Poor Heat Distribution

[Berlin Kid]

Originally Posted by Berlin Kid

On a happy note, I am at Tom Johnson's service center in Marion, NC and they think they have solved my problem. They found that the duct to the front of the motorhome was crimped/choked down. They straightened it out and removed 4' of excess duct! I will follow up tomorrow after seeing if this truly fixes the problem. It is only going down to 34 degrees but should give me a good indicator.

Spoke to soon and evidently misunderstood. It wasn't the duct to the front. The individual flex ducts coming off the furnace were too long and choking the flow. Shortened them and the furnace is running cool enough to touch without getting a burn.

[Redridge]

where is the access to the furnace that you can touch it?

[Berlin Kid]

Originally Posted by Redridge

where is the access to the furnace that you can touch it?

Easiest is to pull the louvered cold air intake (in the bedroom 33.1). I also removed the access panels in the bathroom, one under the sink, one below the shelf behind the door below the drawer. This is where the open hole in the duct was accessible. You might want to check and make sure the hole is closed off.

[Redridge]

Thanks Jim,

I need to poke around in those areas... Im creating a punch list for our Elkhart trip.

[HVAC Bill]

Originally Posted by Redridge

our front fan turns on automatically when our heater is on.... I usually shut it off at the breaker. Its a bit to loud for me.

My system was programmed wrong as well, the dealer should know how to do this, FYI, I had to use my large shop vacuum to clear out all the saw dust clogging my ducts. The thermostats in our coaches allow us to add heat strips to your ac units, or change the unit to a Heatpump, so that is why it has multiple ways to program to match your system. IMHO, I would not change to a Heatpump, they are not very effective in cold climates, I would add electric heat strips instead.

2013 Palazzo 33.3

[ChallengerRN]

Originally Posted by HVAC Bill

My system was programmed wrong as well, the dealer should know how to do this, FYI, I had to use my large shop vacuum to clear out all the saw dust clogging my ducts. The thermostats in our coaches allow us to add heat strips to your ac units, or change the unit to a Heatpump, so that is why it has multiple ways to program to match your system. IMHO, I would not change to a Heatpump, they are not very effective in cold climates, I would add electric heat strips instead. 2013 Palazzo 33.3

When mine was new I had my son- in
-law hook his duct cleaning truck to ours and pull all the sawdust out of the heat runs. There was lots of sawdust along with some screws and one round chunk of wood about 2.5" across.

I e-mailed Thor & told them about all the sawdust.

Russell

[Berlin Kid]

Temperature went down to 32 degrees last night. Furnace is not as loud and the temperature was much better in the coach. Yes, the temperature in the cockpit area was a little lower but the couch area was good. The air flow from the front register was much higher so the shortening of the flex ducts worked. I am still concerned in that the furnace is still too hot to touch.
The thermostat seems to have too wide a range between turning on and off. It is about 6 degrees.

[OC Bill]

Several Palazzo owners reported that they installed a curtain between the cockpit and the rest of the coach, I tried that by just hanging a blanket from the edge of the overhead bed to the floor and did notice that it kept the living area of the coach warmer. It also had the effect of keeping the cockpit warmer when driving, containing the meger heat available from the dash while moving. I also noticed when it is very cold outside the temp from the dash gets cooler the faster you go, natural cooling I guess.

Bill

[Berlin Kid]

Originally Posted by OC Bill

Several Palazzo owners reported that they installed a curtain between the cockpit and the rest of the coach, I tried that by just hanging a blanket from the edge of the overhead bed to the floor and did notice that it kept the living area of the coach warmer. It also had the effect of keeping the cockpit warmer when driving, containing the meger heat available from the dash while moving. I also noticed when it is very cold outside the temp from the dash gets cooler the faster you go, natural cooling I guess. Bill

I too have noticed that the dash heat is cooler when driving. I run the furnace when driving. DW hung a light weight blanket using the cabinet doors above the dash and draped over the dash when parked and it helped. Didn't do that last night and the cold from the windshield wasn't as noticeable. On the other hand, the windshield is a great solarium when parked and the sun is shining. :-)

[Redridge]

Im wondering if a sun shade will act as an insulator against the cold at night. Insulation on the glass is key to keeping the warmth in the coach.

[Indy1951]

Originally Posted by Redridge

Im wondering if a sun shade will act as an insulator against the cold at night. Insulation on the glass is key to keeping the warmth in the coach.

Don't know for sure but your idea of a sun shade may make the condensation worse than it already is. Just a thought.

[Indy1951]

Originally Posted by Berlin Kid

Spoke to soon and evidently misunderstood. It wasn't the duct to the front. The individual flex ducts coming off the furnace were too long and choking the flow. Shortened them and the furnace is running cool enough to touch without getting a burn.

I have never been real happy with the air flow from the register behind the drivers seat and decided to investigate today. The duct run in question was just laying on top of the plenum with about a 1 inch gap letting the air escape. Also two of the runs had excessive duct that snaked around under the cabinets creating two 90 bends that where very restrictive to air flow. I removed about 4 feet of supply duct and eliminated the sharp 90 degree bends. The air velocity is a 1000 times better than it was.

[Berlin Kid]

Originally Posted by Indy1951

I have never been real happy with the air flow from the register behind the drivers seat and decided to investigate today. The duct run in question was just laying on top of the plenum with about a 1 inch gap letting the air escape. Also two of the runs had excessive duct that snaked around under the cabinets creating two 90 bends that where very restrictive to air flow. I removed about 4 feet of supply duct and eliminated the sharp 90 degree bends. The air velocity is a 1000 times better than it was.

And I bet the air velocity into the bathroom decreased. :-)

[Indy1951]

Thought I would try my hand at posting pictures of the duct work fix.
Duct Not Connected

Excessive Duct Work

After Fix