Double air return - 3400?

[waldo238]

OK I have my pictures so how do I put them in a post?

[bncinwv]

waldo, go to the home page (click home at the top of this page) for picture posting instructions. Photobucket.com can be used in place of Tinypic.com
Bingo

[waldo238]

Ok will do after dinner

[waldo238]

Here are the pictures of the grills on and off.


Grills on



Grills off


Notice the charger on this one.



Inside of space

[waldo238]

Sorry there kinda big, I didn't reduce them. The post timed out so I did not think it posted and then I reduced them to repost and wow here they are so it did post them.

[bncinwv]

Just edit your post to pull up the reduced locations from tinypic if you saved them there also.
Bingo

[dsprik]

I have a concern... Isn't it a little worrisome having that converter under all those water lines? Not that any of these lines ever leak coming out of the factory...

[Mudchief]

Dave you have a point. It could melt one also if the unit overheated.

[Waynem]

It looks like it is touching and the rub could cause a leak. The leak could cause an electrical short.

[waldo238]

There is actually about 1 inch between the line the converter. The picture is kinda looking up from the bottom.

[Waynem]

It has me thinking, and I am going to pull my vents and check. Then I'm going to fasten everything so it is away from any rubbing or heat. Just a precaution. That bottom hose looks like the drain hose on the outside of the refrigerator. Ribbed, and possibly a point of becoming rigid like the outside one and splitting on movement when or if it becomes brittle.

Thanks for the pictures and information.

[sreigle]

Nice job on the pictures, Waldo. I checked and they are all within the guideline sizes.

I agree with the others about the water lines and water connectors being so close to the electrical.

Mine has the single grille and it is pretty much open behind it. Nothing like these pictures. But my converter is in the water closet.

[waldo238]

Actually my fridge is in the back of my rig, the hose you are looking is more like a garden hose which runs to the water pump. The water pump is on the other side of the converter and next to that is the furnace.

[Okie Guy]

Wow! I am going to have to take my cover off and look back there. Mine is an 07 but I hope the lines are not that close. The idea of the converter being under the shower kind of freaks me out. I will try to take a couple pics of the 2007 this week and post so we can compair.
Phil

[Lady RV]

Here you go folks...

quote:Lady RV,

You guys never cease to amaze me with your observations! You don’t miss a thing and you never give me an easy one to answer, but I’ll give it a try.

For those of you with the 2007 models and older, the one grill that you have is adequate although in is right on the edge of what engineering felt comfortable with. (No room for error) The thing to remember is that if your furnace is working normally, and is not cycling off and on, (a sure sign of inadequate return air) then don’t mess with it.

As for the changes, we made on the new models. We made the decision to add another grill based on a couple of things. As you know, we are always trying to improve what we do, and how we do it to insure that our units perform properly.

Depending on the model, there are several things behind the grills that can restrict the return airflow. We have wiring, plumbing, ducting, and in most models the converter in that area. There also have been some structural changes with the new design. With all of that, we decided to add the second grill just to guarantee that we have enough return to the furnace. Better to have too much than not enough! I am disappointed that some of you said you didn’t like the looks of the second grill. We actually thought it looked better. We also do this for standardization. Some models may only need one grill and others two. By having two grills standard, we never make a mistake.

A couple of you said you were looking behind the grills looking for more storage space. We do not recommend that anyone do that based on what I have told you above.

One more note. The converter was moved to the step location for a couple of reasons. One was to insure that it would cool properly. The new converter is 80amp. More amps, more heat. The other was simply just for easier access.

Hope this answers your questions.

Aram

[dsprik]

Thanks, Lady RV and Aram. Great explanation. Don't you love how one answer generates more questions???

Next question... Why did you feel the need to go to an 80 amp converter??? Are there problems with the 55 amp one that we have?

[richfaa]

Humm. Well the converter behind the wall in the W/C in the 3400 was not a great idea and I guess there is always the problem of where to put it and have adequate ventilation. I would assume that engineering also reduced the chance of water leakage in that area or that the converter has been waterproofed??? I like the idea of the 80 unit. Mine has gone belly up once and perhaps the next time we can get the 80 amp unit under extended Warranty. IMO the second grill makes no difference in the looks of the camper.. I may see if we can get one of those to add to this camper for the added ventilation.

[bsmeaton]

Thanks Lady RV.

These are all nice improvements, and the list of improvements continues to add up every six months. However, I'm not seeing anything here that would make be get tools out and start updating mine. My 55A converter and limited return air cfm has served me good so far.

It's good to know why the changes are made, but I think I might go crazy trying to keep up. Better for me just to trade in every once in a while and start over .

[waldo238]

quote:

One more note. The converter was moved to the step location for a couple of reasons. One was to insure that it would cool properly. The new converter is 80amp. More amps, more heat. The other was simply just for easier access.

With this being said am I to understand the converter is to be under the lower step? I have a new 08 3000RK and it is to the side of the step next to where the water pump is.

[bsmeaton]

Waldo, I noticed that on your pics.

There is just a difference in models. Our 3400 doesn't have that space to the right (washer/dryer closet), nor does it have the hot water tank on the left (wide open hole to furnace and pump). Our converter is right below the step behind the grill.