While there is alot of doubting comment on having a plate at the back
of the Suburban furnace where it is fully open and normally up against a
flat sided vehicle, I'll add my two bits worth.
The fan on this furnace is a cage fan which I think I am correct in
saying , a cage fan draws its air from the side of it and forces the air
out in front of it. Having the area open or leaking air at the back will
reduce the efficiency of the fan and thus less air gets past the
electrical board and pushed out into the vehicle. In my model there are
louvers on the side next to the fan where the air is designed to be
drawn from rather than from the back. In my own case I felt the furnace
really did not fit very closely to the exterior body, so I covered the
area with sheet metal any way even though the furnace is tilted up on a
wedge so it fits at right angles to the side.
One other thing to note, if one is making changes in the propane supply
to the furnace, check with your local codes. At least in BC, the code is
now you can have only one connection at the furnace and one out side the
vehicle at the manifold point. This rules out a shut off at the furnace.
Because the unit is an old unit, one might be allowed a grandfathering
exception, but certainly for new installations of new furnaces this is
the code in this area of the country.I guess the point is to eliminate
as many possible leaks inside the vehicle as possible.If any are making
changes, call up an RV installation shop and they should be able to
confirm local state code.
Claude.
of the Suburban furnace where it is fully open and normally up against a
flat sided vehicle, I'll add my two bits worth.
The fan on this furnace is a cage fan which I think I am correct in
saying , a cage fan draws its air from the side of it and forces the air
out in front of it. Having the area open or leaking air at the back will
reduce the efficiency of the fan and thus less air gets past the
electrical board and pushed out into the vehicle. In my model there are
louvers on the side next to the fan where the air is designed to be
drawn from rather than from the back. In my own case I felt the furnace
really did not fit very closely to the exterior body, so I covered the
area with sheet metal any way even though the furnace is tilted up on a
wedge so it fits at right angles to the side.
One other thing to note, if one is making changes in the propane supply
to the furnace, check with your local codes. At least in BC, the code is
now you can have only one connection at the furnace and one out side the
vehicle at the manifold point. This rules out a shut off at the furnace.
Because the unit is an old unit, one might be allowed a grandfathering
exception, but certainly for new installations of new furnaces this is
the code in this area of the country.I guess the point is to eliminate
as many possible leaks inside the vehicle as possible.If any are making
changes, call up an RV installation shop and they should be able to
confirm local state code.
Claude.
