Floor Heating Vent covered when slide in

[RVFun4Us]

Our heating floor vent on our dinette slide is covered when the slide is in. The other vents are not. My dinette slide cannot fully extend because of the house being too close. Sometimes I would like to turn on the furnace in this situation but wonder if that would hurt anything with the slide covering the vent? From what I have read, it doesn't seem like it is wise to only partially extend the slide to a certain point uncovering the furnace vent because the slide is not nested in place. Open to suggestions here.

 

[JohnDar]

Other than heating the outside, it shouldn’t harm anything. If you can extend the slide and put an adjustable register there, you could close it completely. That would redirect the heat into the other ducts.

For all the hulabaloo about not closing registers, we had adjustable ones for most of the 11 years we owned our rig and it didn’t hurt anything having some closed.


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[esscobra]

i have a 3760el - similar layout - 2017 - and not as cold here in texas - except lately- we have had some freezing temps - and when in my storage i've left slide in and no issues- my door slide also covers the vent in front of kitchen island - during big freeze recently left heater on all week and no issues-

 

[centerline]

Its not going to hurt a thing by having the vent covered..... but remember when the slide is partially open, its not sealed, so bugs and drafts can blow thru....

 

[NYSUPstater]

Block it off like JD suggested.

 

[Flick]

Our heating floor vent on our dinette slide is covered when the slide is in. The other vents are not. My dinette slide cannot fully extend because of the house being too close. Sometimes I would like to turn on the furnace in this situation but wonder if that would hurt anything with the slide covering the vent? From what I have read, it doesn't seem like it is wise to only partially extend the slide to a certain point uncovering the furnace vent because the slide is not nested in place. Open to suggestions here.

When we give and receive advice on a forum like this, I believe it is wise to hear both sides of a conversation where there may be some disagreement.

Although most will attest that blocking of a heater vent will not harm a heating unit in the short run, it can and probably could harm it in the long run. Both heating and ac units are designed to deliver a specific number of cfm. So keep in mind that blocking a vent could cause a unit to not deliver the cfm specified and may cause it to short cycle which means the thermostat has cut of the unit prematurely and before it has time to cool properly internally, it has come on again. Just keep this in mind.

And on the slide, I personally do think that some slides need to be fully extended to get the support they were designed to have.

 

[danemayer]

The manufacturer strongly cautions against blocking vents. Most people who do block vents partially or completely, report no issues. I think it's possible that blocking vents could cause elevated temperatures inside the furnace, possibly triggering the hi-limit switch. Can the switch survive repeatedly opening and closing without failing? Who knows. It's also possible that by restricting airflow, the blower might intermittently not achieve sufficient airflow to close the sail switch.

My advice is that if you block vents, make a note of it so that if later you experience furnace problems, you have a starting point.

 

[centerline]

Blocking vents becomes a problem when multiple vents are blocked... blocking one vent will cause the blocked air to be forced out of another vent... the distribution manifold at the furnace is open inside, so all the vents are connected together at that spot.... if there is no airflow coming out of the vent because its been blocked, there will be no warm air flow going into that duct at the distribution manifold, and the air will be forced into another duct......

 

[JohnDar]

With the BH3670 we had, when all registers were open, the rear living area was a meat locker. The bedroom and bath were where you could cook it. Closing the bedroom register and partially closing the ones in the bath and under the kitchen side cabinet moved warmer air to the two rear registers and kept the bedroom from being stifling. With the one in the bath right next to the toilet, you had a very warm left cheek.

With the length of the rear duct runs, it’s not likely you’ll over-pressurize the system by closing a register.


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[NYSUPstater]

With the BH3670 we had, when all registers were open, the rear living area was a meat locker. The bedroom and bath were where you could cook it. Closing the bedroom register and partially closing the ones in the bath and under the kitchen side cabinet moved warmer air to the two rear registers and kept the bedroom from being stifling. With the one in the bath right next to the toilet, you had a very warm left cheek.

With the length of the rear duct runs, it’s not likely you’ll over-pressurize the system by closing a register.


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Just the left cheek got cooked? Then you're only 1/2 baked then !

 

[JohnDar]

Just the left cheek got cooked? Then you're only 1/2 baked then !

Couldn’t sit backwards on the throne to get evenly toasted

With the 3670, the bath and bedroom registers were directly above the furnace. One right next to the bed and the bath one between the toilet and the shower wall.


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[esscobra]

same here on 3760 - next time i take everything out and open that area im going to lengthen the bath / bedroom or put some form damper - restrictor to better balance

 

[centerline]

same here on 3760 - next time i take everything out and open that area im going to lengthen the bath / bedroom or put some form damper - restrictor to better balance

blocking one duct, slightly increases flow to all the others.
to balance the airflow from the ducting, I have always used a piece of dense foam rubber..... cut it to a shape that will allow it to wedge into the duct pipe below the register, and then trim it away as needed until the air flows equally out of the registers as desired.

in our old trailer I used a towel to block the register in the bathroom, as it had so much flow that when the bathroom fan was NEEDED, the air blowing out the duct would just cause any odors to be pushed under/over/around the door and out into the rest of the trailer, like the exhaust fan wasnt even there.... blocking the vent cured this problem.

 

[marknewbill]

In my case, my slide also covers a vent partially, but it is actually a couple inches over the vent, so the warm air will just come out in the camper from under the edges of the slide, but even if it sags down on the vent, I dont see it hurting anything.