About to fit ALDE Heat Exchange to a new Peugeot camper

[trevskoda]

I would have thought it easy to fit a 500w electric heater and a inverter switched on by a relay when engine is started,a throw switch would also make it work when using ehu.

 

[Trek]

Hi trevskoda

Your suggestion to use an inverter and 220vac heater would have been easier to fit

Though I don’t think that a 500w electric heater would warm up the whole of the rear of the camper

Plus with the heat exchanger it also heats up a tank of hot water in the ALDE


BUT i suppose an alternative would have been to fit an inverter that would supply at least 3kw and the ALDE coild have been run on its EHU settings using its own internal heating elements

 

[Trek]

Had a look at a Swift Kontiki at the NEC Caravan and camping show which had a ALDE heat exchanger fitted to a FIAT ducato

Please to see that SWIFT had also made the two T connections to the dash heater matrix on the hoses that go in and out of the bulk head

SWIFT had used plastic TEFEN T pieces But I had decided on brass ones

I also noticed that they had managed to get the heater hoses that runs back into the camper to go up and over the top of the fuel tank Where as i had zip tied them below it which is a little more exposed but does enable some pipe insulation to be fitted

 

[AndrewA]

I am considering installing a heat exchanger on my Fiat based Autotrail Comanche with Alde heating. How far way from the engine did you fit the heat exchanger. Do you have any photos of the installation and connection to the engine coolant.

 

[Trek]

Hi AndrewA

I will endeavour to get some photos but as its not my camper it could take 2 or 3 weeks

ALDE heat exchanger was fitted in the motorhome behind passenger seat in a floor seat bench locker

So heating pipes run from top of engine down bulk head on passenger side under battery box and under fuel tank , we used 19mm inside diameter heater hose , if you use 16mm you may get them to fit above the fuel tank around fuel filler and then up through the motorhome floor

 

[AndrewA]

Hi Trek

Thanks. Looking forward to seeing some photos. What make/model Motorhome is it fitted in.

Regards
Andrew

 

[Trek]

Hi AndrewA

Its a peugeot based 2018 Elddis Encore 255

 

[AndrewA]

Hi Trek,

Do you have a parts list of what you ordered and where did you buy them from.

Did you fully drain the Alde system to fit the heat exchanger.

Looking at the Alde Installation manual it recommends, for best efficiency, to have the flow of the engine coolant through the heat exchanger in the opposite direction to the flow of the habitation circuit. Did you do this and how did you to determine the flow.

When you looked at the Swift at the NEC did you see where they located the heat exchanger.

Andrew

 

[Trek]

Mate bought the ALDE bits from Southdowns , but i think https://www.leisureshopdirect.com/ may have been a bit cheaper

He bought alde heat exchanger with the bleed and isolation valve, fitting kit and two 90 bends one with a bleed valve a metre of 22mm alde black hose and some 22mm clamps

The engine heater hose (www.melloronline.co.uk ) was 19mm and he used 19 mm brass tee’s to cut into engine coolant system and 19 to 16mm brass straight reducing couplers at the heat exchanger as the heat exchanger is 22mm on alde side and 16 mm on engine side

We couldn’t determine coolant flow direction as both sides got hot at same time so just connected up and hoped for the best , working great and still not able to decide engine coolant direction of flow

Yes we drained down the alde system , but didnt purge it once the head of coolant was drained out we were able to remove a bend hose with minimal coolant leakage

Didn’t look at swift HE location but the pipes went up into the camper floor in about same place as we had fitted them

So basically in the near side corner of the camper wooden floor behind passenger seat and fuel tank / filler

Photos will follow when i get them
the engine side we just clamped the hoses either side of the cuts to fit the tees , filled up heater hose down to heat exchanger before making tee connections

 

[AndrewA]

Hi Trek,

Thanks for the detailed info. I’ve just been to the dealer to see my Motorhome and have a few options for locating the heat exchanger.

