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Old 02-11-2015, 10:08 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Klem View Post
I went to the Atwood site and checked out the specs. Personally I'd be happy to have the new heater wherever it fits. The old style has been waking me up and drawing too much DC power for as long as I can remember.
Where did you find the specs on this furnace? I can't see a spec for a AFSAD12 model on Atwood's site.

Maybe the furnace could be put lower in that cabinet, and allow 3 drawers above. You can believe that Reace has his thinking cap on with this.
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:08 PM   #22
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Rossue and Floating Cloud I'm glad you see my concern. And to Donna and the others who point out that there are some benefits in better heat distribution... You are right about that and we will use that to adjust our expectations if we have to. Keep in mind though, we don't expect to use the heater very much. Yet we will see that heater in the middle of those beautiful cabinets every time we step in the trailer, or while we're sitting in the dinette and looking down the kitchen. For my needs, this is one time where I would definitely chose form over function.
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:09 PM   #23
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Is that a plastic grille? What you wanna bet its a safety related issue that really isn't that forced Atwood to change their design?
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:14 PM   #24
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I have a couple of comments regarding the change. The furnace in my 21 seems to run an awful lot in cool weather, and I have the insulation package. Maybe this new, more efficient furnace will cut down on run time. I concede that losing two drawers is inconvenient, but there is so much storage in this trailer that you'd really have to try to run out of places to put stuff.
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:17 PM   #25
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Where did you find the specs on this furnace? I can't see a spec for a AFSAD12 model on Atwood's site.

Maybe the furnace could be put lower in that cabinet, and allow 3 drawers above. You can believe that Reace has his thinking cap on with this.
Jim ; I wonder if the furnace specs require that the furnace be mounted a certain distance AFF so that the heat does not warp/ damage the vinyl flooring .
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:19 PM   #26
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...
The good news is the 21' has a ton of storage. Easily twice our old Casita. You have to be careful not to fill it up with stuff you don't need.
I appreciate your perspective and that of others. The more central location is fine, but the loss of drawers space is significant. We will adapt to fewer drawers and less space, but having our granddaughters along (their clothing, crafts, sleeping bags, etc.) will be much more difficult than in our 21 foot Nash (Cabin length 21'; wider; higher). I have had a PM from another person who ordered an Escape 21 who is seriously thinking about cancelling their order. The change is significant and each person has to weigh the pluses and minuses based on their anticipated use of the trailer. Again, I think we are still committed to the Escape 21, just disappointed.

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Old 02-11-2015, 10:25 PM   #27
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...Maybe the furnace could be put lower in that cabinet, and allow 3 drawers above. You can believe that Reace has his thinking cap on with this.
I wonder if the wheel well prevents the furnace from being placed lower in the cabinet?
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:29 PM   #28
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Atwood 8012's are still readily available on the internet for around $550-$600 USD. You could always ask ETI to omit the new furnace, leave the cabinets, and leave an opening for the 8012 in the original location -- then install yourself?
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:30 PM   #29
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I wonder if the wheel well prevents the furnace from being placed lower in the cabinet?
Yup - the cabinet is over the wheel well.
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:31 PM   #30
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Remember the first 21' models had the furnace under the bed, but due to safety concerns with bedding blocking the vents it was moved. I'd rather have it located on the kitchen side, under the sink pointing towards the bath.
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:35 PM   #31
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With the furnace in the old location, do you draw straws to determine who gets the back of their legs fried? Where does the heat go when the dinette is a bed?
Overall, I see pluses with the new location ( other than two drawers going missing ).
But then, I'd go for a 19 over a 21.
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:40 PM   #32
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Bob, since they won't start building your 21 till April, if you really prefer the original location, you could ask ETI to build, plumb and wire as before, leave the original furnace opening, and obtain the Atwood 8012 yourself. They are for sale online in a number of places.
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:44 PM   #33
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I agree with Donna's observation that the new location is likely better for heating.
The original space could be fitted with drawers, right? They wouldn't be nearly as convenient as the original drawer cabinet, but there might not be much loss of total storage volume.

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I went to the Atwood site and checked out the specs.
Okay... you did better than I did in the search - where are these specs? Which Atwood site? I don't see it on Atwood Mobile.
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Old 02-11-2015, 10:51 PM   #34
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...if you really prefer the original location, you could ask ETI to build, plumb and wire as before, leave the original furnace opening, and obtain the Atwood 8012 yourself. They are for sale online in a number of places.
That's not a bad idea. I will look into it.

Thanks,

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Old 02-11-2015, 10:53 PM   #35
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I do not think ETI will sell a trailer without a furnace installed, I'm sure there are regulations to comply with with RVIA or some other government agency.
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Old 02-11-2015, 11:20 PM   #36
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Definitely disappointed with this development. Maybe we don't even want a furnace. The one in our Casita hasn't worked in years, so we use an electric space heater and only camp with hookups in cold weather.
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Old 02-11-2015, 11:20 PM   #37
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Bob, since they won't start building your 21 till April, if you really prefer the original location, you could ask ETI to build, plumb and wire as before, leave the original furnace opening, and obtain the Atwood 8012 yourself. They are for sale online in a number of places.
One step further could be to use the original location for another furnace entirely, such as the Propex HS2800 - you could do your own cabinet cutout and shell penetration. A step beyond that would be to not use the cabinets at all, and instead put something like a Propex HS2211 under the floor (like this installation reported in FiberglassRV).

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I do not think ETI will sell a trailer without a furnace installed, I'm sure there are regulations to comply with with RVIA or some other government agency.
I'm sure that the trailer does not need to be equipped with a furnace, but I wonder if a propane line without an appliance on the end might be a problem? It's easy to run a propane line, so having the factory leave it out entirely seems reasonable to me.
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Old 02-11-2015, 11:35 PM   #38
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Thank you Brian. These are some very good ideas to work on!
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Old 02-12-2015, 12:12 AM   #39
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That's not a bad idea. I will look into it.

Thanks,

Bob K
Why can't you ask Escape if you purchase the previous heater yourself and get it to them . Would they put it in orignal location and leave your drawers where they were before ?
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Old 02-12-2015, 12:14 AM   #40
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I'd rather have it located on the kitchen side, under the sink pointing towards the bath.
Good idea.
Also, if it fits where they have it in those drawers, I wonder why the benches could not be raised some.
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