very little heat from propane furnace

kevo555

Member
Hello all , I'm not getting much heat out of my propane furnace. The furnace starts and some heat comes out. The air flow through the vents is also not strong.
Any ideas on how to get max heat and airflow through the system ?? 2009 bighorn 3055RL
 

centerline

Well-known member
you will have to get to the back of the heater and find out if any of the ducts have came disconnected....

the problem with the flexible mylar ducting is that even though its fully open, the corrugations cause a severe turbulence of any air passing thru it, slowing down the airflow, which in turn allows for greater heat loss thru the walls of the duct.... so it is delivering less air per minute passing thru it, and which is NOT nearly as hot as it was when it left the heater unit....

make sure you have no leaks, and straighten out the runs of the duct work as much as possible..... some people have found they can cut off as much as 50% of the duct, and STILL have enough to make the run with some slack in it.... which allows for greater airflow for two reasons.... the run has less obstructions causing turbulence, and the run is almost 50% shorter, making for a stronger, hotter delivery of the furnace air... if one does this to all their vents/ducts, it could allow for 30-40% increase in how well the interior is being heated...
 

kevo555

Member
you will have to get to the back of the heater and find out if any of the ducts have came disconnected....

the problem with the flexible mylar ducting is that even though its fully open, the corrugations cause a severe turbulence of any air passing thru it, slowing down the airflow, which in turn allows for greater heat loss thru the walls of the duct.... so it is delivering less air per minute passing thru it, and which is NOT nearly as hot as it was when it left the heater unit....

make sure you have no leaks, and straighten out the runs of the duct work as much as possible..... some people have found they can cut off as much as 50% of the duct, and STILL have enough to make the run with some slack in it.... which allows for greater airflow for two reasons.... the run has less obstructions causing turbulence, and the run is almost 50% shorter, making for a stronger, hotter delivery of the furnace air... if one does this to all their vents/ducts, it could allow for 30-40% increase in how well the interior is being heated...
Thanks so much for the info !! I just purchased this Bighorn . To get to the back of the heater means crawling underneath the trailer ?
 

Roller4tan

Well-known member
check your pass through storage... the rear wall can be removed near the street side for access to the rear of the furnace.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
You can also replace the floor registers with adjustable ones to regulate where the heat goes.


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centerline

Well-known member
Thanks so much for the info !! I just purchased this Bighorn . To get to the back of the heater means crawling underneath the trailer ?
on a bighorn, you should be able to access some of the ducting at the back of the furnace from behind the intake cover inside the coach, and the rest of it can be accessed thru the basement..... the one panel will swing open to allow you into the "mechanical" space, where most of the systems are located.... its crowded in there, but its all the access we get without deconstructing the woodwork and paneling....

from underneath the trailer, only the holding tanks, their plumbing and sensor wires, and the long runs of heat ducting to the rear of the trailer is accessible there.... and it should all be enclosed with corroplast, which if you remove the corroplast, its a PITA to get back in place and sealed.... if it doesnt get fully sealed, dust thruout the trailer will become a big problem... dont go there if you dont HAVE to... usually to access a component behind the corroplast, a flap is cut in it that can be folded open, and then folded closed and sealed with duct tape.
 
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kevo555

Member
on a bighorn, you should be able to access some of the ducting at the back of the furnace from behind the intake cover inside the coach, and the rest of it can be accessed thru the basement..... the one panel will swing open to allow you into the "mechanical" space, where most of the systems are located.... its crowded in there, but its all the access we get without deconstructing the woodwork and paneling....

from underneath the trailer, only the holding tanks, their plumbing and sensor wires, and the long runs of heat ducting to the rear of the trailer is accessible there.... and it should all be enclosed with corroplast, which if you remove the corroplast, its a PITA to get back in place and sealed.... if it doesnt get fully sealed, dust thruout the trailer will become a big problem... dont go there if you dont HAVE to... usually to access a component behind the corroplast, a flap is cut in it that can be folded open, and then folded closed and sealed with duct tape.
where is the intake cover inside the coach located ?
 

kevo555

Member
on a bighorn, you should be able to access some of the ducting at the back of the furnace from behind the intake cover inside the coach, and the rest of it can be accessed thru the basement..... the one panel will swing open to allow you into the "mechanical" space, where most of the systems are located.... its crowded in there, but its all the access we get without deconstructing the woodwork and paneling....

from underneath the trailer, only the holding tanks, their plumbing and sensor wires, and the long runs of heat ducting to the rear of the trailer is accessible there.... and it should all be enclosed with corroplast, which if you remove the corroplast, its a PITA to get back in place and sealed.... if it doesnt get fully sealed, dust thruout the trailer will become a big problem... dont go there if you dont HAVE to... usually to access a component behind the corroplast, a flap is cut in it that can be folded open, and then folded closed and sealed with duct tape.
Thanks so much for your help on this , I hope to dig into this situation in the next month or so ........I will respond back when I have an update
 
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