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Ducting


SuiteSuccess

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eNmUmYzl.jpgThis is the cheap crap DRV connected our Cheap Heat/furnace to the front bath vent of our trailer. I assume this is 4” ducting?  And can’t have any insulating properties. Would the aluminum insulated round duct be a better choice or is the heat loss from the ducting helping to heat the basement storage by design?

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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Me thinks a hint of irritation is leaking out...

Paul & Paula + Daisy the amazing wiggle worm dog...

2001 Volvo 770 Autoshift, Singled, w/ Aluminum Bed - Toy Draggin

2013 395AMP XLR Thunderbolt Toy Hauler

2013 Smart Passion

2012 CanAm Spyder RT

2013 Harley Davidson Street Glide

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Paul,

What gives you that impression?  I’ve spent the better part of a week trying to correct lack of quality in a high end trailer.   Screws on the underside and trim screwed into air, lack of caulking at critical seams,  cheap furniture that hasn’t lasted through five trips. I can go on but then I might get mad. 

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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Carl, you will find that there is another vent hose that dumps air near your water manifold to keep that part of the basement area warm.

When they installed my Cheap Heat, they squeezed the tube between two different surfaces collapsing it so no air came through.  I modified it quickly using a more robust ducting material and shaping it to get through the tight fitting.

Rocky & Sheri Rhoades
'01 Volvo 770
2016 DRV Mobile Suites, Houston
HERO Makers Ministry

 

30495168531_143d8fb8d6_m.jpg

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Rocky,

What type of material?  If this stuff is not serving any purpose to heat the storage area by radiating heat,  I want to replace with the aluminum ducting with fiberglass insulation built in to it. This stuff is gossamer thin and tears if you touch it. 

http://www.discountmarinesupplies.com/Air_Conditioning_Heating-Dometic_ECD_R4_2_Insulated_Flexible_Ducting_.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxYWFwYf93QIVjp6fCh3llAcgEAQYByABEgJvKfD_BwE

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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4 hours ago, SuiteSuccess said:

Paul,

What gives you that impression?  I’ve spent the better part of a week trying to correct lack of quality in a high end trailer.   Screws on the underside and trim screwed into air, lack of caulking at critical seams,  cheap furniture that hasn’t lasted through five trips. I can go on but then I might get mad. 

Carl,

Wait till your level up jack hoses burst the week before your  refrigerator falls out of the slide because the slide floor was built wrong. And yes that’s what Karen and I are going through now. 

And I have had to replace both bedroom slide floors due to rot. 

Keep your head up as duck work will be a treat. 

Roger

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From the sounds of things I got lucky, the refrigerator didn't fall out when they replaced the slide floor. It was on the other side. Mesa Ridge. If you have a 5er or a RV you will have problems and at the most inopportune time. I think Murphy had something to do with it.    Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor

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13 hours ago, SuiteSuccess said:

Rocky,

What type of material?  If this stuff is not serving any purpose to heat the storage area by radiating heat,  I want to replace with the aluminum ducting with fiberglass insulation built in to it. This stuff is gossamer thin and tears if you touch it. 

http://www.discountmarinesupplies.com/Air_Conditioning_Heating-Dometic_ECD_R4_2_Insulated_Flexible_Ducting_.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxYWFwYf93QIVjp6fCh3llAcgEAQYByABEgJvKfD_BwE

Carl, this is most like what I used.  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Selkirk-1-ft-to-3-ft-L-3-in-Compression-Inlet-x-3-in-Compression-Outlet-Aluminum-Water-Heater-Connector/3736129 Not insulated, but I was able to flatten it where I needed clearance, keeping the same air volume, and then connect it to the rest of the ducting.

Not sure what runs back to the rest of the unit.  A little unable to look at that right now, but wouldn't surprise me that it is all in lightweight flexible like what you've shown.  And replacing that throughout your rig.......well let me just say, you and I would have to drop a lot of weight to be able to squirm around in the belly of the beast.

