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Old 12-07-2017, 12:03 PM   #1
awheeler
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Questions about our 5'ver

We have a couple of questions about our 5'r - 3791 RD.

1). Under the stairs toward the bedroom there are vents. What do these vents vent? In the summer the air is hot and now the air (of course) is cold. I am guessing it's from the storage areas.

2). The water tanks are all heated. Are they heated with electricity or gas? Do they remain heated when driving?

Sorry for the dumb questions. At least I am smart enough to know where to find the smart folks!
 
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Old 12-07-2017, 12:16 PM   #2
KIEHLS
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1) The vents under the stairs allow air flow in and out of your front storage bay as that bay is 'climate controlled'. I cut some foam board to size and blocked that airflow. I have found on our 3791RD that the cabinets under the buffet and the drawers (in kitchen) under the living room are not closed off and air flows freely throughout the cabin and storage bays.

2) they are electric by ThermaHeat...I've found very little information on them in our manuals. not sure if they get power when driving.
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Old 12-07-2017, 12:25 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by KIEHLS View Post
1) The vents under the stairs allow air flow in and out of your front storage bay as that bay is 'climate controlled'. I cut some foam board to size and blocked that airflow. I have found on our 3791RD that the cabinets under the buffet and the drawers (in kitchen) under the living room are not closed off and air flows freely throughout the cabin and storage bays.

2) they are electric by ThermaHeat...I've found very little information on them in our manuals. not sure if they get power when driving.

Thank you for your quick reply. I sincerely appreciate the answers.
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Old 12-07-2017, 01:34 PM   #4
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The vents in the stairs is for the furnace & should be left open for air flow back to the furnace some others have blocked them of and said that it didn't make any difference
in the furnace but it does you can till by the way it sounds and makes it more inefficient
the basement has it one heat sore from the furnace. You can block off all the other openings in the floors and under the cabinets were the pipes come up through and stop a lot of the cold air coming in the best thing to use is (great stuff big gap sealer) you can get it at all the big box stores. I use the fire block kind just to be safe. I all so used
2" Ridge foam and insulated the bedroom floor & other places in the basement it helped a lot and is ease to use.

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Old 12-07-2017, 02:34 PM   #5
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We block those in summer to keep the heat out and open them as soon as we might need the furnace.
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Old 12-07-2017, 03:12 PM   #6
team bradfield
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As others noted, the vents are for the furnace. the tank heaters are electric and work while your driving. try not to turn these on if your tanks are empty. its my understanding, from the Dealer, they are 12 volt and run off the batteries. Don't be fooled and think they alone will keep a tank from freezing, always keep your furnace on. Don't ask me how I know this
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Old 12-07-2017, 03:31 PM   #7
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Like said, the vents are supposedly for the return air from your living area to your propane furnace. Don't be fooled in to thinking this is a closed duct behind the vents to your furnace as it is far from that. It can draw air from your belly (which is not completely sealed to the outside air either), storage compartment, and the living area itself. That is why you feel hot air from the vents in summer and cold in winter. On my 3150 ... I could eliminate the vents and it wouldn't make a bit of difference as there is also a large wooden grill under my fridge that is connected to the area that your furnace draws return air from plus all the ways to draw supply air from mentioned above. I'm not saying permanently block your vents as you do not have my floorplan, but I am saying return air comes from a lot more places than just those step vents. I have provided the following link to an old post of mine a few times before, but I'll do it again. I doubt if for many of the floorplans with the dropped frame that there has been a design change to the later models. http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...ht=design+flaw
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Old 12-08-2017, 10:08 AM   #8
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The one thing you don't want to do is cause the furnace to pull return air from outside thru the belly or basement. That's a good way to freeze water lines.
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Old 12-08-2017, 10:50 AM   #9
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Quote:
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The one thing you don't want to do is cause the furnace to pull return air from outside thru the belly or basement. That's a good way to freeze water lines.
Excellent point.
The heater will be more efficient if it is heating warm air rather than cold also.
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Old 12-08-2017, 11:10 AM   #10
awheeler
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Thank you to everyone who replied! All this information helps a great deal!
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2017 Montana 3791RD, 2017 RAM 3500 Diesel Dually, Aisin, 4.10, Sailuns, Disk Brakes, TST TPMS.
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Old 12-08-2017, 05:45 PM   #11
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We block those in summer to keep the heat out and open them as soon as we might need the furnace.
This is also what we do.
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