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Old 11-21-2011, 05:39 PM   #81
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David,
I especially like the quiet. I designed an exhaust hood for mine that eliminated most of the moisture. It came down over the top of the cat slightly and served as a heat exchanger as well as an exhaust. It was all made from aluminum sheet.
David
I currently hold a desk job, but I used to work in the field in oil and gas industry, mostly gas. They use large CAT heaters on methane, (mostly), because they won't start a fire.
In the last few years they have started to add a similar exhaust hood. Totally passive air flow.
Previously large, (~3'x3', or larger) heaters just vented into the room. I guess they were depending on poorly sealed buildings.
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Old 12-23-2011, 12:02 PM   #82
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Hot water heating

There was some discussion about using the output of the hot water heater for heating the trailer.

I'm thinking of gifting myself a small transmission cooler 12" x 8" x 1" and plumbing it up to my 12,000 BTU hot water heater with a couple of thermostatically controlled muffin fans. Simply a $50 dollar experiment.

Has anyone done it?
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Old 12-23-2011, 12:41 PM   #83
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There was some discussion about using the output of the hot water heater for heating the trailer.

I'm thinking of gifting myself a small transmission cooler 12" x 8" x 1" and plumbing it up to my 12,000 BTU hot water heater with a couple of thermostatically controlled muffin fans. Simply a $50 dollar experiment.

Has anyone done it?
I mentioned earlier that Truma has a Diesel powered space/water heater but it seems as too complex to be duplicated. But someone has done what you are thinking about doing which is combining water and space heating functions.

How are you planning to circulate water through the radiator? I would likely use just gravity circulation, which can be done by keeping the space radiator 2’ above the water heater. Old cars did not have water pumps and circulation was reasonably sufficient. One caution I would have is to pick a radiator which would not contaminate hot water.

Good luck,

George.
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Old 12-23-2011, 02:08 PM   #84
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Gravity

GeorgeR,

I planned on gravity just for the simplicity.

As to water contamination, what should I be concerned about an an aluminum brazed transmission cooler?

Thanks
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Old 12-23-2011, 02:37 PM   #85
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Norm, now we are getting somewhere....dry heat and quiet heat without a smell of burnt LP, by golly you got it ol' boy !
Doc.....the boonDOCer
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Old 12-23-2011, 03:05 PM   #86
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Old

Well Doc, you're right about the old part.... I'm OLD and getting older.

It could be a good boondocking alternative. Though you might need the same amount of propane, you'd probably get by on a lot less electricity, have a more even heat, and improved hearing.

Though muffin fans are not dead silent, they are a lot quieter than the blower, though a hot water heater is not silent.

Another advantage is water holds more heat than air.
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Old 12-23-2011, 03:50 PM   #87
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GeorgeR,

I planned on gravity just for the simplicity.

As to water contamination, what should I be concerned about an an aluminum brazed transmission cooler?

Thanks
As long there is no lead from solder you should be OK. I would pick an Al only radiator, such as one with plastic or AL headers crimped around core. Transmission cooling radiators are design for oil so they could be vulnerable to water corrosion; that is why I would select a single metal construction. Aluminum fins brazed with Al should be OK.


Mishimoto Universal Transmission/Power Steering Cooler, by Mishimoto


I like your project.

George.
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Old 06-04-2012, 07:25 PM   #88
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I too am victim of a noisy arse Suburban.

I found this thread while searching for answers and joined this site just to add some info.

I emailed Suburban asking if they had dB readings. They did not. I told them that pretty much everyone has complaints about the noise.

They now have a newer line of "Q" series furnaces. I asked if they had any dB readings on them. They said no but are significantly quieter. That doesn't mean squat to me. I need numbers.

I went to radio Shack and spent a whooping $49 and some change for a sound level meter. Maybe I'll mail it to Suburban.

I took some readings of the furnace as installed in our 2010 pop up tent trailer.



This is from six feet away



Here is a link that shows dB's. Notice it is said at the 70 dB level the body goes into defense mode.

Decibels

The Suburban people actually was going to give me an across the table swap for one of their new "Q" series but there were enough details that it wasn't worth it. I passed on the deal. All they had to do was give some simple dB readings.

I'm on a quest to find a quiet forced air vented furnace. Or I'll be building my own with regards to the OP of this thread.

Eggs are cool.
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Old 06-04-2012, 07:57 PM   #89
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I just fired off an email to Atwood asking for sound readings for the 7920-II and the 8012-II. Have to wait and see.
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Old 06-04-2012, 08:58 PM   #90
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I too am victim of a noisy arse Suburban.

I found this thread while searching for answers and joined this site just to add some info.

I emailed Suburban asking if they had dB readings. They did not. I told them that pretty much everyone has complaints about the noise.

