Rv furnaces?

[Nomad]

I installed a furnace too just to cold here in BC..
"ahh_me2" man it cost like $25 most places in BC for a 20 lb tank
their are things called ear plugs they work for me but I am usually to sleepy to care though....

 

[highdesertranger]

if you are doing the tank exchange thing they way over charge you. for the best propane price buy a tank and get that tank refilled. in larger metro areas go straight to the distributor, that's where you get the best price. here in So Cal I go to Suburban propane, it's always about 2.50/gal, mas o menos. I have never paid anywhere near 3.00 or more per gallon. highdesertranger

 

[ahh_me2]

Nomad, do you have a Costco with propane in your area? They have the cheapest propane, currently listed as $7.49 for a 20# tank.
But I do know a lot of the gas stations in the city here charge around $17.

And yeah, like HDR said, avoid the exchange a tank, they want $26 to swap a tank, and it's something like $60 to join the program, total ripoff.

But then again BC to Alberta, quite a price change, you guys seem to pay around 20 cents a liter more for your gas then us, so propane is probably a bit more as well.

 

[IGBT]

I used the tank exchange thing when putting three 20 pound tanks under our homebuilt camper. I found the tanks discarded they were completely rusty but they exchanged them with no problem.

I think I took advantage of the exchange program even at $19.95

 

[66788]

I have the older style non-electric vented furnace and find it to be preferable over the new (electric valve body+fan) units. One of the problems with the new(er) style units is that, if the pilot flame blows out, the furnace will still turn on, fan blowing, but all it's doing is moving cold air around and will do so NON_STOP!! That can lead to a severely depleted battery in the morn and an EXTREMELY cold living area, since the furnace then effectively acts like a heat exchanger and sucks it all out. The same thing happens if you run out of propane with the furnace turned on.

What I did is to add a thermocouple (normally open) to mine with a computer fan hooked up to it. Thus, when the burn chamber reaches a certain temp, the thermocouple closes and the fan turns on, blowing air past the burn chamber and also increasing efficiency. ..Willy.

Good idea Willy.  I have the newer style in my 5er and there have been times that it comes on with no heat and sucks the heat right out of the rig.   I like your idea.

 

[Dust-In-the-Wind]

Thank you, that's very kind of you to say. 

There are a few more photos here if you are interested: 

http://old-advrider.adcreator.org/f...55a72e7ba7e8597b7bb&p=23743845&postcount=3962 

I am divorced and built it to spend weekends with my kids in their city 3 hours away from home and work. In the last 4 years I have saved over $20,000 in hotels, so it has already saved $4000 over what it cost to build. It is a 1992 F-Superduty with less than 20,000 miles on it, so lots of life left in it yet! It was a former City of Vancouver Police surveillance truck so it did not get out much; it had only 15.000 miles on it when I bought it. Hopefully I live long enough to finish child support, work for a couple of years and then retire and cross Canada in it. Lord knows I will need a ton of gas money as it has a 460 gasser in it!

Link doesn't seem to be working.  Would really like to see the photos.

 

[bcbullet]

Link doesn't seem to be working.  Would really like to see the photos.

Hmmm....weird.
Here it is: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/show-us-something-that-you-made.523072/page-199#post-23743845

 

[lterry]

I already have a furnace in my camper van, and I hope to God it works. Having a thermostat-controlled heater is a must in order for me to feel human. I'll buy the necessary batteries. I'll compensate the added weight by having less shoes, less books, less stuff.
I can be hot, no problem, but I'm miserable cold.
Luckily noise isn't an issue, my bedroom is right beside our central air unit right now...my brain is used to it and tunes it out. I expect that it'll be the same for me in the van.

 

[ahh_me2]

Almost 3 weeks running with the RV furnace now and it's like living in a 1 room home, comfy as can be, I wouldn't have it any other way!

 

[lterry]

Almost 3 weeks running with the RV furnace now and it's like living in a 1 room home, comfy as can be, I wouldn't have it any other way!

