Seneca furnace performance

[RyRoRyan]

Just wondering if this was the norm...staying in my Seneca last night. Temp outside was about 15. I turned the gas furnace on and had it set to 68. That sucker ran all night long and only kept the front of the rig at 63 and my bedroom was only able to maintain 55. Needless to stay, I was a little cold. My heat pumps normally work down to about 35, so I would have thought the furnace would be sized enough so that it should be able to keep this thing warm, but I guess at around 20 or so I am going to have to suplement with electric heaters.

[SloPoke]

In our 36FK, IF we close the bedroom door, there is no way for the return air to get back into the front of the coach. The Bedroom will get cold because there is only one hot air vent in the bedroom, it is the longest from the furnace and if there is no way for the air to return, then very little warm air goes to the bedroom.

[WaltW]

Plus some of the air moving back is bled off to keep the water tanks from freezing. To mitigate the problem check the slide seals (side and bottom) to make sure you don't have a lot of cold air coming in.

If you had any room on the bedroom floor you might consider a small electric space heater to augment in those cold conditions. Also consider a panel to cover the stairwell. I feel lots of cold air coming through there. With the stairwell covered we place a small electric heater there aimed at the rear bedroom.

Unless you are boondocking, use prepaid electric as much as possible as the small(ish) propane tanks will get used up very quickly.

[jcoyle]

We have spent several nights at -4 F in comfort in our Seneca. I normally keep the thermostat at 68 but find on cold nights it must be set at 72. Our furnace runs about every 15 to 20 mins in above conditions. I agree with Rob's comment on keeping the door open. With it closed you will never get heat into the back bedroom because there is no air return, if there is no return to take air out, then you can't put it in (not sure on your background but if it doesn't make sense try to blow air into a pop bottle). I might also add that it took us nearly a half tank of propane to stay warm that night...

[Robbbyr]

I also wonder why Jayco downsized the furnace in the 2016, and whether that is part of the issue? According to specifications, the 2016's have a 34,000 BTU furnace, but my 2014 has a 40,000 BTU unit. 6,000 BTU isn't huge, but is it enough to matter? I haven't camped as cold as some of the others, but I never felt mine couldn't keep up and it didn't run continuously.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by Robbbyr

I also wonder why Jayco downsized the furnace in the 2016, and whether that is part of the issue? According to specifications, the 2016's have a 34,000 BTU furnace, but my 2014 has a 40,000 BTU unit. 6,000 BTU isn't huge, but is it enough to matter? I haven't camped as cold as some of the others, but I never felt mine couldn't keep up and it didn't run continuously.

Our 2015 36FK has the 34k Btu furnace and we have had no problems with this furnace keeping up in cold country.

Our coldest night was 11F with 15mph winds, all slides out while boondocking in our west desert. We set the Temp to 65 at night and the Propane Furnace keep the coach at that temperature all night. When we get up, the T-Stat gets moved up to 68 and the coach is warm in about 5 minutes.

I think that the furnace has plenty of capacity for keeping us warm in sub zero climate. (but the fresh water plumbing needs a little help - but we have that figured out now)

[senecaowner]

We have a 2015 Seneca HJ. The furnace is fine it's the duct work that is the problem. They are simply aluminum foil. By the time the heat got to the back bedroom it was cold air. We went to Menards and bought insulated ducting and replaced it all. Now it keeps the coach warm.

[rgolding]

Originally Posted by senecaowner

We have a 2015 Seneca HJ. The furnace is fine it's the duct work that is the problem. They are simply aluminum foil. By the time the heat got to the back bedroom it was cold air. We went to Menards and bought insulated ducting and replaced it all. Now it keeps the coach warm.

Interesting statement on a very interesting subject. How did you snake new air duct through the area over the rear axles? I have trouble getting anything through that area and I'm not that big of a guy and can pretty well get into that compartment.

Yes, a lot of heat is transferred through the stairwell. On our 37FS, you can look across from the battery compartment and see the step are metal, just covered with carpet. Big heat transfer source. Insulating the back of the steps would really reduce transfer of heat.

Both extremes of heat and cold, we use a heavy quilt over the Seneca cab. The temperature difference is amazing, if you isolate that area.

In extreme cold temps, we will suck in the front slide, mostly at night. You are really reducing surface area that is exposed to the cold. The best rubber seal is still just a 1/4 inch of rubber.

For keeping the Seneca cool, awnings over the windows reduces the direct exposure to the sun, also that big sky dome over the shower is a big heat sink. Try fitting a foil sun shade over it, amazing difference. Also one of those vent insulating cushions I the bathroom vent makes a huge difference for both heat and cold.