ATF: Gateway - Gateway 3650BH - Furnace Vent Airflow

Turtlpwr

Member
Just purchased a 2014 Gateway 3650BH. In using the furnace the first night we noticed there is a small amount of air in the kitchen area (the largest area) and no airflow in the rear bedroom. The front bedroom airflow is OK and the bathroom is overly warm in my opinion. Is this a known issue in the Gateway 3650 models? We purchased the 3650 solely for the additional bedroom for our son and very disappointed in the lack of airflow and warmth to the back of the RV. Having a young child we need to keep it warm in the rear bedroom. Any information you could provide would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Jared
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
You could join the rest of us heretics that installed adjustable floor registers to better direct the furnace output. It is also likely that the flimsy plastic ductwork to the rear is bent, folded, or otherwise poorly installed and needs to be remedied.

Before the adjustables in our 3670, your left cheek risked 3rd degree burns while on the "throne," yet the rear of the coach was cold. The bedroom was also overheated. The air is going to take the path of least resistance, which means the shortest duct runs, aka. the bath and front of the rig.

In your situation, a small electric heater in the rear bedroom may help a lot. Problem will be what else is on that circuit, which may cause the breaker to trip if too much is being used. A remedy is to install a separate 20A circuit to that bedroom expressly for the heater.
 

1woodwork

Member
I have a Elkridge 35QSQB with same problem. Did find 2 ducts squeezed thru opening underneath that was shutting off airflow. Fixed and helped but still about 6 degrees cooler in back bedroom. I use and electric heater.
 

Turtlpwr

Member
Thanks for the replies John and 1woodwork!! Sounds like this is a known issue in these larger rigs. I just upgraded from a 31' bumper pull toy hauler and the heater in that thing would literally smoke you out it got so hot. I assumed this new rig would be even more efficient as it is 9 years newer. The whole underside of the Gateway is sealed and insulated, so I'm not sure if I'll even be able to get into it to see if there is a kinked duct. Might have to wait until we take it to back to the dealer to have them address some other issues.

We had the heater going and were pretty warm in the bedroom. When we checked on our son at 4:30 am in the back bedroom, it felt 15-20 degrees colder than the master and he was ice cold. Will definitely try to pick up some adjustable vent cover for the bathroom aka sauna room. In the meantime, I guess we'll be utilizing a space heater in that back bedroom area. Thanks for the info gents!! Happy camping!! :)
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Thanks for the replies John and 1woodwork!! Sounds like this is a known issue in these larger rigs. I just upgraded from a 31' bumper pull toy hauler and the heater in that thing would literally smoke you out it got so hot. I assumed this new rig would be even more efficient as it is 9 years newer. The whole underside of the Gateway is sealed and insulated, so I'm not sure if I'll even be able to get into it to see if there is a kinked duct. Might have to wait until we take it to back to the dealer to have them address some other issues.

We had the heater going and were pretty warm in the bedroom. When we checked on our son at 4:30 am in the back bedroom, it felt 15-20 degrees colder than the master and he was ice cold. Will definitely try to pick up some adjustable vent cover for the bathroom aka sauna room. In the meantime, I guess we'll be utilizing a space heater in that back bedroom area. Thanks for the info gents!! Happy camping!! :)

The coroplast underbelly covering is merely bolted to the frame (unless your's is different). You should be able to remove enough bolts along one side to get a look up underneath. Probably not a bad idea to occasionally turn the bolts a bit just to make sure they don't seize up. Snapping a bolt is not good.
 
Jared we just purchased the same unit.. I wish I had researched reviews before purchasing.. so frustrating! Our poor kids! Heartland should recall and fix for all of us! ****************..that should be a disclosure at purchase!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I had the same problem in our 3650 BH. Removed the underbelly and the "insulation" then insulated the duct work and reran the duct to remove the kinks. Also the bathroom gets warm because the bedroom and bathroom duct work go into the same register box. Removed and cut a new vent into the living room for the extra duct, installed an adjustable register in the bathroom. Now the living room gets extra air flow and I can control the air in the bathroom. Works a lot better. The back bedroom will unfortunately always be cooler due to the design and location of the thermostat and controls, located up high by the bathroom, heat will rise into the front bedroom. a little space heater helped with the couple degree temp difference.
 

Bones

Well-known member
I had the same problem in our 3650 BH. Removed the underbelly and the "insulation" then insulated the duct work and reran the duct to remove the kinks. Also the bathroom gets warm because the bedroom and bathroom duct work go into the same register box. Removed and cut a new vent into the living room for the extra duct, installed an adjustable register in the bathroom. Now the living room gets extra air flow and I can control the air in the bathroom. Works a lot better. The back bedroom will unfortunately always be cooler due to the design and location of the thermostat and controls, located up high by the bathroom, heat will rise into the front bedroom. a little space heater helped with the couple degree temp difference.


We camped this weekend and the kids room was definitely cooler than the rest of the rig. I used some metal duct tape for the moment to close off the bathroom register. I think it helped but not really sure. a lot of air blows though that vent and it blew off my tape a couple of times.
 
Top