Entrance Door Covers Heater Exhaust

[Jim Clark]

I just lit off the furnace in our new Safari we purchased in May. I want to burn the furnace in to get the new furnace odor out of the camper and this is the first night it has even been cool enough to do it. I have all the windows open and I had the door open then realized that the door covers the exhaust from the furnace when it is open. I caught the problem before it got hot enough to damage the finish but is sure is a poor design. Just a heads up to everyone to watch out for a potential problem. I assume AS didn't think anyone would run the furnance and leave the door open.

Thanks Jim

[2airishuman]

hi jim

there are several models with the furnace curbside and the door at risk....

it really is an issue....

short of not having the furnace there the options i can think of are...

1. a protective plate/surface on the door

2. an auto shut off switch that kills the furnace IF the door is fully opened..

unless you work out some reminder system,
it is a bit like the tv antenna, not if you'll ever leave it up..but when.

cheers
2air'

[Jim Clark]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

hi jim

there are several models with the furnace curbside and the door at risk....

it really is an issue....

short of not having the furnace there the options i can think of are...

1. a protective plate/surface on the door

2. an auto shut off switch that kills the furnace IF the door is fully opened..

unless you work out some reminder system,
it is a bit like the tv antenna, not if you'll ever leave it up..but when.

cheers
2air'

I will figure something out. If it were really cold the door would be closed. I might look at a lockout sysem that would let the door to be used for normal use and only lockout when the door is open all the way. I would also think the back pressure on the exhaust would be a fire hazard.

Jim

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Jim Clark

I just lit off the furnace in our new Safari we purchased in May. I want to burn the furnace in to get the new furnace odor out of the camper and this is the first night it has even been cool enough to do it. I have all the windows open and I had the door open then realized that the door covers the exhaust from the furnace when it is open. I caught the problem before it got hot enough to damage the finish but is sure is a poor design. Just a heads up to everyone to watch out for a potential problem. I assume AS didn't think anyone would run the furnance and leave the door open.

Thanks Jim

Hi, I accidentally done that myself, But I told myself that common sense is that you don't have your door all the way open with the heater on. I since then made sure that the door never gets opened farther than 90 degrees or straight out from the side of my trailer when the heater is on.
Hi, 2air. I do like your idea of some sort of safety switch to, lets say, shut the heater off when the door is opened. A door jamb switch wired in line with the heaters thermostat would work.

Bob

[C Johnson]

Hi, 2air. I do like your idea of some sort of safety switch to, lets say, shut the heater off when the door is opened. A door jamb switch in line with the heaters thermostat would work.

Great Idea !

[Darol Ingalls]

Furnaces have a heat-sensing limit switch mounted on the firebox that prevents the fan from stopping until the box is cooled sufficiently. Even with a "door switch" the fan will still run and expell heat from the vent until the limit switch says it's OK for the fan to stop. Opening the door to go in and out of the trailer while the furnace is running is not a problem since it most likely is only partially opened. Leaving the door wide open and running the furnace is not something logical people would do. If you must "burn-in" your furnace, open the windows and turn the AC on - may as well break that in, too, and save some time. Darol

[BigAl]

I almost left the door open once and since my trailer is painted it would have made a real mess of the finish. When I was looking at trailers a few years ago an owner showed me the discolouration on his door. He had run the furnace while working on his unit to take off the chill. I guess he saw red when he realized his mistake.
Why not install a strap to the top of the frame and door to only allow the door to open 90 degrees when running the furnace. Put a hook on one end so that it can be disconnected when you want the door open all the way.
Al

[jimmickle]

Originally Posted by Darol Ingalls

Leaving the door wide open and running the furnace is not something logical people would do. Darol

I object to your statement above. We have slip-in plastic panels in the screen door that allow us to have the main door open for light and welcoming look. We often run heat or A/C with the door open. Having the exaust directed at the open door is DUMB, like many things A/S does, apparently because nobody there actually uses the product.

[Jim Clark]

Originally Posted by Darol Ingalls

Furnaces have a heat-sensing limit switch mounted on the firebox that prevents the fan from stopping until the box is cooled sufficiently. Even with a "door switch" the fan will still run and expell heat from the vent until the limit switch says it's OK for the fan to stop. Opening the door to go in and out of the trailer while the furnace is running is not a problem since it most likely is only partially opened. Leaving the door wide open and running the furnace is not something logical people would do. If you must "burn-in" your furnace, open the windows and turn the AC on - may as well break that in, too, and save some time. Darol

Dam, after 57 years I have been diagnosed as illogical. Thank you Spock, I mean Darol.

Jim

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Jim Clark

Dam, after 57 years I have been diagnosed as illogical. Thank you Spock, I mean Darol.

Jim

Hi, Jim. Don't worry, I think they have a cure for that!

Bob

[garry]

IMO there is nothing logical about it. I think a bungie cord on the door to prevent the door from staying wide open when using the furnance would be a good idea.

Garry

[wheel interested]

We would forget on occassions when we were going in and out repeatedly as when setting up the fire or food on the outside table, in and out with the dogs or for pictures or running to see something, carrying things in from the truck, etc., or worse when the heater was not on but then went on when it was cooler. We leave our door open alot and never really thought of the heat being on or not until we smelled something funny or went to close it and thought of it then. Luckily no damage but always a fright of it and relief. It would have to be nearly storm conditions for us to be concerned with the door being open when we and the 2 dogs are active about the trailer in and out. We must have all been born in barns and not just the dogs. But the furnace still warms the AS regardless. In cooler weather camping it's nice for all of us not to have to open and close the door every time we go in and out. With the new AS we do not have that worry. I don't know if it's so much illogical as it is not energy conservative.

[Streamer1]

Originally Posted by BigAl

I almost left the door open once and since my trailer is painted it would have made a real mess of the finish. When I was looking at trailers a few years ago an owner showed me the discolouration on his door. He had run the furnace while working on his unit to take off the chill. I guess he saw red when he realized his mistake.
Why not install a strap to the top of the frame and door to only allow the door to open 90 degrees when running the furnace. Put a hook on one end so that it can be disconnected when you want the door open all the way.
Al

An excellent "low tech" solution!

[wahoonc]

I think the bungie cord/strap solution is the best low tech answer I have seen. FWIW both my 75 and my 80 have the furnace vent behind the door. The main problem with moving the furnace is you would lose valuable cabinet space somewhere else. When you pack as much livability into a 150-250sf tube as Airstream does, you are going to have to make some compromises.

Aaron