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Old 12-07-2020, 10:49 AM   #1
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Sleeping with furnace on

I have a Jayco Swift RB185 travel trailer. I have never done winter camping before and I'm wondering if there are any concerns about sleeping with the propane furnace running all night? Is it safe to do so? Should I crack a window open? Thanks!
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Old 12-07-2020, 10:54 AM   #2
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Make sure the propane/carbon dioxide sensor and fire/smoke alarm are working, but otherwise its relatively safe if the furnace is in good working condition and operating as designed.
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Old 12-07-2020, 11:21 AM   #3
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The furnace is completely safe as the combustion side of it is separate from the heated inside air. The dangerous gases are suppose to remain outside.

In any event I always crack a window open even without furnace use. Granted these things aren't exactly air tight but you still should allow a little new air to come in to offset your co2 outbreaths. If you were in a sealed enclosure you would die after using up the available oxygen.

If you are not hooked up to 120 volt power you also need to be aware that your battery may be dead in the morning. Furnaces love to suck 12 volt power.
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Old 12-07-2020, 11:33 AM   #4
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X2 on all of it

I always keep my bathroom vent cracked open, and a couple windows at the beds. This helps the moisture in the air to escape verses condense on every cool surface inside the TT.
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Old 12-07-2020, 12:54 PM   #5
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The only danger I have encountered is the problem of being awoken every time the darn thing fires up. In our motorhome, it was practically right next to my head when sleeping. In our TT, it's about 15 feet away from my side of the bed, but it still wakes me.

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Old 12-07-2020, 01:02 PM   #6
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Don't crack the window close by the furnace, use a vent if you can. If it wasn't safe to run while sleeping, they wouldn't install a furnace in your trailer.
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Old 12-07-2020, 01:07 PM   #7
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I have always been scared of the furnace in a travel trailer, just me, to the point, I removed all propane and am now all electric. We do not boondocks, so it works well for us. I have the Coleman Mach 3 PS A/C unit, which is “heat ready”, so I added the heat strip kit for about $60 and about 30 minutes to install. They claim it is not a heater, but it takes the chill out and in my small trailer does heat and will run you out, if you run it for more than an hour or so. Really, the best mod I have made yet, and have made many.
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Old 12-07-2020, 06:39 PM   #8
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We've been Winter camping for 34 years now. Have even awakened in the morning to find a foot of snow out the door. The key is to have a fully functional CO detector.

Haven't been dead yet. The only issue we ever had was with an old trailer that was totally propane and no electric. If the propane light orifices are not meticulously cleaned they will emit CO. But we never ran them at night anyway.

Furnaces emit CO out of the chimney. If it snows heavy, just be sure the chimney isn't blocked. But then again if its running the heat will melt any snow accumulation.
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Old 12-07-2020, 06:55 PM   #9
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When it is single digit out, the sound of the furnace is comforting and helps me sleep. It's when I don't hear the furnace I worry about waking up cold.
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Old 12-09-2020, 07:07 AM   #10
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Went camping for 4 nights over Thanksgiving and used the heater with windows/vent closed.
The only by-product was lots of condensation on the windows.During the day we opened the windows to dry it out.
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Old 12-19-2020, 01:27 PM   #11
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The other reason to keep the furnace on in Winter is if you have a sealed and heated underbelly, helps keeps pipes and tanks from freezing.
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Old 12-19-2020, 01:56 PM   #12
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It’s a must in winter to keep certain areas where Plumming is from freezing. I hate it too, the intermittent on /off is annoying to me, not to mention the condensation! Check out this LP conversation/addition I’ve been looking in to. Allows your furnace to work on both propane and electric!

https://www.trailerlife.com/tech/diy...heating-costs/
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Old 12-19-2020, 02:43 PM   #13
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We keep a radiant oil heater in ours, it doesn’t make any noise and will heat fairly good, if it’s below 25 the oil heater cuts down on the amount the furnace runs. Usually it doesn’t get very cold here in the south.
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Old 12-19-2020, 05:56 PM   #14
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A modern RV furnace is little different than a forced air furnace in your home. The "exhaust" is actually both a "chimney" for exhaust and an air intake to bring in fresh combustion air. The heat exchanger separates the combustion section from the section that delivers warm air to your cabin and elsewhere (underbelly).