Rocky & Sheri Rhoades
'01 Volvo 770
2016 DRV Mobile Suites, Houston
HERO Makers Ministry

 

30495168531_143d8fb8d6_m.jpg

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1 hour ago, HERO Maker said:

Carl, this is most like what I used.  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Selkirk-1-ft-to-3-ft-L-3-in-Compression-Inlet-x-3-in-Compression-Outlet-Aluminum-Water-Heater-Connector/3736129 Not insulated, but I was able to flatten it where I needed clearance, keeping the same air volume, and then connect it to the rest of the ducting.

Not sure what runs back to the rest of the unit.  A little unable to look at that right now, but wouldn't surprise me that it is all in lightweight flexible like what you've shown.  And replacing that throughout your rig.......well let me just say, you and I would have to drop a lot of weight to be able to squirm around in the belly of the beast.

Thanks Rocky. So it’s 3” not 4”?

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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1 hour ago, wtgeodog said:

You guys make me want to keep my OLD Holiday Rambler Presidential. I believe my minor problems pale in comparison.

Replaced the Landing Jacks this week.

 

 

ShortyO

Shorty,

I think there is no doubt there was more quality control in the older trailers.  Our 2005 DRV gave us no major issues but didn’t have some of the updates we wanted. Oh well, gives me something to do and spend money on.  

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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 Just my thoughts for that ducting. And this may be different than most people think about a heating system in an fifthwheel.

 First thing I would do is to see if there is any extra duct openings on that furnace. If so I would see about having heat going into the basement from the furnace. Maybe run one duct towards the from of the basement. By doing this it will warm the floor under the upper level.

 We are in our second fifthwheel that I have done this to. Now what I have really done with the gas furnace for the bedroom is to actually have several ducts into the basement area. Then drill several 4" hole that are hidden somewhere and have 4" computer fans hooked to the furnace fan to then put heat into the bedroom. That way the floor gets heated and the whole room will feel much more even in temperature.

 Our Teton has two furnaces. One to the front and one to the rear.

 

 Now the rear furnace has two extra ducts that where not used. So they are towards the rear of the Rv .

 

 I know I am an outlaw for doing such different thinking.

 Now I have installed an Auquahot heating system in our Teton. What a difference it makes compared to the gas heating system. Right now it is abou 35 outside and our rear floor in the 43' fifthwheel is 70 degrees.

 

 Just a different thought,    Vern

 

 

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Vern - I didn’t get “around to” doing my basement diesel fired heater upgrade project this summer... and ya “warm winter” weather arrived 1 month early. We haven’t had “fall” yet.  Ya I shoulda....

(For the purpose of this post I’m saying Celsius temp scale - fresh water begins to freeze at 0C)

We have been having -3c to-9c overnight, many overcast days not over -1c to +1 with snow flurries. Sun comes out briefly we see 6c or 7c.. warming up again next week according to weather dartboard operators. 

I have moved from the toyhauler into my 🍁 made full timing working person Roughneck travel trailer. It uses about 20% of the propane vs the desert trailer and has no drafts and cold windows. 

Where will I store my “stuff” ... 

 

"Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. 

 

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We looked at a 2011 unit in Memphis tn in Dec 2010. After looking it over for 35 minutes. Salesman walked up asked if we found how well build the  DRV was. 😡 After showing him a dozen or more issues. He had the nerve to tell me, I was way to picky. And everyone else that had looked at this unit. Fell in love with it, and noting but good to say about it.

I was nice, and told him the others fell for the lipstick. Owner of the lot called us the next morning. Asking if we wanted the unit. I told him if and when everything on it was fixed. And then and only then would we come back to look at it again. Well 4 days later he called us. and everything was fixed. Our grandson was in St Jude, and we were going to be there anyway.

Almost every issue was still a issue. Drivers side rear slide, I could still see daylight around most of it. Flooring was ripped from slide. And so on. Never did look at DRV again. But I did like the units. Just not the lack of QC in building the units.

 

 


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I believe the majority of issues can be traced back to Lippert.  They have overtaken the RV market with their frames, axles, slide-outs, hydraulics, electrics and much more.  They first bought out the better "little guys" and then began to cheapen the existing hardware.  With their monopoly and competition out of the way, they could shove most anything off on the OEM manufacturers.  If you are buying a new trailer, even one in the $100K range, the brand is insignificant as they are all now "Lippert" trailers with the exception of NH and SpaceCraft.

