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Old 10-14-2018, 11:22 AM   #1
Liza Powell
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Basement vents to interior

These two vents in the stairs of our 2011 Keystone Raptor lead to the “basement” in the front utility side of the unit. A small wall in the cubby of the basement obscures my view of what exactly is in there besides the propane fueled furnace and the electric/propane fueled water heater. Does anyone know why Keystone would design the RV this way? Doesn’t it seem odd to vent propane appliances into the living quarters? Our best guess is that they protect the appliances and/or their pipes/hoses from freezing in cold weather. But they allow quite a bit of hot air to enter the living quarters while we are living in very warm climates. We would love to close them off in order to increase our air conditioner efficiency, and remember to open them back up if we ever stay anywhere with freezing temperatures. But first we need to know what their true purpose is.
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Old 10-14-2018, 12:05 PM   #2
bill-e
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My experience with two campers is that both the furnace and HW heater are in the living space. The "chimneys for both appliances vent to the outside but the units themselves are in the living space. My furnace (both campers) has a vent right into the camper and the HW heaters are in a non-air tight compartment.

Personally I think that they are just vents, not heat ducts. To heat the basement you would need a duct blowing heated air from the furnace to the space.
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Old 10-14-2018, 12:21 PM   #3
Liza Powell
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That makes sense. Thanks
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Old 10-14-2018, 12:52 PM   #4
bill-e
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Assuming that they are vents, you can certainly close off the furnace when you're not using it and from my experience, the HW tank is insulated and normally in a non-vented space so you should be able to close off that as well.

You might want to wait until someone who has that configuration chimes in.
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Old 10-14-2018, 01:14 PM   #5
Liza Powell
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I agree. Thanks
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Old 10-14-2018, 01:15 PM   #6
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Liza, it is a return air of sorts for your furnace. The appliances vent to the exterior.
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Old 10-14-2018, 01:33 PM   #7
bubbubouy
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That’s the same setup we have. Don’t close them off if you camp in below freezing weather. There should be a heat vent in that area from the furnace as well.

Think of that area as part of your living erea. If you get into the basement from your outside access doors and take down the walls you should see water heater, holding tanks, furnace, water pump, I could go on but you get the picture. It’s not that way by mistake...
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Old 10-14-2018, 02:35 PM   #8
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That thing on round thing on the outside of you heater is actually the exhaust vent for the heater I think. I think it should also have a screen on it; I guess to keep bugs out. The things on your steps are likely fresh air intakes. My fresh air intake is on a panel under the refrigerator and is similar.
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Old 10-14-2018, 03:50 PM   #9
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They are return air vents for the heater.
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Old 10-14-2018, 07:40 PM   #10
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X2, they are return air vents for the furnace which also help heat the water lines behind the basement walls.
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Old 10-15-2018, 01:53 AM   #11
Liza Powell
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Thanks everyone!
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Old 10-16-2018, 04:29 AM   #12
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Vents under stairs

I have a 2017 Cougar 341-RKI fifth wheel with the same under stairs vents. I was losing a great deal of a/c capacity cooling the front storage area. I simply closed them off with the solar window insulation. Wow...what a difference. Also, I decided to try it with the furnace on and it works fine. There apparently is sufficient fresh air entering the furnace area of the coach not to affect the furnace performance. However, when temps get well below freezing, I would open the vents up, since that is how the front compartment pipes receive their heat. Give it a try!
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Old 10-16-2018, 04:37 AM   #13
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" I decided to try it with the furnace on and it works fine. There apparently is sufficient fresh air entering the furnace area of the coach not to affect the furnace performance" I don't believe this is good advice. YMMV, but it vents there for a reason and the furnace needs that draw area. High temperatures and insufficient air supply will result.
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Old 10-16-2018, 04:41 AM   #14
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Basement vents to interior

I have similar air returns and noticed heat coming out even the i was running the a/c. Then i figured out it was happening when I ran the rooftop vent in the kitchen. I didn’t block them off because they are there for a reason. I’ve just tried to minimize use of the roof vent.

Also, you might check the furnace manual cause I think there is a requirement about the size of return air vents needed based on the furnace capacity.
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Old 10-16-2018, 06:55 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notanlines View Post
" I decided to try it with the furnace on and it works fine. There apparently is sufficient fresh air entering the furnace area of the coach not to affect the furnace performance" I don't believe this is good advice. YMMV, but it vents there for a reason and the furnace needs that draw area. High temperatures and insufficient air supply will result.
I agree!
If you wanted to block them in the summer so not losing cool air would be ok, but to run the furnace be sure move them so it will draw warm air into the area of all the water lines & connections.
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Old 10-16-2018, 12:45 PM   #16
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That is exactly what I said in my original post. If camping in cold / freezing weather, do not block them off. The dealer said there are other air sources for furnace to work properly...but in freezing conditions, you risk burst pipes in that front compartment if vents are blocked shut.
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