Running furnace with slideouts in.

[badger6724]

I was wondering if its okay to run the furnace with the slideouts in. Some of our Artic fox 28f furnace vents are covered with the slideouts in. We want to be able run the furnace when using truck stops while on the road in freezing weather without taking up two parking spots. Usually I would find an edge spot to slide out the kitchen if I can but the dinning room/living room is too large and covers two furnace vents. The kitchen doesn't cover any vents. Any thoughts, opinions?

[badger6724]

time2roll wrote:
Primary concern would be overheating the furnace fire box. There is a high limit switch that will cycle the burner while the fan continues to run and blow air. If you notice the burner cycling, maybe every two minutes, I do not recommend running the furnace with the restricted air flow. Need the slide out or add some additional unrestricted ducting.

It seem to cycle normally. But thank you for your input.

[time2roll]

Primary concern would be overheating the furnace fire box. There is a high limit switch that will cycle the burner while the fan continues to run and blow air. If you notice the burner cycling, maybe every two minutes, I do not recommend running the furnace with the restricted air flow. Need the slide out or add some additional unrestricted ducting.

[badger6724]

Hi Guys. To anyone still following this thread I did indeed run my furnace with slideouts in coming back from Florida once I hit the northern states with no problems. Kept the trailer nice and warm at -10F and I checked the spot where the vents blow against the bottom of the living room slide out and they were warm but easily touched by hand without any real discomfort. Only draw back is the thermostat is covered by the rear slide out wall (I made sure it still has air circulation) and cannot be easily adjusted. I have to open the rear wall window and reach across the kitchen table to access it.

[doughboy]

hello group, my rv has 2 slides at the rear with bedroom in the front.
we just got back from branson mo (based in ohio).
going we stopped at effingham ill. it was chilly, so i ran the furnace, set on 65, stayed comfortable all night.
coming home we stopped at the same place, cracker barrel real nice manager. this time, it was cold ran the furnace on 70 all night with only one problem, ran out of propane a 3 in the morning, had to switch tanks! no frozen pipes, no over heating of the furnace.
so i see no reason not to run your furnace if u need to

[MFL]

Atlee wrote:
Do you ever shut off any of your heat vents in your house during the winter in order to maximize the heat going to another part of the house?

Seems like closing/blocking a vent or two in a TT is no different.

We will shut off most of the upstairs vents during the winter in order to put more heat down stairs.

MFL wrote:
Here is an opinion...I would not run furnace with slide covering two vents.

Jerry

My S&B home, and RV, both heat very evenly, no issue here! I remember hearing of my Grandparents having a home like yours, except they had no heat in upstairs bedrooms. It was claimed the P in the coffee cans would freeze at night, in severe Winter temps. Yup...you guessed it, no indoor bathroom either.:E

Jerry

[badger6724]

Atlee wrote:
Doesn't sound odd to me. I don't think any of the designers ever use their creations during real world use.

Many slide designs will not allow the use of bathroom and/or bedroom and/or refrigerator when the slide is closed.

badger6724 wrote:
Thanks guys. Seems odd that they would have a winter model with "heated everything" but can't run the furnace with slides in. Oh well, break out the blankets.

Yes and my 28F is one of them. You can't access bathroom or fridge with the slides closed. And as for the thermostat you would have to crawl over the couch, across the dinning room table and open a a side window to access it. I now know to set the thermostat before closing the slides.

[Atlee]

Do you ever shut off any of your heat vents in your house during the winter in order to maximize the heat going to another part of the house?

Seems like closing/blocking a vent or two in a TT is no different.

We will shut off most of the upstairs vents during the winter in order to put more heat down stairs.

MFL wrote:
Here is an opinion...I would not run furnace with slide covering two vents.

Jerry

[Atlee]

Doesn't sound odd to me. I don't think any of the designers ever use their creations during real world use.

Many slide designs will not allow the use of bathroom and/or bedroom and/or refrigerator when the slide is closed.

badger6724 wrote:
Thanks guys. Seems odd that they would have a winter model with "heated everything" but can't run the furnace with slides in. Oh well, break out the blankets.

[badger6724]

Well I ran the furnace by accident with the slide outs in and no problems. The day before we were to leave Florida the temp dropped to 4C/39F at night so we naturally ran the furnace. Well it was warm in the morning and the furnace was not running so I forgot about it. Woke up to a warm trailer the next morning and very morning after that on the way home. (the coldest was -15C/5F). The only issue was with the dinning room slide out in it covers the thermostat. It still has air circulation but you have to open a window in the slide to access it. Other than that it worked fine. Checked the heat around the "restricted" vents and they where just toasty warm, not hot. Your could touch them with your hand. 3 inches of clearance from the bottom of the slide. It was all good.

[Community Alumni]

The specifications allow for adjustments to the heat ducting to optimise range of heating. There is a requirement to avoid wiring and plumbing piping.

I will admit though that every furnace manual has the cover your butt statement that says it should not be used while in motion in a trailer or motorhome. This is similar to the statement that says you should not use the fridge on gas while in motion. It's a legal 'wink & a nod' sort of statement that the liability lawyers like.

I know that not using the furnace in a motorhome while traveling in northern regions during winter months is simply not practical.

[Huntindog]

PackerBacker wrote:

Dog Trainer wrote:
If you have uncovered vents the air that is blocked will not cause any pressure back up in your furnace. The air will simply be re directed to the open vents. When I tow in the cold days I will stop a couple of hours before we set up for the night and fire up the furnace I have never had a problem with our trailer and have done this many times.

Exactly. When winter camping I've purposely blocked off vents in the bedroom to get more heat flow in the living room to get the temperature up quickly there.

When we had our Class A we often ran the furnace while traveling with a vent blocked.

DANGER ALERT!!!
There is a specification that MUST be followed as to the size of the vents. READ the installation manual.

[srt20]

Ive used many things to cover up vents on purpose. Anything from pillows to blankets to plastic trash bins. Never a problem.

I use tape in my basement laundry room vent at my house. No need to heat and cool that space. Its stays around 60* year round.

[badger6724]

Yes I think I will have to give them a call and get a definitive answer on this once and for all. I will post their suggestion. Thank you everyone for your help.

[AJR]

Call Artic Fox on this. I really do not think you have a problem.