If you don’t have an Alde (pronounced Alduh) system, then you will find this post boring and irrelevant, much like those folks who do have an Alde system.  The audience for this post?  Those three people worldwide who actually know less than I do about the Alde Compact 3020 RV Furnace system.

For those owners of newer aged Airstream Classics, you very likely have an Alde 3020 system that provides heating and hot water in your RV.  We have been delighted with our Alde system as it provides a much higher quality of heating throughout the cabin and is virtually silent while running.  But like any mechanical system, it does require some knowledge and routine maintenance.  We are dealing with propane and hot water, so don’t be stupid.  RTFM (Read the F’ing Manual).

Many of you may be handy enough to perform your own maintenance – my hat’s off to you.  But that is not me.  Not even close.  Therefore, we recently took our trailer to Truma (manufacturer of the Alde system) in Elkhart, Indiana.  Truma’s facility in Elkhart is their North American headquarters, although their systems are manufactured in Sweden and Germany.

We took our trailer to Truma for a couple of reasons.  One, what better place to have the best chance of finding knowledgeable service technicians.  Second, the ready availability of parts should they be needed (they were not, thankfully).  And third, Truma will schedule your trailer for service at an agreed upon date and time, so when you show up for your appointment, they are ready to work on your system – a true customer focus here at Truma.  While one might think this is the way it should always be, most RV dealers will schedule your trailer to come in, but then will work on it when they get around to it, which could be weeks later.

Based on our experience, all three of our criteria were met – in spades, and as a result I would highly recommend bringing your Alde in for service here at Truma.  And did I mention they have two camping sites with water and electric for their customers (first come, first served).  You immediately recognize this company as one who values their customers, a quality in short supply these days.

Our service technicians Eddie and Jason were super knowledgeable, had our system pulled apart and diagnosed before I could finish my second cup of coffee.  Eddie educated me on how the system works in general, as well as identifying the issues he had seen.  In fact, in their lobby there is a cutout version of the system that helps you to understand exactly how this system works.  Therefore, let me share my newfound intellect with you, but as always, RTFM.

The Alde 3020 is composed of three fundamental parts: 1) the furnace to heat the glycol, 2) the hot water storage tanks (one in the furnace as well as the Flow auxiliary hot water tank), and 3) the system of piping and convectors that run around the perimeter of your trailer carrying glycol to heat your trailer via convection.  It is the propane or electric heating of glycol that ultimately heats both the water and the air.  I prefer my glycol on the rocks with a twist.

Furnace:  The furnace is insanely quiet, unlike many other heaters found in other RV’s.  We honestly can’t hear when our furnace is on, unlike other brand furnaces that you can hear fire up from three campsites away.  The furnace heats the glycol, which then can be used to heat the air in the trailer and heats the water.  It can be fueled by propane, electric, or a combination of both.

The furnace circulates the glycol using a 12-volt circulation pump, meaning you don’t need “shore power” to operate the system.  Having said that, you can use electricity as a fuel as there are two 120V heating elements as well in case you are hooked up to electricity.  And for those of you who winter camp or have yet to de-winterize, the furnace can be used to heat the trailer without needing to have water in the water tank.

Hot Water Storage Tanks:  There are two hot water storage tanks: Flow, the auxiliary hot water tank, sits adjacent to the Alde furnace and provides additional storage for hot water – providing greater capacity to support longer showers.  The primary hot water storage tank is housed within the main furnace unit.  Both water tanks are enclosed, with glycol circulating within its own piping to heat the water.  Got it?  Don’t make me explain this again because the answer will probably be different.

Piping and Convectors:  Aren’t you sorry you started reading this post?  Like a train wreck – you can’t look away.  OK, so there is a network of piping that circles the perimeter of your trailer, mostly out of sight, and occasionally viewed when you see the convectors (think radiators) that helps disperse heat.  The fundamental concept of the Alde system is convection.  Missed science class?  Convection is the movement within a fluid when heated.  The fluid (some fluids better than others), when exposed to heat, get less dense and tend to rise.  Glycol happens to be an excellent fluid for this purpose.  The simple fact that heat rises is why the tubing for the glycol is routed at floor level, so the heat can rise and circulate throughout the cabin of the trailer.

