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

[Gdetrailer]

Buffettphan wrote:
It's hard for me to imagine that this is even thought as a possibility. Running drier vents to route furnace exhaust through the basement of a camper! Yikes!!!!!!!
CO...............can you say DEAD???????

Every Winter ideas like this one (and more) tend pop up on the forum as a creative attempt to get placed on the Darwin Awards list..

It would be amusing except for the mere fact folks are playing with their (and love ones) lives in some vain attempt to save a dollar or two in propane..

If you are this cheap, stay home, using cheapo methods of heating a small box on wheels is not worth it if something goes badly wrong and you wake up DEAD. There is no way I would ever consider reusing the furnace exhaust as a means to keep tanks warm.

Your RV should already be setup with a hot air duct into the freshwater tank bay. Both of my TTs have had one four inch hot air duct from the furnace into the space between the floor and the top of the fresh water tank. Then a "vent" in the floor of this space on the opposite side of the tank (my current TT that vent is under my kitchen sink cabinet)..

[mrw8i]

Ralph Nader could write another book.

[frankwp]

Not to mention the moisture issue. The furnace exhaust contains a lot of water. If you dump that into the under belly it'll just condense on any cool surface which will lead to rot & corrosion. So even if the floor is perfectly sealed (which it definitely is not) it's still a real bad idea.

[Buffettphan]

It's hard for me to imagine that this is even thought as a possibility. Running drier vents to route furnace exhaust through the basement of a camper! Yikes!!!!!!!
CO...............can you say DEAD???????

[Thunder_Mountai]

I already use the exhaust heat in cold weather. When setting up or breaking camp, I use it as a hand warmer. I just have to be careful not to get my gloves too close the vent, because the back pressure shuts down the furnace.

Seriously, I think the exhaust gases would not be safe to circulate anywhere in or under an RV. You would have to build some sort of heat exchanger to be safe.

[htowners]

I used pre-bent electrical conduit which fit perfectly over the external diameter of the heater outlet. This was just above my drain valve so 2 wide sweep 90's and it was right on my drain outlet.

As for CO, the exhaust from the heater was under a window, which probably leaked more air than my under belly. Also my CO detector was inside and very close to any potential CO infiltration.

This was slightly effective until temps went well below 0 NYE a few years back, and my old rig had exposed black and grey tanks, so after spending a few hours under with a heat gun I winterized for the remainder of the trip.

New rig has heated underbelly, so no longer a worry.

[mikestock]

I set up my tailgate canopy with 3 sidewalls and the exhaust helps keep it warm but there is an abundance of ventilation. CO and CO2 are still present but quickly dilute to safe level so I don't let anyone sit too close.

[jwmII]

With all of the other negatives about this; Do you really want to route carbon monoxide under your RV?

[fla-gypsy]

I get some use out of the furnace exhaust. I park my chair right in front of it in the winter. Keeps my neck warm when running.

[Fleetwood_Coupl]

Thanks for all the info...Glad I asked first before wasting money.

[colliehauler]

As others have said furnace needs to be unrestricted and CO is poison gas that KILLS people ever year in homes let alone a small area like an RV.

[rockhillmanor]

Besides the obvious fact of the possibility of killing your family. The smell of the exhaust from the furnace and hot water heats smells.

I can't even leave my kitchen window open when the hwh is on because of the smell of the exhaust coming up thru the window into the coach.

Pipe that under the entire belly of your MH and it's going to stink up the entire coach to high heaven before it ultimately does kill someone. :R

[doughere]

A. CO is a killer

B. If you cool the exhaust gasses, you wind up with water. The heat exchangers in high efficiency furnaces are designed to drain that water off: under your RV (assuming the CO doesn't kill you, see A above) that moisture would ruin a lot.

Doug

[jims1]

You could "Rube Goldberg" a design using 2 heat exchangers, small pump, and antifreeze. You could hang a transmission size cooling radiator in front of the exhaust on the outside, have 2 flexible insulated lines running to the inside, to another radiator/heat exchanger with a small fan moving air over it. A small pump to circulate a non-toxic coolant and you would have a heat source in the basement. Wire the pump and fan to come on with the furnace relay.
As others have mentioned you cannot restrict the exhaust heat, so I wouldn't cover it or box it in.
My opinion only