source to replace exterior furnace vent cover

[Daryl and Wendy]

Exterior Colman furnace vent cover on our 1973 Trillium 1300 is damaged. It looks like it was pulled through a hedge? Any suggestions on where I might find a replacement cover?

Alternatively - any suggestions to replace the furnace with a more efficient and effective furnace??? The Colman works and works well, but lacks a fan and very capable of over cooking our little egg.

[Donna D.]

Hi Daryl and Wendy, welcome to FiberglassRV. We're glad you're here

I'll leave answering your questions to the experts, but wanted to say

[jimmied]

Originally Posted by Daryl and Wendy

Exterior Colman furnace vent cover on our 1973 Trillium 1300 is damaged. It looks like it was pulled through a hedge? Any suggestions on where I might find a replacement cover?

Alternatively - any suggestions to replace the furnace with a more efficient and effective furnace??? The Colman works and works well, but lacks a fan and very capable of over cooking our little egg.

I cannot help with a replacement cover, but I am looking at this heater for my trailer. It comes with a thermostat and they ship to Canada. Unfortunatlely Canadian RV dealers cannot install them. I will probably have it as a portable unit with a quick release.

Procom 10K BTU Blue Flame Space Heater

[Francesca Knowles]

"Overcooks your egg"???

I replaced my original gravity heater 'cause it didn't get my trailer warm enough! But I'm a winter camper, too...

If you've got a well-working gravity heater that puts out that much heat, you've got a gem.

Think very carefully before you take it out and replace it with a fan-equipped unit- not only will the fan be a major battery drain if drycamping, the heater won't work at all without the fan going, and worst of all:
Fan-forced heaters are NOISY, especially inside a tiny, hard-surfaced space like a fiberglass trailer.

As for inside-flame ones like the blue flame suggested above:
I use a catalytic heater now that heats very well, but:
Since every gallon of propane burned produces almost a gallon of water, the all-inside moisture can be a real nuisance.

As for the damaged outside vent cover- I'm not familiar with the vent size on a '73 1300, but if it's the same (about 12x12) as that on a 4500, Tom at Trillium RV may have one from the unit he took apart for a mold for new ones.
He was selling some parts here recently- could be worthwhile writing and asking about a cover.
Here's a link: Parts | Trillium RV

Francesca

[AlanKilian]

How do you winter campers keep the water tank from freezing?

I've got a 1978 Scamp 13' with a gravity heater that works fine, but I turn it off when we're out of the camper and I bet the water tank and lines are going to freeze here in MN while we hike.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by AlanKilian

How do you winter campers keep the water tank from freezing?

I've got a 1978 Scamp 13' with a gravity heater that works fine, but I turn it off when we're out of the camper and I bet the water tank and lines are going to freeze here in MN while we hike.

That would make a real interesting subject for a whole new thread...I'm not one to address that question since my way of dealing with freezing temps is what you might call "not the way most RVers do it".

I've abandoned the interior plumbing in my Trillium and now use a high-tech gravity system defined as "hanging a two-gallon container on the wall above the counter".
Spares are also inside...

The space where the tank used to be now holds things like exterior skirting for heat conservation when cold-camping.

Francesca

[Daryl and Wendy]

Donna - thanks for your welcome message. Although we've only managed one outing todate, we are certainly enjoying our new activity, and the people and their enthusiasm.

jimmied – the blue flame space heater is what we had in mind. Only vented to the outside wo we wouldn’t incur the moisture issues of an open flame. Having the ‘fireplace’ effect is very attractive though.

Francesca – I’ll contact Trillium RV. Ours is missing the T-Molding (all of it) so I’ll be ordering some molding in any event, and ask about the aluminum cover.

Alan – although the season is “winter” we don’t pretend to do winter camping. Temperatures on the Pacific Northwest barely touch freezing when we’re out. And we use water jugs rather than the on-board tank & hand pump.

[Francesca Knowles]

Just a heads-up re. venting the blue flame outside for moisture reduction-

That may help a bit, but since the flame's exposed to the interior (as on my catalytic) that's where most of the moisture's going to end up. I have five years of experience behind me and believe you me, I know what I'm talking about!

Mine's outside-vented and has a heat-powered (and silent) fan to boot, and though it does help-especially with the fan- I've never succeeded in controlling the moisture to my satisfaction.

Again, I strongly encourage you to keep the gravity heater you've already got if it works as designed...

And I'll shut up now!

Francesca

[Pam Garlow]

At the risk of hijacking this discussion, how does a gravity heater work?

[Francesca Knowles]

I've always understood that the term "gravity" refers to the way it's fed air- it's a passive system. The heaters have a two-sleeve chimney, one sleeve for fresh air, one for "exhaust", which is mostly water vapor.

They're very, very simple heaters, and really ideal for 3-season camping. And since they don't have fans, they're of course dead silent, and most use no electricity either.

They used to be the standard heater in RV's but you can't buy them anymore...nothin' on offer for permanent installation now but those rackety clackety fan-forced heaters that will suck all the juice out of a trailer battery in a couple of days or so. (Unless one opts to use a radiant heater like the Blue Flame or Buddy, or a catalytic. But I think one has to install those oneself.)

Francesca

[David Tilston]

This is actually a more complex question then it seems. The standard furnace in Trilliums was a Duo-Therm. It was installed below the sink on 1300's. A Coleman furnace was offered, but the ones that I have seen were on the curb side, like the furnaces installed in the 4500. It would use a totally different vent then the Duo-Therm models. I actually gave away a Coleman gravity furnace this year. I did not think I would use it. I got it for free with an RM211 fridge. They came from a tent trailer that was being converted to a cargo trailer.

Pam,
A gravity furnace refers to the fact that a hot gas is lighter then a cool gas of the same composition. A gravity furnace is basically a fire in a steel box, or can. Inside the furnace the combustion air comes into the furnace at the bottom, and the hot exhaust goes out the top. This height/heat difference provides the pressure difference required to circulate the air into the combustion chamber. This also applies to the heat that makes it into the trailer. The box gets hot and the surrounding air circulates past it. On most of the gravity furnaces there is an optional air circulation fan. This moves more air over the outside of the combustion chamber, (box or can). Trillium did not sell this option, but other trailer manufactures did.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...wer-54226.html
A fan pointed into the bottom of a gravity furnace should accomplish basically the same thing.