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Old 01-08-2018, 06:00 PM   #1
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Heated shower floor?

Is the 2018 30' Classic supposed to have a heated shower floor?

A video featured on the Airstream web site (link below) depicts a woman showcasing the features of what appears to be a 2017 30' Classic. At about the 1:40 mark she refers to the "heated shower floor and towel bar" although I can't find a mention of a heated shower floor in the 2018 literature, and the floor in our 2018 30' Classic doesn't seem to heat up. My wife thinks she read about a heated shower floor somewhere else so we're confused.

Was this an actual feature in the 2017's? Was it deleted for the 2018's or is this something I need to add to the to-do list when I take the trailer in to the dealer this week? Thanks.

https://www.airstream.com/travel-tra...ssic/features/
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Old 01-08-2018, 07:04 PM   #2
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Brochure says heated towel bar. Heated shower floor in 33’.
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Old 01-08-2018, 08:06 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by mikeinca View Post
Is the 2018 30' Classic supposed to have a heated shower floor?

A video featured on the Airstream web site (link below) depicts a woman showcasing the features of what appears to be a 2017 30' Classic. At about the 1:40 mark she refers to the "heated shower floor and towel bar" although I can't find a mention of a heated shower floor in the 2018 literature, and the floor in our 2018 30' Classic doesn't seem to heat up. My wife thinks she read about a heated shower floor somewhere else so we're confused.

Was this an actual feature in the 2017's? Was it deleted for the 2018's or is this something I need to add to the to-do list when I take the trailer in to the dealer this week? Thanks.

https://www.airstream.com/travel-tra...ssic/features/
In the parts manual for the 2018 Classics a heated towel bar is part of the Alde system shown for the 33', but not the shorter lengths. In the schematic drawings just beside the towel bar there are a series of close bends in the pipes. I'm guessing those bends are looped beneath the shower to heat its floor.
Look at pages IV-3 and IV-4
https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...Parts-Book.pdf
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Old 01-08-2018, 08:21 PM   #4
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In the parts manual for the 2018 Classics a heated towel bar is part of the Alde system shown for the 33', but not the shorter lengths. In the schematic drawings just beside the towel bar there are a series of close bends in the pipes. I'm guessing those bends are looped beneath the shower to heat its floor.
Look at pages IV-3 and IV-4
https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...Parts-Book.pdf
Thanks for the reference; it's helpful.

If you look at page IV-2 there's a schematic of the 30' Twin which is what we have. Callout 4 on that page references the heated towel bar in the bathroom which works fine on our trailer. Callout 3 is "Alde pipe - shower floor warmer" although so far we've not detected heat in that area.

Does anyone with a 2018 30' Classic get noticeable heat from the shower floor?
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Old 01-08-2018, 08:34 PM   #5
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I did not see those on the 30' when I looked first time.
Looks like the pipe loop that goes to the floor is a single run, so not much of a surface area to exchange heat. Still, better than nothing!
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Old 01-08-2018, 09:01 PM   #6
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‘17 classic 30 does not have heated shower floor, at least mine doesn’t. Would have been a wonderful addition.
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Old 01-08-2018, 10:26 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by mikeinca View Post
Thanks for the reference; it's helpful.

If you look at page IV-2 there's a schematic of the 30' Twin which is what we have. Callout 4 on that page references the heated towel bar in the bathroom which works fine on our trailer. Callout 3 is "Alde pipe - shower floor warmer" although so far we've not detected heat in that area.

Does anyone with a 2018 30' Classic get noticeable heat from the shower floor?
Our towel bar heats up nicely, and while I’ve not experienced a warm shower floor, I do believe that the floor is somewhat warmer when the Alde is heating the trailer.
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Old 01-08-2018, 11:02 PM   #8
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‘17 classic 30 does not have heated shower floor, at least mine doesn’t. Would have been a wonderful addition.
Except the nice lady in the video who's showing the features in a 2017 Classic 30' says that it does. She wouldn't lie to us would she?

No seriously, Lauri, the schematic for the 2018 30' shows a shower floor heating pipe but mine doesn't heat up either so maybe it's just a poor design. As A W Warn points out there might not be enough surface area from the single pipe to make much difference. When I take my trailer in I may ask them to see if that pipe is properly positioned, unless they have to tear something apart to check it in which case it's probably not worth the effort.
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Old 01-09-2018, 04:34 AM   #9
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I remember seeing that video but have asked several other owners and dealers about this feature, so far it’s been a negative but Please let us know if you see any improvement in the shower floor temperature. I would love to have a heated floor.
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Old 01-09-2018, 04:57 AM   #10
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in the 2017 Classic Parts book on page IV-2 there is reference to the heated shower floor. I was told by our sales person that "And the shower floor is even heated". I actually forgot about it as our floor has never gotten even warm. In looking at the page, and then the trailer I suspect that in fact there is a Alde pipe that flows like shown, but if you notice it runs on the back and one side of the shower. My guess is in this short run, under the heavy plastic of the shower stall there simply is not enough heat transfer from the Alde piping to the shower floor itself. All that said, ours has been running now for 24 hours as we load up the trailer and I will be over at the trailer later and will lay the back of my hand on the areas where the pipe is to see if in fact it is warmer than the other areas.

