Easy Heater Floor Vent Mod

[Rick]

As I'm new to TT's, there's items on it that I've never had to deal with before. Never had any type of heater previously. This trailer has 3 heater floor vents in it (2 in the living/kitchen area, one in the bathroom).


I was worried that junk would get in the vents (from me dropping things), and didn't want to have to unscrew the covers and place some type of filling in there. I went to the local crafts store, and bought 3 of these magnetic covers (9" x 12") that that were $3 each-


I cut them to the size I wanted, and placed them on the vents-

Done! Problem solved. They work great and pass under the carpet of the slideout easily. My wife said she could find some paint to make them match better, but I told her that after walking on them they would start to match the floor naturally .

Rick

[cpaulsen]

Great mod!! I just cut some fiberglass window screen and siliconed it on the inside of the vent. I also changed my fixed vent to adjustable vents.

[michol02]

Wal-mart sells these magnetic vent covers like yours that have a "vent" pattern on them. They come in a 2 pack(on the ac filters aisle) and look very nice.

[jbsmith]

Great mod! I've been planning something similar or replacing with adjustable vents to regulate the flow in our new 5er. We get poor flow through the forward vents in the bath and bedroom.

[Englishman]

thank you thats a great way to cover them u.

[SteveC7010]

Originally Posted by jbsmith

Great mod! I've been planning something similar or replacing with adjustable vents to regulate the flow in our new 5er. We get poor flow through the forward vents in the bath and bedroom.

There is another thread here about this issue. The OP dropped the belly pan on the trailer and discovered crushed and/or badly deformed ducting.

If you are getting bad air flow, I'd suggest you eyeball as much of the ducting as possible, or get it to a reputable repair shop.

The OP on the other thread had the initial repairs to the ducting done by a dealer and still had problems. He then dropped the belly pan to find all these issues.

[f6bits]

I started on a belly-drop to trouble show low/non-existant flow, but found that the cover looked bolted *and* glued. I didn’t want to wreck it, so when the trailer goes in for body work next month, I’ll have them look at the vents under the extended warranty.

Or is there an easy non-destructive way to open up under the trailer? Is it glued? And what’s the belly pan black cardboard-like material? Strong enough to pry off without ripping it?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by jbsmith

Great mod! I've been planning something similar or replacing with adjustable vents to regulate the flow in our new 5er. We get poor flow through the forward vents in the bath and bedroom.

For sake of "easy checking" on most fifth wheels, the end of the underfloor vent run comes up into the trailer at the front steps. There it makes a tight turn into the floor of the bath and bedroom. I'd urge you to take the top of the step off and check in that area before you start tearing the bottom off, You'll probably will find that you can improve air flow upstairs under the steps.

Originally Posted by sdayman

I started on a belly-drop to trouble show low/non-existant flow, but found that the cover looked bolted *and* glued. I didn’t want to wreck it, so when the trailer goes in for body work next month, I’ll have them look at the vents under the extended warranty.

Or is there an easy non-destructive way to open up under the trailer? Is it glued? And what’s the belly pan black cardboard-like material? Strong enough to pry off without ripping it?

I installed the corrogated underbelly on my trailer this past fall. I checked several RV's on the local lot before I started. Most of them were simply screwed to the bottom of the frame. You "SHOULD" be able to start at one corner and remove the screws to get started. I'd suggest NOT trying to start in the middle of a side since the corrogated material doesn't stretch and is more likely to tear if you tried that. Doublecheck the ENTIRE bottom to see if it's all one piece. If it is multiple pieces, you may be able to get to your heat ducting through that one piece. GOOD LUCK!!!!!

[SteveC7010]

The belly pan should made out of a corrugated plastic material about 1/4" thick which is called Coroplast. It is pretty durable and rugged.

I don't think the pans are glued in place, but there are areas where foam insulation was pumped in and may be stuck to the Coroplast. Some gentle work with a putty knife should separate the Coroplast from the foam without damaging or deforming either. (There is a foam product called Great Stuff that you can buy at any home improvement store which can be used to repair, replace, or supplement the existing foam insulation.)

There were several access points cut into the pan when I got the trailer. Basically they cut a 12"x 12" flap to finish connections during construction of the trailer. The flaps were held in place with silver HVAC tape. I replaced that tape with Gorilla Tape.

If it was my trailer, I would not hesitate to cut the Coroplast into easier to handle sections and then use the Gorilla Tape to seal back up after I finished working. I would also not hesitate to cut more access flaps if that is all that is needed rather than drop the entire pan.

Warning: If you decide to cut into the pan, use a utility knife with the blade adjusted so that it does not cut any deeper than the thickness of the pan. When I had mine opened, I noticed a number of wires which were just laying on top of the Coroplast in places. Cutting or nicking those wires would not be a good thing. There may be other stuff that you don't want to damage up there, too.

The belly pans are held in place with screws which are easily removed although I highly recommend using a drill driver instead of doing it by hand.

Another member here suggested using some empty cardboard boxes to hold the pan up in place until completely free when removing it or replacing it which is a super idea.