cost of a furnace replacement 91 spirit

[jerseyshorejay]

anyone got a roundabout price complexity of replacing furnace or reasonable alternitives for heat in real winter conditions

[turtle]

You need to be more specific. What type of furnace (brand/model)? Why do you want to replace it (broken)?

When you say "real winter conditions" you do realize that your holding tanks will freeze and crack to say nothing of your interior water tank if it is "real winter".

Toyota campers are not winter dwellings. Most have minimal insulation.

[jerseyshorejay]

wow none of that sounds good, i want to use the rig for some ski trips vt, ny, to go where the snow is falling, i thought i read posts of people nice and toasty in their toys down to zero degrees i thought i saw. what temps can i use the unit in, are there treatments i can add to waste water to use toilet if norunning water? the heater is i believe a two function coleman ac and 17000 in 12,750 out forcec air btu the heater blows cold air, thanks for your post and the reality that this may not be a good winter rv, any models do better in the cold, or are insulated better thanks again

[turtle]

You will need to add holding tank strip heaters to any RV you wish to use in the winter.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-toil...tank-heater.htm

If you have 2 holding tanks you will need 2 heaters (one for each tank) and one heater for the fresh water tank also.

Your propane furnace should keep you warm unless the temp is extremely low. It may run constantly as they are not designed to be used in extreme cold.

I do not think you will find any motor home that is designed for winter use.

[jerseyshorejay]

it is a relief to hear their is a soultion to the problem of freezing tanks, the strip heaters sound good as for the heater i would prob not have to run more then 8 hrs at a time and i dont like snowboarding when its under 20 degrees because the windchills are usually single digit and unless theres powder im not staying.. i will consider the limits of the toyhouse, insullation wise and how the unit i do purchase holds up,

[turtle]

it is a relief to hear their is a soultion to the problem of freezing tanks, the strip heaters sound good as for the heater i would prob not have to run more then 8 hrs at a time and i dont like snowboarding when its under 20 degrees because the windchills are usually single digit and unless theres powder im not staying.. i will consider the limits of the toyhouse, insullation wise and how the unit i do purchase holds up,

If you have not already purchased a motor home you may want to look into a Toyota based motor home manufacturer called 4 seasons. The "story" I was told is that they have more insulation than others. It may only be an "urban legend" but it might be worth your time to find someone who owns one and investigate it further.

[Diesel_Aggie]

Another product you might consider is http://www.ultraheat.com/rv_products.html

In addition to the tank heaters they offer heat strips for the drain pipes and elbows. If you look at very high end 5th wheels such as Teton homes you will see that their Arctic Pack includes a similar set up. You will need to make sure you have the voltage to run all of this. The site gives you advice on that. Worst case you could upgrade to a 50amp electrical system. You might also look under the RV and see if there is anyway to add some insulation around the tanks. Your 4 Seasons 5th wheels will have insulation on the underbody held up by what I describe as plastic cardboard. This will be much harder to do on a motorhome as you have to worry about the driveshaft.

You might also consider getting storm windows made for the RV. That will help retain heat in the unit. The ones on my Lance are held in place with rotating plastic clips.

Other suggestions are to seal off the cab area when parked. I found that all the glass in this area lets a lot of cold in. There is a product called Hushmat that can be applied inside the doors and around the metal areas of the cab that makes the vehicle much quieter and will also add insulating vaule. http://www.hushmat.com/ Depending on the style of roof vent you have you can buy square insulators that are about 3-4" thick. Camping World has them for under $20 but I can't find the on their web site.

http://www.nofreezewaterhose.com/ makes heated water hoses that work very well. I used one last winter with no freezing in single digits. http://www.superrvproducts.com/ makes basically the same thing.

Based on my Amarillo, TX winter experience with my Sunrader I'd agree that these are extremely poorly insulated and not suited for winter. The furnace is adequte but the insulation is pathetic. It's hard to go thicker without serious compromises. If I put thicker on the walls of my bunk, the short bed gets even shorter. If I try and do it at the rear I'd have to shrink the dinette. If I go thicker on the ceiling I lose what minimal headroom I have. My unit has 1/2" thick styrofoam (some wall areas have NOTHING) that is maybe R2 or R3. Hope this helps you stay warm this winter.

[Shoprat]

Fella I bought my Toy from was a sled dogger. He used rock salt in the toilet and dumped RV anti-freeze in the tanks.He used water containers for potable water as I recall. Kept them in the MH so they wouldn't freeze. The rock salt in the toilet was hard on it as I have found out. Doesn't seal well now. Winter camping can be done if your willing to sacrifice a few things, like a toilets longetivity.

[futar]

I spent 12 years Rving year round in new England. I belonged to an RV club that would plow out spaces to park. The heating strips are problematic. It depends where the holding tanks are located. If they're not recessed enough and you can't put insulation (fiberglass only, foam will melt) over them and the tanks, forget it. Too much heat will be lost to the outside air. Remember, they are 12 volt and can drain the battery. I've been in Vermont in the winter and you would have to go nuclear to heat holding tanks that aren't designed for it. Many motorhomes now offer what's called an "arctic pack" which are insulated and heated holding tanks.

Same for the fresh water lines. Some are mostly inside the motor home and are okay if you can drain and isolate the hot water tank. The others that have external water lines are very difficult to insulate and heat.

What most of us did for winter camping was totally drain the water system and keep gallon jugs inside for drinking and cooking.

For the toilet, we bought winter grade windshield washer fluid and flushed the toilet with that. I am not aware of anyone having a problem with the windshield washer fluid.

There's not much that can't be repaired on an RV furnace unless it's rotted out. What's wrong with yours? If you do have to buy one, get a remote thermostat ignition.

I rigged a fitting to the regulator of my propane tank for using external bottles http://www.marshallbrass.com/rv.htm . It's great for winter camping. My old Dolphin didn't need it because it had a removable horizontal tank. You could disconnect the regulator and hook it to an external tank.