Heater/furnace driving me crazy

[Desmo007]

Hello folks. So we have a 16 foot GeoPro. We love the darn thing, but while sleeping in the cold, our heater turns on. (As it’s supposed to do) This is located under the bed. It’s impossible to sleep through it.



I read that this can be quieted down using sound proofing, but I have a screen/grill in front of the heating unit. Is this screen necessary? I planned on using soundproof (for HVAC) to close it up. All it “vents” is the solid metal cover of the heating unit. I find it strange they put it there, but does the unit overheat if not vented?

Thank you!

[Desmo007]

It’s the furnace/air heating unit. Definitely not the water heater. Lol.

Interesting side note that my thermostat failed in a year to boot. I know it’s the thermostat, as I can jump it to turn on without a problem.

[Wilco]

The manufacturer uses the metal housing as the cold air plenum. The screen grill is where it draws in the cold air so it being unobstructed is necessary for the furnace to operate.

We keep an oil filled electric heater in the trailer and use it because it is virtually silent. It does require 120v AC to operate. We set the furnace at a lower temperature as backup.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Desmo007

It’s the furnace/air heating unit. Definitely not the water heater. Lol.

Interesting side note that my thermostat failed in a year to boot. I know it’s the thermostat, as I can jump it to turn on without a problem.

Your edit to add a pic and a paragraph clarified which device.

[Wilco]

I replaced my thermostat with a programmable thermostat from Home Depot.

[Desmo007]

Bummer, okay thank you for the info. Not asking could have been a big no-no.

[Desmo007]

I just ordered a new Honeywell, hope it lasts. It was cold without a heater!

[Desmo007]

I could figurevout how to post my own photo, so I had to search online for one. : )

[KyDan]

A couple of thoughts....
Yes the furnace can be noisy and a battery hog but it will keep you warm!
IF you are on an electric hookup site I suggest using a small electric space heater. This saves propane and noise.
When we're camping on sites with electric hookups we always use a heater on those frosty mornings.


Most short term sites charge you a flat rate for electric hookups. You might as well use what you're paying for.


Happy Trails!

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by Desmo007

I could figurevout how to post my own photo, so I had to search online for one. : )

If you are on the full site, follow these steps.

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...html#post49621

[upflying]

Besides the noisy fan, I don't like the 12 volt draw the fan uses when the heater operates.
Battery will be dead in the morning if the heater cycles on and off during the night.
My solution will be using a Camco Olympian Wave heater. I havent purchased one yet but remember to leave a window open if you use one.

[Desmo007]

That looks like a great heater… thanks!

[Desmo007]

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

If you are on the full site, follow these steps.

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...html#post49621

Thank you!

[Desmo007]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Your edit to add a pic and a paragraph clarified which device.

Yes, sorry for the confusion.

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by Desmo007

It’s the furnace/air heating unit. Definitely not the water heater. Lol.

Interesting side note that my thermostat failed in a year to boot. I know it’s the thermostat, as I can jump it to turn on without a problem.

Terrific replacement. Mechanical thermostats suck.
It's a straight replacement. Connect your thermostat wires to the "heat" side and ignore the AC side. Cheap answer to a PITA.

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by KyDan

A couple of thoughts....
Yes the furnace can be noisy and a battery hog but it will keep you warm!
IF you are on an electric hookup site I suggest using a small electric space heater. This saves propane and noise.
When we're camping on sites with electric hookups we always use a heater on those frosty mornings.


Most short term sites charge you a flat rate for electric hookups. You might as well use what you're paying for.


Happy Trails!

X2. Our first PUP had a furnace that would wake the dead. When we had shore power, we used a ceramic electric heater. (Illustration, not recommendation.) This choice was based on the very compact size and multitude of adjustments. The fan stays on, and the heating element cycles on and off silently. In no time at all the white noise from the fan puts you to sleep.

[jimmoore13]

Repeating others, absolutely do not insulate the heater unit in a way that blocks airflow. EVERY HOLE HAS A PURPOSE.

It might be safe enough to add some peel and stick duct insulation to the smooth sheet metal parts of the cabinet, but do not deprive the unit of air.

The screen area is probably the "return air" intake for cabin air to return to the intake on the plenum...for air to pass through the heat exchanger and get pumped through the ducting attached to those round holes. My rig has a similar arrangement using a slotted 'grill.' All the slots on the back of the cabinet ventilate the electronics and propane controls...and prevent them from overheating. Combustion air likely comes in via the concentric pipes where the furnace exhaust exits the side of the exterior wall. Exhaust on the inside, intake through the outer, concentric pipe.

Consider the small amount of insulation you might add to flat expanses of sheet metal to be vibration damping rather than outright sound control. Don't overdo it. And don't get your hopes up too high. You might get lucky and dampen the racket a bit, but, unless your furnace has a bad bearing in the blower motor or the blower itself (causing a rumble), there aren't going to be any miracles. It is what it is.

Also note that you should NOT shroud any screws on the furnace cabinet. RV furnaces require service, and if you bury the screws, you'll be sorry. A common failure of RV furnaces is that the "sail switch" gets crudded up or outright fails. More on sail switches.

Look for "sympathetic" vibrations coming from other, non-furnace stuff. A loose screw could allow a panel or structure to vibrate in concert with the furnace and amplify the noise considerably.

Lastly, one thing that can contribute to the roar is an improperly adjusted flame. Now we are getting deep into the weeds, but most propane burners have an air shutter of some sort that adjusts the air/propane mixture of the flame. A rich mix...too little air...tends to burn quietly and somewhat inefficiently. A too-lean mix...too much air...tends to "roar."

This is how to adjust primary air on a home furnace. I'M NOT SURE IF THE RV FURNACE HAS THIS ADJUSTMENT.

This is the same adjutment on the RV hot water heater. Again, I don't know if your furnace has this adjustment...and how to make the adjustment while the furnace is running. But if the furnace is running too lean, it will roar far more than it should.

[mnoland30]

My heater is 10 feet away, and it still wakes me up every time it comes on. I'm camping, so I sleep in a sleeping bag. I turn the heater off until I get up in the morning. My batteries love me, and I sleep better.

[kayakist]

Originally Posted by mnoland30

My heater is 10 feet away, and it still wakes me up every time it comes on. I'm camping, so I sleep in a sleeping bag. I turn the heater off until I get up in the morning. My batteries love me, and I sleep better.

I try not to run the furnace overnight as well for the same reasons. Electric blanket works really well and when I turn on the furnace in the morning it warms up the coach pretty fast. I also carry a small portable electric heater but I haven't used it much. Happy travels!

[jimmoore13]

A problem with NOT running the furnace. Condensation. Heat dries the air.

If you don't run the furnace, you should open some windows and your roof vents to allow water vapor to escape. Otherwise, human exhaust...exhaled breath and evaporation from your skin...can build up and condense out on the interior of the cabin. This is substantially worse when there is high humidity, it's raining, or it's very cold.

If you sleep without heat, check your cabin walls and ceiling for condensate. If it's there, take steps to mitigate...primarily with ventilation.

P.S. An electric blanket is not an answer when boondocking. A small, 120 volt, 360 watt electric blanket draws about 30 amps through an inverter. A night's worth of electric blanket is about 240 AH. I have one I use to take the chill off the bed, and the math on this is pretty easy: Calculator. Of course, if you're on shore power, that's not a problem.

By comparison, a furnace might draw 10 amps and run on a 25% duty cycle.
10 amps x 8 hour x .25 = 20 AH. Not really that much. In a fiver, the much-larger furnace might draw 20 amps, and a night's use consume 40 AH. RV propane appliances are actually pretty frugal with power.