That's good to know. What do you do for cold air? My air conditioner works, but I'm thinking about a better more energy efficient contraption.

I'll have to leave my dog in my van for work sometimes and I feel like this would be a great solution. I'd bungie everything in place so she couldn't render it useless and kill herself in the process.

 

[ahh_me2]

A standard 5000 btu window shaker is good up to 250 square feet and I'm at about 96 sq ft so it will work well.
It will consume lots of power though, but I am for the most part grid connected.

 

[B and C]

I already have a furnace in my camper van, and I hope to God it works. Having a thermostat-controlled heater is a must in order for me to feel human. I'll buy the necessary batteries. I'll compensate the added weight by having less shoes, less books, less stuff.
I can be hot, no problem, but I'm miserable cold.
Luckily noise isn't an issue, my bedroom is right beside our central air unit right now...my brain is used to it and tunes it out. I expect that it'll be the same for me in the van.

When it is time to light any of your propane devices, light the stove top first to purge the air out of the lines.  Propane is heavier than air.  I keep posting when I see you onto something new.  I have been down this learning path as my Roadtrek is my first rv too.  Everything is just a little different than a S&B.

 

[66788]

After experiencing the moisture produced by my catalytic heaters recently, I have decided to install a 19K BTU RV heater in my step van build. Having the moisture produced by combustion expelled from the van as opposed to having it inside the van is a must. I will have a 12 gallon under vehicle mount LP tank and 500 watts of solar, so I don't forsee any problems with this.

 

[jimindenver]

One thing about condensation is everyone thinks of what they see on the windows. Everything in the rig absorbs the condensation and in freezing weather can build up. One fella I know of had so much built up in his ceiling that when the thaw came, he thought he had a leak.

 

[lterry]

When it is time to light any of your propane devices, light the stove top first to purge the air out of the lines.  Propane is heavier than air.  I keep posting when I see you onto something new.  I have been down this learning path as my Roadtrek is my first rv too.  Everything is just a little different than a S&B.

I appreciate you keeping up with my tinkerings and brainstorming

 

[Canine]

Yeah,unless you are in the South west moisture can be a problem.You and Vic would get along well,she freezes if it's below 80.By the way,whats a young girl like you doing on a forum with us old goats?(I'm only speaking for myself here)

 

[B and C]

I appreciate you keeping up with my tinkerings and brainstorming

I have kinda takin you under my wing grasshopper as you are new to Roadtreks and I have one.  Do you have the manuals for the appliances, the Roadtrek itself and the brochure for yours?  These are essential for running your rig.  Kinda dry reading but after a few times (for me at least) it sticks.

You can get the basic ones here http://www.roadtrek.com/
Other than that you will have to search on each appliance by make and model.

 

[lterry]

Yeah,unless you are in the South west moisture can be a problem.You and Vic would get along well,she freezes if it's below 80.By the way,whats a young girl like you doing on a forum with us old goats?(I'm only speaking for myself here)

40 isn't exactly a spring chicken...anyway, I have an old soul. 
But I still don't see any old goats here!

 

[lterry]

I have kinda takin you under my wing grasshopper as you are new to Roadtreks and I have one.   Do you have the manuals for the appliances, the Roadtrek itself and the brochure for yours?  These are essential for running your rig.  Kinda dry reading but after a few times (for me at least) it sticks.

You can get the basic ones here http://www.roadtrek.com/
Other than that you will have to search on each appliance by make and model.

I downloaded a manual from the website the day I brought the van home - you're right, it is dry reading. 
I was just about to open it again and do a little bit of research.

 

[SoulRaven]

After experiencing the moisture produced by my catalytic heaters recently, I have decided to install a 19K BTU RV heater in my step van build.   Having the moisture produced by combustion expelled from the van as opposed to having it inside the van is a must.   I will have a 12 gallon under vehicle mount LP tank and 500 watts of solar, so I don't forsee any problems with this.

A furnace is only part of the solution though, you still need lots and lots of ventilation.