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10-28-2016, 07:35 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 621
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Return air path for furnace
In generally exploring and coming to understand my 2014 RP-171, I got to wondering exactly where the furnace gets its return air (intake for cold air, which gets heated and blown out of the front of the furnace). All of the return vents in the furnace body are situated towards its back half, which is stuffed way back under the kitchen sink.
It turns out that there's no proper return path - any return air comes from leakage through kitchen cabinet doors and drawers. This can be demonstrated by opening a lower cabinet door when the furnace is running - you can hear the fan speed up since it has to work less hard to move air.
I'm in the process of making some changes to address this.
The first change was to create a vent between the water heater/water pump compartment and the cargo space just aft of the water heater.
The second will be to create another vent in the port side of the utility space behind the shower, from the utility space to the cargo compartment, with a 200 mm 12 V fan that will pull air from the vent under the bathroom door and push it into the cargo space, from where it will work its way forward along the port side, following all the holes through which wiring and plumbing run, back to the heater.
I think I'm also going to need to gasket the door that allows access to the cargo compartment from inside the trailer so as not to leave a bypass path.
Even when the heater's not in use, the fan should serve to ventilate some of the spaces now typically filled with musty stagnant air and help to reduce condensation, especially that which people have noted under the mattress.
We'll see how it all works out over time.
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12-12-2016, 09:03 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 621
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Pictures:
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12-12-2016, 09:25 AM
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#3
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 10,505
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While you're at it now is a good time to add a furnace filter.
Typical RV furnaces have no filter and really should.
Dust will coat the blower sooner than you think.
I know because our roof AC does have a little sponge like filter and it
gets dirty in just a few days of use.
The furnace has none-- Why??
Honestly I'd go measure mine right this minute but it's parked and cold.
Maybe next spring??
__________________
Peace!
Dan & Rita D
2017 Nissan Titan 5.6L King cab 4wd
2016 Evergreen Everlite 242RBS
29' empty nest model. Blue Ox WD hitch
(1 queen bed, large main cabin and huge bathroom)
Camping days 2010-53, 2011-47, 2012-41, 2013-41, 2014-31, 2015-40, 2016-44, 2017-63, 2018-75, 2019-32, 2020-41, 2021-49, 2022-43, 2023-66
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12-12-2016, 11:39 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 621
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KyDan
While you're at it now is a good time to add a furnace filter.
Typical RV furnaces have no filter and really should.
Dust will coat the blower sooner than you think.
I know because our roof AC does have a little sponge like filter and it
gets dirty in just a few days of use.
The furnace has none-- Why??
Honestly I'd go measure mine right this minute but it's parked and cold.
Maybe next spring??
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I'll have to think about that. - My fan does not push enough air to handle a standard hot air filter.
- The logical place to put a filter is the crude hole Forest River made between the cabinet under the sink and the furnace, but that has a disordered rat's nest of wiring going through it.
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12-13-2016, 07:37 AM
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#5
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 10,505
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One of these might work for you. It can be cut to fit around your obstructions and it's pretty open weave so won't restrict air flow all that
much. If you're careful it can be gently vacuumed or blown reasonably
clean with compressed air so it's more or less re-usable at least a time or 2.
I'm familiar with them because I used to use them in a home made back yard goldfish pond filter.
Flanders PrecisionAire 24 in. x 36 in. x 1 in. Permaire Pad Air Filter-40655.012436 - The Home Depot
__________________
Peace!
Dan & Rita D
2017 Nissan Titan 5.6L King cab 4wd
2016 Evergreen Everlite 242RBS
29' empty nest model. Blue Ox WD hitch
(1 queen bed, large main cabin and huge bathroom)
Camping days 2010-53, 2011-47, 2012-41, 2013-41, 2014-31, 2015-40, 2016-44, 2017-63, 2018-75, 2019-32, 2020-41, 2021-49, 2022-43, 2023-66
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