Feet and Floor Vents

[rldriver]

I just replaced the floor vent in the bedroom with one that I purchased at Lowes. It is the same color(dark brown) as the one I remove. It looks the same as the Montana install except the new one is adjustable so you can shut the flow off. The label reads: Simplicity 2" X 10" floor diffuser, the finishing touch, heavy gauge steel construction... Made by Accord ventelation products P.O. Box 35229 Greensboro NC 38536.
Here it is:
http://www.accord-air.com/simplicity...loorbrown.html

or home page is:
http://www.accord-air.com/simplicity...city_main.html

Hope this helps...

[Montana_2779]

Thanks for the heads-up! I'll have to stop by there this weekend and check those out. Just wish my exit fees weren't so high at Lowe's and Wal-Mart..........

[sreigle]

I have to wonder if covering a floor vent will really force any more warm air into the belly area. That belly vent is only a 2-inch pipe. I wonder how close to its capacity it runs when all vents are in their normal open position? Anybody have a clue? If covering a vent would really put more warm air down there, I can think of times that would have been useful to know for us. Like last December in Kansas City.

[rldriver]

The new 2005 2980RL as far as I can tell as a new Montana owner has some major changes in the heating system. The furnace, water pump, most of the plumbing and converter are under the shower area. This area is open across the Monty to the other side where the hot water tank is. When the furnace is running it keeps all those items nice and warm, that would include the plumbing to the toilet, sink and shower. There are two lines (hot and cold I assume) running forward in the basement I think they are for the future washer and dryer. The lines running aft to the kitchen looks like they are inside the heat duct. Will need to drop the bottom pan one of these days to check it out.

The first riser for the inside stairs has a decorative grill where the heat from inside if using elect. heat will flow into that area so as to prevent freezing.

The low point drains are in the back right corner so look like they are away from any freezing that would follow the line up, again I need to drop the pan to see exactly how it is run.

The only problem I can see is a lot of heat loss into the basement. Had a temperature gauge in the basement when camping recently and it was 70 deg. inside, about 20 to 25 deg ouside and the basement was about 40 deg. I was using a combination of furnace and 2 elect. heaters.

[Montana_657]

OK Steve...heating 101... here is the theory of furnace ducts. The furnace blows air into the duct system. The heat registers allow heat to flow into the rooms. The furnace fan puts a positive pressure in the duct to make the air flow. Cover the living room heat register. The pressure rises in the duct. The higher pressuere forces more air out the bedroom heat registers.

The belly has a heat duct with no control damper on it. Raise the duct(plenum) pressure more air flows out the duct.

It's physics... all heating systems work that way.

If you want to prove it to yourself place a thermometer in your tank spaces. Youll see the rise in temperature when you start to restrict the main floor heat resisters.

If you cover enough of them, the furnace starts to overheat and hopefully will turn the gas off before damage occurs.

The more you restrict the flow the less efficient the heating system becomes. The fan works harder and longer to deliver the volume of air...the flame turns on and off so the hotter running furnace doesn't overheat and catch fire.

Just a simple fact of furnace use. You don't cover or close all the registers in a stick house do you? You have dampers in the tubes set by your installer to divide the air flow in the house. It's called balanceing the system.

What rldriver is looking at is not a "duct to let electric heat under there" ... it is the furnace cold air return. Montana does not duct it's cold air return like a household system.

[rldriver]

"What rldriver is looking at is not a "duct to let electric heat under there" ... it is the furnace cold air return. Montana does not duct it's cold air return like a household system."

I agree with you Gruffy that this is a a cold air return but it will also allowe for any heat in the trailer to flow into that area and keeps it a little warmer. My dealer was concerned about it getting to hot in that area so he moved the converter, created a space for it and installed a small fan to blow over it by sucking air from the basement. Very interesting, as I have not found out if it comes on with the converter or the furnace.

I think I am going to put some door closure clips on the cover so I can reach in and bring out the hose and valve for winterizing, that way it is right next to the water pump controls.

[capn chris]

Hey, those are the vent louvers we have in our dining room and living room in our house. Very nice! I loved the soda cans in the picture. Classy!

[Montana_657]

Gotta use every inch of space.....

[sreigle]

Gruffy, actually we did restrict the vents in our stick home. In the winter we partly closed the ones upstairs and in the summer we reversed that, opened the ones upstairs and partly closed the ones in the (finished) basement. The warm air rises, cold air falls. It made a big difference in keeping the whole house more comfortable, more evenly heated/cooled.

I understand the theory but also know there is a limit to how much you can put through a pipe per unit of time. What I didn't know is whether the Montana's belly heat pipe was anywhere close to its max.

Rldriver, there are water pipes going through the basement so isn't getting some heat in there is a good thing? I assume you're talking the basement storage area. Maybe I'm missing something.

[Virgil]

I wish Keystone would just put in adjustable registers so you could easily regulate heat distribution in the unit. The rear register on our unit seems to get the lion's share of the warm air followed by the dining area with the bedroom getting a very weak airflow. It does help to turn on the ceiling fan to distribute warm air from the ceiling to where it is more useful. We had a lot of cool weather camping last summer with nights in the low 40's and even upper 30's. I would guess we ran a rate 5 times furnace compared to AC. I hope this summer is nicer.

[rldriver]

Rldriver, there are water pipes going through the basement so isn't getting some heat in there is a good thing? I assume you're talking the basement storage area. Maybe I'm missing something.
[/quote]

Hi Steve,
You are right you do need some heat in the basement but I feel there is a lot of heat loss in that area.

In our 2005 there is a compartment that runs from side to side under the shower, stairs and bathroom. Most of the plumbing is in this area including the water pump, water heater, and a lot of hoses. The access is by removing two panels, one on each side, that are the back wall of the basement. The only plumbing in the basement is two lines that I think go to the washer/dryer and as we do not have them installed yet so don't need much heat there.

As of now you have to remove one of the panels to get to the hook up when winterizing and the other panel has to be removed to get to the water tank by-pass valve. Just 4 screws on each panel. I am going to make some changes there to make winterizing faster.

I hope that answers your question, if not please get back to me.

[sreigle]

So, your 2005 is different than our 2003. We have quite a few water lines running through the basement, up against the ceiling. I have those covered with the water pipe foam tube insulation as much as possible.

You would think the water pump and valves would be a bit more accesible, at least a hinged door or perhaps easy-off latches. Our 2880RL had to have screws removed from a panel, also, but our 3295RK has the pump and the water heater bypass both behind easily opened doors, the way it should be.

[RMccord]

Are all the vent covers the same size. I am not near my coach. Does anyone know the correct size. I would like to pick one up and try it. Then convert all of them. Thanks