They now have a newer line of "Q" series furnaces. I asked if they had any dB readings on them. They said no but are significantly quieter. That doesn't mean squat to me. I need numbers.

I went to radio Shack and spent a whooping $49 and some change for a sound level meter. Maybe I'll mail it to Suburban.

I took some readings of the furnace as installed in our 2010 pop up tent trailer.



This is from six feet away



Here is a link that shows dB's. Notice it is said at the 70 dB level the body goes into defense mode.

Decibels

The Suburban people actually was going to give me an across the table swap for one of their new "Q" series but there were enough details that it wasn't worth it. I passed on the deal. All they had to do was give some simple dB readings.

I'm on a quest to find a quiet forced air vented furnace. Or I'll be building my own with regards to the OP of this thread.


Eggs are cool.
Got a brand new rig with an Atwood Everest star in it. It makes the suburban sound quiet. Its at lease twice a loud!

I put a voltage regulator on my suburban that locks the voltage at 10, 11 or 12 volts. Selectable. At 10 volts it runs nice and about half a loud. I had no problems. I talked about this earlier in the thread. It is an easy solution. And safe. You can find a 11v regulator on eBay for 25-30 bucks. It will step down the 12-15 volts you're battery is putting out. And keep it constant. I am guessing it would add some life to the motors too.

I'll post some pics when I get a chance.
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Old 06-04-2012, 09:05 PM   #91
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Smile Furnace---quiet

MY QUIET FURNACE
For months now....I have searched RV junk yards, abandon trailers & campers, and my favorite....Craig's List. A total of 4 have been on Craig's, all NOT working. I went a head and purchased the 4th find for $40. I was determined to get the little
guy up and running no matter what ! After the bench test it was discovered that the gas control units worked fine, it was the PILOT LIGHT system that was clogged
and burned up. I went to our Washington State EXPERT on all things Propane, Doug's RV in Startup (West side of Stevens Pass, SR 2) Doug sold me a new Camco Gas Pilot Assembly for $ 39.69. Larger holes were drilled and it installed with only two Bandaids and 5 cuss words.......Next, I will get either high temperature Stove Paint or Hot Rod Engine paint for the box interior and external decorative grille.
Now I have to cut up a cabinet, cut thru fiberglass and add a 3/8 copper gas line.
Years ago I had a Chinook Toyota fiberglass pop top Motorhome and installed one of these....that's when I fell in love with ....the HYDRA FLAME FURNACE
# 1...Adequate heat
# 2...Quiet heat
# 3...No combusted gas entering my world
# 4...No electricity used
# 5...No NOISY FAN
# 6...No condensation
# 7...No inside air burned

See pictures....first pic show unit in original trailer, before I removed it.
Hope this helps kids !
Doc the boonDOCer @ Campfrugal
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Old 06-04-2012, 09:46 PM   #92
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Kudos Davidso et al;
My furnace doesn't wake me up, so I have no dog in this fight, but I have a friend who's Model "A" has a SBC engine and an automatic transmission and A/C.
Bill O'Rourke built it. I'm proud to share the road with that car.
It's guys like David and Bill who make our lives better and more interesting.

The hoi polloi, lacking courage, skill, or imagination will just have to wait until the path is beaten, some will wait until it is paved... with shoulders, stripes, signs, carpool and turn lanes!
Maybe it's just a matter of comfort level... both with innovation and the status quo.
NASA actually means "National Aeronautics and Space Administration" not "Need Another Seven Astronauts.
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Old 06-04-2012, 11:15 PM   #93
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I spent a lot of time, effort and expense on this problem. I had lengthy talks with the technical people from both Suburban and Atwood. The bottom line for me is that the Suburban furnaces cannot be made quieter in any cost effective way. The primary problem is the type of fan used in the furnace. It is a propeller blade type fan instead of a squirrel cage. In order for that fan to move the CFM needed it has to be driven at high speed with a very high pitch to the blade. There are no quiet operating fan retrofit that will deliver the CFMs needed. Believe me,...I have looked. The other source of noise is the gas solenoid which operates with a loud clang. The solenoid is generally what woke me up.

I now have a very nice quiet furnace. I took an Atwood 7912-II and built a proper pedestal to support the unit. It is not hung between the grill and the exhaust port as the stock furnace was. Next I covered all the external sheet metal with Boom Mat. The gas solenoid engages with a very light tick, and most of the noise after that is just from air rushing out the front. This unit uses a squirrel cage fan. This summer, once I'm done using it, I'm converting it to an 8012-II. The force of air from the 7912 is designed for multiple outlet ports. You don't need all that air flow in a little Scamp with just the front discharge.

My advice is to get the 8012, Boom Mat it, and make sure the unit is properly supported. Even now the furnace never wakes me up. With the smaller fan motor of the 8012 it will be even quieter, but the bigger motivation now is the reduced current draw of the smaller motor.

