Furnace Register Covered in Carpet

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DearMissMermaid

DearMissMermaid

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Joined
Dec 26, 2009
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on the move USA
I bought a 5th wheel used a year ago.

It came with fairly new carpet installation which included all of the bathroom areas.

The RV has a propane furnace with floor registers.

Recently I discovered the floor register in the water closet is covered in carpet.

Can I just cut it open then install a register?

I can't figure out why they did this. Sloppy attention to detail?
 
Yes you can cut it and install a register. I wouldn't do it because when I had an RV with floor registers I kept stubbing my toe on it. I always go bare foot at home.

There are several different sizes.

https://www.amazon.com/Decor-Grates-AJH412-RB-Oriental-Register/dp/B004TW8A4I/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1542447705&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=rv+floor+register&psc=1
 
I would, but before doing it, turn on the furnace and check to make sure there is hot air in that area.
The previous owner might have that duct sealed off for a reason.
If you can feel the rug getting warm, then I would do it not only for heat, but for the safety factor.
Some of my registers get very hot and I wouldn't want them blocked off.

jack L
 
I go barefoot too.

I had to redo several registers already because they were flimsy plastic.

I replaced them with metal.

It wasn't cheap but I didn't want an ankle breaker either.
 
You'll probably find the register is still there otherwise there would be a big hole.  How did you come up with the notion that there should have been a register in a certain spot?
When you say water closet, I assume you mean where the toilet is. If it was me, I would remove all the carpet around the toilet. That's not a good place to have carpet.
 
Good point Rene. I bought a 20 year old class A with carpet in the bathroom and when I removed it I was amazed at how stained the carpet was.
 
On the flip side, too many covered or closed registers can stop your furnace from lighting.  The furnace needs a certain amount of air flowing through it to activate the air flow switch so the starting sequence can begin.  Blocking a register (or closing it) reduces the airflow that can exit the furnace.

Same thing holds true for the intake side.  Too much of a restriction there will likewise reduce the airflow through the furnace below what is needed for reliable operation.

Sometimes a furnace with restricted airflow will work when you're on power but not when you're boondocking.  The higher voltage from the converter vs. the voltage from the batteries lets the fan spin fast enough to overcome the restriction.
 
DearMissMermaid said:
I go barefoot too.

I had to redo several registers already because they were flimsy plastic.

I replaced them with metal.

It wasn't cheap but I didn't want an ankle breaker either.
Click to expand...

We got a new trailer last year and I replaced all of ours. The ones that came with the trailer had no adjustable louvers, and I like to be able to direct the heat as I want it and be able to close off some.
Take your measurements and go to Lowes. They have just about every size.

Jack l
 
 
Rene T said:
You'll probably find the register is still there otherwise there would be a big hole.  How did you come up with the notion that there should have been a register in a certain spot?
When you say water closet, I assume you mean where the toilet is. If it was me, I would remove all the carpet around the toilet. That's not a good place to have carpet.
Click to expand...

I don't pee on the carpet.  ;D
I like the warm carpet on my bare feet.
Stanley Steemer recently did all my carpets and the bath wasn't any dirtier than the rest of the RV.

I do have a special thick floor mat I put down in front of the shower each time I use it. Then I hang it up in the shower to fully dry and let it live there until the next shower.  8)

Even when I had a sticks and brick home, the bath had luxurious carpet, but I used thick bath mats for bathing.

In my last motorhome I removed all the carpet except for the cab  and the bathroom. :) I had to replace the toilet at some point and the carpet stayed. It wasn't dirty and no one had peed on it. :)

I discovered a soft spot in the floor the size of a register, then I checked the basement and YEP, there is duct work going to the soft spot.

 
Rene T said:
You'll probably find the register is still there otherwise there would be a big hole.  How did you come up with the notion that there should have been a register in a certain spot?
When you say water closet, I assume you mean where the toilet is. If it was me, I would remove all the carpet around the toilet. That's not a good place to have carpet.
Click to expand...

There is a small hole, the carpet indentation. No register under the carpet. It's close to the wall, so no one has fallen through it.

In the basement, I can see the duct work leading to it.

This rig like many, came with that weird hard as heck to find size of a register.

Lowe's doesn't carry it.

Don't mention RV in Lowe's either. They freak out.
 
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