Alde 3020 Reservoir Leak

[IannF]

First weekend use of new Bailey Unicorn 3 Seville and used both heating and water. Generally very impressed with the Alde system. On reaching home, however, we discovered that some clothing which had been on a shelf under the reservoir in the wardrobe was stained with some of the glycol mixture. Removed it to find more traces on the shelf itself. The liquid level in the reservoir looked no different and there was no evidence of spillage at the top or down the sides of the reservoir itself.

 

While back with the dealer for some other repairs they said they had the system on overnight with no evidence of any leakage/spillage, so it's a mystery. Has anyone else experienced this? (Can't find any posts about it here.)

[kiaboy]

Mate of mine had a new Bailey (not sure which model) he commented on a small amount of fluid on the floor from the expansion bottle he said the level was OK, but did a small bleed of the system topped up the fluid and made sure the cap was correctly fitted and he never had a problem after.

[JTQ]

A couple of points worth checking;

 

Has it a by boiler mounted pump, and if so is it set to #2, the typical running setting or at the commissioning setting #5? Poor PDIs leave it set incorrectly.

 

This can cause over zealous circulating with the potential to spit out of the venting tube.

 

The header should have two top neck end, small bore tubes.

• One is an over flow and should be near immediately routed down to under the van.
• The other serves as a vent and should rise directly about 200mm [8"] above the top of the turn of the overflow tube.

I have read of the vent tube not being fixed properly and serving as an overflow.

[Alan Stanley]

Also make sure the level is correct when hot and working. The level rises quite a bit from cold to normal working temperature

[Chalky9]

I had the same problem when we got our Unicorn Vigo earlier this year. The fluid level was too high, so I syphoned some off. I then checked that the reservoir cap screwed on tight, but I was still getting the spillage. Investigating further I found that the reservoir itself was not secure - the long mounting bolts had not been tightened properly. Since tightening these bolts I've not found any further evidence of leakage.

[Leesdad12]

I had the same problem. Mounting bolts not secure and the cap on the top not screwed on tight . Same van as yours, now no leaks. Only leaked when we were on the move.

[IannF]

Really helpful observations, thanks. Will check through these points tomorrow!

[ChrB]

Sorry to pick up an old thread but I've been chasing damp in the bottom of my Cadiz III wardrobe. 

Turns out it's Alde fluid. There's no vent pipe in my expansion tank, just the hole next to the cap. 

 

Does anyone know if I can buy the fitting for the hole, and the tubing? Or am I looking at a whole tank assembly? Or, shall I just source some tight fitting and stuff it in the hole? 

PS there's no evidence of anything to secure the tubing upright (Or in any other way) How is this usually shaped and kept secure? 

Thanks

Chris

 

[Lost in the wilderness]

I think the vent is just a tight fit in the hole. 
On my previous van, this was then routed down and out through a hole in the floor

[ChrB]

19 hours ago, Lost in the wilderness said:

I think the vent is just a tight fit in the hole. 
On my previous van, this was then routed down and out through a hole in the floor

Thanks. 

There's already an overflow pipe running down through the floor. 

 

I think you're right though, that one is just wedged in so the vertical vent one probably will be too. 

 

 

[Seaman]

When we had a twin bed Lunar Clubman SB we had Alde fluid spillages in our wardrobe when we were towing. I eventually had the wheels balanced and the problem was solved. The wheels were severely out of balance, the nearside in the wardrobe vicinity needing 135 grams.

[Alan Stanley]

55 minutes ago, Seaman said:

When we had a twin bed Lunar Clubman SB we had Alde fluid spillages in our wardrobe when we were towing. I eventually had the wheels balanced and the problem was solved. The wheels were severely out of balance, the nearside in the wardrobe vicinity needing 135 grams.

Doesn't surprise me.  How manufacturers who do not balance the wheels justify it is a mystery known only to them

[JTQ]

22 hours ago, ChrB said:

Sorry to pick up an old thread but I've been chasing damp in the bottom of my Cadiz III wardrobe. 

Turns out it's Alde fluid. There's no vent pipe in my expansion tank, just the hole next to the cap. 

 

Does anyone know if I can buy the fitting for the hole, and the tubing? Or am I looking at a whole tank assembly? Or, shall I just source some tight fitting and stuff it in the hole? 

PS there's no evidence of anything to secure the tubing upright (Or in any other way) How is this usually shaped and kept secure? 

Thanks

Chris

 

 

Your query does lead me to ask, "why is the Alde fluid level, getting so high to need the overflow, and or swamp that and get up the vent tube?"

 

First the overflow is there just in case it is needed, secondly the vent is just that an air vent so should not be seeing f the liquid.

Are you over filling the header?

To answer that avoid saying it is filled [cold] to below the upper mark, because with the typical system volume our vans have, it really has to be as it will on expansion risk throwing liquid up at the overflow and vent.

It needs only to be about a centimetre over the lower level mark in our application.

 

There is a surprising degree of expansion as the system heats up, clearly more when the whole lot does as during space heating, as opposed to just water heating.

I have known people keep topping it up, and it then dumps the excess next time it gets warm, on an ever repeating cycle! They had a damp wardrobe, so this point might be worth considering in your case?

 

Filling check, for topping up must be done with the system cold, and still then kept way off the upper mark.

 

[ChrB]

No I don't think I'm overfilling. I'm topping up to just about minimum when cold. 

I don't have any spillage when running the heating.  It just appears after towing. 

Only after taking the cover off, did I notice the vent hole. Then investigating Alde installation manual, I saw a pipe fitted vertically from this hole. The manual says that this pipe must be secured above the header with P clips. There is no evidence of any fixings at all in this area so I blame Bailey for it going missing. 

I had new tyres earlier this year and watched them being balanced, so don't think it's that. 

I think it's simply the bounce of the van right at the back end. Oh, and maybe something to do with the header's bottom fixing screw bring completely loose in the wall. They are simply long self tappers, through rubber tubes, into the very thin inner skin of the wall.  I'll be making sure that's fixed securely, too.