Using Rv Furnace For First Time | Both New And Old RVs Included

RVs are your home on the wheel. It has all the appliances and amenities that you enjoy at home, a bedroom, toilet, shower, a working kitchen, a refrigerator, and a hanging deck where you get to have your gathering.

Along with all of these, there is the air conditioner and furnace, just like your home to keep you cool in the summer, and warm and cozy in the winter. No matter how old your RV is, you will have a furnace.

And if you are a new user, you would be a bit confused using RV furnace for first time. Well, worry not, we are here to guide you through it.

Things You Should Do While Using RV Furnace For The First Time

Your RVs furnace is a lot like any home furnace. But rather than being fully electric or gas run, it mainly runs on Propane tanks. The newer ones have a combination of electricity and propane, but never without the propane. 

This is due to the amount of power the furnace requires to heat up the whole RV. A simple electric furnace won’t be able to heat it up in time and drain the whole power while doing in if you boondocking. 

So here is the list of things you should know if you are using your RV furnace for the very first time.

How To Turn Your RV Furnace On

Turning on your RV furnace is pretty easy. You just set your thermostat to your desired temperature, and starts automatically. This is for the newer RV furnaces, that operate with just a button without all the fuss. 

But what happens in the background is interesting. The thermostat lets the other components like the blower motor know that it is time to work again. Which turns on promptly. Then after the blower is in full swing, the sail switch is turned on. And it goes on to the high-level switch which turns on after a certain temperature is reached to open the gas valves. 

And once the gas is out, it sparks the ignition and the heating begins. Access heat is then released from the duct and vents allowing the air to be breathable and not poison you or your family. 

How To Manually Turn It On If It’s Not Automatic

Some RV furnaces require a manual start. For those RVs, here is how you do it. 

• Make sure to turn off the breaker of the furnace power line.
• Start by turning the gas on by twisting the propane tank valves.
• Power the furnace. Turn the temperature to the lowest setting possible.
• Smell the air for any gas leaks. If there isn’t any turn on the breaker and the furnace should start. 

Old RV Furnace? We Got You Covered! (Lighting An Old RV Furnace Manually)

Older RVs don’t have an auto-ignition system. What you do have is a dial pilot, that you have to manually light up. If you are the owner of one, don’t worry, we got you covered.

Open up the furnace and twist the dial to pilot. You would smell the gas flowing in the chamber. Hold the dial down with one hand and use a lighter or match to light the gas.

It’s not done yet, so don’t let go of your hand! Keep pressing the dial and wait for 10 seconds. After that time release the dial and turn it to  On. your furnace will now be heating!

How Much Fuel Does An Rv Furnace Consumes

Another thing you have to know about your RV furnace is how much fuel does it require. Normally you would be fine with one tank for a 3-day trip. And how did that come up? We need to do a propane tank math. 

Depending on the size of your RV and the type of your furnace, it roughly consumes 20,000 BTU (British Thermal Unit) to 50,000 BTU per hour. You can look that up in your RV manual or online about how much yours eat up. 

Per gallon of propane has 92,000 BTU of gas in them. So a standard 20-gallon RV propane tank holds 4.6 gallons of propane, which stands at 423,200 BTU hours. So if you have a 20,000 BTU furnace, you should get about 21.15 hours out of one 4.6 gallons of propane. 

As the furnace will not be turned on the whole day, you will get about 3 days’ worth of warming time. But as RV furnaces go, they are not efficient due to the structure, vents, and out in the wild climates and weather. So better pack a backup tank in case of emergency. Because it’s better to be prepared than be sorry later, right?

Safety Tips

• Always open your doors, windows, and vents before turning on your furnace.
• Newer furnaces are like new grills. They need to burn out some smoke. So give it time and stay out of the RV during this time. 
• Do not be alarmed if the new furnace is causing the fire alarms to go off, it’s normal and will stop after the burn-off.
• Regular cleaning and maintaining your furnace always prolongs its life.
• Always keep an extra propane tank when you are camping in the wild.
• Remember to read your RV manual or look online at your furnace if you are unaware.
• After every season, have a professional look at it for safety measures. 

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (FAQs)

How long does RV furnace take to heat up?

A propane RV furnace takes about 30 seconds to heat up itself. After that, you will feel that it has started heating the RV. As it starts from scratch, it acts like a car engine, first, it heats itself up, then it can operate. 

Does furnace need time to warm up?

Yes. A furnace is like an engine. Especially in cold weather. Like any other engine, it needs to warm up its parts before it can function and deliver heat.

Can I leave my furnace on all day?

Sure you can. But remember, the longer the furnace runs, the higher the gas/ electricity it consumes. And running it constantly might also cause the air to be rough during the winter and even cause the air to be polluted. So make sure you turn it off when it is ample warm inside your home or RV. 

Can I leave my furnace on all night?

Yes. Furnaces are made for cold winter nights. Nights, not days. Sure you can turn it on during the day when it’s storming outside and you need warmth. But keeping it warm at night is the best thing to do. Remember to set it 8 degrees lower than you normally do during other times. This will cut the extra fuel or electricity consumption of your home or RV. And also it will keep a lukewarm temperature inside. 

Conclusion

RV furnaces are one of the luxuries in your wheely home. Sure you don’t have a helipad or bike garage, but who needs all that if you can comfy up in your RV after a great hiking or hunting trip during the day. And if it’s snowing outside, you should be enjoying it from your RV with hot Cocoa in hand. Make sure to maintain your furnace’s fitness after every season. So it won’t spoil your camping trip or freeze you solid afterward. Happy camping!