Workmanship has taken a nose dive in favor of "lipstick" and what I see even in even the new higher end fivers is deplorable.  Half as many workers are now responsible for building twice as many trailers in a fraction of the time they once spent while using the cheapest, often downrated materials possible.  Lippert often defends their products by saying that they have reduced weight and thus save fuel and allow lesser rated trucks to become tow vehicles.  This is not to say that there are not any well-built trailers out there.  If the company that assembled the trailer will stand behind their product one can eventually end up with something useable.  My now-destroyed-by-fire Forest River Cedar Creek is an example.  Thousands of dollars and hundreds of man-hours were devoted to correcting many cosmetic and structural issues by the Cedar Creek factory long after the warranty expired.  While those problems should have never existed in the first place the factory did take responsibility and did everything possible to "make it right."  I would need to write a book to catalog everything that was done.  At the time it caught fire I was dealing with a frame camber issue that had caused the structural rails to sag, constantly requiring readjustment of the two rear slides and leaving gaping cracks in the fiberglass walls above the slides.  Their projected fix was to heat the frame in key places with an electric welder so as to bend the frame to restore camber and then weld in 2" steel tube.  They had previously added extensive frame cross bracing and removed the front cap to reconstruct the steel superstructure that supported the pin box.

Our replacement trailer is an older (2006) Keystone Cambridge.  It is a pre-Lippert build and I am constantly amazed and pleased to discover structural integrity, quality workmanship, electrical wiring and amenities that simply do not exist today.  I like to use the old expression: "It is built like a brick s**t house."  I believe grandpa was right - they don't build them like they used to!

When the OEM warranty expires, manufacturers rarely agree to repair any pre-existing issues or ones that develop later due to inadequate built quality.  It is a sad state of affairs and the exact reason I will never buy another Lippert trailer.  OK - sorry for the rant.  I will now step down from my soapbox.

300.JPG.c2a50e50210ede7534c4c440c7f9aa80.JPG

Randy, Nancy and Oscar

"The Great White" - 2004 Volvo VNL670, D12, 10-speed, converted to single axle pulling a Keystone Cambridge 5th wheel, 40', 4 slides and about 19,000# with empty tanks.

ARS - WB4BZX, Electrical Engineer, Master Electrician, D.Ed., Professor Emeritus - Happily Retired!

 

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On 10/10/2018 at 3:59 PM, SuiteSuccess said:

eNmUmYzl.jpgThis is the cheap crap DRV connected our Cheap Heat/furnace to the front bath vent of our trailer. I assume this is 4” ducting?  And can’t have any insulating properties. Would the aluminum insulated round duct be a better choice or is the heat loss from the ducting helping to heat the basement storage by design?

Carl, I just looked at Phil's rig and mine, and I think you are wrong in that the flexible ducting you show does not connect to the front bath area.  In fact, that is probably the ducting at the top of your picture in the background.  The probably 6 inch by 2 inch metal duct.   It will connect to your floor vent in the bathroom.  That flexible duct should be staying behind your sliding doors and heat your plumbing area.  And whether it is insulated or not should have no effect.

Rocky & Sheri Rhoades
'01 Volvo 770
2016 DRV Mobile Suites, Houston
HERO Makers Ministry

 

30495168531_143d8fb8d6_m.jpg

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1 hour ago, HERO Maker said:

Carl, I just looked at Phil's rig and mine, and I think you are wrong in that the flexible ducting you show does not connect to the front bath area.  In fact, that is probably the ducting at the top of your picture in the background.  The probably 6 inch by 2 inch metal duct.   It will connect to your floor vent in the bathroom.  That flexible duct should be staying behind your sliding doors and heat your plumbing area.  And whether it is insulated or not should have no effect.

Rocky,

I’ll look again but it comes off my Cheap Heat if I’m correct.  I have a small 2” duct that is pointing right at the plumbing behind the sliding doors from the heater separate from this one.  Let me check and I’ll update.

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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