Driving with Propane furnace or Generator

[scarletbison]

Hi folks,

I'm coming up on 1 month of ownership (2014.5 Lounge EXT)and have a question for those more experienced than I am. One week from today I'm driving some family members to the airport and due to the number (5) I'm going to use the Interstate. My question is this, is it ok to drive with the propane on and the furnace running? or for that matter, the generator in the summer to run the A/C? It's going to be in the low thirties when I drive them, so I wanted know whether I should get up 2 hours earlier, to heat the coach and then shut off the propane while driving to the airport and just use the chassis heat to try and maintain.

long winded question I know, but thanks in advance for your response.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by scarletbison

My question is this, is it ok to drive with the propane on and the furnace running?

It most certainly IS okay to drive with the furnace on. I did my Interstate's test drive in December 2011, and it was cold in Gulfport that day. The furnace was already on when I climbed in, and we left it on throughout the test drive. No problems at all.

I've never driven with the generator on, which you need in order to run the rooftop AC while driving. I'll leave that part of the answer to other Interstate owners.

[wahoonc]

I have done both with small motor homes in the past, and I run the furnace on my TT when traveling in very cold weather.

Current MoHo that I have access to has a water exchanger as part of the furnace system... them big Cat diesels put out some serious heat.

Aaron

[Bikerbill]

Asking the question of using propane while driving is like asking which is better: Ford or Chevy. And the unequivocal answer is YES.

I and many others have driven with propane on and using appliances i.e.: generator. You have to be concerned with the possibility for some appliances that the pilot may blow out. No pilot on penny though.

[Mjgman]

Driven many times with the generator on with the AC cranked up to max.. Also used the furnace while driving many times.. Crank up all your systems and roll on down the road my friend..

[joemikeb]

I have driven several hundred miles in my 2013 AI on the Interstate highways in temperatures hovering between the upper 20s and lower 30s and had to dial down the temp on the Sprinter heater because it was getting uncomfortably warm inside and that was without the benefit of the furnace. After all Germany can be a very cold country and the AI is pretty well insulated. I have also driven several hundred miles across the Southwest in 100+ temperatures with the generator running so I could run the A/C to keep the interior temperatures tolerable with no problems. Firing up the furnace to pre-warm the interior before heading for the airport is a good idea, but it may be overkill once the engine heats up to operating temperatures.

CAUTION: Be aware in your planned airport journey the ride in the back of the AI is notoriously not good and can easily launch rear seat passengers into low earth orbit. (One commentator claimed his passengers reached geo-synchronous orbit.) The ride in the driver, co-driver, and passenger seats is great, but the ride in the back is a reasonable facsimile of a thrill ride at the carnival. I found that out the hard way taking a VIP to the airport. She was nice about it, but the next time took a taxi.

[m.hony]

Our friends with a 1995 Tiffin Allegro Bus drive around with the generator on running the roof air all the time. The only consideration is to make sure the window above the generator is closed to keep the generator's exhaust from entering the vehicle.

[Alaskahistor]

My experience is that the furnace on my 1974 Airstream does not function properly while driving or with the exhaust facing the wind while parked. My slide-in camper furnace works just fine -- so I imagine any modern camper whould have no problem.

[jerhofer]

Originally Posted by joemikeb

I have driven several hundred miles in my 2013 AI on the Interstate highways in temperatures hovering between the upper 20s and lower 30s and had to dial down the temp on the Sprinter heater because it was getting uncomfortably warm inside and that was without the benefit of the furnace. After all Germany can be a very cold country and the AI is pretty well insulated. I have also driven several hundred miles across the Southwest in 100+ temperatures with the generator running so I could run the A/C to keep the interior temperatures tolerable with no problems. Firing up the furnace to pre-warm the interior before heading for the airport is a good idea, but it may be overkill once the engine heats up to operating temperatures.

CAUTION: Be aware in your planned airport journey the ride in the back of the AI is notoriously not good and can easily launch rear seat passengers into low earth orbit. (One commentator claimed his passengers reached geo-synchronous orbit.) The ride in the driver, co-driver, and passenger seats is great, but the ride in the back is a reasonable facsimile of a thrill ride at the carnival. I found that out the hard way taking a VIP to the airport. She was nice about it, but the next time took a taxi.

