Furnace safety

[Dbraw]

We plan to use our 71 Safari this winter and wondered what is the best way to be sure the furnace is safe. Don't want to wake up dead.
Dan

[FireFighter]

I use a Carbon monoxide detector, and obviously a smoke detector but i also open one of the roof vents to ensure there is always fresh oxygenated air getting in via negative pressure.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Dan Brawner.

DO NOT USE THE FURNACE!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are a new owner, then you will not know the history of that furnace.

There is a "RECALL" on that vintage furnace.

The furnace must be removed and bench tested. At the same time, you can determine if the safety recall has been complied with.

The recall involved replacement of the "crossover" rubber hose.

If that hose is cracked or not secure, you "WILL" get carbon monoxide" in the trailer.

Andy

[j54mark]

In theory the common NT30 furnace picks up all combustion air outside. However, I too feel that a space as small as an Airstream needs some fresh air. Rather than open the large roof vent, I open the bathroom vent in my '85 Sovereign. Subjectively, it seems to provide enough fresh air for the two of us.

Mark

[FireFighter]

i also open the roof vent in the bathroom. not sure what Andy is referrring to abou the rubber hose.
Andy, can you give a little more detail for us owners that plan on using there trailers all winter, what are we looking for?. i certainly am not willing to take a 30+ furnace out to be tested, at that point i might as well buy a new one??

Any details would be greatly appreciated, as stated b4 noone here wants to wake up dead.

[Lee Pace]

Andy,

When we bought our 69 Overlander, my husband took the furnace out and totally cleaned it. It was full of soot, dirt dobbers nest and he put a screen over the outside. He is in the boiler and burner business, so he knew what he was doing.

We also have a Carbon Monoxide tester. Was the 69 included in this recall?

Thanks,

Gloria & Don
69 Overlander
Greenville, Tx.

[markdoane]

Do a search on 'furnace recall' for a post by NewStreamer in December '02, for more info on the rubber crossover tube.
Sounds dangerous. Thanks Andy and NewStreamer.

[FireFighter]

i am understanding this correctly that this crossover tube is a large hose that is connected directly to the intake / exhaust grate on the side of my trailer directly behind the door?

[Dbraw]

Andy,
I thank you, my children thank you as well as my grandchildren. We won't use the furnace until I have someone check it out. We'll use our small electric heater until then if we have electricity available and sleeping bags if not. I always leave a vent open anyway.
Dan

[Dbraw]

Andy,
I checked our furnace and it is a Model # NT22A, Ser. # 63397. There is a copper line that crosses over the top of the furnace from left at the cut-off to down the right side. Is that line by chance the cross-over line that you referred to? Since it is copper, does that indicate that the rubber line may have been replaced?
Thanks for any help. We still will not use the furnace until I can have a dealer check it out.
Dan

[Inland RV Center, In]

Dan.

The cross over tube carries the air from the blower to the combustion chamber. It is made of rubber some what like a radiator hose.

Andy

[Dbraw]

Andy,
Thanks again. It looks like I may live to order some more parts from you.
Dan

[Dennis Frist]

Andy,
What years and Model number / numbers did this furnace recall cover? I have a 1975 Sovereign and through my owner's manuals I can identify the type/model of furnace I have.
Thanks
Dennis

Dan Brawner.

DO NOT USE THE FURNACE!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are a new owner, then you will not know the history of that furnace.

There is a "RECALL" on that vintage furnace.

The furnace must be removed and bench tested. At the same time, you can determine if the safety recall has been complied with.

The recall involved replacement of the "crossover" rubber hose.

If that hose is cracked or not secure, you "WILL" get carbon monoxide" in the trailer.

Andy

[Inland RV Center, In]

All Suburban furnaces used in the 1970 to 1976 model Airstream products are involved with the recall.

There also was a recall for all the 1966 to 1970 model Suburban furnaces as well.

If there is any doubt, and there should be, have someone pull the furnace and check it out.

DO NOT ASSUME that your furnace is ok, unless it has been removed, cleaned, repaired, if necessary, inspected, and then bench tested.

