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Old 03-16-2014, 08:58 AM   #1
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2013 8280WS Signature Ultra light heater issues

I bought the 8280WS last year at a RV show. We loved this trailer and since I frequently hunt in Utah I liked the four season aspect of the trailer. We quickly found that when it's cold, the heater struggles to heat the trailer. Last September in the mountains of Norther UT, we had 10 inches of snow and 3 very cold days. we could not get the trailer above 65 degrees and the heater ran nonstop. we went through 14 gallons of propane in 3 days. I've had the trailer back to the dealer multiple times and now they're telling me there's nothing wrong with the heater.
Anyone else with this trailer having similar issues?
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Old 03-16-2014, 09:27 AM   #2
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Sounds normal. The Rockwood and Flagstaff Ultra Lights are NOT 4 season RVs no matter what the dealer says.
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Old 03-16-2014, 09:37 AM   #3
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X2 - definitely not a true four season unit. Would not attempt tobcamp in my 8289 during the winter months.

Tom - 2014 8289ws, 2011 Chevy 2500HD
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Old 03-16-2014, 10:35 AM   #4
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X3. Look at the insulation values closely, R7 side walls, R12 Floor, and R14 roof. No wonder the furnace struggled on those 3 very cold days.
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Old 03-17-2014, 10:22 AM   #5
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I have the same model as you. I did do a significant amount of research prior to buying and did not get any information that would lead me to believe that we would want to camp during the winter. I did order the double pane windows, but still it is not designed for the type of winter camping that you did.

You mentioned that the you had 3 very cold days. What was the temp?
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Old 03-17-2014, 12:59 PM   #6
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yep, definitely not a 4-season trailer. just because it has heated holding tanks, doesn't make it a 4-season trailer.
the term, "ultralight" should be a clue. true 4-season trailers are definitely not called "ultralight".

FR doesn't make any true 4-season trailer, except for a ice fishing trailer.
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Old 03-17-2014, 01:07 PM   #7
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Agreed on the 4 season aspect however with the electric fireplace and an occasional assist from the furnace we have kept nice and warm in hi teens-20s weather
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Old 03-17-2014, 01:28 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HSVBamaBob View Post
Agreed on the 4 season aspect however with the electric fireplace and an occasional assist from the furnace we have kept nice and warm in hi teens-20s weather

Right. Four-season camping is a very different prospect in Wisconsin or Michigan, as opposed to down here in North Carolina. It just depends on where you're camping. My camper is a great four-season camper down here where we get into the teens on many winter nights but usually warms up the next day. We camp year-round in comfort. And sometimes in snow. And we've never had a tank heater.

If we were trying to camp year-round in Michigan, the results wouldn't be the same.
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Old 03-19-2014, 07:16 AM   #9
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thanks everyone. I'll be having a discussion with my dealer. Appears to be a big mistake on my part.
Ronb707, the temp was 0-10 in the mornings and didn't warm up above 35 during the day. Heater ran non-stop and we never were able to get the internal temp above 65.
I ran a test with the trailer sitting in my garage. I started with a trailer temp of 38 degrees and in 2.5 hours it warmed up to 62. This is with the trailer sitting in a 36x48 garage. Not good!!
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Old 03-19-2014, 09:33 AM   #10
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thanks everyone. I'll be having a discussion with my dealer. Appears to be a big mistake on my part.
Ronb707, the temp was 0-10 in the mornings and didn't warm up above 35 during the day. Heater ran non-stop and we never were able to get the internal temp above 65.
I ran a test with the trailer sitting in my garage. I started with a trailer temp of 38 degrees and in 2.5 hours it warmed up to 62. This is with the trailer sitting in a 36x48 garage. Not good!!
That sounds way off to me. I think that at 38 degrees you should be able to heat that trailer to high 60's within 15-20 minutes. We camped in our Puma 30DBSS with temps as low as lower 20's at night and barely breaking freezing during the day and it had no trouble keeping temps at 70 degrees only kicking on occasionally for a few minutes. Granted, a fifth wheel has more interior volume, but the insulation on that fiberglass trailer is better and it seals better than an aluminum sided rig. I am thinking you are losing lot's of heat somewhere. How much hot air is coming out of each vent?
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Old 03-21-2014, 09:14 AM   #11
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I'll be having a discussion with my dealer. Appears to be a big mistake on my part.
If the "mistake" is buying the wrong trailer because it was misrepresented to you - good luck with that.
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Old 03-21-2014, 10:43 AM   #12
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I would check the air coming out of the ducts. I bought an 2008 8286 - there was not much air coming out of the vents. The metal can (plenum) below the floor where the duct work fastens, was not properly secured at the factory and had dropped down about 2" - all my hot air was blowing under the trailer. Not much air out the vents. Once fixed it made a big difference.
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Old 03-22-2014, 09:31 AM   #13
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We haven't had any issues with heating at those temps in our 2013 8280ws. I use the ceiling fan and keep the shades closed as much as possible. I have used space heaters at night to avoid the furnace noise.
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Old 01-13-2018, 02:02 PM   #14
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There is a solution ...........

My 2015 8280WS was not heating well except in the bathroom. Long story short, the other three heat duct runs were kinked or torn by the factory so not much hot air was reaching the floor registers .. and that little air wasn't very cold. My solution was to remove the fireplace and cut the ducts short and stub them out directly into the living area (and seal off the holes where they originally went under the floor). Now I have huge heat; much less propane use, less heater fan battery drain, rig warms up quick in the morning. Can't believe I went three years without figuring out most of my heat was being wasted.
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