Bailey • Alicanto Grande Deluxe • Evora • 2025

Most UK campsite hook-up bollards cap out at 16 amps, and some sites abroad only offer as little as 5 amps - go over whatever your particular pitch provides and you'll trip their breaker, not just a fuse in the caravan, so it's worth asking the site what your pitch is actually rated for before you plug in. As a rough guide to what's drawing power at once: a fridge on electric typically pulls around 0.5 amps, a TV about 2.5 amps, the battery charger roughly 1 amp, a microwave close to 10 amps, air conditioning around 4 amps, and a blown-air or convection heater about 8.7 amps, and a 2kW kettle draws around 8.7 amps too.

Add up whatever you're planning to run together and keep the total comfortably under your site's stated limit.

Start by making sure the old cylinder is actually empty, then shut the tap on the gas regulator followed by the cylinder's own valve and every gas appliance in the caravan. Disconnect the hose/regulator from the empty cylinder, undo the strap holding it in place, and lift it out of the gas locker onto the ground - fitting its plastic cap back on once it's out.

Before loading in the replacement, give the cradle and tray a quick check to make sure they're clean and debris-free (plain warm soapy water is fine for this), then take the cap off the new cylinder and set it into the cradle inside the locker. Reconnect the gas hose, refasten the retaining strap, then open the cylinder valve and relight your appliances one by one as needed.

The technician may have left the circulation pump in continuous mode, which is meant for testing and stops the hot water cylinder getting enough heat. Resetting the Alde control panel to its factory defaults is usually the simplest fix - see your heater's operating instructions.

The circulation pump may still be on speed 5, which technicians use to push air out of the system. Turn it back down to speed 2-3 for a touring caravan or a B- or C-class motorhome, or to just below speed 4 for an A-class. If the heating fluid was replaced, there may also be air trapped in the system - see your heater's operating instructions.

Yes - use it exactly as you normally would. The hot water cylinder has no heating elements that could burn out, so it does no harm.

In the UK, the products meeting Alde Approval 40X0 2024 are: Comma Xstream G40; Fuchs Fricofin DP; Volkswagen Group G12evo; and Alde's own Protective Premium in G12++ and G12evo versions. (Alde stopped selling its G13 products at the end of 2023.) All come ready-mixed with deionised water, are magenta, can be mixed with each other, and give frost protection down to -37°C plus 5 years' corrosion protection - but always check the label. North America has its own, chemically different, approved list.

Ideally the same antifreeze that's already in it. Magenta fluid almost certainly means an Alde-approved antifreeze, so top up with any approved product - they can all be mixed. If the fluid isn't magenta, the safest option is to add just one or two cups of deionised water - you lose a little frost, corrosion and bacteria protection, but mixing incompatible antifreezes risks worse damage.

Then have the fluid replaced with an Alde-approved antifreeze as soon as you reasonably can.

Turn on all the electric and gas/diesel heating you have available - this actually uses less energy overall. Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature rather than turning it right up when you feel cold, or you'll overshoot and end up opening windows; a jumper and a setting a couple of degrees lower saves more. If you don't need hot water overnight, tell the system not to heat it then.

Each season, bleed any air out of the heating fluid, and keep the vents at the top and bottom of cupboards and lockers clear.

On 12V DC, how much it takes from the leisure battery varies a lot. It peaks at ignition - about 2 A for gas heating, about 20 A for diesel. For off-grid planning, allow roughly 1 A while gas heating is running and about 4 A for diesel; switched off, the standby drain is around 80 mA. On mains: UK mains is nominally 230V but usually nearer 240V in practice, so expect roughly 4.8 A at 1 kW, 9.5 A at 2 kW and 14.3 A at 3 kW.

That depends on how the vehicle is built and insulated, how cold it is outside, and how much power you can give the heater - more power means more heat. Most manufacturers now aim for around an hour from cold to a comfortable temperature.

You can heat the vehicle through the winter, though if nobody's staying in it you may decide it isn't worth the running cost. On mains hook-up at home, for example, you could set 10°C with 2 kW of electric heating. Check inside regularly for condensation and signs of rodents, and bear in mind some lockers and compartments probably won't be protected from frost.

The heating fluid needs replacing once its corrosion protection runs out - Alde-approved antifreezes (magenta) last 5 years. Bleeding air from the fluid now and then improves efficiency. Each season, check the boiler flue: the hose should be secure and undamaged, and the outlet free of blockages. After 10 or more days staying in the vehicle, top up the boiler's air cushion.

Before any frost, drain the fresh water - and while you do, make sure the red breather valve hasn't scaled up. See your heater's operating instructions for details. An annual service may be a legal requirement, particularly if the vehicle serves as an annex to a house, is hired out, or is somewhere people work.