file:///D:/2017/2017%20Airstream%20Classic/2017-Classic-Parts-Book.pdf

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Old 01-09-2018, 05:06 AM   #11
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This is serious! Class action law suit?
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Old 01-09-2018, 05:30 AM   #12
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This is serious! Class action law suit?
Hardly, serious, class action, count me out. The pipes are there, as I stated I'll see if it's warmer later this AM, if not, I will contact AS and see what they say. It's a warmer not a heater, as stated the pipes are there as it's a continuous loop around the trailer - they have to be there or the system would not function.
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Old 01-09-2018, 05:40 AM   #13
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It is a joke! Heated shower floor? Gotta be kidding me!
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Old 01-09-2018, 06:02 AM   #14
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I think the heated shower floor is a generous statement for the sake of marketing. When I wired my trailer for lithium batteries I had to run some cables under the shower. There is an access kick plate on the floor below the TV on the queen model. All that is under the shower is the single Alde pipe that loops the perimeter of the trailer. It did not touch the shower floor, it had no radiating elements. I have no doubt it gets as hot as the towel bar but there is no conduction path to transfer heat to the shower floor.

I’m surprised the Airstream marketing dept hasn’t offered us a “heated” door threshold where the Alde pipe runs under the trailer door- that does actually get warm
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Old 01-09-2018, 07:44 AM   #15
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It is a joke! Heated shower floor? Gotta be kidding me!
Realized as such after my post, apologies.

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Old 01-09-2018, 07:56 AM   #16
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OK.

Just got back from the trailer, aside from putting stuff in and relocating a self actuating fire extinguisher I checked our "heated shower floor". Lets just say the Airstream Marketing department either snuck this one in or they are like my two marketing departments were, "stretchers", who really need additional controls and editing put on them. It's a nice sales pitch, but based on others and my "test", it's a gimmick at best.

It is 37F outside, our trailer Alde is set to 65f and it is that temperature inside, based on the Alde reading as well as two other thermometers I have placed in the trailer. The humidity level is 34%. I used the back of my hand to check the "heated shower floor". I use the back of my hand as in the K9 world when checking to see if pavement is too hot for our partners to walk on as the back of the hand is close to simulating what their pads feel like and I figured it would be sufficient here.

The front perimeter, the side towards the front of the trailer was slightly warmer - heated no, warmer yes, but nothing close to what I would call a "heated floor". No place else in the shower, or on the shower floor was a different temperature, at least to my touch, than the area by the shower control handle, which I used as the standard of an unheated area. Again it's a nice marketing tool, but my humble advise to Airstream Executives, remove this from all advertising and literature, it's not heated. There is no fault in my system, so I am not going to bring our trailer to JC for this issue as I don't want anyone touching our Alde, unless it really breaks down.

That's it, my report and I'm sticking to it.

Bud
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Old 01-09-2018, 08:27 AM   #17
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Outside Temperature correction it was 31f NOT 37f.
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Old 01-09-2018, 08:38 AM   #18
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Wouldn’t this feature only work if I the shower is running (as the Alde heating system won’t be on in the summer.) Perhaps the hot water supply to the shower runs close to the shower pan.
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Old 01-09-2018, 09:44 AM   #19
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Wouldn’t this feature only work if I the shower is running (as the Alde heating system won’t be on in the summer.) Perhaps the hot water supply to the shower runs close to the shower pan.

Interesting point. The Alde is on as it is also the hot water boiler-two jackets sitting side by side in the small boiler. So, the Alde fluid is heated, but is not circulating. I think you are correct in that if not circulating the area over by the shower would not be warm, but then in the summer it would be hard to tell if the shower floor was warm or not as once the hot water hits it, it would be warm.
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Old 01-09-2018, 10:55 AM   #20
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Wouldn’t this feature only work if I the shower is running (as the Alde heating system won’t be on in the summer.) Perhaps the hot water supply to the shower runs close to the shower pan.
If that's the case it's a very lame feature, unless one plans to let hot water run before one gets in the shower which doesn't seem very practical given the limited supply of hot water in the first place. Not to mention that if you have hot water splashing inside the shower, heating the floor from underneath is somewhat irrelevant!

FWIW, I conducted a similar test last night to the one that paicemen described with a similar result; there was a suggestion of heat in one small area on the perimeter of the shower toward the front of the trailer but it was cold everywhere else. Given that I will be unable to position myself in that 4" square area while standing in the shower, I think my dream of a heated shower floor will have to die!
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