This problem has been looked at from every conceivable angle by me and others. There are too many fundamental problems to make any substantial improvements without spending a fortune.
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Old 06-04-2012, 11:31 PM   #94
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Originally Posted by regis101 View Post
I too am victim of a noisy arse Suburban.

I found this thread while searching for answers and joined this site just to add some info.

I emailed Suburban asking if they had dB readings. They did not. I told them that pretty much everyone has complaints about the noise.

They now have a newer line of "Q" series furnaces. I asked if they had any dB readings on them. They said no but are significantly quieter. That doesn't mean squat to me. I need numbers.

I went to radio Shack and spent a whooping $49 and some change for a sound level meter. Maybe I'll mail it to Suburban.

I took some readings of the furnace as installed in our 2010 pop up tent trailer.



This is from six feet away



Here is a link that shows dB's. Notice it is said at the 70 dB level the body goes into defense mode.

Decibels

The Suburban people actually was going to give me an across the table swap for one of their new "Q" series but there were enough details that it wasn't worth it. I passed on the deal. All they had to do was give some simple dB readings.

I'm on a quest to find a quiet forced air vented furnace. Or I'll be building my own with regards to the OP of this thread.

Eggs are cool.

Just a bit of information about sound pressure measurements. The sound pressure decreases by the square of the distance from the sound source. To make comparison measurements you need to be sure you're exactly the same distance from the furnace each time. Getting a measuring tool and using it effectively are two completely different things. Metrology (measuring things and phenomenon) is science unto itself.
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Old 06-05-2012, 05:27 AM   #95
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Wow. Rough crowd. Sorry
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Old 06-05-2012, 04:30 PM   #96
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Wow. Rough crowd. Sorry
Regis,

Just ignore those who would rather find fault than contribute.

Thanks for making the sound measurements, I like to see numbers too. It is interesting that the DB level you measured for an indoor furnace is similar to the DB rating for the Honda 2000 watt generator outside, from 9 feet away.

I am sure that Suburban has made DB measurements, it is just that their equipment is so loud they do not want to share the measurements.

I look forward to your future measurements on the Atwood 8012.

Andy
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Old 06-05-2012, 05:02 PM   #97
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Regis,

Just ignore those who would rather find fault than contribute.

Thanks for making the sound measurements, I like to see numbers too. It is interesting that the DB level you measured for an indoor furnace is similar to the DB rating for the Honda 2000 watt generator outside, from 9 feet away.

I am sure that Suburban has made DB measurements, it is just that their equipment is so loud they do not want to share the measurements.

I look forward to your future measurements on the Atwood 8012.

Andy

If you're accusing me of finding fault then I feel sorry for you. I'm stating scientific facts. If you don't believe me then check it out for yourself.
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Old 06-05-2012, 05:09 PM   #98
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Wow. Rough crowd. Sorry
I was trying to point that unless you follow some sort of consistent measure technique your measurements will give a false indication. Distance, sound pressure weighting, are both critical when measuring sound pressure. If you read the manufacturer's specifications on sound levels you find that most generator sound levels will be measured at 3' and I believe A weighted scale.
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Old 06-05-2012, 05:55 PM   #99
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That's cool and everything and I have some knowledge in the field. Too technical for this experiment.

For the average consumer, the furnace is too noisy. Suburban didn't want to entertain, to me, that there is an industry problem. Why should they since there is only one other competitor.

However, they did offer to replace mine with a new Q-series but I don't want to trade a Pink Lady for a Granny Smith.

It doesn't matter what the numbers read on the (my) meter. (They) will be the baseline. I was willing to mail my decibel meter to Suburban so the numbers would at least be coming from the original source. I had no reply to that query. So much for product knowledge on their end.

They did state that the internals are different on the new Q series and the blower/motor assembly is not a direct swap into the preceding units.

There are other furnaces. The boyz from Propex did sound level readings on YouTube due to the large volume of inquiring questions. Espar. Webasto. What about any of the house style direct vent , such as Empire DV-210 or Williams, can be installed. They don't require electric but can be fitted with an optional 110v blower.

My hat is off to the OP. He started to do something that many of us want to but ended up stopping.

I'm sure that the industry is heeding to the complaints. There may be a time in the future when we can all get a warm good night sleep while listening to the crickets and frogs.

See ya 'round the campfire.

Happy trails,
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Old 06-05-2012, 05:57 PM   #100
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For anyone who might be interested in the voltage regulator hush kit option. I have ordered enough parts to assemble a couple units. If anyone would be interested in helping me test them out please PM me. If anyone wants to order my kit after its been tested a bit, I am estimating that the kit will cost between $25 - $35 to make I think.
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