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Old 01-13-2019, 06:54 AM   #1
Rsmarlow82
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All Season.. Full time RV ???

We are testing our unit, 2018 3701lk, to make sure it can perform as described Before we go full thine this spring My oh my oh my granted, we are fairly new to this, so not as experienced as many, but I'm glad I'm handy and sure as heck glad we aren't far from our dealer on this test run
When Keystobe is Calling this unit as "all season" capable, they aren't talking central Indiana Not even close maybe full season Florida Lol
The slides ( ours has 4) leak air like a seive we spent $30 on pipe insulation, split it in half, and filled the inside cracks where the slides meet the interior walls and omg, what a difference before we did this, the furnace would run continuously when set at 62 degrees alandboutdide with light winds at 28 degrees ...all season My a--

More in my next post
 
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Old 01-13-2019, 07:29 AM   #2
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It seems to me that you need to have your slides adjusted as this is not a normal situation. It is even possible that you have a unit that the seals were not installed or installed improperly.
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Old 01-13-2019, 07:46 AM   #3
1retired06
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Agree, slide adjustment sounds like a plan.. Re Fulltiming, we wintered in Colorado Springs for two winters, plenty of snow, ice and cold temperatures and we were very comfortable in our Montana. Yes we did have to wear a sweater inside the rig.
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Old 01-13-2019, 09:27 AM   #4
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We have a 3721RL and yes, it is a four season model. More of the challenges relate to traveling in hot weather. For the winter, we bought a ventless ProCom heater and installed an extra gas line from the bottom of the rig in through the air vent by the door. It works great!! I was really surprised at how much hot air goes out the exhaust when the furnace is on.
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Old 01-13-2019, 09:31 AM   #5
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We full time in ours and have for 8 years now. For the most part we summer in Kansas and winter in New Mexico so we have plenty of heat and cold (49 for a high today). 4 season doesn't mean a stick house, but we get by fine.
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Old 01-13-2019, 09:52 AM   #6
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The coldest we’ve been in was about 9 degrees over night about five years ago in Missouri in November into December and other than going through a tank of propane every other day, we were comfortable inside, and that we also had a Pirit hose that kept the water flowing. Unless these rigs had 6” thick walls, they are never going to be as efficient as a conventional house.
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Old 01-13-2019, 10:50 AM   #7
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Thanks I agree I do t expect it efficient as a house , but will look into adjusting slides
I will try to send a picture of how we better sealed the unit
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Old 01-13-2019, 10:56 AM   #8
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The other thing we discovered is the furnace HAS to run frequently to heat the underbelly and associated plumbing The thermostat senses temp in the living space and with our sealing job and running electric fireplace and a small 1500 watt ceramic heater in the living space the furnace dies not run enough to warm the underbelly
Maybe everyone else knows that , but water pump froze on us due to furnace not running A real learning experience My fix was a small 750 watt electric in the underbelly to keep above freezing
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Old 01-13-2019, 11:21 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Rsmarlow82 View Post
The other thing we discovered is the furnace HAS to run frequently to heat the underbelly and associated plumbing The thermostat senses temp in the living space and with our sealing job and running electric fireplace and a small 1500 watt ceramic heater in the living space the furnace dies not run enough to warm the underbelly
Maybe everyone else knows that , but water pump froze on us due to furnace not running A real learning experience My fix was a small 750 watt electric in the underbelly to keep above freezing
Does anyone else have issues with the Dometic thermostat randomly switching from furnace to heat pump ??? Maybe we brushed by the unit, but it's happened several times it has switched without either of us "physically / purposely touching the unit And the heat pump tries to kick on
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Old 01-13-2019, 11:30 AM   #10
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I have recently gotten a Big Boy propane heater and piped it into the main propane line. It runs fine, puts out plenty of heat, but I am not crazy about the smell. Could that be incomplete combustion due to Albuquerque elevation?
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Old 01-13-2019, 11:32 AM   #11
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Very possible incomplete combustion but for sure I'm monitor
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Old 01-13-2019, 11:43 AM   #12
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I am about to make a run to Dallas, Corpus Christi and back. Will be getting familiar with the new solar install then. Will see if my nose is happier during that trip (lower elevations).
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Old 01-30-2019, 07:07 AM   #13
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So I've posted a number of negative comments on this unit being a "All season" unit and while I don't take any back, I will share some of successes after doing some sealing and fixing things
1: we put a small foam seal around the sides and top of each slide . Used pipe insulation that we cut to fill the gap, as the needed size varied by slide and location on the slide Tops took 2" diameter to help seal
2: we installed a small ceramic heater in the underbelly area It keeps temps constant regardless of furnace operation
3: sealed every window( we have flush type) were there were large gaps in the weatherstripping, some 1" wide these were open holes to the outside
4: we installed a foil type insulation in each window bottom half installed behind the screens theses are the big side windows
5: sealed all end slide windows with window sealing material kind of a pain, but these those "slide windows" leak like drives
6: sealed as best can with various material around the skirting entire camper perimeter what a difference
7: sealed gaps around entrance door, under the step unit, and under the area as best can It still leaks air .. unbelievable Called a step above Lol Maybe below

