Not much airflow to bunkhouse in 322qbs

[arturob]

We just got a cougar 322QBS and are loving it. One problem is the lack of hot air going to the bunkhouse - with the furnace on there is only a sight puff of hot air coming out the vent. We recently had a spell of 0-3 degree C weather and it was cool in the bunkhouse even though the main seating area was toasty. Leaving the door open solves the problem somewhat. I seem to remember someone else posting about this issue but couldn't find the thread. Anyone have any ideas??

[KanTC]

Hi arturob,

Lack of *air-flow* can be an issue with any brand/model, and you're correct, it's been discussed here before.

It's possible that some of your ducting may have (fully/partially) come loose from the furnace itself -OR- it could be kinks, twists/turns (etc) in the flexible
ductwork causing the reduced air-flow. The distance from the furnace to the bunkhouse may also be part of the culprit. Could be a combination of any/all of those.

I did a forum search using the words furnace ducts, and got 71 results... lots to read!

Here's some to get you started -
http://keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17727
http://keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11365
http://keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14770

Hope this helps
Terri, the Chevy co-pilot

[therink]

I believe your unit has front bunk house. In my last two Keystone fivers I had the same issue. First thing I did wwas remove rear panel in basement compartment and inspect the round foil duct that brings heat from main floor duct to the upper floor duct. Make sure there is no excess or sagging, kinks, obstructions and fix as needed. Made sure all ducting connections are sealed, repair with foil tape as needed.
Next, I bought 4 x 10 adjustable vent covers at Lowes and replaced all factory covers. This way I could dampen flow in rear bedroom and living room to adjust some flow to front.
Before installing the front bedroom and rear bedroom vent cover, I fabricated and installed a false end in the floor duct to eliminate air flow beyond the floor openings. I used cardboard and foil tape and installed the at an angle so the ends of the duct runs are ramped up to the floor openings.
Next, in removed inside panels to access the furnace and looked for gaps or seams where air flow was leaking at the furnace box and sealed with foil tape as needed.
Lastly, I took a small mirror and flashlight to inspect the sub floor duct runs for obstructions, debris.
These steps greatly improved air flow and efficiency for me. The front bedroom airflow was still not great but sufficient. Heat does rise so on cold nights leave the door open.
I performed these same steps in the AC ducting and improved flow there as well.

[Poppy's 5th Wheel]

Arturob, lot's of good comments here. therink had some good ideas, a couple of which I'm going to do! Just to give you an idea though of what your facing, I just removed my belly cover to work on another project and here's what I found on how ducting was installed at the factory. Not only was this bend a major obstruction, there was a small tear right in the bend. Not much hot air getting in to the trailer via this duct for sure.



Good luck!

[arturob]

Going to do a major ductwork inspection this weekend. The unit was used when I got it and previous owner didnt use bunkhouse much so no reported problems. I can already see that the joints are not very well sealed at connections so I will rectify that with silver tape. Undercarriage is sealed cos I have the polar package so I assume that means foam insulation underneath that will make it hard or impossible to access ducts in the undercarriage. There is a variable duct in front bedroom so I can try restricting flow there to make more air available. I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks everyone for the help!

[JRTJH]

Polar Package, Foam Insulation, Sealed Underbelly????

I'm speculating here, but if your "Polar Package" is similar to the rest, all you have is coroplast and maybe some "spray foam" around the bigger holes, other wise, it's wide open and surprisingly "un-insulated"..... Take a look, you'll probably be surprised at how little "Polar Package" there really is......