Set the room temperature on the control panel to around 15°C. In summer that's low enough that the central heating will rarely circulate, day or night, while hot water is not affected.

That's down to whoever installed it - ideally an Alde-approved antifreeze, which is magenta. Alde advises against any antifreeze it hasn't approved.

With the system cold, about 1 cm higher than the Min mark. As the fluid heats up it expands towards the Max mark.

Roughly 10-15 litres in a touring caravan or a B- or C-class motorhome, and 20-25 litres in an A-class motorhome or a boat.

After 10 days' use, the Alde system prompts you to top up the air cushion in the hot water cylinder, which keeps it running smoothly. If there's been water in the system: turn off the water pump, open all the taps and the shower fully, open the safety drain valve for 5-10 seconds and then close it, and refill the water system as usual. If the system has been dry, you can ignore the reminder.

By law, stored hot water has to be kept hot enough to scald, to stop legionella - a potentially deadly bacteria - from growing. The Alde TMV3, an aftermarket accessory, limits the temperature of the water reaching your taps and shower.

Expect roughly a 4-5 minute shower every half-hour. The aftermarket Alde TMV3 can cut down on hot water wasted in the shower, and the Alde Flow gives continuous hot water - it can be retrofitted to any Alde-equipped vehicle from the 2018 model year on, and in the UK is sold only through Moosewerks.

Only water that's pleasant to drink. Some sites in Spain, Portugal and North Africa supply water heavy in bleach or salt, which corrodes stainless steel. Even if a tap is labelled as drinking water, don't put it through the Alde system if you couldn't bear to drink it - unless your vehicle has a reverse-osmosis water filter of at least 4 stages.

Anything the label says is safe for a stainless steel water cylinder. Clean Tabs make a range of suitable products that are easy to find.

Yes. A vehicle can be designed to winterise itself, but very few on sale are.

Yes, and Alde recommends it. You can also set the system to favour one source over the other - for example, whichever is cheaper.

As a rough guide, a 6 kg propane cylinder should last a weekend of gas heating - though in freezing weather it will go considerably faster.

Propane. Butane isn't suitable below 13°C (BS 5482 Part 1).

Yes.

Alde advises against it. A crash sensor on the bulkhead regulator doesn't change the main risk: drive onto a fuel forecourt with the gas heater running and fumes could be pulled straight into its combustion chamber - effectively the same as carrying a lit camping stove across the forecourt. You'd need to pull over and switch gas heating off before every fuel stop, and forgetting just once could be disastrous.

No need to worry - it does no harm in the short term, though B10 or stronger biodiesel shortens the burner's life if used long-term. Carry on using the diesel heating normally until you can top up with at least half a tank of a compatible fuel, and try not to repeat it.

Alde's diesel models - the Compact 4000 D and the 4000 D Plus - run on B7 diesel (EN 590) and XTL diesel (EN 15940). If you use agricultural or marine diesel, HVO meeting EN 15940 is also compatible.

Alde doesn't recommend it. It's technically possible, but if you forget to switch the diesel heating off before stopping to refuel it won't go down well with staff or other customers - and fumes could be drawn straight into the combustion chamber. An Alde engine heat exchanger is the better option for heat on the move.

It depends on how much the boiler compartment and diesel tank need reworking. The Compact 4000 D isn't a straight swap for a Compact 3030, for instance, and not every diesel tank has an accessible sender or a spare fuel pick-up. The cost may well rule it out - Alde puts such a job at probably over £5,000. (Alde's own estimate, as given on its FAQ page in October 2026.)

Yes - both the Compact 4000 D and the 4000 D Plus run on diesel. The Compact 3030 and 3030 Plus can't heat on diesel themselves, but an Alde-equipped motorhome can have the engine heat exchanger fitted to use the engine's waste heat.

No. Even caravans and motorhomes built to the top BS EN 1645 grade aren't insulated like a house, so underfloor heating would have to run too hot to walk on to warm the whole vehicle by itself.

No - it's an open-vented system, which keeps the weight down and reduces the draw on the leisure battery.

No. The controls run on 12V DC, but the electric heating elements need 230V AC mains. Away from hook-up, you'll need to heat with gas or diesel. Run from a leisure battery, the electric heating would produce only around 9 W - roughly a tenth of the heat your own body gives off.

When filled, it's about 10 kg heavier than a combi heater. Separate space and water heaters are generally less powerful these days, so they aren't a like-for-like comparison.

No. Alde Compact boilers have aluminium surfaces inside the glycol cylinder, and any copper particles circulating into it would set up galvanic corrosion.

