Furnace removal

[bluedog225]

I am slowly deconstructing my 15 yo SMB. I've taken out one whole side of cabinets and the sink. I will go back with something smaller that hinges and can lay flat(er) against the wall. I love the room. Those guys used hundreds of screws and "L" brackets on the cabinets. And they are heavy, heavy.

I've pulled the furnace. Like everything else in the van, it is old but little used. I'm thinking of leaving it out. I live in Texas and real cold weather is pretty rare. Also, I believe I read that you really ought to be hooked to shore power to use it (I've only got one medium size house battery). If that's the case, a small ceramic electric heater has worked great when juice is available.

I'm thinking of buying a Buddy heater and just getting rid of the built in.

If this is a really bad idea, please let me know. I don't see the downside. Especially if I have a quick disconnect to I can run the Buddy heater off the house tank.

Thanks

Tom

[kmessinger]

I pulled my Suburban heater (Sprinter) and I am replacing it with an Espar D2.

Regards,

Keith

[WVvan]

Did you happen to see this thread?
Propane heater blamed in 2 deaths at RV park

[bluedog225]

Thanks. I saw it when it first came out but missed a bunch of good posts later.

That seals the deal. Heater is on the way out. And portable CO2 sensor (or two) are on the way in.

I appreciate the help.

Tom

[bettyford]

I love my little Buddy.

Ron

[bluedog225]

I've pulled the unit. Interestingly, it does not look like a bad setup. Pretty compact and uses outside air for combustion and appears to send the combustion air back out the vent. Not sure why people don't like it. Too much power use? Not efficient with the propane?

[Ford_6L_E350]

The fan uses too much current. About 10-13 amps! When I compare it with my Fantastic Fan Endless Breeze at 2 amps, I wonder why it uses so much power.

Mike

[02Chevytonner]

I guess I don't follow the logic in replacing a dedicated RV furnace with a portable propane heater in hopes of it being safer. All campers that use propane inside should have a propane alarm and it is also a good practice to crack a vent or window at night as a precaution against oxygen starvation, especially with cat heaters. I even opened a vent when I used a portable electric heater in the van, even thought it was more for moisture control.
I would feel much safer with a properly working rv furnace in my rig any day. Yes, the trade off is high electrical consumption by the furnace fan, but I'd rather wake up cold than not wake up and stone cold.

Rick

[kmessinger]

We will vent with the Espar heater (diesel) once installed. I keep vents open anyway to cut down on humidity. We vent when cooking also.

One of the advantages of the pop-top is the natural venting. That is why my DW is still convinced the pop-top is better than our fixed roof Sprinter.

[joey2cool]

I got Suburban's furnace specs and it claims 1.7 amps/hour for the fan. What do others know about this?