propane furnace

[patandjohn]

Is it okay to run my furnace while driving. Will the fan run the battery down.

[Hooker]

Is the battery being charged by the truck while driving?

[WaltBennett]

Several folks have stated in previous posts that they do this - as long as in your unit the floor vents aren't blocked w/slides in. We set the thermostat at 45 to 50 to do this when it's cold enough to freeze things. It is a current drain on your batteries, but if you've dual ones in good shape and plug in when you get somewhere that shouldn't be a problem. Since we've a solar set up, we don't worry about that though.

[waynemoore]

Your truck is charging your batteries as you drive. So that should not be a problem.

[DQDick]

The folks who made the furnace, when asked at a Rally a year ago about running the furnace with the slides in, said absolutely not that the furnace needed full air flow. Most rigs cover at least half of some of the ducts when the slides are in. I asked if folks have added ducts, as we have, would it still be a problem and they said no. It was their feeling that the manufacturers didn't put in any more ducts than the furnace folks speced and so they were against running the furnace with the slides in for that reason.

[Slink]

Should really not make any diff my 3650rk only has 1 return duct at the stairs bed room and kitchen and living room ducts are open plus ceiling ducting

[Rondo]

Ceiling ducting, Slink? Our ceiling ducting is for A/C only. Maybe you have something new but most Montana's are floor ducted for the furnace only! Our Monte has all the floor ducts open completely, even with the slides in, so I guess I could run the furnace but there is one problem-- I would not pull in to fuel up however!

[Slink]

Rondo you are correct I don't know wthiwt

[Irlpguy]

quote:Originally posted by patandjohn

Is it okay to run my furnace while driving. Will the fan run the battery down.

Well here is my opinion for what it is worth on this subject. You could run the furnace but why would you want to, how much of the heat is going to be maintained in the underbelly when you are going down the road at 60 mph with the openings that are there. Some but not all of my furnace vents are covered when the slides are in so there might be a problem with back pressure to the furnace because of that, will leave that up to the experts who make the furnace.

If you think your truck is going to charge the RV batteries at the rate the furnace fan is using the current, forget it, and ask me how I know this. My thermostat was accidentally left on when we first got this fancy thermostat on the Montana and after several hours of travel the batteries were very low, I had burned a bunch of propane for nothing and the RV was no warmer than if the furnace had been off.

Some do run their furnaces when they are concerned about freezing of tanks, so to each their own.

[Ozz]

We keep the Cat-rats in the Monte when traveling, I always leave the furnace running, no problem with the airflow in my 3400RL, works fine, stays comfy in there. (when it is cold)
I don't have any issues with it for any reason. I do have a butt-load of batteries, so can't address the power issue other than a guy can get through the night with one battery, but it is about exhausted and not really a good idea to run it down that far. Learned that when I was a Noob with my Sprinter TT. Hey, I made all the mistakes, TP Pyramid.. Been there done that..
patandjohn, if you are only traveling 6 hrs on the road or less, you should be fine with one battery, but, that depends on how cold it is, how much the furnace runs. That sucker pulls around 6 amps. (DC)

[7.3Ford]

I clocked the furnace at pulling 10 Amps. The new Montana's have heaters on the tanks, but no info on how much current they draw. I guess I will find out when my units arrives.