Van Furnace Options - Discussion Thread

[HIGHCOUNTRYMIKE]

Just returned from Utah and Colorado high country. On Ripple Creek Pass 10,333' it was cold that evening. Turned on my 19 year old heater and there was a very high pitched squealing noise. The heater would not ignite.
QUESTION: was this the blower fan? I had heard this noise before but not as loud. There had been times when I would need to activate the thermostat several time to get ignition.
Looking at my SMB owners guide and purchase agreement there is a reference to a 12,00 BTU, Therm Co. Blower fan 12 & 110 V, electronic Ing. and propane tank connection. All the info in my SMB handbook is about SUBURBAN MODELS NT-12S, NT-16S & NT20S.
without having looked at the unit which is very conveniently located under the passenger side of the bed. (It is covered by a removable bed pad.)
QUESTION: being 19 years old I would assume that a replacement is in order. Do I replace with the same unit? It has been a very reliable unit. Is Suburban still around, do they make a replacement unit...ie: bolt on without modifications.
I will be opening up the heater this afternoon.
HIGHCOUNTRYMIKE 2003 E350 SMB RB50 4X4 7.3 302,000 miles

[N147JK]

Yes it could be the fan motor (bearings) and if the fan isn't fully functioning it may not trip the sail switch, which will disable the whole light-off cycle.

Mine is about the same age. I used this company to buy some overhaul parts and renew the furnace - most of the parts don't wear out and are reusable. They have full documentation there online to help you sort things out.

https://pdxrvwholesale.com/

[carringb]

I agree re: furnace fan. It doesn't take a whole lot of non-use for those fans to pack with dust or corrode. You can probably replace the blower assembly, you you'd want to go through and also clean the burner and propane jet. Regulator may be gummed up as well.

Suburban has updated the furnaces slightly, but the exterior cover and the dimensions haven't changed. A like replacement is probably the easiest, especially if you have a through-wall water heater already. If you don't, than a combination furnace/water-heater could be a nice upgrade.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by E350

Question: Would some of you brainyacks please do a BTU output comparison of Propane to Diesel?

Why?
1. It would help some people decide on Propane v. Diesel for their vans; and
2. It would help me decide if I should run a propane gas line from the tank to my shop in the snow or just buy one of these and stick a small diesel tank on the outside of the shop.

......a little late for a response but it took about 8 seconds of google searching......


Diesel has an energy content of 128,500 Btus per gallon, while propane has an energy content of 84,250 Btus per gallon. As such, 1.52 gallons of propane has the same amount of energy as one gallon of diesel.


...and while we are at it.....


Gasoline is 116,000 BTUs/gallon.....so 1.37 gallons of propane has the same amount of energy as one gallon of gasoline.

[HIGHCOUNTRYMIKE]

I had not thought of the energy in a gallon of the various fuels. I like propane for it's cleaner burning properties.
I'm not much for cold weather so it's an insurance unite when the weather goes down hill.
I did remove the unit. It's a 12,000 btu which Suburban no longer makes. They do make the 16,000 but being a holiday Monday my hands are tied. Not sure there is a rebuild kit as my unite is 19 years old.

[boywonder]

Mike: Can you pull the fan out of the heater? Can you post the model number/part number?

[HIGHCOUNTRYMIKE]

I removed the unit and took it to a local RV shop in my area. We hooked it up and it ran fine. He is going to run it again this morning to see if temp has an influence on the operation of the unit.
I am now wondering if the unit was out of position while in the van. Which caused the noise.

[HIGHCOUNTRYMIKE]

P.S.
He did say that that particular heater is a very good unit and worth repairing.

[HIGHCOUNTRYMIKE]

UPdate:
No obstruction to the fan was found: suspect must have been dislodged during removal from the van.
Cleaned and replace the ignitor.
Replaced in van and working fine.
$150.00 later.