Repeating others, you need a tested, functioning CO - Propane detector...as at home. This device will tell you if there is any kind of breakdown in the heat exchanger that is allowing combustion gasses to enter the forced-air flow from the blower cabinet.

CO detectors, when functioning properly, are VERY sensitive. How sensitive? In our old PUP. the 3.5 cubic foot fridge did not have a space to hold an open wine bottle upright. We'd jury-rig a prop in the door pocket to hold an open bottle at about a 45 degree angle. Once, the bottle slipped and the cork wasn't tight enough to keep the bottle from dripping. About 1//4 cup of wine dripped out of the bottle and made it's way out of the fridge and onto the floor. The fridge was right above the CO detector. The VOCs from the evaporating alcohol tripped the CO detector, and it wouldn't shut up until we got every drop cleaned up...even that which had made its way under the fridge. I had to tear things apart to clean.

The CO/Propane detector can be tested...as with any smoke detector...so you know it's functioning properly. And the good news is that it's hard wired straight to the coach battery and will continue functioning on an essentially dead battery (about 7.5 volts).

Enjoy the comfort of your furnace. It does a far better job of keeping your rig's vulnerable plumbing and tanks from freezing up. And it distributes the heat evenly throughout the cabin.
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Old 12-19-2020, 06:39 PM   #15
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I have the same model. I tried to crank up the furnace after several 30 degree nights in Alabama. The blower comes on but no heat. YouTube videos talk about a sail valve. And Hornets nests. How would I get the nests out if there are any?
Do I need to remove the the assembly?
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Old 12-19-2020, 10:59 PM   #16
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It is completely safe to use your furnace while you sleep. I wouldn’t crack any windows or vents as some here suggest, why let that warm air escape only to cause your furnace to cycle more often. The only downside to using your furnace while you sleep is filling those propane tanks more often. We use some nice down blankets in cold weather and cycle the furnace when we wake. Also carry an electric heater to take advantage of power when we are on shore power.
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Old 12-20-2020, 06:36 AM   #17
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Ours surely came in handy this week with lows in the 20's several nights. On this rig we can hardly hear it cycle on and off.
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Old 12-20-2020, 06:39 AM   #18
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I full time and when on my home base site I have an external 150 gal propane tank that I hook to my rig and bypass the onboard propane bottles. It works great during the winter time when I heat a lot and propane is delivered to me. I received a shipment last week of 75 gallons. Cheaper/gallon than the portable tanks also.

Do I sleep at night with the furnace on? You bet for a bit over 10 years now. I do have two CO detectors however. One built in one hooked to the 12v system and also a battery operated one.

Works for me.
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Old 12-20-2020, 07:45 AM   #19
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As a reformed Yankee I grew up with a furnace on at night. In tact it kicked on in October and turned off around March. I am now living in the great state of Texas and have heard the are furnaces safe concern fairly often. I run mine when it's cold. Which is most often at night.

Side note, of all the utilities in our units, water destroys more of them than gas and electric combined.
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Old 12-20-2020, 09:28 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kirkelli View Post
It is completely safe to use your furnace while you sleep. I wouldn’t crack any windows or vents as some here suggest, why let that warm air escape only to cause your furnace to cycle more often. The only downside to using your furnace while you sleep is filling those propane tanks more often. We use some nice down blankets in cold weather and cycle the furnace when we wake. Also carry an electric heater to take advantage of power when we are on shore power.
The furnace may vent outside, but the combustion air (oxygen)is withdrawn from inside the trailer. A minimum of 1 ceiling vent should always be kept open. As far as losing heat, you won't be able to calculate the difference.
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