Heat Duct Problems

RickNB

Well-known member
Today I had my first chance to give my new 3200ES a good look over from the inside. Because it is still around freezing here I had been running the furnace while puttering around inside and when I pulled one of the kitchen drawers out it felt realy warm. The furnace is right next to the drawers but it seemed that there should not be that much heat under the cabinets. Anyway I took off one of the floor vents and used a mirror to check for obstructions in the duct work. What I found was the feed to the main duct run from the furnace which is about 18" long is collapsed as it enters the main run only a small portion of it is allowing air from the furnace to enter the main run and is probably causing enough back pressure to make the box of the furnace warmer than it should be. It was definatly too hot to touch. Is there a over temp cutout on these things? The box of the furnace is not isolated from the rest of the storage area and things could get up against it causing flamable items to get pretty hot. Has anybody else had any problems like this and if so was there a easy fix? From what I can see either the furnace will have to be removed or the underbelly taken down to get at this or maybe both.

Rick
 

JJAK17

Active Member
My Sundance furnace does not seem to be blowing much air either. The front (bedroom) has just a trickle of air the others have more.
It was cool here in Wisconsin today so I thought that I would fire the furnace up to check it out.
I also just dropped my unit off at the dealer for other warranty issues and mentioned it to the service person. He told me that due to "such a long run the furnace can not blow the air that far". I dont think that is the case at all. I am wondering if I too have some sort of air restriction in my ducts.
 

RugRat

Well-known member
I had the same issue with my bunkhouse model. Replace the vents with ones that had regulators and basically have the one in the bunkroom almost closed and one outside bunkroom half closed. Has improved the airflow in the front bedroom and the bunkroom is no longer a sauna.
 

JJAK17

Active Member
RugRat

Thanks for the idea. I will have to try that if the dealer does not come up with anything else.

Jason
 
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JJAK17

Active Member
I did take my vents off and tried to see if the duct work is crushed. As near as I can tell they are not. I also checked the furnace and made sure it was seated properly and all looked ok. I blocked off the rear vents to try and push the air to the front of the coach. This seemed to help just a little. So after all that still no (very,very little) air flow to the front bedroom vent.
In fact last weekend we were out and it was cool and turned on the furnace. The living area heated up nice and warm but the bedroom never got warm due to poor air flow. We tend to get out early spring and in the late fall I take it bow hunting and here in Wisconsin those times of the year can get real cold.
I will try and check out a few more things but I am almost out of ideas. My dealer said it was "normal" I think not. He told me that it was too long of a run for the duct work. I did not measure it but it can not be more than 10 feet or so. That does not seem too long for me.

Scott
Can you point me in the right direction? The dealer has checked it out and told me that it was ok. Do I take it back to them and insist them to take a closer look or can I take it to another authorized dealer. The dealer that I bought it from is about 75 miles (one way) from my house. Thats about 300 miles (if I have to leave it over night) and several hours of my time to have them tell me the same thing. I am not angry I just want it to be fixed before it gets cold and the camper is out of warranty

Thanks
Jason
 

Uncle Rog

Well-known member
Hey guy's, run a search and you will find some answers and ?'s about your dilemma's, keep going till things work right.......
 

mufflerman

Well-known member
Sounds like heartland has this problem on all their product lines, and has had this problem for a LONG time. I have been trying to get my cyclone fixed for - lets just say way to long.
Bottom line is poor assembly, They need to purchase some tape to seal the ducts!
Good luck.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
JJAK17,

The factory does not get notification of posts in this forum, only the ATFs.

Please call the factory to explain your situation and what has been tried so far.

Number is 574-262-8030. Circle back to this thread to let us know what kind of advice/direction you get.

Thanks,

Jim
 

JJAK17

Active Member
Jim Beletti said:
JJAK17,

The factory does not get notification of posts in this forum, only the ATFs.

Please call the factory to explain your situation and what has been tried so far.

Number is 574-262-8030. Circle back to this thread to let us know what kind of advice/direction you get.

Thanks,

Jim

Jim

THanks, I did start a new thread under ATF and linked it ti this thread. I hope he can get to it. Thanks for the info.

