how to...FIT AN ALDE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE SENSOR

It's useful to Know what the weather Is doing, without having to step outside, and an outdoor sensor is very easy to fit, says Nigel Hutson

- Nigel Hutson

One of the things I’ve always added to the Alde heating system in our ’vans over the years is an outside temperature sensor. These will work with both the Alde 3020 and the latest 3030 systems. They will also operate with the original 3010 unit, although the connection is different from what is being described here.

I don’t have a particular fascination with the weather (well, no more than your average Brit!), but as a point of interest, I do like to know what it’s doing outside the cosiness of our home-from-home, especially in the colder months.

Yes, I could open the door and await the cold blast, just before I hear the warning, “Close that door, you’re letting all the warmth out!”, but as I like clever gadgets and having DIY jobs to do, fitting the sensor is the way to go.

Until recently, I thought that the Alde Outside Temperature Sensor was just that: a little add-on that displays what the weather outside is doing, and nothing else. However, following a recent conversation with Alde’s HQ in Sweden, I have learned that having the temperature sensor helps the heating system to function more efficiently.

If the system’s wizardry detects the outside temperature is dropping, it will monitor the internal temperature and turn on the heating before that internal temperature drops.

It also works in conjunction with Truma air conditioning, if you have that, and Alde heating (as they can be linked to give climate control), but in the opposite way, in that if the outside temperature starts to rise, the air conditioning unit will kick in sooner than it would without the Outside Temperature Sensor fitted.