So our results: We are in central Indiana, it is - 10 f , windy, and furnace is struggling to keep it at 65, and of course that is temp at the thermostat but surviving Running electric furnace, additional 1500 watt ceramic heater, and wearing several layers of clothing

Yes, we will never do this again We have a reason for being here in this weather ( newborn grandson) but let me be very clear :

Keystones' claim that this unit is "All season" is a bold face lie
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Old 01-30-2019, 08:28 AM   #14
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The "R" in Rv stands for "Recreational" we long time in ours spending at least 9 months of the year living in it and traveling many, many miles full timers live in them even longer. That is not recreational Rv, ing. The all season tag means you can use them in all seasons and freeze or roast accordingly. We plan our travel to be in Moderate climates year round. We now winter in Florida and use our home base S&B as our summer base for travel.

This is a example of "all season" RV'in fom the post above .... "So our results: We are in central Indiana, it is - 10 f , windy, and furnace is struggling to keep it at 65, and of course that is temp at the thermostat but surviving Running electric furnace, additional 1500 watt ceramic heater, and wearing several layers of clothing " This is true been there done that also 107 degrees in Shawnee, Oklahoma with both A/C at full blast.
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Old 01-30-2019, 09:12 AM   #15
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I hear ya We are full timers or almost there We sell our property this spring Then it will be official .....yep
One of Our mistakes was to think that something advertised as being for : Full time use" and "all season" would actually mean something, and Montana was actually " close to" a top end unit But we now know this :

We are making it work ( even with the frustrations)
We are learning the industry needs regulation ( how about a lemon law )
We are getting smarter
We will never buy another Montana or any Keystone unit

And our biggest mistake was not buying that Grand Design Solitude in spite of the fact the dealer salesperson was a jerk

Live and learn
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Old 01-30-2019, 09:30 AM   #16
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I hear ya We are full timers or almost

And our biggest mistake was not buying that Grand Design Solitude in spite of the fact the dealer salesperson was a jerk

Live and learn
Somewhere I read that Grand Design has some problems too. Forget exactly what tho.
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Old 01-30-2019, 09:40 AM   #17
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Lol I bet you are right sounded good tho .i honestly think if there were more oversight, visibility and consumer protection laws and regulation things would improve Now they have zero incentive Shove them out the door ASAP because consumers are buying them up If there are problems, shove it to the dealer who have to fix it, but are over run with warranty work because of manufacturing sloppiness Kind of a catch 22
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Old 01-30-2019, 09:57 AM   #18
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A 75 degree split between indoors and outdoors temps is a tall order for any large rv. I took out the furnace in our 26 foot toy hauler and replaced it with a wave 6 heater. We easily get over 30 degrees of indoor vs outdoor temp difference. That is with no other heater and using their medium size unit. Two larger wave 8's in a fiver would make a big difference in comfort and economy.
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Old 01-30-2019, 12:51 PM   #19
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The 4 seasons are Early spring, late spring, early fall & late fall. (Below the Mason Dixon Lind). 😎
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Old 03-18-2019, 12:42 AM   #20
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We Were Actually Very Impressed...

We purchased a Montana 3820FK in December, and took it up to Vail, CO for a couple of nights... according to the weather almanac, the temps during the day were upper 20's, and the low was 2 degrees. There wasn't a lot of wind those evenings, so we were just dealing with the cold temps.

We then needed to take the rig to Buena Vista, CO last week... the blizzard hit, which included actual temps down to 8 degrees not inclusive of the wind chill from the 40 mph+ gusts.

In both instances, the fireplace heater and the furnace were able to keep up without us going through an inordinate amount of propane. We ran the tank heaters, and in BV we used the Pirit heated hose. No adverse effects on the coach in terms of freezing pipes, pumps, or other items, and the creatures inside were sufficiently warm.

While we wouldn't typically choose to be in that weather, we were ecstatic (and thankful) over the results. We could have never done this with our old "4 Season" Crossroads Cruiser without an additional heater down below, wool pjs, an electric blanket, 2 bottles of propane, and a lot of prayers that the damage wouldn't be too severe. Your mileage may vary, but for us, this exceeds our expectations for an all weather experience. Hopefully the AC in the summer will perform as well!
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