My only concern is the following email reply I had from Alde today.

“At Alde we never retrofit engine heat exchangers to motorhomes that are within warranty, because it usually invalidates the chassis cab warranty unless fitted by the vehicle constructor”

I’m going to contact my local Fiat dealer in Swansea to get their view on the warranty issue. It may mean that I will have to get them to make the connection to the engine. But that would be a small price to pay to maintain the warranty.

 

[AndrewA]

Hi Trek

Forgot to ask about re-filling the Alde system. How easy was it. Did you have access to the special pump that Alde have.

 

[nabsim]

Trek did you stick with the original hot tank or fit a bigger one? Also mine has both an expansion tank and an accumulator to damp down any pulsing, did you fit either of those?

My questions are just me being nosey really, I am not changing what I have

 

[Trek]

Hi Nabsim We didn’t make any changes to the alde system as fitted by elddis apart from inserting the heatexchanger in series with existing pipework and that was by disconnecting two joints ( bends) and inserting inbetween
Hot tank inside Alde boiler and it was using alde reservoir , there is no accumulator fitted

AndrewA We drained down the alde system via the underfloor drain point into a clean gallon water container

It was Easy to refill - refilled reservoir using saved coolant, when reservoir full - started to open the bleed valves until fluid came out , worked around all bleed valves and ensuring reservoir topped up as fluid worked around system , then turned on pump and waitied for the pump to do its work, switched it off and re-bled each bleed valve

I have made additions to several Alde installations and also changed fluids at 2 or 5 years and never needed the Alde refilling kit


We too were concerned about warranty on Peugeot base , and Alde told me exactly the same regarding making connecting to engine

Yet Swift are happy to do it As are other motorcaravan manufacturers

We decided if there was a problem that needed warranty work on engine we could just disconnect our handy work and replace the two top heater hoses that we had cut to insert the Tee’s from engine to dash heater matrix and no one would know the difference unless they looked at manufacturer dates on hoses

 

[Trek]

Hi AndrewA

Hope these help

 

[AndrewA]

Hi Trek,

Thanks for the photos and are helpful. I didn’t realise that Peugeot use a different Euro 6 engine to Fiat. I have been able to see a 2017 Fiat based Swift and took some photos which I have attached for reference.

Alde told me that the heat exchanger is fitted to the engine coolant system by Al-Ko when the the chassis conversion is done and is approved by Fiat. They gave me a list of the parts they ship to Al-Ko. They use 16mm heater hose and 19-19-16 Tefen T connector.

After drilling holes in the floor for entry of the heater hose did you use any form of lining for the hole.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Trek]

Note the Tefen Fittings are plastic ( i have used them on car pre heaters) but prefer where possible to use brass fittings

 

[andrew65b]

Okay I am not going to get any further into this one lol

If I remember to I can see if I can spot where the pipes come off if it’s any use

Hello Nabsim, I also have a Sprinter and am currently planning the install of an Alde heat exchanger. It would be really helpful if you could confirm where the T joints are located, and specifically whether they are in the main rad circuit or the cab heater circuit.

 

[Trek]

Use the cab heater circuit

What model sprinter and engine do you have

 

[andrew65b]

Use the cab heater circuit

What model sprinter and engine do you have

Its a Sprinter 313, 2012, MWB. There is no doubt that it is easier to T into the cab heater circuit, and so that is the straight forward option to take, but I can't help thinking that it will be more efficient if I can find a way of a T into the main rad circuit. It is just that there isn't really any section of straight hose on the main rad circuit to T into, so keen to understand which route other Sprinter users have taken and whether it has impacted their cab heating performance much when they have put the T into that.
Also keen to understand if anyone has used a heat exchanger other than the Alde one, as they do seem v. expensive compared to other similarly sized heat exchangers? Is there any advantage to the Alde one?

 

[Trek]

Does your sprinter have the factory fitted optional diesel fuelled ebespacher hot water heater ?