Alternative furnace options?

[rainyescape]

I’m having the same issues with our Dometic furnace as so many other users. Replacing the sail switch and igniter board don’t fix the issues, but taking the end cap off the grill on the inside of the trailer is enough to let the sail switch activate. Even though it’s a successful workaround, I find this incredibly annoying, and makes me feel like the furnace as a unit is unreliable. I don’t like being at the mercy of the “RV gremlins” and it seems I could improve reliability and decrease camping stresses if I could replace the furnace with something that isn’t reliant on such a crappy design.

Has anyone had success replacing the stock furnace with another unit? With another brand/model? Should I stop worrying and love my crappy furnace??

(I tried searching the forums but couldn’t easily find any threads about replacing the unit…)

 

[Rossue]

Propex heaters are a good option. They make three types- two are inside units and one is mounted underneath.

I installed the HS2800 in our van conversion and it performs very well and is quiet. if interested I would suggest Sure Marine in Seattle for inquiries.

 

[rainyescape]

Oh nice, thank you! Do you know if they can be installed on their narrow side? I’d hopefully be able to put it in the same spot as the old Dometic.

 

[brroberts]

There are many furnace threads here. It is frustrating, but once you get it, it seems to be a reliable furnace. I had constant issues at first, but after my mods, it seems to be reliable. You can get it. It’s hard to find a replacement that doesn’t also require trade offs. I looked at Propex also, but have persevered, and now have a reliable furnace.

Given what you have done so far, drilling air return holes and doing the solid duct replacement sounds like great next steps. The light opening sail switch and buck boost mod could follow. All of this together would be less than $50 and take half a day or so. It’s going to cost much more, and take much more time to install a different furnace. If you did those four things, you could also do the move the blue wire mod if needed. I’d be shocked if you did those things and it didn’t become reliable.

 

[7Gentex]

Silence is golden.................

Had one in my last trailer, yes water vapor is an item, no, I didn't die.
Where to mount is the tricky part..........take your pick on what btu you need.

 

[rainyescape]

There are many furnace threads here. It is frustrating, but once you get it, it seems to be a reliable furnace. I had constant issues at first, but after my mods, it seems to be reliable. You can get it. It’s hard to find a replacement that doesn’t also require trade offs. I looked at Propex also, but have persevered, and now have a reliable furnace.

Given what you have done so far, drilling air return holes and doing the solid duct replacement sounds like great next steps. The light opening sail switch and buck boost mod could follow. All of this together would be less than $50 and take half a day or so. It’s going to cost much more, and take much more time to install a different furnace. If you did those four things, you could also do the move the blue wire mod if needed. I’d be shocked if you did those things and it didn’t become reliable.

I appreciate you saying all this. Even if it was low cost and not a ton of work, I’d hate going through all that and still wind up with an unreliable furnace, so it’s nice to know this process of moding the furnace has been a consistently reliable upgrade for folks.

Where does one get a “light opening sail switch”? Does it involved modifying an existing switch?

The hard ducting is definitely the next move (I already trimmed down the existing ductint, which didn’t fix the issue on its own), perhaps in combination with removing some of the material in the output grill. I’m still confused how folks dealt with the lateral offset between the furnace output and the grill… but maybe mine is close enough that it’s not a real challenge. I’ve also seen links to the more rigid aluminum flex ducting.

 

[rainyescape]

Had one in my last trailer, yes water vapor is an item, no, I didn't die.
Where to mount is the tricky part..........take your pick on what btu you need.

Oh wow, I did not realize heaters like this existed. This might be a good back up if we felt we couldn’t get the forced air furnace to be reliable. Thank you!

 

[brroberts]

My hard duct was close enough I just ran it. I have not tried, but have heard the Suburban 233100 sail switch works better for some than the Dometic. There is a forum thread I have searched for and never found again. It dealt with two sail switches. One took significantly less pressure to open. That would be huge.

While there are many furnace threads, here’s my saga located at a thread for all things Padawan with a few other thread links to different mods:

Furnace mods start at post 119, and continue off and on for awhile.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8/padawan-s-life-21759-6.html

My main issue turned out to be a finicky blower motor. It runs great at 12.8V or higher. My furnace started acting like a bad sail switch below that voltage. As long as I keep the fan turning fast enough, voltage at the fan motor high enough, the furnace works. Yours may or may not be the same problem.

