Trailer is used as a fishing basecamp in cold Erie weather. Heat from Atwood 8012-II furnace in the older E19 models shoots straight out from under the wardrobe directly towards the galley. It really blasts you good if you are standing there cooking etc. Did a little research and these furnaces actually had an optional directional louver insert to direct airflow to one side. It appears the early 21’s used this when the furnace was under the dinnette seat (see last pic). This part (Atwood 36959) is all but impossible to find today so I decided to make one myself. With a floor register from Home Depot and about a half hour of cutting with the Dremel and bending I got it just right. The design allows for some air to still go out straight but a good portion now goes out towards the door/dinette. It is not seen when the furnace cover is reinstalled. Tested the furnace several times and it started and worked well with a much better dispersion of heat.
This started with an Everbilt 6x10 floor register from Home Depot. Possibly could have used a smaller one as this was big enough to make two. The opening where the louver goes is 4-3/8” x 4-3/8” square. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...6X10/300539293
I did something similar when I installed my built-in electric heater. I tweaked the grill so it blows warm air down the front of the kitchen counter to the dinette. A little management of flow can make quite a difference.
What's been your experience with the older Atwood? Have you had any issues similar to the ones occurring lately?
What's been your experience with the older Atwood? Have you had any issues similar to the ones occurring lately?
It has been a trusty little heater. I have not done a single thing to it. Knock on wood. Too bad they don’t make these anymore. My father had a similar Suburban NT-12SE in his Scamp but it was much louder.
The sound level may be part of it. There are ways to quiet a furnace, but RV appliance manufacturers are typically looking for a cheap solution. My Dometic furnace is quieter than my previous RV furnaces. Maybe they reduced air pressure to reduce volume or maybe just a cheaper fan motor. With the reduced air flow comes some of the furnace issues like mine that I had to sort out.
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Randy & Barb
1998 C 2500 (Cruncher) and 2021 Ranger (Yoda)
With the reduced air flow comes some of the furnace issues like mine that I had to sort out.
I was looking at some older furnace threads from 7-8 years ago. The grill size was discussed as being marginal. Could account for my friend's operating fine with no grill and not running fine when it was in place.
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