The only exception of running the piping at floor level are at two locations: at the towel rack in the bathroom (which gets heated by the way – pretty sweet), and in the center of the couch up front.  These two locations are the high points in the system, locations you may want to check to bleed air out of your system.  Remember what I said about some fluids being good at creating movement when heated?  Air in the system is exactly not that.  You never want air in your system.  My wife concurs.

Simply turn the valve enough to let any air out, which should be very quickly – you will see glycol start to come out.  Just hand-tighten close each valve.

Think of the glycol like antifreeze in a vehicle, only instead of taking away heat from the engine, it is providing heat to the air.  I might add the quality of the heat is fabulous because the Alde system has been designed to make the entire trailer equal in temperature.  With other brand furnaces it is not uncommon to have hot and cold spots throughout the living space.

The other component within this piping network is the expansion tank.  The expansion tank does – well, exactly that.  It allows expansion in the system so bad things don’t happen.  This tank, if you are not familiar, is in the bathroom cabinet – behind a cover with two screws.  You do want to check this periodically to make sure your fluid is at a correct level.

OK, those are the three major components.  I did not discuss this summary with Eddie and Jason because I knew they would find fault, and that might cause me to lower my own self esteem.  No need for that.  Not at this point.

Maintenance:  One of the key routine maintenance items you need to do is to renew the air cushion in your water tanks – Alde recommends weekly.  What the air cushion does is to provide an air bubble that prevents too high a pressure coming from the water pump, and possibly causing damage or failure to operate.  This task is actually very simple, although like all RV tasks, it requires one to get down on one knee.  Not boasting, but I look good on one knee.

To build air cushion:

1. Turn off water (from the street and/or the water pump),
2. Open all water taps
3. Turn off the Alde system (hit the button with the green light so the light goes off)
4. Remove both side and front covers to the dinette seat (so you can access the valves)
5. Release both yellow-handled valves (one valve closest to the hallway and the other one in the back, close to the side of the trailer), which in their ordinary state is in the closed position (lever lays flat to the piping). Open the valves (so the levers stand up straight vertical) for about 10 seconds.  If you were to go under the trailer while doing this, you would see some water draining onto the ground.  That is a good thing.  Even I can perform this task.  I prefer Karen does it, but never mind.

After you have restored both valves to their original position, you can re-install the covers to the dinette – you are good to go.  Turn the water back on, light up the Alde system (you know, hit the button so the green light comes on), and if the creek hasn’t risen and things haven’t exploded, you are once again on the path to greatness – maybe in your case goodness.

The other “must do” maintenance item is to have the glycol flushed and replaced every two years.  Just like your car needing the oil changed from time to time, the Alde glycol similarly needs to be flushed – every two years per Truma, the manufacturer.  This is because impurities can enter the glycol, and under certain circumstances bacteria can gain a presence if not kept spotlessly clean.  About three years ago a newer, better version of glycol came out, so you want to make sure you have the green version.  Don’t ask me how I know this, but I suspect some RV dealers are still using the old kind.  And never mix versions.

Having seen the attention to detail that the Truma techs exhibited during our visit, going forward we will absolutely work our travels around getting to Truma every two years.

Clearly you may from time to time have issues with your Alde system, but if you perform the very simple bleeding process (renew the air cushion), maintain the glycol level, purge any air, and schedule to get the glycol changed every two years (to avoid corrosion), you will go a long way to reducing issues.  Truma in Elkhart, IN provides a fabulous maintenance operation with world class customer attention.

But, as always, don’t listen to me.  RTFM!

Safe travels – see you down the road.  And stay out of our lane!