Coach heater "we are freezing"

[kraut]

Hi
We have a 2001 Kountry Star 36 ft. diesel pusher. Love it however, the heater will not exceed 86 degrees at the outlets. We live in Canada and make the run to the USA for a three month vacation in the winter. The trip down there is not fun with the coach temp. I have installed a booster pump to push in line, thinking the extra push will give me hot water and a warmer temp. It did make the hoses hot however it still does not get better at the vents. The air flow is great 'just a very luke warm".
What can I do, and how do I do it ?????
Thank in advance
Ed

[RVDude]

Use the main furnace as well.

Even in my fancy smanchy camper with a motoraide equipped AquaHot, I HAVE to run the furnace when traveling in sub 15F temps in order to keep the basement from freezing.

[Luv2go]

Our heater will run us out of the front of the coach, the aux heater runs us out of the BR! Since you have already boosted the flow, I would suspect a heat exchanger problem.

Also, RVDude has a point, we don't have to do this because our up-front engine keeps the compartments toasty, but with DP there's no source of heat up front to keep compartments warm.

Stewart

["007"]

Welcome ED to the Newmar forum and irv2.
Do you have a LP furnace on your coach you need it to keep your tanks from freezing as others have said or do you have some other type.
The floor vents can be replaced with adjustable vent openings as I have so more heat can be directed to front of coach and tanks below.
You can adjust bedroom vent just to keep chill out.
If you have rear bath as I do you need to push heat back there for plumbing also.
Enjoy the forums and do post often.

[mahon1993]

What kind of booster pump did you use? Make? Model? Price? I was thinking about adding one but haven't had any luck finding one.
Thanks,
Greg

[CorporateMonkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVDude Use the main furnace as well. Even in my fancy smanchy camper with a motoraide equipped AquaHot, I HAVE to run the furnace when traveling in sub 15F temps in order to keep the basement from freezing.

Really? I was in 7 degree weather late last year (NM) and the motoraid worked like a charm. Full heat, and hot water.
I don't have the optional engine preheat pump so maybe that makes a difference.

[RVDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CorporateMonkey ... I don't have the optional engine preheat pump so maybe that makes a difference.

Good thought. Makes sense that the pump in the line slows the "natural" motoraid coolant flow and might make all the difference. I have not tried running with the preheat pump on when in these conditions. Might be all it needs to run exclusively on motoraid in sub 15F.

When I'm driving in consistent single digits and below (I tag 15F as the tipping point) my water bay heater alone (set at 36F) will quickly overpower the motoraid and the AquaHot shuts down all registers (basement too) periodically due to low temp - that's when the water lines in that bay will slush up as it takes the motoraid forever to restore temp. Happens to me every time in those conditions (which I am in way toooo often). I've even ensured that the motoraid lines are correctly - in terms of flow direction - installed.

So I compensate by just running the burner in these conditions and get all the heat I could ever desire.....

[kraut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahon1993 What kind of booster pump did you use? Make? Model? Price? I was thinking about adding one but haven't had any luck finding one. Thanks, Greg

Hi Greg
I will get back to you in a couple of days with your info. I am gone from the rig, and don't remember off hand the name etc. The cost was $ 124.00 CDN. It is a 3/4 in and out put. Installed a separate "toggle" switch on dash for on and off. It does not restrict the water flow. It really pushes the water, however I still have to deal with the "luke" warm output of the heater itself.
The hoses to the heater are to hot to hold with your hand, so it is doing the job.
later
Ed

["007"]

ED, does your front heater have foam insulation sprayed on it? Is it possible to insulate the hose's coming from the engine in back to heater.
Must get pretty cold where you are.

[bachler]

Hello;; Heat;; We have A winn. ult-adv. 38' I slide. 2 furnacesi I also have a set of chains. OH what for he asks;; Well we are/were snowmobilers. It is not unusal to be bolow Zero; temp; We were at yellow stone one year it got down to 37 Below, Now brother thats cold. Oh there is no Hook ups not even electricty; Our furnace kept us warm.and the water did not freeze. One of our traveling companions that had a Safari, I don't know who makes that ;; Anyway he came over to our place/MH to barrow water for coffee, There Pipes were frozer up; Just the facts.. Life is good, Well most of the time;;

[kraut]

Hi to all.
Thanks for the replies and info on my Freezing problem. As I stated, the motorhome Newmar Kountry Star "diesel pusher" was very cold in the cabin. Luke warm air was the best we got from it, which would darn near let us freeze till we hit the warmer climate.
I replaced the water valve with a ordinary 1/2 inch ball valve. When I open the ball valve I now have "real hot air" coming out of the vents. I will only need to close it for the summer. It is convenient to get at and am happy that we will not be "ice cubes" as we migrate south this winter.
Thanks for the info and keep up the good work.
Kraut

["007"]

kraut, what I and others missed was you had problems with the Evans Control valve.----- Evans heater

When you placed the ball valve did you remove the Evans valve or just bypass the control valve?


In most problems with Evans valve it has been with summer time cooling from combination AC/Heater and most people wanted better cooling from AC and ball valve was used to cut off hot water through heater portion of that unit.
It would seem you have done just the reverse and if you are getting much more heat all for the better.
Thanks for your follow up post and stay warm on your travels south.

[kraut]

Hi to all
I removed both the "screen or filter and the water valve" and replaced it with the 1/2 inch ball valve.
thanks
Ed