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Old 10-14-2018, 03:21 PM   #1
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2019 Nest
Omaha , Nebraska
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Winterizing the Nest, will furnace run if only on battery power?

We have the Nest trailer, and are planning one last camping trip next weekend, Oct 18-21. However, mother nature surprised us here in Omaha, Nebraska with snow and temps in low 30s with wind chill of 24 overnight. It will be 48 tomorrow, getting up to upper 50s and low 60s later in the week. We drained the fresh water tank, black tank, put rv antifreeze in the sink, shower drains and black tank. We flushed out the black tank completely after last use so was pretty clean already. The Nest has a tankless water heater, do we need to do anything with it since it is a short period that the temps are low? The trailer is parked very close to our house in our driveway. Are we ok? Were hoping to not have to fully winterize until after last trip next weekend.
Also not sure if the furnace will operate on battery power only if need since we lost power in our house and have a 15 year old dog and small parrott we need to keep warm. Have firewood and fire in the fireplace for now, but if we need, can sleep in the trailer overnight if no power by bedtime and run out of firewood. Have a full backup propane tank, not sure how much is in the main tank, and batteries are at 13.3 %.
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Old 10-14-2018, 03:25 PM   #2
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You have a brand spanking new rig which most here may know little to nothing about.

You may get some help via responses, but be sure to pull out your owners manual and read it, because it will tell you a lot.

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Old 10-14-2018, 03:55 PM   #3
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Nest manual

Oh believe me, I have read and reread the Nest manual, the Guide for Newbies, and searched airstream forums. The manual is pretty vague, and information with the appliances doesn't have much detail. I know the dometic A/C furnace combo is the same as other Airstream models, as well as the on demand tankless water heater, so thought any seasoned Airstreamers might have some helpful suggestions.
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Old 10-14-2018, 04:23 PM   #4
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The furnace should work on batteries. Do you have a generator? If you had a 20watt generator you could fill it with gas and use. That will also work your lights. Also the inverter when the generator is running will keep your batteries charged to use should the generator run out of gas.

This is why it’s good to have a generator for winter camping.

So put your switch to “in use.” Then on the Dometic thermostat turn the mode to “Furnace.” Set thermostat. Should work just fine. I know that in the AS international it will keep the water from freezing in the tanks. So you should be able to boondock when it’s cold.

Call your dealer or customer service at Airstream for the final word.
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Old 10-14-2018, 04:30 PM   #5
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No generator yet, but living in the midwest and now owning the trailer puts a generator at the top of the list. I did turn on the furnace to 50°and it is working fine. Only time we used it, we were plugged in to 30 amp shore power, and there's nothing in the manual that discusses power for the furnace. I know to run the a/c it has to be plugged in to 30 amp, so just wanted to be safe. Us newbies, we worry about everything.....��
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Old 10-14-2018, 04:32 PM   #6
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Oh, and if our electric power comes back on, we will put our space heater in the Nest for the night to help against any freezing.
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Old 10-14-2018, 05:47 PM   #7
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I do not have a Nest. But if it is a propane furnace with a blower to circulate the warm air it is not going to work long on batteries. Maybe one night of cold weather if it is not set real high. Maybe 2 nights but then the batteries will probably be damaged. Maybe the Nest has a super efficient blower? But that is about the way it is for our older propane furnace. How many batteries does the Nest have? Our trailer has 2 batteries and more volume to heat.
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Old 10-14-2018, 05:53 PM   #8
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Thank you. We should only need the furnace one night, hopefully our house power will be back on soon and we can plug the trailer back in.
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Old 10-15-2018, 07:57 AM   #9
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We turned on the furnace after connecting up the 7 pin to our truck, started it up and and made sure trailer batteries were fully charged. House power came back on so I put a space heater in the Nest with cabinets open. Looks like all is fine and operating. Thanks for input and helping us through our first freeze!
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Old 10-15-2018, 09:34 AM   #10
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You may want to read especially about winterizing your tankless water heater. If this freezes and cracks the heat exchanger - this could be a problem.
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Old 10-15-2018, 11:06 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beboplu View Post
We turned on the furnace after connecting up the 7 pin to our truck, started it up and and made sure trailer batteries were fully charged. House power came back on so I put a space heater in the Nest with cabinets open. Looks like all is fine and operating. Thanks for input and helping us through our first freeze!
Hey, Beboplu, we would sure like to have you in our Nebraska Airstream Club! We have 70+ members now from Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, South Carolina and England. Please go to our website at Nebraskaunit.wbcci.net or WBCCI.org for International.

We have monthly get-togethers at Parker’s Smokehouse near Ashland (dates and times are on our website) as well as rally’s during spring, summer and fall.

Please consider joining our club. Great opportunity to get your questions answered and meet some great people.

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Old 10-15-2018, 05:05 PM   #12
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Your tank less heater may have a freeze defense program that turns itself on when it's temperature drops close to freezing. Mine does in my Born Free tow vehicle.
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Old 10-17-2018, 10:22 PM   #13
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My tankless water heater does have built in freeze protection. Thanks!
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Old 10-17-2018, 10:31 PM   #14
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Thanks Larry. I have received info from the Nebraska chapter and joining is on my list of things to do! Probably join in the spring at this point. Looks like fun!
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Old 10-17-2018, 11:43 PM   #15
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Winterizing the Nest, will furnace run if only on battery power?

Freeze protection in my PrecisionTemp 500 requires propane and 12 volt power switched on. I blow it out with air and leave it dry if winterized. On the road, if it’s getting cold, we leave it powered, water in it, and gas on.
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Old 10-31-2018, 12:55 PM   #16
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Furnace running on battery alone

I have camped in trailers many times while deer and elk hunting in Colorado in the fall hunting seasons. On a new large deep cycle battery, you can get 2-3 nights out of a full battery. The furnace fan uses all the power. I could get one full day and night if it was cold and nasty. The capacity of a deep cycle battery declines a lot over 2-3 years making a generator a desireable option. Running a furnace 24/7 takes a lot out of a battery. I was using a slide into the pickup bed pop up camper mostly.
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Old 10-31-2018, 02:59 PM   #17
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FWIW you might find a wider audience in the Nest forum IMO:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f546/

FYI/FWIW
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Old 11-01-2018, 06:43 AM   #18
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You may get one night out of the furnace but it will be close. Set it at a low setting and use plenty of blankets. We have a 27' Globetrotter with 2 AGM batteries. Had a 27 degree nite. Set the thermostat to 50 degrees and the furnace would not last all nite. Our solution for the future is more blankets and a Mr Heater portable propane heater. Around $70 at Walmart. Check it out.
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