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[GONE] Free 12v propane van furnace in Arlington, Texas

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CosmickGold

Well-known member
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
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Location
Arlington, Texas
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I have the above $682.66 propane furnace, still new in its box. I want to give it to someone who cannot afford to buy their own. I want to give it to someone who will install it in their own van to keep toasty warm this winter, just like I have been doing in mine.

I ordered one furnace, but they sent me two! When I called and asked how to give the extra furnace back, the girl on their phone told me "Just keep it". So here it is, waiting for you to come to Arlington, Texas, and offer me a tour of your van, showing me where you plan to install it.
 
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Very generous of you Cos!

Just FYI those can also be used in a small cargo trailer conversion or a replacement in a small travel trailer.

The recipient will also need a wall thermostat, but those are not very expensive.
 
Very generous of you Cos!
Just FYI those can also be used in a small cargo trailer conversion or a replacement in a small travel trailer.
The recipient will also need a wall thermostat, but those are not very expensive.

True. It will require purchasing a simple two-wire thermostat like the $14 one shown below, where temperature rotates a bimetal spring with a tiny magnet that snaps the metal contacts of the switch shut. More complicated / electronic thermostats won't work with this furnace.

AtwoodHydroFlameThermostatBase.jpg
 
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Holy cow what an offer!!



I’m currently near colorado springs enjoying the temperature and public land, but i’m actually coming back to san antonio to stay with my family all November and December to rebuild my van and make a few necessary upgrades i’ve been putting off for far too long. (Proper and continuous solar set up/ heating / AC)

The Heater is one of one of the things i was willing to sacrifice to spend more on power, which i know is a decision i would have regretted.



You let me know Cosmic and i’ll be there November 1st with a six pack and the biggest smile and hug you’ve ever seen.
 
Holy cow what an offer!!



I’m currently near colorado springs enjoying the temperature and public land, but i’m actually coming back to san antonio to stay with my family all November and December to rebuild my van and make a few necessary upgrades i’ve been putting off for far too long. (Proper and continuous solar set up/ heating / AC)

The Heater is one of one of the things i was willing to sacrifice to spend more on power, which i know is a decision i would have regretted.



You let me know Cosmic and i’ll be there November 1st with a six pack and the biggest smile and hug you’ve ever seen.
You bring me many smiles. 🙃 :) 🚐:giggle:

I was serious in message #1 where I said "come to Arlington, Texas, and offer me a tour of your van, showing me where you plan to install it." I need to know you really do have a good place for it. I put mine right behind the dirver's seat, which is under my built-in table.

The instructions explained the in/out vents for the flame must be on your van's side where wind blows straight across as you drive. I think this it to prevent the flame from being disturbed by gusts, as well as so the fire chamber does not fill up with insects that were blown in!

Also, the furnace must be away from your bed, lest sheets, or blanket, or pillow slip down in front of the air vent and catch fire.

Hopefully, you won't mind drilling two holes in the side of your van for the flame's intake and output air. I found that surprisingly easy to do, and its silver vent cover on your van's outside looks fine.
vent.jpg

It might be a good idea to send me pictures of your van's interior and where the furnace will go, before making the trip to Arlington, TX to pick it up

I'll remain parked near the corner of Park Row Dr and Cooper Street in Arlington Texas, if you'd like to look that up. I'm a full-time caregiver for a handicapped girl living in an apartment nearby, and will stay here until May 1st. After that, I'm leaving Texas for the mountains of the Northwest, never to return to hot-dry-flat Texas again.

I do hope this all works out.
Among other things, I look forward to seeing your van and showing you mine.
 
Vailya I have a spot for overnighters here, so if you need to boondock at a midway point along the way just send a PM (start conversation) and I'm about an hour south of Amarillo.

I do hope this works out for all involved!
 
Holy cow what an offer!!
. . . .
You let me know Cosmic and i’ll be there November 1st with a six pack and the biggest smile and hug you’ve ever seen.

The girl I care for, Diem Nguyen, suggested we three meet at Starbucks right up the street, and maybe get a great meal at Chipotle (next to Starbucks).
This picture shows the light at the same intersection on the left, and the Starbucks & Chipotle on the right.

During my first year with the furnace, I slept through some really cold winter nights, well below freezing. I set the thermostat for 55F, and it still used up 2 and 1/2 tanks of propane before winter ended. So the next winter, I bought . . .

wwCarBlanket.jpg

. . . this tiny electric 12v blanket which I wrapped around my chest under a lightweight jacket, then covered up with another blanket on top. I set the furnace thermostat to 38F (so water wouldn't freeze) and kept the mini-blanket set on Low.

That kept me toasty warm (and still does) on each cold winter night. The draw on the house battery is too tiny to measure, and come Spring, I had only used up about 1/2 tank of propane, which is five times less than the year before!
 
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I threw this $700 furnace in the dumpster this morning since even though I have offered it for free exactly 14 months as of today, no one has ever come to claim it for their own van, schoolie, cargo trailer, or travel trailer.

The bright side is that I'm already making good use of the six cubic feet it was consuming.
So "Good riddance" (I guess).
 
Wow. A thread 'bump' might have helped the offer get noticed by newer members.

Regardless, thanks for the offer to our group here.
 
Thanks for the link to the thermostat. I have a 1989 Class C with a Suburban furnace, so I don't need a new furnace. It was working at one point. The original thermostat is a decrepit mess barely hanging on the wall. Eliminating the old thermostat should aid in diagnosing the furnace's issue.
 
Now, at this late date, people are posting comments of interest and suggestions on what I could have done?
I had not heard of "bumping"; likely that would have worked.

I'm rather sad and frustrated about this, but too late now.

Thread 'bumping' is when your thread seems to have faded into the background of the forum, with no activity for awhile, and just to bring it back to the current results and make it visible again, you simply reply to your own thread....usually the word 'Bump' is posted, just to let everyone know the item is still available.

I have adjusted the thread title to indicate the disposal of the item.
 
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