Cougar 5th wheel poor heating

[nitrouspaul]

the furnace goes strong blows hot exhaust the fan makes a ton of noise but the heat registers dont blow hot where do i check kits like the supply side is blocked the grill under the fridge holds a rag on it when the furnace is running. also it doesnt shut off and cycle like a normal furnace it just keeps running the fans?

[WiscTraveler]

Please indicate which Year & Model Cougar you have. I use to have a Cougar X-lite 29RES and experienced the same problem and found that the coiled hoses under the floor were to long and the way it was run through the frame restricted the air flow. After removing about 20 feet of extra hose and rerouting them the air flow seemed a lot better.

[ctbruce]

Keep in mind some of the extra piping for the furnace supplies the radiant heat for the heated underbelly feature. It shouldn't be kinked though. Shortening the length may decrease your cold weather protection. Just be aware.

[WiscTraveler]

I agree with the radiant aspect but in the case of the Cougar it had a dedicated heat supply to the underbelly which allowed for air movement also. Our new Sprinter has no hose at all as it is hard duct in the floor but it does have a dedicated outlet to the storage area and underbelly.

[theasphaltrv'er]

Open the grill up & check to make sure the tubes are securely attached to the furnace outlets.
I noticed we weren't getting hot air through a couple of registers, so I opened up the grill in front of where the furnace/heater was located and found that the tubes were not securely attached to the furnace and had come loose. Either they didn't get em tightened up at the factory or they came loose in our travels, I fixed em, re-secured em to the furnace and now it blows through em like it should and all the register have hot air coming out of em, even in the storage compartment.

[cayovelez]

So I have a question. I have inspected the vent and there is no obstruction. How do I check weather it is connected to the furnace? It seems that I have to cut my underneath to get to the connection of the vent.

[sourdough]

So I have a question. I have inspected the vent and there is no obstruction. How do I check weather it is connected to the furnace? It seems that I have to cut my underneath to get to the connection of the vent.

I don't know about your trailer but I would locate the exhaust from the furnace outside. Behind that wall will be the furnace (or should be). Inside there is probably an intake vent of some kind where it gets its air from. On mine it is exactly inside at the bottom of a row of ceiling high cabinets. It has a louvred wooden face about 2' high x 1.5' wide. Remove 4 screws and behind it are the furnace and converter. That is also where you will find the connections to the furnace plenum.

[cayovelez]

Danny,

Mine is not that easy to get to. I opened the outside access door and it is just the fridge. The inside vent cover for the furnace only gives me access to the furnace but not the vent connections, I think the only thing is to crack open the bottom right underneath unless someone has another suggestion or trick to get to them. I have a Cougar 5th wheel 244rlswe. Thanks for your suggestion.

Carlos

[ctbruce]

Danny,

Mine is not that easy to get to. I opened the outside access door and it is just the fridge. The inside vent cover for the furnace only gives me access to the furnace but not the vent connections, I think the only thing is to crack open the bottom right underneath unless someone has another suggestion or trick to get to them. I have a Cougar 5th wheel 244rlswe. Thanks for your suggestion.

CarlosThere is (probably) another access point to this area. Another panel (may be solid, not louvered) or a drawer(s) that can come out. Be nosey, it won't hurt anything. I dont think coming from the bottom through the coroplast will give you access. The furnace will be on the wrong side of the floor to gain access that way. This is a WAG,and I may be wrong. YMMV.

[JRTJH]

Most furnace installations use a "air delivery plenum" that vents (via 3" holes) hot air from the furnace air exchanger. The plenum is essentially a galvanized steel box mounted to the back (from inside the trailer, the front) of the furnace heat exchanger. That plenum vents (or can vent) to each side (one hole on each side), to the front (typically 3 holes on the front) and to the bottom (again, three holes on the bottom). The bottom venting is through a hole cut in the RV floor decking and is accessed by removing the furnace from the RV. After all the mounting screws are removed and the furnace is loose, then it is lifted slightly to access the airbox duct collars and then the furnace can be removed.

Yes, you can 'cut the bottom coroplast away" to access the ductwork, but that's akin to pulling wisdom teeth by going through the nose.... Doing it the "right way" and understanding how the trailer is assembled makes the job much less "malpractice laden"..... YMMV

[cayovelez]

Thanks ctbruce and JRTJH your encouragement got me to find it.
So I finally found the main vent and where it is connected to go to bedroom. The flow seems to be strong at the connection. There seems to be enough flow to match the other vents, but between the elbow and the distance it just seems a little wimpy. It gets really hot at the elbow.

[pdaniel]

I had the same issue, and fix, on my 2017 30RLI.

[cayovelez]

I had the same issue, and fix, on my 2017 30RLI.

How did you fixed it?

[MG72B]

Take the louvers off and make sure the hose is connected to the heaters. I have a Cougar 1/2 ton and had the same problem. You can also access some of them from the pass through storage area under the nose.

[DOWva]

As for the unit not cutting on and off I believe you do not have the fan control set on AUTO. I did the same thing when I first got my 5th Wheel Cougar a few years ago. Just go into the thermostat settings and make sure you put the program for the fan to Auto.