My ambo...

[highdesertranger]

hey Baloo, are you going to bring that bad boy to RTR? I really want to see it. pretty please. highdesertranger

 

[Ballenxj]

Well too late I guess, I picked up an Atwood Everest Star 7920-II.

<--snip--->

Now where to put it? After hours of looking around with the tape measure, then only spot it would work and not get in the way is next to the microwave in the cabinet where the buddy heater was stored.

Those heaters work GREAT! I would recommend mounting it closer to the floor though for the best effect. Everyone I have seen in an RV has been mounted close to the floor, and I'm sure the reasoning is because heat rises.

 

[Baloo]

hey Baloo, are you going to bring that bad boy to RTR? I really want to see it. pretty please. highdesertranger

Really depends on a few factors, mostly work/vacations time and then of course is the Ambo ready.

As far as heater location, the choices we limited based on cabinet depth and ambulance wall structure. It is pretty big (18,000 BTU) so I am confident it will still do the trick, if there is an issue, I can always duct it.

So here is the progress so far,

Just have to run the propane line, electrical connections and mount the thermostat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Baloo]

Well got a little closer today, welded up a tank mount and installed it.

Waiting on an exhaust vent kit, should be here tomorrow. Then it is time to test this it all out. I am really hoping it lives up to my expectations. Other wise this was a lot of work for nothing. Oh well, I am going to continue to believe it will be awesome!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wayne49]

An array of muffin fans with a controller that senses floor temp and ceiling temp differential to vary the fan speeds.

Or a quad copter glued to the ceiling.

 

[Matlock]

Well got a little closer today, welded up a tank mount and installed it.

Waiting on an exhaust vent kit, should be here tomorrow. Then it is time to test this it all out. I am really hoping it lives up to my expectations. Other wise this was a lot of work for nothing. Oh well, I am going to continue to believe it will be awesome!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm interested in how well this works for you. The CF of the space to be heated is small so it shouldn't take long at all to get comfortable once you get all the interior hard surfaces warmed up. I'm betting the 20lb tank will last you a couple weeks at 32F, maybe more.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Don't remember what you did about house batteries on this rig, but hope you keep in mind that the blowers on these furnaces tend to really draw a lot.  RVs with a single 12 volt "RV/Marine"  house battery frequently report that the battery is dead by morning.  And once the voltage falls below a certain point, the furnace will refuse to come on, for safety reasons.

 

[Baloo]

Don't remember what you did about house batteries on this rig, but hope you keep in mind that the blowers on these furnaces tend to really draw a lot.  RVs with a single 12 volt "RV/Marine"  house battery frequently report that the battery is dead by morning.  And once the voltage falls below a certain point, the furnace will refuse to come on, for safety reasons.

That was a huge consideration, given some furnaces draw up to 11 amps.

This unit draws 3.4 amps during operation, I have 4 deep cycle group 29 marine batteries for the house and 2 group 31's for the truck. The house batteries are kept charged up by two 100w monocrystaline solar panels. So far they have yet to let me down and that is with running the inverter for tv/DVD player, making a few bags of popcorn In the 1000w microwave, then running fans all night. If all else fails the generator can bring them back to full charge. Obviously time will tell if this system will work out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Baloo]

Well despite my three hour drive to Jackson, I did manage to get some things working with the heater.

No ladder available, had to use the next best thing...

Set the thermostat to 75, and it turns on, a few minutes later it shuts off. Open the door to let the heat out and it turns back on till it is nice and toasty in the ambo again!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[highdesertranger]

Baloo I think you should paint your ambo the same color as that equipment in the background. I am partial to Desert Sand. highdesertranger

 

[Baloo]

Baloo I think you should paint your ambo the same color as that equipment in the background. I am partial to Desert Sand. highdesertranger

I have been thinking about that color, I like the look of the big trucks in the motor pool.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[highdesertranger]

yep that's the color of my truck.



highdesertranger

 

[Baloo]

yep that's the color of my truck.



highdesertranger

I love your truck! Do you have more pics of it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[highdesertranger]

thanks I have posted a few different pics on other threads. after RTR it's going to get a new engine, paint job, complete rewire, and some other misc. stuff. I will do a build thread then. highdesertranger

 

[Ballenxj]

Set the thermostat to 75, and it turns on, a few minutes later it shuts off. Open the door to let the heat out and it turns back on till it is nice and toasty in the ambo again!

Sounds like it's doing what you need it to do. Success!
I like your ladder substitute.

 

[Baloo]

What a great night of sleep! Didn't wake up cold, no propane or carbon monoxide alarm! (The buddy heater would set it off from time to time). It is quiet, just a slight hum. It did not run as much as I thought it would. About once every half an hour or so for about four minutes on average.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ArtW]

as a guy who has spent some time on ladders, I'd call your 'next best thing' a far better thing, wish I'd had something that solid when carrying buckets of hot tar to the roofs I was fixing, back then
HDR's truck just looks so...awesome

 

[bcbullet]

What a great night of sleep! Didn't wake up cold, no propane or carbon monoxide alarm! (The buddy heater would set it off from time to time). It is quiet, just a slight hum. It did not run as much as I thought it would. About once every half an hour or so for about four minutes on average.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have used my Everest for about 100 nights over the last few years...it has never missed a beat. In an insulated 16' cube van at -25C it will run about 15-20% of the time once the room temp is up. Full blast until then of course. 
A couple people have "poo-pooed" it when they stick their hand into the outcoming air when it first starts, but they don't understand that it is heating via a heat exchanger and that it takes a few passes through before things really start cooking.
I would not have anything else...except maybe a Cubic Mini wood stove. I will not post it here though as I got my wrist slapped for suggesting it in some "let's build a woodstove from a shittee tin box" thread.

 

[highdesertranger]

won't get any poo poo from me. I think a wood stove is a great idea for a larger vehicle. a van is kinda of small for one though. highdesertranger

 

[Baloo]

won't get any poo poo from me. I think a wood stove is a great idea for a larger vehicle. a van is kinda of small for one though. highdesertranger

That is why I ended up going with a forced air furnace.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk