Help with heat

[Cgzito]

I survived a -15 degree winter in New Hampshire last year with out heat. It was miserable.

This year I want to add a heating option to the 1993 b190.

My AC. Unit puts off very little heat. I am told my heat strip for the AC unit is obsolete.

Is there a way to cut a hole above the couch next to the window and add a propane heater? Perhaps plumb it into the stoves propane lines?

Can anyone give me some really creative and functional space saving ideas to heat this thing up for winter?

[skater]

You don't already have a propane furnace? I thought it was standard. I don't remember if it was under the couch in the '93s or had moved to under the rear closet by then.

The propane furnace in mine did a reasonably good job (when it was working...). Unfortunately the van was always a bit drafty - automobiles, especially from that era, weren't really made to be airtight, and all the windows are single pane. But, it was warm enough to be comfortable.

[Cgzito]

Thank you for the reply. I forgot to mention that I do have a furnace but when it gets cold it doesnt produce heat just air flow. Should it be able to heat the whole van below 0?

[weekender]

Sounds like you have a problem with your heater. My 93 heater works pretty well-- will run a lot, as these vans don't have much insulation. Few things that help:

An insulating blanket (sleeping bag works well) hung from the base of the upper bed to close off the front cab.

Reflective foil insulation cut to fit over each window and over the fantastic fan, and bathroom fan

Rolled towel or blanket to tuck at the base of the side doors (on my 93, a big source of draft)

Most of these additions I used only at night, but made a pretty big difference.

If you are parked for the season, bales of hay around the perimeter of the van will help to keep the floor warmer--just be careful not to block any exhaust vents and to be prepared for small critters.

my 2 cents

[Cgzito]

How difficult would it be to diagnose and repair the furnace my self?

[skater]

How difficult would it be to diagnose and repair the furnace my self?

It's worth at least taking a look at. If it's running but not firing up, I'd start by turning it on and listening to it. You should hear the fan kick on, then a few moments (up to, say, a minute, but it feels like a lot longer) later, the gas valve will open (may not be audible), and the ignitor will fire repeatedly (a ticking noise) until it lights or gives up. If it gives up the fan will keep running, as a safety mechanism.

Diagnosis depends on which part of that cycle it fails. For example, if you never hear the ignitor, there are a couple things that could be wrong - the first is the sail switch is bad or not satisfied. The sail switch ensures there's airflow out of the unit before it tries to light the burner, so check to make sure that the exhaust is clear. Or the ignitor itself could be bad. If it has a board, the board could be bad.

If you hear the ignitor but it never catches, then there's likely some sort of gas supply problem. Or the board again. Make sure the propane line is connected and not capped off or something silly. But if it is capped off, I'd wonder why - there's likely something seriously wrong with the furnace in that case and the PO didn't want to fix it.

One thing: I dumped a decent amount of money into trying to get mine working (new motor, then new fan blades, and two professional repairs that never quite worked out, plus all the time and headache and cold camping trips), enough that I probably would've just been better off replacing the unit when I had the first problem. So I recommend giving it a shot yourself, then maybe having a pro look at it, but if the pro can't fix it fairly cheaply, just consider replacing the unit. (I forget how much they are new, so look into that, but I didn't think they were more than a few hundred dollars.)

[Keystone]

Hi Cgzito. You might find the thread called Propane System Mystery I started a few years back useful. It's at this link:

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=ht ... are_type=t

My post #9 in that thread describes my experience in replacing the old furnace with a more modern but nearly identical one (made by Atwood) myself. It wasn't that hard. I also had the regulator replaced. The heating is much better and quieter than before, and works pretty well at temperatures down to zero. Below zero deg F, it still occasionally cuts out and blows cold. I think this is caused by the air intake screen icing up just enough to mess with the fuel/air ratio that the furnace is looking for. We have big plans again this year for winter van travel, so I hope to get to the bottom of the intermittency. But it's reasonably reliable when we need heat. Good luck with yours. -Keystone aka Cecile

[skater]

I also had the regulator replaced.

Oooh, that's a good point - a bad regulator might cause problems with the furnace, too. None of the other appliances use as much propane, so they might be okay with a weak regulator.