Accessing Furnace (Fuzion 379)

[JShort880]

Anyone have a video showing how to accomplish this. I have two golden retrievers and at the end of last minute my furnace stop kicking on.

Figuring that my sail switch is covered in pup hair. I know you can remove the false wall in the storage compartment. But the furnace faces the exterior wall and is mounted in (WHY NO ACCESS PANEL?). I'm wanting to get one installed at this position, but only once I find someone I trust to install it (not taking it in).

So. If anyone knows someone capable near Charleston, WV. I'd gladly pay premium.

[chuckster57]

https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...Furnace+access

This may help.

[JShort880]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...Furnace+access

This may help.

Ahh man he didn't post pics of the mod after ALL of that.

Good read. I'll check the stud locations to see if it's something I want to do. I'm not cutting anywhere close to structural stuff.

I would love to just have someone with experience come and do this. Big issue is we have two goldens and are full-time, so most likely we will have hair issues unless I find a good way to filter around it. (No mobile techs in our area)

Would much rather just pay someone with experience to do it though.

[chuckster57]

It’s not THAT hard to do.

[JShort880]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

It’s not THAT hard to do.

I have a bunch of greenhorn experience around a bunch of fields. When we bought our first home in 2020, I decided this widespread of experience qualified me to fully renovate our (only) bathroom in our home. "It'll take 2-3 weeks, tops"!

5 months Chuckster, it took 5 months for me to get our bathroom fully operational again (in all fairness, floors, walls, shower, everything removed/replaced (as well as some beam repair in the roof).

Moral of the story, I know what I'm good at and what I enjoy doing. I hated every minute of it and while it turned out great (as told by others), I notice every single little flaw in that bathroom and it drives me insane! Which is why, if a professional is available for a task I'm not 100% on, they get the job .

Thanks for all the information/experience you provide to the forum btw. I've found myself coming here daily just to pick up knowledge

[wiredgeorge]

We bought our current property about 25 years ago. My plan was to build a home on it myself while we lived in a camper. The missus had veto power luckily or we would still be in the trailer. I have just enough skills to mis-estimate work time, cost and difficulty.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by JShort880

I have a bunch of greenhorn experience around a bunch of fields. When we bought our first home in 2020, I decided this widespread of experience qualified me to fully renovate our (only) bathroom in our home. "It'll take 2-3 weeks, tops"!

5 months Chuckster, it took 5 months for me to get our bathroom fully operational again (in all fairness, floors, walls, shower, everything removed/replaced (as well as some beam repair in the roof).

Moral of the story, I know what I'm good at and what I enjoy doing. I hated every minute of it and while it turned out great (as told by others), I notice every single little flaw in that bathroom and it drives me insane! Which is why, if a professional is available for a task I'm not 100% on, they get the job .

Thanks for all the information/experience you provide to the forum btw. I've found myself coming here daily just to pick up knowledge

I think a "handyman" has to be very realistic when choosing to take on a large project. Like you, I chose to renovate a bathroom when I was in my 20s (first home I ever bought). Figured I knew "enough" to do it....and I did - more or less. Tore it out to the studs, repaired water damaged studs, re routed plumbing, replaced flooring....everything. That exercise took us (DW and myself) months to complete. I hated to go home from work; hated looking at the bathroom and hated myself for dragging us into it. When it was done it looked fantastic but all I saw when I looked at any of it was this or that that went wrong trying to get it done. 25 years later decided to do the same thing on a vacation home I bought. Having learned from my previous experience this one was done in roughly a week. Much different experience and I enjoyed looking at it, admiring our work and the positive comments from others. I've done many projects before and after the 2nd bathroom but what I learned on the first big project has been a great benefit to me since. All that to say not to give up on doing those things for yourself. They can be very rewarding and each little snafu is just one more thing that won't happen the next time.

[travelin texans]

My granddad taught me that I could work on most anything put together my someone else, that I was at least as smart as that guy. But where rvs are concerned, I've found that I'm actually smarter or at least care more about my work than anyone at a rv factory.
Although nowadays when it comes computers & other high tech stuff I'm dumber than a box of rocks. With that said I do believe I could learn that stuff if I cared enough to do so, I lived this long not knowing so no need to now.

[chuckster57]

I’m a cheapo, have always done my own work. Bought our house in 2000, shake roof. I replaced by myself in 2 weeks with sheathing/paper and shingles. City inspector spent 45 minutes doing the final and complained he couldn’t find anything to fail me. It’s the ONLY roof I intend on doing in my lifetime. Working on these rolling pieces of junk is a breeze.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

I’m a cheapo, have always done my own work. Bought our house in 2000, shake roof. I replaced by myself in 2 weeks with sheathing/paper and shingles. City inspector spent 45 minutes doing the final and complained he couldn’t find anything to fail me. It’s the ONLY roof I intend on doing in my lifetime. Working on these rolling pieces of junk is a breeze.

Roofs! My dad was a cheapo along with me 50 plus years ago. Had a bad hail storm and he decided he would take the insurance money, do his own roof and pocket the difference. He loved it then recruited me and I recruited DW. to do ours...then we did a few others (5 total I believe) Learned to roof from stem to stern and liked the extra pocket money...but I was young and had zero money. DW was afraid of heights so she scooted on her rear all over the roofs helping. I kept a couple of pairs of those jeans with the bottoms completely worn through; told her I was keeping them to see if I could match them to "butt tracks" on any of those roofs. Did a couple more through the years but I would never do another one again. I could put a square of shingles (3 packs) on my shoulder and carry them to the roof on a ladder all day long back then, now I figure just picking up a bundle and looking at a ladder would send me to the ER.

