I've looked at threads and options for a furnace. I am hesitant to put in anything that you need to keep a fresh air vent open. Kind of defeats the purpose. I understand the noise that a stock Suburban makes, and yet it seems the best idea. First, how noisy is it?? Second, is there a timed thermostat so I can just have morning heat?? Lastly has anybody installed one of these after the fact, and if so HELP?? pictures, best placement, anything. Thanks
P.S. I don't ever hook up 110 while camping.

Noise is very subjective. I have the factory installed unit in my 13'. If you're a light sleeper you might not like it. I got used to the noise very rapidly.



I sleep with my head at the kitchen side. The thermostate is on the end of the kitchen cabinet. I'm almost nose to nose with it, so I just reach over and turn it up. In a couple minutes it's warmed the trailer up nicely.



Mine is located directly below the left end of the sink. That leaves a small bit of cupboard space below the furnace.

By the way I measured the temperatue around the furnace. Directly in front of the grill in the center was about 135°, which was the hottest place outside the grill. I put the probe behind the grill and against the furnace it was up around 200°. I felt much safer knowing that it would be difficult to get paper, fabric, etc. close to the flash point.

I haven't seen the install directions, but what about putting an insulation barrier around the unit to keep the noise down?? Has anyone put one of these in the upper closet. Just a thought.

I paid $200 (circuit board) to get my Suburban heater to work right after I bought my '81 13' Scamp. I used it once. The battery fell like a brick running that fan. Too much heat too.
I got a Coleman Procat that has a fan that runs on D batteries. Works like a charm.
I probably should sell the stock furnace and put in a cabinet in its place.
These trailers are not insulated enough to camp in much cold anyway. The walls sweat rivers and all metal surfaces rust-hinges, curtain hardware et.

Kyle,
I'll share my first experience with the furnace in my Scamp recently. First of all, you will probably want to ventilate even with a vented heater. Moisture from your breath will cause condensation on all cold surfaces, with two people especially. We didn't keep it that warm, so it was not running all that much and after two nights, the battery was still in good shape. Concerning the noise, I am a very light sleeper, so I often use ear plugs (the soft foam kind) when I am sleeping away from home, so strange noises won't wake me up. With these, I could still hear the fan when it cycled on, but it was not so invasive that it would wake me up a lot.
If you do buy the Suburban, I have installation instructions that came with the trailer from the factory (part number 202334). Fortunately, the original owner still had all that stuff. It covers models NT-12SE, NT-16SE, and NT-20SE. It is generic in nature, and not specific to the Scamp. Let me know and I'll figure out how to scan and attach it here. Or it's probably available from Suburban. PO Box 399, Dayton, TN 37321.
Sonny

Doesn't heat rise? I don't think I've seen a furnace mounted very high in any RV.

Between the noise, battery discharge, need to vent anyway (you don't need to vent much and most ventfree heaters will produce more than enuf heat to make up for it), cost of a furnace and the mess cutting holes in the fiberglass shell, I personally would go with something else -- For $50 at Wally, you can buy a 3,000BTU Coleman Black Cat and try it out in your backyard one cold weekend...

Check out the Document Center for the furnace manuals, including installation instructions: Document Center - Furnace Manuals

Kyle:

Ours has an Atwood 8012-II heater. It is the smallest regular propane heater they make, I believe, and we have not had any serious issues with noise. It is about 9000 BTU with a fan sized accordingly; it heats the trailer quickly.

The unit draws 2.2 amps and 1.5 amps with the fan running only (ramp-up and cool-down mode). That is about 27 watts max, which is pretty easy on the batteries. Fine for us. Having to run a heater with the windows open (I do that anyway) to counteract condensation and oxygen depletion seems counterintuitive to me.

My 13' Scamp is so small, and Is only 6'1" tall, that's as high as the heat can go!! It was just a thought.