electrical schematics for the trailers they worked on, until they asked for them from JC.

Keep at it, you paid top dollar and should expect a working trailer from the dealer. They have a delivery checklist to follow to ensure all systems are working satisfactorily. Just keep asking what they are going to do to fix their problem with your trailer.

Since you have bought into this lifestyle, might need to either buy some tools and start learning DIY, or start collecting mobile RV fix it shop numbers to do your service.

Cheers, James

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Having asked the training question directly to the techs servicing my AS and to the service manager - no AS does not do formal dealer tech training on new systems. However they do supply information on the systems *and* the systems are all pretty standard stuff. They all had seen Alde systems before and understood how to set them up and operate them.

Bob

[james.mileur]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

. . . However they do supply information on the systems *and* the systems are all pretty standard stuff. They all had seen Alde systems before and understood how to set them up and operate them.

Bob

Sorry, Uncle Bob, but both the Dealers I bought and worked with for service said "No" to both the points above.

[kendrick.l.j]

I have to agree with James, my dealer was as clueless as I was about the Alde system. Stayed on the lot for 3 days and they could not get the system running. I could not stay at the dealer any longer and needed to drive 700 miles south. so I drove back to Atlanta and contacted a different dealer, back in December they all seemed to not know why or how to get Hot water or heat. What I learned I learned from this forum, I then very nicely relayed that information to both service departments. So, getting back to the original question on if the AS tech are current and up to date on the 2018 Alde system....based on what I see here on the forum the answer is no or the owners wouldn't be asking any questions because their systems would be working. In all fairness to the local technician, some will know their stuff, some won't.