[JShort880]

Originally Posted by sourdough

I think a "handyman" has to be very realistic when choosing to take on a large project. Like you, I chose to renovate a bathroom when I was in my 20s (first home I ever bought). Figured I knew "enough" to do it....and I did - more or less. Tore it out to the studs, repaired water damaged studs, re routed plumbing, replaced flooring....everything. That exercise took us (DW and myself) months to complete. I hated to go home from work; hated looking at the bathroom and hated myself for dragging us into it. When it was done it looked fantastic but all I saw when I looked at any of it was this or that that went wrong trying to get it done. 25 years later decided to do the same thing on a vacation home I bought. Having learned from my previous experience this one was done in roughly a week. Much different experience and I enjoyed looking at it, admiring our work and the positive comments from others. I've done many projects before and after the 2nd bathroom but what I learned on the first big project has been a great benefit to me since. All that to say not to give up on doing those things for yourself. They can be very rewarding and each little snafu is just one more thing that won't happen the next time.

Yeah the learning experience was great! But with the shower down for that long the other half was about to kill me (in laws live close but still). The contractor that we used was recommended via a neighbor and was constantly working on their place. He stopped by whenever he was around and once it was finished told me with everything I did he probably would of charged around 8-11k (range depending on materials) for it. So we ended up saving ~7k. The fiance agreed in hindsight the annoyance was worth the savings (not meaning I didn't get yelled at during the process).

I'm researching the access panel. Winter is coming up so we will need it up and running. Right now I'm trying to figure out if there is a decent way to get to the sail switch without it. But if not I'll probably end up putting a panel in.

Funny thing. I was telling the In-Laws that it would only take a month to get the bathroom done in the beginning. Multiple of them have years of contracting experience and just laughed at me. I'm stubborn though. I showed them. Only 5 months!

[JShort880]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Roofs! My dad was a cheapo along with me 50 plus years ago. Had a bad hail storm and he decided he would take the insurance money, do his own roof and pocket the difference. He loved it then recruited me and I recruited DW. to do ours...then we did a few others (5 total I believe) Learned to roof from stem to stern and liked the extra pocket money...but I was young and had zero money. DW was afraid of heights so she scooted on her rear all over the roofs helping. I kept a couple of pairs of those jeans with the bottoms completely worn through; told her I was keeping them to see if I could match them to "butt tracks" on any of those roofs. Did a couple more through the years but I would never do another one again. I could put a square of shingles (3 packs) on my shoulder and carry them to the roof on a ladder all day long back then, now I figure just picking up a bundle and looking at a ladder would send me to the ER.

Made my chuckle. I don't mind heights. Unless it's a scissor lift, 40 ft in the air and everytime you move the thing sways like it's about to tip over. Then you get on the guy who has 20+ years and he starts dancing just to put you on the ground holding the rails .

[chuckster57]

I used to paint commercial aircraft, boom truck to the top of the tail of a 747 was 63 feet. Had to sand, wipe down and paint.

[JShort880]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

I used to paint commercial aircraft, boom truck to the top of the tail of a 747 was 63 feet. Had to sand, wipe down and paint.

Yeah. I would do it if required. But if you watched me work I can guarantee that you'd make fun of me when I came down.

I did a bunch of electrical work with the scissor lift (replacing stadium lights, running wire etc). I got used to it, but learned to walk in a certain way so that the weight didn't send me into a Metronome swing.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

I used to paint commercial aircraft, boom truck to the top of the tail of a 747 was 63 feet. Had to sand, wipe down and paint.

I know I'm kinda gettin off track but...back in the 60s I was young and working on a line crew. We were trying to get a 900pr. cable across a major thoroughfare and the strand was 54'. That cable weighs a zillion pounds when you are trying to "hoist" it that high so there were two of us in the bucket (fiberglass) trying to pull that cable up and lay it in a dolly (roller). Just about had it on there with both of us straining a gut when it slipped off the roller...whack and bam! We both looked down and our toes were sticking in the air, that cable had completely sheared half the bucket off and we were just kinda dangling there. Thankfully one of the guys on the ground was able to control the bucket from the truck and brought us down....I was skinny back then but still think I was form fitted to the back of that bucket like a 2nd skin.

[JShort880]

Originally Posted by sourdough

I know I'm kinda gettin off track but...back in the 60s I was young and working on a line crew. We were trying to get a 900pr. cable across a major thoroughfare and the strand was 54'. That cable weighs a zillion pounds when you are trying to "hoist" it that high so there were two of us in the bucket (fiberglass) trying to pull that cable up and lay it in a dolly (roller). Just about had it on there with both of us straining a gut when it slipped off the roller...whack and bam! We both looked down and our toes were sticking in the air, that cable had completely sheared half the bucket off and we were just kinda dangling there. Thankfully one of the guys on the ground was able to control the bucket from the truck and brought us down....I was skinny back then but still think I was form fitted to the back of that bucket like a 2nd skin.

Jesus

[JRTJH]

My "hat is off" and my "pucker factor goes up" for all the people that are brave enough to "ride the pendulum". When I was in the Air Force, we "used lifts" and "B-1 stands" to access the vertical fins. The bigger the plane, the taller the tail and the higher one has to go to change that blinking red light on top....

Thinking about all the cell towers and other communication towers, some "precariously perched at the edge of a rock cliff" or even overhanging that cliff... My "pucker" is offered to anyone who changes the blinking red light on top of any of those....

My days of even considering that line of work (or for some, I guess "enjoyment) are long gone !!!!!