Using propane heater exhaust as a outside heat source?

[Fleetwood_Coupl]

Has anyone experimented with piping the propane heat exhaust under their class A for an additional heat source for the basement and keeping the main floor warmer?
My Idea here was to use dryer vent hose to route it under the rv to the desired locations.
obvious concerns our CO2 gasses, we do have an alarm for that. Or would it even be worth the time or expense to pursue it.

thanks

[Dutch_12078]

With the typical efficiency of RV furnaces running about 80%, not a lot worse than many residential furnaces, the heat loss isn't as great as it seems.

[Chris_Bryant]

The simple reason RV furnaces are not more efficient is space- you need a large heat exchanger to extract more heat from the exhaust- if you didn't mind sacrificing an entire closet for the furnace, you could get that 90%+.

Other than the obvious CO issue, the combustion air intake and exhaust are adjacent to each other so that any wind will affect intake and exhaust equally. If you move one or the other, you make it much easier for high wind to affect the flame, with bad results.

[valhalla360]

It's basically a good way to get CO poisoning when a leak develops in your piping system.

My bet is the average RV furnace runs less than 5days per year so not a lot of benefit in manufacturers trying for exotic high efficiency ideas that add cost and take up valuable space.

[RoyB]

I don't think I would mess with the outside outlet of the Furnace... I would put more effort is doing a positive air flow thru the cabinets and other areas by installing pass-thru air vents and the use of a temperature controlled vent fan.

In my OFF-ROAD CAMPER all of the cabinets are lined up around the walls of the trailer. I have added a small vent between all of the inside cabinets walls. Having a large vent close to my access door door I can circulate air through the whole thing... Adding a thermostatic controlled blower works wonders here... This way I don't have to open cabinet doors to allow heating of water pipes etc...

Got this idea from one of the full time RV'ers Don or Mena...

Roy Ken

[Old-Biscuit]

transit 94 wrote:
Have you some one in mind to collect insurance on your death.Please do not even think of such a thing. Carbon monoxide is a killer it is quite but it gets the job done.

CO is a quiet killer...silent and quite the killer too...so quit while ahead

[transit_94]

Have you some one in mind to collect insurance on your death.Please do not even think of such a thing. Carbon monoxide is a killer it is quite but it gets the job done.

[Francesca_Knowl]

Restricting exhaust flow will reduce the efficiency of the "engine" generating it or shut it down altogether. That's the whole basis of the old "potato stuck on the tailpipe" thing we thought was so comical when we were kids!

Or those of us who can remember that far back did, anyhow...;)

[n7bsn]

Just about every RV has the same basic model of furnace.

Tech wise these furnaces are about as efficient as home propane furnaces of 30 years ago. RV furnaces haven't really changed much since the first blower-type propane furnaces were installed in an RV.

I suspect the companies really don't see enough of a demand for them to try and get RV furnaces as nearly as efficient as home ones.

The same could be said for water-heaters

[robsouth]

Fleetwood Couple wrote:

Obvious concerns our CO2 gasses, we do have an alarm for that. Or would it even be worth the time or expense to pursue it.

thanks

Perhaps you mean CO gasses as CO2 is carbon dioxide, a product of exhaling. And as Old Biscuit said, it will not work.

[Old-Biscuit]

The exhaust cools off within a very short distance......so installing piping will accomplish nothing as far as 'heating'.

It will cause back-pressure issues which will result in furnace shutting down.....resulting in NO heating.

Combustion side fan is designed to supply just enough air flow for proper combustion (fuel/air ratio). Disrupt that and no heating...problems with ignition, problems with maintaining main flame, problems with excessive heat within exchanger---high temp trip.

NO it won't work.


'4 Season' rig.....
Fill fresh water tank-use pump>>>>>>>disconnect water hose and stow (use during daytime to top off tank)

Shop light in take area......GOOD!

Ice maker line blocked off......Good!

We spent 2 weeks in temps that didn't get above 0*F and went as low as -14*F.
Propane, propane,propane......run that furnace
and open cabinet doors at night so heat can get to areas under cabinets where water lines run

[timmac]

Fleetwood Couple wrote:
Just seems like a big waste of heat. We have a 4 season unit but it is going down to single digits tonight, have heat tape/insulation on the hose. Shop light in the area with the tanks. Fridge vent has top two vents blocked of, ice maker line unhooked.

Yep furnaces, fire places and any heating source that allows half the heat to go up a flue and escape is a energy waster..

[timmac]

Fleetwood Couple wrote:
Has anyone experimented with piping the propane heat exhaust under their class A for an additional heat source for the basement and keeping the main floor warmer?
My Idea here was to use dryer vent hose to route it under the rv to the desired locations.
obvious concerns our CO2 gasses, we do have an alarm for that. Or would it even be worth the time or expense to pursue it.

thanks

I think the back pressure from the dryer hoses being long will over heat the inside of furnace, if the dryer tubes were going up that would be OK but down and along the bottom you will have issues and that furnace will over heat and shut down or catch on fire..

[Fleetwood_Coupl]

Just seems like a big waste of heat. We have a 4 season unit but it is going down to single digits tonight, have heat tape/insulation on the hose. Shop light in the area with the tanks. Fridge vent has top two vents blocked of, ice maker line unhooked.

[time2roll]

I would like to see the exhaust run through the water heater before exiting the side.

What are you trying to keep warm? Maybe some electric heat pads or heat tape.

[old_guy]

I would think that if it could be done safeley, it would have been done long ago