Climate class SN (which Dometic calls 'Extended Temperate') means the fridge is designed to work reliably when the air temperature is from +10°C up to +32°C (taken at the bottom vent grille, outside the vehicle).

In a hot summer the outside temperature often reaches about 32°C - the top of the fridge's rated range - and once it climbs higher, the temperature inside the fridge will inevitably rise. An absorption fridge needs a heat source to move its refrigerant around the cooling unit (which is why it can run on 12V, 230V or gas), so it has to get rid of the heat from its power source as well as the heat drawn out of the food compartment.

To help it in hot weather: park where the fridge vents get as much shade as possible during the day; unclip the outside vent grilles to improve airflow; and if you regularly travel somewhere hot, consider having a ventilator kit (a fan fitted behind the fridge) installed to boost the airflow - Dometic lists these among its accessories.

Dometic's 2023 'New for old - simply swap' guide covers both its absorption and compressor fridges, showing which current models replace older ones. It's available from the catalogues section of Dometic's website.

Check the fuse in the mains supply and replace it if it has blown, and make sure the vehicle is actually plugged into a mains supply. If both are fine, the AC heating element may have failed - that needs an authorised Dometic service centre.

Possible causes, and what to do: the vehicle's own fuse has blown - replace it (see the vehicle's handbook); the vehicle battery is flat - test it and recharge it; the ignition is off - switch it on. If the fuse in the fridge's DC cable has blown (the fuse on the relay) or the DC heating element has failed, contact an authorised Dometic service centre.

Check the gas cylinder isn't empty (change it if it is) and that the gas valve is turned on. If air has got into the gas pipe, turn the fridge off and on again, repeating this three or four times if needed; if a gas hob or cooker is fitted, switch that on, then try the fridge again if needed.

The mains voltage is too low. The fridge switches back to mains by itself once the supply voltage recovers.

Work through the likely causes: the cooling unit isn't getting enough air - make sure the outside vent grilles aren't blocked; the evaporator has iced up - check the door shuts properly and the seal is seated and undamaged, then defrost the fridge; the temperature setting is too warm - turn it to a colder setting; it's very hot outside - take the vent grille off for a while so hot air can escape faster; too much food, or too much warm food, went in at once - take some out, and let warm food cool before putting it back; the fridge was only switched on recently - give it four to five hours, then recheck the temperature.

These codes apply to Dometic's 10-series fridges.

• W01: the temperature sensor in the fridge compartment is faulty - contact an authorised Dometic service centre.
• W05: no AC (mains) power, or the AC voltage is wrong - connect a supply, or choose another energy source such as gas.
• W06: no DC power - connect the fridge to DC power, or choose another energy source such as gas or mains AC.

W10 with a beep: the door has been left open longer than 2 minutes - close it. W11: DC overvoltage (above 16V) - reduce the DC supply voltage.

ERROR-type faults on Dometic's 10-series fridges have to be reset by hand: on the RM10.5T, RMS10.5T and RMS10.5XT, hold the control knob in for 2 seconds; on the RM10.5S, RMS10.5S and RMS10.5XS, press and hold for 2 seconds. You'll hear a beep once the error is cleared.

• E03: the power module and display aren't communicating - contact an authorised Dometic service centre.
• E07, E08 and E09: no cooling in gas, AC (mains) or DC mode respectively - check the fridge (and the vehicle) is level and correct it if needed, then reset the error; if it comes back, contact Dometic customer service.
• E12 (gas valve test failed) and E13 (internal communication fault) both stop gas operation - reset the error, and contact customer service if it returns.
• E14: the battery packs that power it in stand-alone gas mode have run down - fit fresh batteries before resetting the error.
• E50: gas has locked out after 3 failed ignition attempts, usually because the gas cylinder is empty - change the cylinder, then reset the error.
• E51 (gas lock-out from an internal power-module fault), E52 (gas valve earth fault) and E53 (ignition electrode earth fault): reset the error, and contact customer service if it happens again.

To get the CO alarm running, take the batteries out of their packaging and fit them into the battery compartment, lining them up with the polarity markings - a correctly fitted battery gives a short beep straight away. Press the test button to check it's working: you should hear one beep, then 4 loud pulses, a short pause, another 4 pulses, and a final beep.

You can also check the green LED is flashing roughly every 30 seconds, which shows the unit has power - this is easier to spot with the lights off or somewhere dark.

The smoke alarm runs off a single 9-volt battery, which under normal use should last around a year. A red light blinking every 40 seconds tells you the unit is powered up, and if you hear a chirp at that same 40-second interval, that's the low-battery warning - you'll get about a week's notice before it needs replacing, and it's worth doing so promptly since a flat battery means no protection if there's ever a real fire.

