Furnace Return Air Vent on Stair Risers - 2023 Cougar

[Bill-2020]

I have a 2023 Cougar 23MLE, manufactured either late Sept 2022 or early Oct 2022 (I don't recall exactly).

I noticed right off upon delivery that the new rig didn't have the return air vents at the stairs leading up to the bedroom and I figured the vent or vents were elsewhere and I didn't take the time during delivery to investigate this. The risers are carpeted instead.

Now that several trips have come and gone using the furnace (and it works as it seems it should) I no longer think about it... until the other day when I came across a still shot from a video while researching a different subject. I immediately noticed that the stair vents were present on that unit, which was produced later in the year it seems.

My question here is, needed or not? And do we think it was a material shortage/supply chain problems that lead to omitting them at the time my rig was manufactured, or are they being used now because Keystone had noticed ventilation issues and decided start using them again as usual (in this line of campers)?

I suspect there are enough floor protrusions between all the drains, water lines and electrical that goes through the floor and ultimately leads back to the basement and to the furnace area to make up for those two missing vents.

I've done a lot of reading and searching here, and elsewhere, about these vents. Some say it is a necessary thing, others lean the opposite direction and say they are not needed due to what I mentioned above with all of floor holes and gaps. And do any of you have 5th wheel without these vents? (I read where one RV master tech said they are a life safety issue, but if that's the case the camper should never have come off the line or out of the yard without them.)

Your thoughts are appreciated.

[chuckster57]

Where is the furnace located?

[RollaMo]

What you say about perhaps not needing them makes sense.

Our 2022 24RDS has the vents.

Saying that, I just did a search for your year and model.
The ones I find are like yours (no vents in stairs).


You Tube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnIlUD0TaHk

In this picture you can see the carpet on the steps.

[dutchmensport]

It seems RV manufactures ARE attempting to design RV's more effeciently (or at least cost effective for THEM). So it's possible the design has changed. I do not know. I've not seen your make and model first hand.

However, what you could do is open your front pass through and take out the back wall so you can see what's going on in the basement area. Locate the furnace and take a look at how the return vents are set up.

If the return vents are actually ducted so a spot then locate that and ensure there is an opening for the return. If there are no ducts for the return, the return is pulling air in right there at the furnace. In which case, there has to be some kind of opening inside the coach area for the air to be drawn in order for it even circulate. (air in, air out, air in, air out).

One thing you can do if there is no central return on the inside of the living space (coach), is to attach fine pieces of thread taped around, enough that they can easily blow in a slight breeze, but not so long they are heavy and weighted down.

When the furnace turns on and begins to circulate the air, you can watch which directions the threads are leaning to (or waving in the wind) and at least that will give you some direction how it's circulating. Adding more threads or moving them around and you can figure out exactly where the "return" spots and leaks are. It will take some time, but you will figure it out.

Remove the back wall of your basement pass through and see what's really going on. That is really the best way to initially figure it out.

[Bill-2020]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Where is the furnace located?

Chuck, it's in the basement, to the right of the wetbay.

[Bill-2020]

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

Locate the furnace and take a look at how the return vents are set up.

If the return vents are actually ducted so a spot then locate that and ensure there is an opening for the return. If there are no ducts for the return, the return is pulling air in right there at the furnace. In which case, there has to be some kind of opening inside the coach area for the air to be drawn in order for it even circulate. (air in, air out, air in, air out).

I have, I did that in the beginning to locate and look over every component of the rig to ensure all was tight, dry, and electrically sound. There is no return ducting, only the vent in the side of the furnace (as it would be in a smaller TT, under the refrigerator).

The later versions Keysotne is putting out has them in the stairs, so this is why it has peaked my curiosity (which either kills the cat or costs me money).