I do wish I could find that sail switch comparison thread again. I’d love to somehow save that.

 

[rainyescape]

Ah, got it, thanks! Yeah I searched for a “light opening” sail switch and couldn’t find anything. I might do the buck boost mod you posted, that seems like a good thing too. Thanks again!

 

[brroberts]

If your sail switch acts up on 120VAC, then likely the buck boost mod won’t solve it for you. My furnace was fine on shore power, but acted up with even almost full batteries.

 

[Eggscape]

You could always install a Diesel heater like I did.
You can see how I did it starting with post #807 in the link below.
At under $200 it makes for a great backup.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8/modifications-to-eggscape-12918-41.html#post446692

 

[rainyescape]

If your sail switch acts up on 120VAC, then likely the buck boost mod won’t solve it for you. My furnace was fine on shore power, but acted up with even almost full batteries.

Oh interesting. This last weekend camping near 10k feet and in the high 30s at night, but on shore power, was the first time in a long time that the furnace acted up. I don’t often use shore power, I wonder if that was a factor, albeit a seemingly different one than brroberts…

You could always install a Diesel heater like I did.
You can see how I did it starting with post #807 in the link below.
At under $200 it makes for a great backup.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8/modifications-to-eggscape-12918-41.html#post446692

Oh wow, that’s quite the install. Is it fairly efficient? I wonder if it could fit right in the existing propane furnace compartment in our 21NE, with a way to easily re-fuel from the outside… How efficient are those? I’m driving a Tundra, so this would be my only need for diesel, which I’m unfamiliar with.

 

[brroberts]

10,000ft could easily be an air fuel mixture issue. Many gas appliances need the fuel air mix ratio adjusted at high elevation.

 

[dstreight]

Installed an Espar S2D2L diesel heater in our 15A in 2019 and it has worked out perfectly. Even at 10,500’. (has built in auto altitude adjustment). Lowest ambient temp we’ve used it so far was 12°F.; again without issue. And it sips fuel.

My only nit but not a deal breaker: I wish it had a Bluetooth enabled remote controller.

 

[rainyescape]

10,000ft could easily be an air fuel mixture issue. Many gas appliances need the fuel air mix ratio adjusted at high elevation.

Yeah, I hear this a lot, also with propane stoves. But the furnace issues keep happening when I get home at 6000 ft. Given that my issues resolve once I take the grill off the front, I think it’s just the typical underpowered fan and sail switch issues.

 

[rainyescape]

Installed an Espar S2D2L diesel heater in our 15A in 2019 and it has worked out perfectly. Even at 10,500’. (has built in auto altitude adjustment). Lowest ambient temp we’ve used it so far was 12°F.; again without issue. And it sips fuel.

My only nit but not a deal breaker: I wish it had a Bluetooth enabled remote controller.

This is very cool. Did you replace the propane furnace? Or just add it in somewhere else like Eggscape?

 

[Ron in BC]

You could always install a Diesel heater like I did.
You can see how I did it starting with post #807 in the link below.
At under $200 it makes for a great backup.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8/modifications-to-eggscape-12918-41.html#post446692

I've never had any problem with the furnaces in 3 trailers. Always worked flawlessly. But it's nice to have a backup. We're cold weather camping more than we used to.

I've ordered the Vevor unit on sale. $89 Cdn, $65US, for the whole package. Mine is going to be an exterior installation, between the rear box and the shell.

Ron

 

[GinoandLinda]

Just a reminder there are two sail switches that are discussed on this forum and they are not interchangeable at least according to my experimentation.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/...for-furnace-dfasad12131-24968.html#post450272

 

[rainyescape]

Just a reminder there are two sail switches that are discussed on this forum and they are not interchangeable at least according to my experimentation.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/...for-furnace-dfasad12131-24968.html#post450272

Awesome, thank you. Looks like 33082 is potentially the “light opening” sail switch that brroberts mentioned. The one currently installed is 33081 from Panther RV, so we’ll see if the 33082 is better suited. Thank you so much!!

 

[brroberts]

That is the thread. Glad you found it.