Vents Under Steps

[Lenny K]

Are the vents under the stairs going to the bedroom required for the furnace? I was thinking of blocking them off as when dry camping a lot of cold air will be coming through them to the inside of the trailer. If they are required for the furnace is there any reason not to block off at least three quarters?

[WaltBennett]

Yes they are. Those vents also provide cooling air for your converter. The furnace dumps hot air down there too and there's a vent to the basement. Keeps stuff from freezing. I did put some bug screening behind the vents in ours to keep little things out though.

[capn chris]

Furnace presentation at last Fall's Rally said not to impede air flow related to the furnace, including vents. That's all I know.

[Lenny K]

quote:Originally posted by WaltBennett

Yes they are. Those vents also provide cooling air for your converter. The furnace dumps hot air down there too and there's a vent to the basement. Keeps stuff from freezing. I did put some bug screening behind the vents in ours to keep little things out though.

My converter is located in the bathroom above the front closet (washer/dryer)so air for that is not a problem. The furnace outlet that dumps hot air into the underbelly can be seen from the basement which I guess means that the whole underbelly is open to the inside of the trailer. Would the furnace not draw air from there if the vents were covered?
Good idea about the bug screen.

[8.1al]

If cool air is not leaving the trailer the hot air will have a hard time getting in

[NCFischers]

Do you block the return vents in your S&B?

[bigskyjimmy]

I my 3402 similar to your 3400rl ,I cut to fit the green furnace filter stuff and put it behind the stairs and it helped a lot in the winter and never had a problem with the furnace for return air it gets plenty of air to draw from down there in the basement my partitions in the basement did not even go to the top so it is not even sealed in there , 2/12 years of doing that with No Problems and I will do the same thing this fall and winter to my new Monty

[waynemoore]

Ok wait a second ,the return vents in my home are plumbed to the heater not left open to an area that will allow cold air to return to the living space. Plus the thermostat is right above this area so either winter cold air or summer hot air will influence the operation of the thermostat. There has to be a better way to get return air to the heater that this. JMHO.

[WeBeFulltime]

I block off the step vents in the summer so I won't be air conditioning the basement. Open them back up in the winter for return air to furnace. My converter is not under the steps.

[jcurtis934]

If the bottom of your monty is totally sealed from the outside air...then i can believe that the vents under the steps MIGHT need to be left open. BUT, the underside of our monty with auto leveling has holes big enough for squirrels and other animals to enter...AND that is open to the whole of the area under the floors. AND all that area is also open to the basement storage pass through area. The furnace pulls combustion air from the outside and vents co2 to the outside. the furnace air supply is the whole of the inside of the trailer equalized by those "furnace return vents". In other words, open in the winter or IF using furnace...otherwise you can block them off. John

[psomers]

The furnace is a basic heat exchanger. Cool air comes in, heated then exhausted into living area. The warmed the air coming in the warmer the air to camper. Which air is warmer, the air coming from living area or the air sucked from around baggage doors and other openings. Granted the heating is very inefficient. Was more efficient when furnaces were mounted in living area. Down here in the south we don't worry too much about tanks freezing.

[Clemson1881]

Block them in the Summer and open them in the Winter. My converter is under the steps and I have had no problems for years. It's not a tight space, so the heat disperses fine.

[dieselguy]

Here's an old post of mine that shows just how open to the belly pan it is behind the forward storage compartment wall and stair grill area. On a really windy summer day, I could actually feel hot air puff from behind the step grill. I block off the step vents in the summer as well as added what I spelled out in the old post. It made an incredible difference in cooling the camper in the summer. My converter is under the entry closet, but my mods had no effect on its operation.
http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...rchTerms=vents

[Lenny K]

Thanks for your post Kansas. That was what I was trying to figure out how to solve by blocking the vents. I guess there will be no end to my projects for awhile.

[waynemoore]

I remember dieselguys post that is what got me going on my 2010 Mountinaeer. I did the same mod as he did and it worked to greatly reduce the cold and or hot air from coming into the living area of the rig. Now that I have a new 3582 I guess indeed to pull the vents on the steps and the wall in the basement and see just what is or is not there.

[waynemoore]

I removed the vents under the stairs and the wall in the basement. With the wall out I can see the tanks and in places the ground where the levelup is. The area under the steps had lots of sawdust and other remnants left over from the building process. Once cleaned that mess up I did the same as I did with my last rig. I followed Dieselguy's suggestion and insulated the area between the basement wall and the area under the steps. (check out Dieselguy's link to his photos)I am also going to get some green filter material and cut to fit in the stair way vents. I don't understand why the Keystone's engineers felt the need for filters in the AC return vents and not for the heating system. Plus not making sure that all the ducting and intake for both systems are clean of sawdust and other building debris. I could not believe how much sawdust came out of the AC vents when we first tried the AC. I took down the intake vents and cleaned the filters of sawdust and small pieces of wood.

I left the vent from the heater area to the basement open but I may seal that off this winter. Just depends if I get cold air from it.

[DebbieM]

We also have a 3582 and I noticed when in a cold climate that when the furnace stops working, quite bit of cold air comes out of the floor vents as well as out from under the step grills. So when we are not using the furnace, I put a magnetic vent cover over the vents. I also bought some 1 inch thick foam board from Home Depot and cut it to fit, blocking the grills. When we use the furnace, I just take them out and store them between the master sink and hutch.

quote:Originally posted by Clemson1881

Block them in the Summer and open them in the Winter. My converter is under the steps and I have had no problems for years. It's not a tight space, so the heat disperses fine.

[CORattler]

quote:Originally posted by dieselguy

Here's an old post of mine that shows just how open to the belly pan it is behind the forward storage compartment wall and stair grill area. On a really windy summer day, I could actually feel hot air puff from behind the step grill. I block off the step vents in the summer as well as added what I spelled out in the old post. It made an incredible difference in cooling the camper in the summer. My converter is under the entry closet, but my mods had no effect on its operation.
http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...rchTerms=vents

Iactually kept your post on file and will be doing the same procedure next month. Thanks for that post!

[Dhumble]

People say to block vents on steps...dosnt do any good the hot air just finds another way into your rv. Block the vents on your floors..no good the air still comes in somewhere else