Andy

[uwe]

The above posts motivated me to remove my furnace and drag it over to Andy's last weekend to have it safety checked. Am I ever glad that I did not operate it before having it checked!
Andy showed me the debris that came out of the heat exchanger/combustion chamber assembly.....a full coffee mug ( grande, for the Starbucks crowd) of rusty flakes and rust powder. It takes a lot more than just blowing air through the exhaust or intake to get one of these older models cleaned out. Some of the rust flakes were substantial enough to cause concern with thinning areas and pin holes in the metal. Too sketchy when considering the heat and flames etc. inside the thing. I decided to retire the furnace entirely. I never used it before, and I guess I never will now. I want to live! I did keep the housing with the bottom duct for eventual later use with a new furnace. Andy gave me a bulletin on how to retrofit later model furnaces to the 60's/70's trailers.
Anyways, the furnace definitely nees to be partially disassembled to be thoroughly checked. Once the burner assembly is removed, then the combustion chamber can be tapped with a suitable tool to loosen rust flakes, and put on it's back to shake the debris out of it. I can't see how else one could effectively evaluate the condition of a furnace 30+ years old.
On a different note:
Andy might swerve to the pinnacle of safety in his posts sometimes, but seeing him work and seeing what the heck he's talking about makes one understand WHY he posts the way he does. Andy knows his Airstreams, and has seen the consequences of unsafe conditions and practices. I for one appreciate his concerns. He has not steered me wrong, ever.

[Safari Tim]

The rubber hose Andy is talking about can only be seen by removing the furnace from its housing.

You have to remove the gas line connection, the intake/exhaust screws (from the outside), the electrical connections. Then then inards slide out of the housing. The hose carries the fresh air from the motor fan into the burner which also forces the bad air out the exhaust.

My hose was cracked and I replaced it with a heavy duty heater hose. It was very difficult to get it back on right because you want a perfect tight fit.

I also cleaned out a lot of bug nests and such from in the intake pipes. I also had to repair the motor which did not even come on because it had a broken brush in the motor. And taking the motor and squrel cage apart was not much fun.

But I got it all back together it in my test runs at the house with my cabon mononxide detecter detecting it works fine.

However, even after all that work I still don't really trust it with my family and we have only used electric heat.

I ran it again for about 45 minutes last week and it worked fine.

I keep looking for a good sale on a new one though....

[oxfletch]

My furnace does seem to have this problem. I was trying to find a section of suitable hose to replace it with ... I was hoping to get some feedback on criteria - I found this:

http://www.bakerprecision.com/purosil.htm

Which is for coolant, air intakes and turbos, comes in 2.5" diameter, and I could stick a band clamp on each end to make sure it holds nice and tight for extra safety. Whilst I don't expect anyone to say "ooh, yes, I'd warranty that", any critiques on temp ranges or silicone hose (which AFAICS goes higher them than rubber) would be most useful. I'm thinking that turbos are about as close an application as I'm going to get ...

[3Ms75Argosy]

I took our NT22C out of our 75 Argosy apart (main burner log wasn't igniting). I'm glad it didn't work!!! I'm surprised that 1) we're alive and 2) the trailer didn't burn.

Problems - 1) Also found a grande latte cup full of rust inside the combustion chamber - you have to take the log out to really empty it out. When I did this, I found out why the bottom tray was so rusted.... a hole in the bottom of the combustion chamber was allowing the flames to burn the paint off the metal.... thank God it didn't ignite the wood floor!

2) The rubber crossover tube was totally cracked in half... fresh and exhaust was mixing... good thing we always slept with the window open.

3) many of the inner gas lines were loose at the fittings.. I always did have the faint smell of gas from time to time, but didn't inspect these fittings INSIDE the heater cabinet.

4) Some time in the past, the heater was taken apart... someone used about a 1/2 gallon of tar to seal the end of the log to the manifold... you could see where it had burned to a molten mass

5) every gasket was crumbled to dust... I'm sure there were multiple leaks around every sensor and where access covers met the combustion chamber...

Please... inspect your old heaters carefully! Off to spend $500.00 on a new one!
Marc

[Stefrobrts]

Holy cow, Marc! Glad you guys discovered that before you went winter camping in it again! For what it's worth, I have not regretted pitching the 'vintage' heater in the caravel and replacing it with a new one. It's more than worth the expense for the peace of mind!

A CO detector doesn't hurt either!

[3Ms75Argosy]

Now, I like a good campfire like everyone else, but I'm glad my trailer won't add to the pyrotechnic extravaganza at Beverly Beach!


Anyone else know about a good deal on a new furnace? Please don't say CW.... I had awful service from them (called to reserve the "last one." The last one.... when I got there, the box was thrashed and open, the furnace had already been installed, the chassis was bent in all directions, and looked like it had been dropped a time or three. Their "deal".... "how about $50.00 off." No aplogies from them, nor "sorry you had to drive all the way out here to find this." )

Marc