Over Thanksgiving we drove from NC to Indiana with my wife, our son, his wife, our grandson and two dogs. It was cold (high 20's and low 30's) but the rear passengers opened the side windows to cool it down as the heat buildup from the truck heater was more than sufficient to heat it up. Part of that heat probably came through the windows as it was sunny. I dialed back the truck heat considerably. We did not use the furnace at all. We did run the generator as my grandson brought along his Playstation 4 which is a power hog. On the plus side, it kept him entertained.

Ditto on the ride thing as well. While my son's family did not complain, my wife sat back there for one stint and did not like it. It is much more comfortable up front.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by joemikeb

CAUTION:The ride in the driver, co-driver, and passenger seats is great, but the ride in the back is a reasonable facsimile of a thrill ride at the carnival.

How about the side-facing seat directly over the wheelwell? It should be better than the sofa all the way to the rear in that regard.

And an impertinent question… were the people launched into orbit not wearing seat belts?

[73shark]

Originally Posted by jerhofer

We did run the generator as my grandson brought along his Playstation 4 which is a power hog.

The alternator couldn't keep up w/ the PS 4? If it's consuming that kind of power, hope it's sitting on something that won't melt cuz it'll definitely be hot.

[jerhofer]

Originally Posted by 73shark

The alternator couldn't keep up w/ the PS 4? If it's consuming that kind of power, hope it's sitting on something that won't melt cuz it'll definitely be hot.

That trip was when I discovered the alternator was not charging the house batteries.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240...es-128968.html

[Gnorts]

Originally Posted by Alaskahistor

My experience is that the furnace on my 1974 Airstream does not function properly while driving or with the exhaust facing the wind while parked. My slide-in camper furnace works just fine -- so I imagine any modern camper whould have no problem.

Same with my previous AS, a '71 18ft Caravel. Those older appliances with pilot lights aren't reliable when the trailer is moving. We couldn't use the furnace or the fridge when moving. We'd freeze blue ice in the freezer and put it in the fridge when we hit the road.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Gnorts

Same with my previous AS, a '71 18ft Caravel. Those older appliances with pilot lights aren't reliable when the trailer is moving. We couldn't use the furnace or the fridge when moving. We'd freeze blue ice in the freezer and put it in the fridge when we hit the road.

There is no pilot light on these newer units. They have electronic spark ignition of furnace.


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

[joemikeb]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

How about the side-facing seat directly over the wheelwell? It should be better than the sofa all the way to the rear in that regard.

And an impertinent question… were the people launched into orbit not wearing seat belts?

Yes the rear lounge passengers were wearing seatbelts and it took over a week for my wife's bruises inflicted by the seatbelts to heal.

I don't know about the ride in the side facing seat over the wheelwell but given its location I would not expect it to be that much better. And before you ask it was a good albeit not a perfect road. So far the only thing we have found to tame the ride is pulling our toad, and while that works on long trips, it is not practical for every day driving.

[jerhofer]

While at the dealership today my salesman said he has a customer who presently has an ERA and thinks it is sold. He is considering buying an AI and took a test ride in the rear seat. He said it was no better than his ERA. If he buys one he is planning on having the VB Air Bag Suspension installed. The customer is supposed to be traveling to Charleston, SC today to take a test ride in a VB equipped Sprinter. I will be following this closely and would like to wrangle a test ride if the guy buys.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by joemikeb

CAUTION: Be aware in your planned airport journey the ride in the back of the AI is notoriously not good and can easily launch rear seat passengers into low earth orbit. (One commentator claimed his passengers reached geo-synchronous orbit.) The ride in the driver, co-driver, and passenger seats is great, but the ride in the back is a reasonable facsimile of a thrill ride at the carnival. I found that out the hard way taking a VIP to the airport. She was nice about it, but the next time took a taxi.

Thanks for the belly laugh. (And it's her, not his.)