Pressing the test button checks the sensitivity, wiring, battery, and horn all in one go, and it's worth doing this after the caravan's been in storage, before setting off on a trip, and roughly once a week while you're using it. For general upkeep, give the alarm a gentle vacuum with a soft brush attachment every three months or so to stop dust affecting how well it works.

A Thetford cassette toilet is a lightweight and compact toilet designed for use in caravans and motorhomes. The waste is stored in a removable cassette tank, which can be easily emptied into a designated waste disposal point . Watch the video for full instructions

Yes. In most situations it is possible to replace the toilet. Contact your dealer or Thetford Service Centre for the possibilities.

A mobile toilet in your motorhome is not like a regular toilet at home. A mobile toilet additive has functionalities that are not required in your toilet at home. Our products are technologically advanced, applying the latest developments in tailor-made ingredients for mobile toilet applications, and are specifically intended for effective treatment of toilet waste in a small, confined space.

We believe in offering the best performing products for mobile and portable toilets. For that reason, we continuously develop our products to improve their overall performance, whilst respecting the environment. The ingredients we use in our products comply with the biodegradability requirements for detergents in the EU, and we are constantly looking for opportunities to improve product performance at all levels.

Household cleaning products are not designed to meet the requirements of a mobile toilet. Using them for a purpose for which they were not intended or treating wastewater from a mobile toilet with unsuitable products may negatively impact the environment or consumer health. So, never use a cleaning product for a purpose for which it was not designed.

In conclusion, compared to regular household cleaning products, Thetford toilet additives are a more environmentally friendly option for the treatment of waste and prevention of odour and other problems in a mobile toilet system

Empty the waste-holding tank (toilet waste tank) when it is full or starts to smell (4 to 5 days for Thetford Blue products, 3 to 4 days for Thetford Green products), use Thetford Aqua Soft quick dissolving toilet paper to prevent clogging. Regularly clean the outside of the toilet with Thetford Bathroom Cleaner and clean the toilet bowl with Thetford Toilet Bowl Cleaner when necessary.

Finally, clean the waste-holding tank and grey water tank (tank that collects waste water from sink and shower) with Duo Tank Cleaner Concentrated 2-3 times a year to keep all moving parts inside the tank at peak operational level and to prevent odour formation during winter storage.

Depending on user behaviour, we recommend replacement after 4-6 years.

Thetford offers a pleasantly-scented toilet fluid for the flush-water tank and a variety of waste-holding tank products. Aqua Rinse Concentrated keeps the flush water fresh, ensures a smooth flush and leaves a protective layer. All products for the waste-holding tank suppress unpleasant odours, stimulate the breakdown of waste, reduce the formation of gas, protect moving parts and help keep your waste-holding tank fresh and clean.

First of all, in our tanks we talk about specific kind of dirt, not directly comparable with the home situation. And, it’s not only about curing, but also about caring. Duo Tank Cleaner Concentrated cleans and cares, without damaging the material of or components in your tanks.

Start by working out roughly where the nearest transmitter is and whether it's broadcasting a horizontal or vertical signal - your site operator or a look at neighbouring pitches' aerials will usually tell you. Loosen off the mast's locking collar, wind the antenna up, and turn the mast until it's facing the transmitter (there's an H/V mark on the base of the mast that shows you which way is the back).

If you need vertical polarisation, twist the winder anticlockwise to tip the antenna over by 90 degrees, but don't force it. With the aerial in position, power up the amplifier - its LED should light - and wind the gain control fully clockwise to its maximum setting. From there, retune your TV to find the strongest signal, nudging the mast's direction if needed for a cleaner picture, then lock everything in place by doing the locking collar back up.

If you're getting a strong signal and the picture's breaking up, the gain can be wound back down (anticlockwise) - it turns through a full 270 degrees between its minimum and maximum settings.

If you can, angle or tilt the caravan so its drain points sit at the lowest spot, then cut power to the pumps from the control panel. Turn every tap and mixer to roughly the halfway position, not forgetting an external shower point if your caravan has one, then pull off the shower handset to empty out any trapped water.

Next, let the water heater empty through its own drain valve, and do the same for the on-board tank's valve where fitted, leaving both open afterwards. If your caravan has grey waste tanks, pull the plugs from the sinks and open their own drain tap too, plus any other drainage points around the vehicle. Empty the external pump or aqua-source last and bring it inside for storage over winter.

Bear in mind the shower tray tends to hold onto a little water regardless - you'll likely need to mop up the last bit by hand. And double-check any ceramic-disc mixer tap handles are pushed all the way up to central, otherwise one side won't drain fully and you risk frost damage that your warranty won't cover.