First traler, new Boler owner in Québec

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by Uncle Cereal

Yes, yes! But what do you think of my plan?!

Does it make sense?

Any advice on changing the lock? The previous owner thinks that I can try a few old keys and manage to lock/unlock it...

You looked on this site? :

Proud Canadian

[Uncle Cereal]

Sooooo.

I spent the afternoon removing dust, dirt, fly doodoo, and other junk. I think I found one or two wasp nest in the making! Felt and looked like two pieces of cement with holes in them. Through one hole, I could see a body... Don't tell anyone in my family! One of them was in the gas heater!

Speaking of which, we have little trust in propane heaters and I wonder whether it would be a good idea to just yank it out. I think I read something about that on the forum. I'll look.

I'll post this and try putting up a few pics from the inside.

[Uncle Cereal]

Can't manage to post pictures. If I click on the picture icon, I'm asked for picture url... But they're on my "portable device"... Whoever's interested will have to help me post them because my search for instructions didn't produce anything interesting!

I forgot to say that I also vacuumed everything inside and I vacuumed all my cushions...that are desperately in need of being recovered! (And they will be!)

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Uncle Cereal

Speaking of which, we have little trust in propane heaters and I wonder whether it would be a good idea to just yank it out.

There are millions of RVs with propane furnaces out there that have no problems. Why the lack of trust?
Even the NFL uses propane heaters on the sidelines at football games.
Why not just have it serviced?

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

There are millions of RVs with propane furnaces out there that have no problems. Why the lack of trust?
Even the NFL uses propane heaters on the sidelines at football games.
Why not just have it serviced?

I agree. We're fair-weather campers and I never thought I'd want a heater until this past Thanksgiving near Phoenix and the overnight temperatures dipped into the mid-thirties. I love my heater now! I did have it checked after I bought my trailer, and it needed a new thermostat, that was all, but it gave me peace of mind.

The worst that could happen is they might tell you it's no good. If it passes, install the appropriate detectors (smoke, CO, LP) and you're about as safe as you could reasonably hope to be anywhere, and far safer than when you're in your vehicle headed down the road.

[Uncle Cereal]

Ok, John and Glenn, I get your drift.

I always hear not to use gas heaters in the house so I'm thinking "much less in a trailer"! Also, we heard once again fairly recently of a lady who died because of some form of gas heating. What gas? When was the last inspection? How many detectors? You guess is as good as mine. But it does give a weird impression, doesn't it?

[Glenn Baglo]

Think we need to clarify some terms. I describe a 'gas heater' as some portable unit with probably a propane bottle attached. An RV would likely have a 'propane furnace' that, if properly installed, does not draw on or exhaust combustion air into the trailer. It gets air from outside and exhausts to the outside.
If you choose to use a portable heater, you need to leave a window and/or vent open which somewhat defeats the purpose.
If you have a propane furnace, get it serviced to ensure it is safe and install carbon monoxide / propane and smoke detectors.

[Jon in AZ]

I suspect the "gas heaters" you were warned about are the catalytic type, which involve catalytically-controlled slow combustion inside the living space, with specific requirements for venting. Some people do use them in trailers, either the portable kind or built-ins. They are quiet and use no power, but they will add a lot of water vapor to the cabin and can deplete the oxygen if venting requirements are not followed.

With an RV furnace (Glenn is right; I used the incorrect term in my previous post), the combustion chamber is sealed off from the cabin, so combustion air is drawn in from outside and exhaust gases are vented to the outside, just like your furnace at home. In the inspection and testing process, the tech will make sure that the combustion chamber and heat exchangers are intact.

Older RV furnaces are the gravity type that rely on convection to circulate the heated air. There were phased out over concerns about surface temperatures on the grille (not going to burn the trailer down, but you might get a scald if you touch it with bare skin). Newer furnaces use a 12V blower to circulate the air, so they are noisier and can deplete your battery when off grid, but the surface temperatures are lower. We have the latter.

[Uncle Cereal]

Glenn, Jon, thanks for the additional info. I'll sleep better whenever we need to turn the "furnace" on!

Gilles, I had looked at part of the Proud Canadian site. Just read through most of the transformation description... Crazy stuff! Takes time, skills, space and money I don't have right now! Useful in understanding the big picture. Merci!

PS: If I understand correctly, Ian is a member of this Forum...

PS # 2: Gilles, you gave me the link to Ian's superb transformation as an answer to my question "What do you think of my plan?" I understand that my plan really stinks and that I should go all out... ;-)

[reeves99]

Sylvio, don't stress about renovations. I'm sure your family will be thrilled to go camping in the trailer as is. In Quebec we have all kinds of camping opportunities practically right next to our homes. (We're so lucky!)
My fist priority would be road safety--axel, tires, frame. After that....? And finally luxuries like heat
Enjoy!

[Uncle Cereal]

Philip, I understand what you're saying and I agree for the most part. If you saw my pictures, you'd understand that fixing the door and painting are among the prerequisites for enjoyment. My wife is allergic to dust mites so recovering the cushions and ripping off the carpet are somewhat necessary as well.

I am planning on using the camper as a tent: a shelter to sleep in. But I have a few hours of fun to invest before that! My answer to Gilles about IanG's project was full of humor: I'm not going where Ian went!