We hit the road with the FW yesterday for Easter Weekend. Our destination park will not unlock the pedestal after 8pm so I knew we would not have power until ~8:30am the following morning. The temperature was in the mid 50's with an expected low this morning of mid 40's (47 at the moment). I decided to run the furnace for the last hour of our trip to warm up the FW in order to preserve the battery once we arrived. I was uneasy doing this, concerned the bouncing may damage the fan bearings. Did this do any harm to my furnace fan bearings? What type of bearings do the two furnace fans have? Thanks

Shouldn't be a problem. Motorhome owners run gas furnaces frequently while on the road and I don't believe there is any difference in furnaces used in motorhomes vs. trailers.

You didn't hurt anything. I've run mine many times and it's 19 yr old.

Thanks guysMy AC blower motor bearings failed a few years ago and I attributed it to running the AC while driving.

azrving wrote:You didn't hurt anything. I've run mine many times and it's 19 yr old.Done it many times myself, usually set T-stat at about 55, but in your case 70 would work. I would do it for the entire trip, made finishing heating much easier.

Another reason I like my motorhomes, no need to run the furnace while in motion.

Using Furnace While Driving | Good Sam Community

garyhaupt
Explorer
Apr 22, 2019
cross21114 wrote:
garyhaupt wrote:
I have no idea of the complexities involved, but...my '99 E 350 Triple E Regal has ducting to provide an engine heater outlet in back..plus a separate fan motor. It might well be worth looking into.

Gary Haupt

You would think all manufacturers would run at least one duct back but most don't - at least mine didn't. Would be even better if you could open that vent and close the ones in the cab so you don't get run out of the cab.

Man..I was sooo wrong. Triple E's had an optional winter package that included a rear mounted heater/fan. Not ducting from front heating system.
garyhaupt
Explorer
Apr 22, 2019
JaxDad wrote:
The simplest is a ‘bus heater’, to a self-contained heater with fan that runs off the heater line from the engine. The name comes from the fact that they were created to warm the rear of school buses.

On a lot of motorhomes they have an electric switch on the dash marked “coach heater” which is just remote power to a bus heater buried in a cabinet somewhere down the back.

They’re a really easy DIY project.

Maybe that's what I have...a "bus heater'..as opposed to separate ducting. I shall investigate.

Gary
JaxDad
Explorer III
Apr 22, 2019
cross21114 wrote:
garyhaupt wrote:
I have no idea of the complexities involved, but...my '99 E 350 Triple E Regal has ducting to provide an engine heater outlet in back..plus a separate fan motor. It might well be worth looking into.

Gary Haupt

You would think all manufacturers would run at least one duct back but most don't - at least mine didn't. Would be even better if you could open that vent and close the ones in the cab so you don't get run out of the cab.

Instead of turning down the cab heat, turn it to the dash panel vents and point them down between driver and passenger and open the rearmost roof vent. The vacuum created will pull a vast amount of warm air to the back and away from the cab area.

The above process works just as well for air conditioning too.
JaxDad
Explorer III
Apr 21, 2019
The simplest is a ‘bus heater’, to a self-contained heater with fan that runs off the heater line from the engine. The name comes from the fact that they were created to warm the rear of school buses.

On a lot of motorhomes they have an electric switch on the dash marked “coach heater” which is just remote power to a bus heater buried in a cabinet somewhere down the back.

They’re a really easy DIY project.
cross21114
Explorer
Apr 21, 2019
garyhaupt wrote:
I have no idea of the complexities involved, but...my '99 E 350 Triple E Regal has ducting to provide an engine heater outlet in back..plus a separate fan motor. It might well be worth looking into.

Gary Haupt

You would think all manufacturers would run at least one duct back but most don't - at least mine didn't. Would be even better if you could open that vent and close the ones in the cab so you don't get run out of the cab.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Apr 21, 2019
No harm in general that I can think of, but unless you have a dedicated charging system from truck to trailer, you’re not charging much and therefore not maintaining all your battery charge anyway.
Also, talking 40s-50s, the camper will likely warm up quickly parked but suck out a lot of warm air driving down the road.
I’d get there with full batteries and then turn the heat on. If the batteries can’t run the furnace for 12 hours in mild temperatures then that is a separate concern that you might look into.
garyhaupt
Explorer
Apr 21, 2019
I have no idea of the complexities involved, but...my '99 E 350 Triple E Regal has ducting to provide an engine heater outlet in back..plus a separate fan motor. It might well be worth looking into.

Man..I was sooo wrong. Triple E's had an optional winter package that included a rear mounted heater/fan. Not ducting from front heating system.

Gary Haupt
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Apr 21, 2019
The colder it is out the more propane you will use. I know this sounds like a no SH!T statement but when moving you are stripping heat off the rig at a very rapid rate and will use more than you think.
valhalla360
Navigator
Apr 21, 2019
As mentioned, bigger concern is being blown out...but even that isn't a huge issue.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Apr 21, 2019
2112,

I regularly run the furnace while in motion.

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