Alde fluid change DIY

[Ptoneill]

Originally Posted by BGClassic

Kudos to Pete B55 and others that tackle this as DIY. We took our '22 to Truma/Alde in Elkhart back in June. Our glycol looked pretty good, and no problems were found with the Alde. It served us well on the Alaska trip this summer.

For reference, one pic is of our two year old glycol. The techs did mention that old fluid can clog up the boiler. We most likely could have gone another year on ours.

They do have a nice shop in Elkhart, and a large waiting room.

If you don’t mind, can you tell us what it cost to have this done at the dealer? Thanks

[KCurtis]

Mine is due to be changed. It is at the dealership for service right now. I have requested what they charge to change it. Waiting for their response.

Amazon has a 5 gallon version of Propylene Glycol for $150. Can I use this and mix in 50% distilled water? Also, how did you guys dispose your old glycol?

[KCurtis]

I got the cost from the dealership: $1272.19
This is to drain, flush, refill and bleed the lines.

labor - $788
glycol - $447.29
tax - $36.90

I think I am going to do it myself.

[ejs5405]

Was not that difficult, but I had corrosion on 2 pipes. So I had to drain from the bottom plug. Change pipes and I flushed with the Rhomar cleaning agent. I purchased 5 gallon of Rhomar fluid.i used Pete’s procedure with a couple mods. Worked great!

[BGClassic]

Originally Posted by Ptoneill

If you don’t mind, can you tell us what it cost to have this done at the dealer? Thanks

We had this done at the Alde/Truma service center in Elkhart, IN. Total cost was about $600. I was not doing this DIY, but I will do and have done many other tasks DIY, including my electrical upgrade.

Our system got a clean bill of health, and the techs said the glycol looked almost new. The system worked flawlessly on our Alaska trip this summer.

I would be hesitant to let any dealer do this. When we picked up our Classic and went through the walkthrough at the NJ dealer, the rep did not know anything about the Alde. YMMV.

[KCurtis]

Asking again… how are you guys disposing of your Glycol fluid you’ve drained out?

[ejs5405]

Everything I have read says it is not hazardous. I dilute the heck out of it and dump it on the ground.

[Ptoneill]

Originally Posted by ejs5405

Everything I have read says it is not hazardous. I dilute the heck out of it and dump it on the ground.

Please read the disposal instructions on the replacement glycol, most glycols are very toxic and require controlled disposal, that being said I have not changed mine yet so I have no experience with the glycols used on the airstream. Most waste facilities have hazmat disposal or links to automotive shops that will properly dispose os vehicle hazmat.

[BGClassic]

According to Google AI:

[Aircats]

In Colorado used glycol/antifreeze is considered hazardous waste; including the non-toxic glycol formulations.

When I flushed my Alde system I captured the used glycol in three 5-gallon buckets (with lids). My county has a hazardous waste disposal facility that accepts the glycol for free, although they keep the buckets and lids.

[Ptoneill]

Originally Posted by KCurtis

I got the cost from the dealership: $1272.19
This is to drain, flush, refill and bleed the lines.

labor - $788
glycol - $447.29
tax - $36.90

I think I am going to do it myself.

Yep, I agree, sounds like this job should take less than an hour, maybe 1.5 for us new folks, $788 for labor is robbery!

[DewTheDew]

Originally Posted by Ptoneill

Yep, I agree, sounds like this job should take less than an hour, maybe 1.5 for us new folks, $788 for labor is robbery!

How does that story go? "Changing part - $10. Knowing which part to change - $500" :-)

[Ptoneill]

Originally Posted by DewTheDew

How does that story go? "Changing part - $10. Knowing which part to change - $500" :-)

I get that, I worked for an engineering company as an expert in fatality vehicle collision reconstruction, they charged the clients over $300 per hour for my services. In the automotive world jobs are usually assigned an hourly standard time @ shop rate, example 1.5 hrs at $150/hr. I am good with this as it gives the customer a realistic average of time vs complexity. My issue is that this job is not that complex, the tools and skills required are minimal. So if the job is rated at 2 hours, for sake of argument, how do you justify a shop rate of over $350/hr. This is becoming a common theme in all sorts of industries. I think one of the primary drivers is that fewer and fewer people grew up trying to repair or tweak their own cars, houses, appliances, we have evolved into a toss and replace society. Pay it if you want, I agree there are definitely jobs best left to the experts, but I enjoy learning how to become more reliant on my skills. Happy Holidays and hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!