Jason
 

Scott

Well-known member
The furnace and duct design in RVs has been the same for the 23 years I have been in this industry, and the good news is, when done right, it works just fine in most instances. The furnace sits in the main floor where it blows directly into the heat ducting runs for the main part of the coach. The heat runs that go to the upper deck (bathroom) and bedroom are flexible hoses that run off of the furnace. These are not the most efficient, and yes, they can run upwards of 10 to 12 feet as they "snake" their way to the vent from the furnace which cuts down on their air flow as well. What many of you may have noticed is that the bathroom vent often puts out a tremendous amount of air - because it is so close to the furnace. That is why we do our best to make this vent a "closeable" vent so that you can direct more air over to the bedroom vent(s) which historically are the hardest to get good air flow to.
Here are some remedies: a) double check the flexible furnace run to make sure there are not kinks in it. b) add a second vent in the bedroom area. Normally, the furnace has extra outlets on it that can be utilized to provide an extra run.
This is something that you can check into, or have your dealer do the next time you schedule an appointment.
ST
 

Forrest Fetherolf

Senior Member
Attached photos are the Suburban Furnace removed during repair work after the Trail America tire (aka China Bomb) exploded and did considerable damage to my 3600RL.
I removed the furnace to replace the damaged exposed copper propane supply line.
Photo #1 shows the rectangle air supply outlet on the bottom of the furnace and 2 - 4" round outlets on each side. One round outlet cover, on the back side, opposite the return air grill and hidden from view, was found on the compartment floor. The missing cover allowed heated air to escape into the return air compartment for recycling. This caused a severe lack of air flow to the room vents. I used silver duct tape to secure the outlet covers. The connection between the furnace rectangle supply outlet and plenum was not sealed properly and was also leaking heated air into the return air compartment.

:confused: I found it very unusual the frequency of refilling the propane tanks compared to refilling my old 34' Pace Arrow, now I know why. :confused:

;) The bread and cereal sure stayed warm in the cabinet over the furnace and the electric blanket stayed on high. ;)
 

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Forrest Fetherolf

Senior Member
pulltab,

The furnace is secured with only two screws into the floor just inside the access door, no screws in the rear. I reinstalled with 1/4"-T x 1"-W peel and stick foam insulation on both the plenum opening and furnace supply air opening. The furnace is heavy enough to properly seal without screws in the rear.

Forrest
 

wakeboy

Member
Just took posession of a 2008 2890BHS. I have also discovered that my air flow is very high in the bunk area and not even enough to blow paper off the one in the bedroom. Blocked off the Bunk register and no air increase. This tells me either i have a crushed duct or I have a leak. My money is on the leak after reading some replies. Has anyone gotten any satisfaction from Heartland on this problem. This is my first RV and I don't want to get a bad taste in my mouth with this company if they are unwilling to correct this problem.
 

Pulltab

Well-known member
Wakeboy, heartland will stand behind the product that is not even an issue. Having said that, trust me in saying that some things are best fixed by yourself. One you get instant satisfaction and you don't have to wait on the dealer to keep your unit forever. As others have said, get a mirror and light and look down the vent to see if it is crushed somewhere. If it is, I don't know the factory procedure to uncrimp it but if it were mine I would get into the underside of the rv and trace it down. Easy enough to access from there.
 

wfwilson

Founding Canadian Region Director - Retired
It would be nice to be a handyman. I for one am not. I think the real issue is when you spend the money we spend why should you have to do repairs period. Don't get me wrong I love my BH and still think dollar for dollar they cannot be beat. There maybe should be more quality control and testing before delivery.
Just my two cents worth.
 

wakeboy

Member
Thanks Pulltab. That is also my thinking. Do you know if the duct is metal to the point that it joins onto the flex pipe in the storage area. If so I may be able to fish a line through it and pull a hard ball through and open up the flow. I haven't had the time to really look at this. I am building a house so time is limited. and If I don't get that done first I may have to live in the Sundance. If I come up with something I will post it. Thanks
 

Pulltab

Well-known member
wakeboy said:
Thanks Pulltab. That is also my thinking. Do you know if the duct is metal to the point that it joins onto the flex pipe in the storage area. If so I may be able to fish a line through it and pull a hard ball through and open up the flow. I haven't had the time to really look at this. I am building a house so time is limited. and If I don't get that done first I may have to live in the Sundance. If I come up with something I will post it. Thanks

Mine is metal all the way so I would assume they all are. The hard ball thing is a good idea but not sure if it will be too big. Possibly a piece of 2x6 or so could be used. I would make sure the wire you use is stout enough to not break and leave whatever you use stuck in the vent.:eek::)
 

Redcoat1

Junior Member
Little Heat in Bedroom

I have taken my 3200 ES back to the dealer twice for no heat in the bedroom. First time they said the usual, that it is ok but heat has to run longer and therefore not as much heat. I challenged them on that and said it is alot closer to the furnace than the rear vent which is about 3 times longer. The second time back they did find a crushed vent, and resealed the furnace. I went to check it out but there is still little air flow in the bedroom. I can hold a lighted match over the vent and there is not enough air flow to blow the match out !! I told them I am not satisfied with this as I expect to be able to sleep without freezing in the fall. They said that they cannot do anything more for me. Here I sit with a new trailer still on warranty that cannot put heat into the bedroom and there is nothing more that that the dealer can do ?? Any ideas people ???
 
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