Does bus heat normally stay or go?

belfert · May 08, 2006, 08:19:03 PM

Is bus heat normally removed or left in?

I'm running into a problem with removing the A/C on my Dina. The evaporator is at the back of the bus. Behind the evaporator is a heating coil used when the HVAC is in heat mode. If I remove the evaporator, I will probably have to remove the heat. There are also radiators along the floor for use in heating the bus. I think the driver's heat can be left intact even if the rest of the heating system is removed.

I will probably want to drive the bus occasionally in the winter so heat would be nice, but I do have a Suburban forced air furnace.

Brian Elfert

tekebird · May 09, 2006, 12:42:33 AM

arn't supposed to use propane furnaces while underway

DrivingMissLazy · May 09, 2006, 05:14:28 AM

Quote from: tekebird on May 09, 2006, 12:42:33 AM
arn't supposed to use propane furnaces while underway

WOW! First time I have ever heard that! Do you by chance know the source of this information?
Richard

belfert · May 09, 2006, 05:49:39 AM

Quote from: Driving MissLazy on May 09, 2006, 05:14:28 AM
Quote from: tekebird on May 09, 2006, 12:42:33 AM
arn't supposed to use propane furnaces while underway

WOW! First time I have ever heard that! Do you by chance know the source of this information?
Richard

Suburban's web site says they do not feel it is safe to run a furnace while driving. They recommend shutting off the propane while on the road. I think it might be liability related more than a problem with running the furnace down the road.

Brian Elfert

DrivingMissLazy · May 09, 2006, 12:58:18 PM

Quote from: belfert on May 09, 2006, 05:49:39 AM
Quote from: Driving MissLazy on May 09, 2006, 05:14:28 AM
Quote from: tekebird on May 09, 2006, 12:42:33 AM
arn't supposed to use propane furnaces while underway

WOW! First time I have ever heard that! Do you by chance know the source of this information?
Richard

Suburban's web site says they do not feel it is safe to run a furnace while driving. They recommend shutting off the propane while on the road. I think it might be liability related more than a problem with running the furnace down the road.

Brian Elfert

That would also mean that you would be shutting off the refrigerator and the oven and the hot water heater possibly. I wonder how many people really do this?
Richard

belfert · May 09, 2006, 01:02:55 PM

I always left the propane on in my travel trailer so the frig would run while towing. The frig in my conversion will be electric, but that doesn't mean I won't leave the propane on.

Brian Elfert

edvanland · May 09, 2006, 01:57:25 PM

I have run with the propane on in all my campers and motor homes as well as my MCI 7 and have never had a problem. Yes it a case of the manufacturers covering the A.....,
Junt my 2 cents
ED

Ross · May 09, 2006, 07:53:02 PM

Some states have a law that says the LP must be shut off while underway, but no one ever pays attention to it. I think here in NH, if you are towing a camping trailer, the LP has to be off. I have a Suburban furnace in the bus and it works just fine going down the road. I removed the bus heat, but left the drivers heat/defrost intact.

gumpy · May 10, 2006, 04:47:11 AM

I can say that in the trailer my Father-in-law converted for the trip to AK last year, he used black pipe from the tanks on the hitch into the trailer and to the appliances. He had a fitting break twice on the trip, and had he left his tanks turned on, the inside of the trailer would have been filled with propane, which would probably have resulted in a spectacular display. While the problem was eventually determined to be related to installation, it was not an obvious issue, and neither of us caught it prior to the problems occuring. The second time we were just days away from completing the trip. It was on a Sunday evening in Butte, MT, and nothing was open. We "fixed" it with a piece of PEX and a couple PEX water line fittings. It got him home where he could do a more appropriate repair.

On my bus (and on his trailer) I installed an electric gas solenoid with propane detector. I sometimes leave the bottles turned on when traveling, but the solenoid is off. I don't have any rigid pipe in my installation, other than fittings and through the floor stuff. On his trailer, the broken fittings occurred where the pipe came through the front wall, and before the shutoff solenoid, so the detector would not have helped him if the gas had been left on.

BJW · May 10, 2006, 09:40:36 AM

I designed a system that utilizes the same ducts for the bus heat as the furnaces. It saved on ducting and the space multiple duct systems would consume. Near the exhaust of the bus heat (on each side of the core), I installed duct valves that open when the bus heat is on and closes when the bus heat is off. This was done so I don't waste the heat generated by the furnaces heating the bus heat heater core area under the floor.

The bus heat is divided into two regions. The forward (salon) area is heated by one side of the core and the rear (bedroom) area is heated by the other. The salon area has a 35Kbtu furnace within the duct circuit and the rear has a 30Kbtu furnace. I haven't had is in any real cold weather yet, but I did do this in case the need arose. I also left the drivers heat/defrost system in tact.

I don't know if this helps, but I thought it would be of interest.

kingfa39 · May 10, 2006, 10:54:22 AM

i leave the propane on all the time, run the fridge underway, have also ran the furnace, pulled bus heat out and wish i had left it in, been doing this for 19 yrs without a problem
Frank Allen
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