Furnace question

[Fcranger]

We are suppose to go camping at a lake that is not too far away from here, I don't think there is shore power there so I will have to use the onboard furnace.  what do I need to know about using it? it's been going down in the 30's at night here. I could use the air conditioner/heat pump but I would have to run my generator for it. I assume that the onboard propane  furnace is safe and reliable. the rv is a new Winnabago Aspect.  new to rving

 

[Carl L]

New unit, new furnace?  No sweat.  Mine has been running off and on for 11 years.  Propane furnaces are very dependable and cheap to run.  Just make sure that your batteries are up to snuff (new unit they should be) and well charged by sunset.  And also be sure your propane tanks are full.  Ration your other power use -- lights, TV, and such.

 

[Fcranger]

Thanks for the fast reply, I think I'll go out tommorrow morning and try it to make sure it works okay
don't want to get there and find out it doesn't work. I've had the RV out a few times but it wasn't cold enough to turn on the furnace to see if it works. I have three quarters of a tank of propane so that should be enough.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Propane consumption won't be the problem with the furnace - it will be battery power. The furnace fan realy sucks the amps out of the battery(s). If you have only one battery for the house supply, it will likely be dead by morning if the furnace runs often.  If you will need the furnace for more than one night - or the following day, plan on recharging the battery.

Yes, it is perfectly safe An Rv furnace draws its combustion air from outside and vents is exhaust outside, so no danger of CO poisoning.

 

[Fcranger]

There are two batteries for the house power and the furnace worked good this morning, I gave it a
trial run the only thing that concerns me is that the furnace is right under the sofa/bed, I picked up the sofa to check on the furnace the top cover of the furnace was a little warm which concerns me because if a sheet or seat belt were to fall down in there it might be a fire risk. is there something I could put on top of the furnace metal top cover to protect anything that might fall down in there between the seat. I know that asbestos has been outlawed a long time ago is there any other kind of material or anything that I could put on top of the furnace cover to protect the sofa seat or anything that might fall down in between there to protect it. I'm a little concerned about this maybe I'm over reacting but beter not to take any chances. some kind of fire or heat resistend pad between there would be good. maybe I could pick up something at a heating contractor/store. some kind of insulation.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

"Warm" is not a risk, but hot could be.  Usually the furnace specs require an air space around the furnace box, typically something like 6 inches.  You could perhaps add a metal cover above the top of the furnace if you are worried about something falling in on it.

 

[Fcranger]

I like the metal cover idea I'll have to figure something out . I'll let you know what I engineered
problem is there's not a lot of space under there. the water tank and water pump is also under there  on the left side of it. ???

 

[King]

It should be the air plenum, and it probably won't get as hot as the air coming out.  As far as 12V power consumption, mine draws about 4A when running.  It runs only part of the time, depending on how cold it is.  With 2 batteries, about 120 Amp hours,  batteries should last  about 20 hours continuous, 40 hours at 50% duty cycle.  I love that furnace... Last year, we went from Ma to Mi and back in Feb...  We kept warm each night and hearing the furnace come on was the best part of the trip.
Art