Manual fan setting for gas furnace in rv
Our coach Is set up to heat the basement via duct work when gas furnace is running. We use small electric heaters rather than burn propane, which works well but doesn’t help the basement without air c...
Forum Discussion
S Davis writes "This is not true BTU's are BTU's, there are less in room temperature air but they are still usable. A heat pump works at lower supply temperatures they just use more air flow to move the heat. So if you can move enough room temp air through the basement to satisfy the BTU load it will work. I don't know how you can make a blanket statement like that, we don't even know what temperatures the OP is dealing with. "
S Davis,
PLEASE REREAD THE BOTTOM OF MY POST!
The FURNACE will act as a REVERSE "heat exchanger".
It is all in how a RV furnace is designed.
It HAS TWO FANS run by ONE MOTOR.
ONE FAN is the INSIDE fan which "circulates" the inside air which is supposed to be heated by the heat exchanger. Circulates the air INSIDE YOUR RV.
The SECOND FAN is what is called an INDUCER FAN, its sole job is to move the EXHAUST combustion gasses THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGER ON THE COMBUSTION SIDE WHICH TAKES IN OUTSIDE AIR.
The combustion air must NEVER mix with the INSIDE air.
BOTH the combustion fan AND THE INSIDE FAN must run at the same time at the same speed since they are DRIVEN by a motor which has a shaft sticking out TWO SIDES.
What will happen when the burner is off and both fans are running is the HEAT EXCHANGER FAN WILL PULL ICY COLD OUTSIDE AIR THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGER. This will CHILL THE HEAT EXCHANGER.
The inside fan will move cool cabin air ACROSS THE COLD HEAT EXCHANGER, any heat your air had WILL BE EXCHANGED TO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER SIDE AND BE VENTED TO THE OUTSIDE.
Net result is warm air cabin into the furnace and EXTREMELY COLD AIR AT HIGH VELOCITY EXITING THE CABIN SIDE OF THE FURNACE..
You have just created a REFRIGERATOR "heat pump" for the INSIDE of your RV.
There is one other bit of business that SHOULD cause one to pause at the stupidity of the idea..
The moisture contained in the warm air of the cabin WILL be HITTING THE NOW CHILLED HEAT EXCHANGER ON THE INSIDE OF THE CABIN. The result WILL be CONDENSATION forming on the heat exchanger.. This condensation WILL eventually result in RUST FAILURE of the heat exchanger. It was never designed or intended to be used in the fashion the OP wants..
What do you not understand about this?
Besides that, there is very little heat to keep any UNINSULATED or slightly insulated space warm. It TAKES A LOT OF HEAT TO BATTLE OUTSIDE TEMPS to keep a RV basement "warm" enough to not have pipes freeze.
Something else to consider, room temp air feels OK when the air is moving SLOW, speed that air up and now you FEEL A COLD CHILL, it is called WIND CHILL and wind chill CAN and does rob heat from surrounding items and can FREEZE PIPES FASTER THAN SLOW MOVING HOT AIR.
It is for that reason you don't find portable electric forced air space heaters with a super high velocity fan like a RV furnace.
Now take a oil filled radiator heater which has no fan and relies on gravity to do its work. The heated air around it feels very warm and you do not feel a cool drafty breeze.
Put a fan behind that radiator and now you will feel a cold draft..
SAME "BTUs" as a fan electric heater, different feel.
OP wants to heat the basement, I suggest using a electric heater IN THE BASEMENT and not the furnace fan.
RV furnaces are not setup like sticks and bricks furnaces which have TWO SEPARATE MOTORS and the inducer fan can be disabled..
Cold weather camping isn't for wimps nor cheapskates..
I am simply done reading any more posts on how to "cheap out" winter camping ideas.
S Davis,
PLEASE REREAD THE BOTTOM OF MY POST!
The FURNACE will act as a REVERSE "heat exchanger".
It is all in how a RV furnace is designed.
It HAS TWO FANS run by ONE MOTOR.
ONE FAN is the INSIDE fan which "circulates" the inside air which is supposed to be heated by the heat exchanger. Circulates the air INSIDE YOUR RV.
The SECOND FAN is what is called an INDUCER FAN, its sole job is to move the EXHAUST combustion gasses THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGER ON THE COMBUSTION SIDE WHICH TAKES IN OUTSIDE AIR.
The combustion air must NEVER mix with the INSIDE air.
BOTH the combustion fan AND THE INSIDE FAN must run at the same time at the same speed since they are DRIVEN by a motor which has a shaft sticking out TWO SIDES.
What will happen when the burner is off and both fans are running is the HEAT EXCHANGER FAN WILL PULL ICY COLD OUTSIDE AIR THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGER. This will CHILL THE HEAT EXCHANGER.
The inside fan will move cool cabin air ACROSS THE COLD HEAT EXCHANGER, any heat your air had WILL BE EXCHANGED TO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER SIDE AND BE VENTED TO THE OUTSIDE.
Net result is warm air cabin into the furnace and EXTREMELY COLD AIR AT HIGH VELOCITY EXITING THE CABIN SIDE OF THE FURNACE..
You have just created a REFRIGERATOR "heat pump" for the INSIDE of your RV.
There is one other bit of business that SHOULD cause one to pause at the stupidity of the idea..
The moisture contained in the warm air of the cabin WILL be HITTING THE NOW CHILLED HEAT EXCHANGER ON THE INSIDE OF THE CABIN. The result WILL be CONDENSATION forming on the heat exchanger.. This condensation WILL eventually result in RUST FAILURE of the heat exchanger. It was never designed or intended to be used in the fashion the OP wants..
What do you not understand about this?
Besides that, there is very little heat to keep any UNINSULATED or slightly insulated space warm. It TAKES A LOT OF HEAT TO BATTLE OUTSIDE TEMPS to keep a RV basement "warm" enough to not have pipes freeze.
Something else to consider, room temp air feels OK when the air is moving SLOW, speed that air up and now you FEEL A COLD CHILL, it is called WIND CHILL and wind chill CAN and does rob heat from surrounding items and can FREEZE PIPES FASTER THAN SLOW MOVING HOT AIR.
It is for that reason you don't find portable electric forced air space heaters with a super high velocity fan like a RV furnace.
Now take a oil filled radiator heater which has no fan and relies on gravity to do its work. The heated air around it feels very warm and you do not feel a cool drafty breeze.
Put a fan behind that radiator and now you will feel a cold draft..
SAME "BTUs" as a fan electric heater, different feel.
OP wants to heat the basement, I suggest using a electric heater IN THE BASEMENT and not the furnace fan.
RV furnaces are not setup like sticks and bricks furnaces which have TWO SEPARATE MOTORS and the inducer fan can be disabled..
Cold weather camping isn't for wimps nor cheapskates..
I am simply done reading any more posts on how to "cheap out" winter camping ideas.
