Floor duct heating

[SkyBound]

I have noticed for the 2015 Jay Flight trailers that some have the heating ducts running through the floor and vents placed along the length of the trailer, and some just have a couple vents located right by the furnace itself. I've looked at a few 2015 26BH models and there is no consistency.

I personally feel like the multiple ducts in the floor is a better way of distributing heat. It also brings heat down into the belly beside the tanks which would help keep them from freezing. This also allows heat in the rear bathroom in the case of the 26bh and others. The downside is that the floor ducts collect sand and dirt and need to be removed and cleaned periodically.

Which method of heat distribution do you think is better? Why are there two different methods in the same model of unit?

[ddrueckh]

I don't know, but wonder if there is any correlation between getting the thermal package or not. Just a guess... I would want vents in the floor.

[Tex1961]

I think a lot is going to do with where you camp and how you use your TT.. We are in the south and just go out on the weekends. We have the two vents located by the furnace under the couch. This setup works just fine for us and can get our TT heated up nice and toasty in 10 min.. We have the 264bh which is a decent sized TT...

[Skaling]

My 26bh has the thermal package but only has vents for furnace out of the couch and into the bedroom.

[ddrueckh]

There goes my theory lol

[SmokerBill]

My 2011 26BH has 4 floor vents- bathroom, near bunks, between dinette and kitchen, and bedroom. No thermal package on mine.

[Skaling]

As per Jayco's site the Thermal Package is: Insulated, heated and enclosed underbelly, foil insulation in roof and slide out floors.
my guess is that if you have the thermal pkg then you only have 2 vents inside trailer(couch and bedroom) and then the other heat gets pushed into the underbelly..
if you don't have the thermal pkg then you probably have 4 vents(cause none is needed for underbelly)
just a guess...

[Mike Up]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

I have noticed for the 2015 Jay Flight trailers that some have the heating ducts running through the floor and vents placed along the length of the trailer, and some just have a couple vents located right by the furnace itself. I've looked at a few 2015 26BH models and there is no consistency.

I personally feel like the multiple ducts in the floor is a better way of distributing heat. It also brings heat down into the belly beside the tanks which would help keep them from freezing. This also allows heat in the rear bathroom in the case of the 26bh and others. The downside is that the floor ducts collect sand and dirt and need to be removed and cleaned periodically.

Which method of heat distribution do you think is better? Why are there two different methods in the same model of unit?

The previous Jay Flight Swifts had the foil tube soft duct work, while the upper end standard Jay Flights had in floor ducting.

I feel the the soft foil ducting is a downgrade due to it's flimsy nature of being torn and taking up additional floor space and storage. I would always choose in floor ducting.

I was upset to see Jayco basically call the Swift 264BH a Jay Flight 26BH in 2015 with all the downgraded build quality features of the Swift line, but with the high end bells and whistles of the Jay Flight line when optioned with the Elite package. Still a nice trailer for sure, but don't like to see a backward progression.

[Mike Up]

Originally Posted by SmokerBill

My 2011 26BH has 4 floor vents- bathroom, near bunks, between dinette and kitchen, and bedroom. No thermal package on mine.

Mine has 4 as well. 1 in front bedroom, 1 by dinette, 1 in rear bedroom, and 1 in bathroom. No thermal package either.

[SmokerBill]

Originally Posted by Mike Up

Mine has 4 as well. 1 in front bedroom, 1 by dinette, 1 in rear bedroom, and 1 in bathroom. No thermal package either.

My guess is that Skaling has it figured out. No thermal package, 4 floor vents- thermal package, 2 vents inside and the remaining heat goes into the underbelly. Makes sense to me.

[Crabman]

Originally Posted by SmokerBill

My 2011 26BH has 4 floor vents- bathroom, near bunks, between dinette and kitchen, and bedroom. No thermal package on mine.

Same lay out for my 28BHS ducts. And man does the bathroom get hot if the door is closed with the heat on!

[Skaling]

This is an email response from Jayco. I guess I will be getting the 3rd vent installed under warranty cuz my trailer only has 2.

Good Morning Steve,

Thank you for contacting Jayco customer service. I show there to be three floor vents in your unit. The underbelly is heated by ducting that runs through the floor. This option is available with the thermal package. Which your unit shows to have.

If you need any further assistance please let us know.


Sincerely,

Lisa Luce
Customer Service Specialist
Warranty/Technical
Jayco, Inc.

[Mike Up]

Originally Posted by Skaling

This is an email response from Jayco. I guess I will be getting the 3rd vent installed under warranty cuz my trailer only has 2.

Good Morning Steve,

Thank you for contacting Jayco customer service. I show there to be three floor vents in your unit. The underbelly is heated by ducting that runs through the floor. This option is available with the thermal package. Which your unit shows to have.

If you need any further assistance please let us know.


Sincerely,

Lisa Luce
Customer Service Specialist
Warranty/Technical
Jayco, Inc.

2 vents just wouldn't be enough in a trailer as long as the 26BH. All 4 of ours are necessary IMO. I wouldn't want any less.

We didn't get the thermal package as it didn't insulate the drain valves or offer dual pane windows. We still wouldn't be able to camp in the winter with water due to the freeze prone valves from the waste tanks. Plus we would still need to purchase a small dehumidifier or open the windows slightly, due to the lack of dual pane windows and the damage the condensation would cause.

When we camp in late fall, early winter, we don't use our water systems but camp closer to the bathhouse. We also leave windows open on each end of the camper to get some air flow to combat condensation. Did the same with the previous pop up that had a full water system.

[Mike Up]

Wow, I guess it is only 2 heat ducts in the new 2014/2015 26BH and 2013 Swift 264BH. I looked at several pics and no where else do they have the heat duct except in the front bedroom and out of the sofa. Only superslide models get an additional duct in the bathroom. Not the brightest to have all the heat output on one side of the camper. Mom and dad will be sweating while the kids will be cold.

[Jack in Alaska]

My FER40 has thermal package and 5 vents in the floor. Works for me.
Furnace is noisy though which we do not like. A/C is also noisy. Makes TV watching difficult.

[Rolling Thunder]

Originally Posted by Jack in Alaska

My FER40 has thermal package and 5 vents in the floor. Works for me.
Furnace is noisy though which we do not like. A/C is also noisy. Makes TV watching difficult.

Our 351RLSA has the thermal package and 4 vents in the floor. Same thing, furnace and A/C are quite noisy.

We can always turn the TV up, but it's difficult to go back to sleep when the unit kicks on and shocks you awake. LOL

Edit - I guess it has 5 vents. I forgot about the one in the basement.