Help. Need suggestion for new Furnace

[robwok]

I have a 64 Overlander. Kept it mostly original, but somehow still spent just thousands of dollars on it.

Anyway, I was recommended to toss the old furnace as it would make my Airstream blow up.

So I did, and have a big hole and a big sheet of aluminum to fill it in. My original furnace had ducts that ran to the back of the trailer to keep the bathroom warm. I love this idea, and want to keep it.

This furnace also kept my tanks warm. I am replacing the tanks with ABS tanks that I'm wrapping in foil bubble wrap.

My question is, is there a good furnace that has a bottom exit for warming the trailer, with some duct adapter, and, would the heat coming out of there be too hot to use flex duct to blow on my ABS tanks wrapped in plastic bubble wrap?

Thanks,

Rob

[mandolindave]

if you foil rap the tanks to keep heat in, and cold out.........it will also keep the hot air from getting to the water in the tanks

[mandolindave]

Did your old furnace have a bottom duct? I think the furnaces just have side ducts. They use flexible tubes to route the heat where it needs to go.
My restoration guy ran a heat duct tube to the " basement" of the trailer because he had to route replacement plumbing under the floor.

[mandolindave]

you may be limited to what replacement furnace will fit and which will line up
with the vents

[robwok]

Actually, the suburban NT 30 is about the size for my 26' trailer. It has the option of closing off the 2 round side ducts, and then running the heat down the bottom with an adapter plate. That then shoots down the length of the trailer to the bathroom where it pops up again in the bathroom as a floor register with damper.

The return is up front. So the heat should travel from the back of the trailer up to the front and circulate.

What I wanted to do was pull a small amount off of that duct and insert it into the insulation wrap. (think of blowing into a plastic bag) That way it would warm the tank.

I've called around though, and it sounds like the furnace heat is a bit too hot to come into contact with the plastic tank. There would be a temperature drop, as it travels through the duct, but I don't want to melt the side of an empty holding tank. (They are thermoplastics after all).

I don't know how much cold weather camping I'll be doing. The tanks are 1/4" ABS, with bubble wrap, and then the belly pan. There may be some heat leaks from the furnace into the floor, but I want to avoid cracking the tank because of frozen water inside. I can install 12v tank heaters, but that would be a drain on the battery if I'm boon docking. (not to mention the cost)

I just wanted to run a couple lines off the furnace duct to warm the tank a little.

[68 TWind]

I ripped out the NT-22 in my old Trade Wind. After a lot of thinking and looking at options I did not replace the "central" unit. We don't camp much when it is bitterly cold and almost always at campgrounds with electrical hookups. We use one or two small electric heaters, depending on how cold it is. When I do camp at the farm in cool weather I have a small catalytic that I use on occasion. We use the space where the old funace was as a storage place for the microwave when we are traveling. Yes, a central forced air furnace would be nice on occasion but in 3 years of camping we have not really needed any more heat than the small electrics provide.

[mandolindave]

I don't cold weather camp very much, but when I do and it is going to be colder than 32 degrees, I leave the camper winterized. I bring a porta potti, bottled water, and wet naps. I try to limit myself to places where I have electric, because the blower on the furnace drains my batts in a night or two, depending on the temps. Also, water hook ups are out of question for the most part.
I usually spend most of my time outdoors when I go camping....I don't want be miserably cold outside, or stuck inside a camper either.
Winter camping is addressed in many threads on this forum. Other big issues are interior condensation, interior not warm enough, and exterior water supply lines freezing.

[Aage]

Of course, the required load decides the ultimate means of supplying sufficient heat, but I have to admit, despite it's noise and cost, a nice Suburban furnace is a real plus when you find yourself in a colder climate, or even just a cooler night.

They really don't use as much LP gas as I had expected, and they will work for a couple of days (or more) on 12V only, so they are flexible as well. All that and no need to use questionable heating means, such as the catalytic heaters.

As well, it's a real plus getting up in the middle of the night and finding the floor in the bathroom warm.

Here is the saga I went through to replace the NT-32 in Henri the Sov:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f221...ml#post1160707

One of the the most satisfying jobs I have performed on Henri to this day.

Good luck with your decisions and work to come...