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Old 06-12-2020, 10:27 AM   #1
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How to know if my MH has basement heating

Hello
I'm new to all this. I find it amazing what all is still currently still working great in my 1998 Winnebago Adventurer 35WP. How do i know if mine is equipped with basement or under belly heating as I'm am worried about winter trips?
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Old 06-12-2020, 10:38 AM   #2
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You should know, that there is not really "under belly heating". At most, the propane heater's air ducts are routed abound part of your tanks. These provide a little bit of warmth in the general vicinity and do help a little for occasional cold weather (high-20's for less than 24hrs at the coldest).

Winter trips? They are trips you take south to be in above freezing temperatures.

No real cold weather trips are possible without extra outside skirting and heating.

About this on your 22-year old Adventurer I don't have any idea. Certainly this is a "feature" of newer models.
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Old 06-12-2020, 10:41 AM   #3
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A couple of ways to do it. Start your furnace and let it run for about an hour on a warm setting so it runs continuously.

1. See if there are a few places where you can detach the under bellly cover, reach inside and see if you feel warm air.

2. Use an IR gun to measure the surface temperature of the under belly. If it is ten degrees or so above ambient you probably have heating.

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Old 06-12-2020, 12:31 PM   #4
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Generally, Winnebago Class A and Class C motorhomes have a 3" duct off the heated propane air furnace ducting that is vented into the bottom side of the floor in the basement. You can look at the information for your specific year and model on the 3D Winnebago Parts Catalog. You can find a 3D drawing showing the propane furnace and the ducting there.

If helps ONLY if you are using the propane furnace to maintain a "normal" temperature inside the RV ( IMHO 65 F or above ). The other things you have to do in below freezing temps is either drain your fresh water system and hot water heater tank OR have the hot water heater ON, between the heat the hot water heater puts into the basement and the propane furance heat ducted you can be OK down to about 25 F. Below that you'll have issues. Also note that the absorbtion refrigerator solution is water based and will freeze below 25 F ( I don't know the exact temp ). But if it's on and the solution freezes up the boiler stack will over heat and damage the refrigerator. Bottom line spending time with systems on below 25 F takes some special efforts such as putting more heat into the basement and putting heat into the back of the refrigerator. Norcold sells a winter heat kit , or I just bought an 18 watt 120 volt heat mat that is used under trays that you start plants in, in the back of the fridge. It's tied to a block you can buy at a farmer's supply store that turns on at 35F and off over 35F and plugged into the same outlet as the refrigerator is.
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Old 06-17-2020, 11:09 PM   #5
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Basement heat came as standard equipment on the 1998 Winnebago Chieftain 36WL-P, so there is at least the potential for availability on the Adventurer 35WP of that year. Our blood runs cold, so, our minimum heat setting is 72'F (given the fuzziness of a non-digital thermostat), and typically more like 75'F. At this settings range, on a night with a 16'F low, the top half of the wet bay (location of my remote sensor) was kept just above freezing, and the main basement storage locker was almost toasty warm. There is a duct pushing heated air into the tank area, and the main heat duct runs lengthwise under the floor of the main cabin, which is the ceiling of the main bay. This performance is with the 40K BTU furnace, so that fits into the equation as well.

What is the nature of the winter trips you are planning? Long term cold, or transient? That will dictate your preparation requirements. The 16'F low was in the middle of our snowbird trip while sunning in South central Texas, and was a bad reminder of home!!! Coldest on-the-go temperature heading South was near 5'F (with empty tanks).
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Old 06-18-2020, 08:35 AM   #6
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Windburner:
Have you looked over how easy it can be to convert to a Honeywell digital in some cases?
I was able to get a few for free but they sell for the $20-25 dollar range. One of the big things that changes how easy/hard to change them out is what heating systems have. Two speed fans that you want to keep two speed, does require an extra switch for the two speeds.
Don't fall for the trap of thinking home and RV are that much different due to 24V being the "standard" home thermostat. The trick to that is simply going to one which is battery powered for the thermostat operation which then just makes it a simple switch which has the electronics operated by the onboard battery rather than outside power transformer.
A digital does ease the setting and does keep it within a degree or two which is much finer than the one we often get in RV. Lots of info online about the change.
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Old 06-18-2020, 04:01 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Morich View Post
Windburner:
Have you looked over how easy it can be to convert to a Honeywell digital in some cases? ... Two speed fans that you want to keep two speed, does require an extra switch for the two speeds.
Yes, I've thought about it, however, it was that 'extra switch' that held me back. Now, if you asked me how often I've used both speeds, you'd get a .

I (and my wife even more) would appreciate the improved accuracy of a digital! Thanks for the suggestion/reminder.
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Old 06-18-2020, 06:47 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by WindBurner View Post
Yes, I've thought about it, however, it was that 'extra switch' that held me back. Now, if you asked me how often I've used both speeds, you'd get a .

I (and my wife even more) would appreciate the improved accuracy of a digital! Thanks for the suggestion/reminder.
We are not the sort who uses the AC or heating blower for circulation of air, so one speed is all we have and never considered it any problem. One can find lots of online videos of making the change but wiring in a simple switch to setting different speeds is not a big thing compared to what study the rest takes. I think it is a matter of having a switch that has the center going to the correct place on the thermostat and then at each end of the switch one is high speed and the other is low speed. A tiny DPDT micro switch can often just be fit into a hole drilled in the plastic cover of the thermostat for the odd times when you want to change.
The biggest point is to think of the thermostat as a switch and that switch is operated by the electronics of the thermostat and fed by the onboard battery.
Once I got down to using a meter to spot which connections on the existing changed when heat came on, found the same connection on the new and did the same for cooling on each , old and new, it was simple to cut one wire off the old, move it to new and continue until all the wires were placed.
Anybody in your group of friends who might be changing to new wifi, programmable thermostats might have a junk one for free!
Possible this one:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Honeywell-D...nic/1000275931
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Old 06-24-2020, 05:50 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jrbowen62 View Post
Hello
I'm new to all this. I find it amazing what all is still currently still working great in my 1998 Winnebago Adventurer 35WP. How do i know if mine is equipped with basement or under belly heating as I'm am worried about winter trips?
I own 1998 Winnebago Chieftain and it has basement heating, I believe your does also you can look at Winnebago website and down load the brochure for your model.
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Old 06-24-2020, 05:52 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by WindBurner View Post
Basement heat came as standard equipment on the 1998 Winnebago Chieftain 36WL-P, so there is at least the potential for availability on the Adventurer 35WP of that year. Our blood runs cold, so, our minimum heat setting is 72'F (given the fuzziness of a non-digital thermostat), and typically more like 75'F. At this settings range, on a night with a 16'F low, the top half of the wet bay (location of my remote sensor) was kept just above freezing, and the main basement storage locker was almost toasty warm. There is a duct pushing heated air into the tank area, and the main heat duct runs lengthwise under the floor of the main cabin, which is the ceiling of the main bay. This performance is with the 40K BTU furnace, so that fits into the equation as well.

What is the nature of the winter trips you are planning? Long term cold, or transient? That will dictate your preparation requirements. The 16'F low was in the middle of our snowbird trip while sunning in South central Texas, and was a bad reminder of home!!! Coldest on-the-go temperature heading South was near 5'F (with empty tanks).
Nice to hear about your RV we also have a 1998 Winnebago Chieftain 36WL on chev chassis
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Old 06-24-2020, 06:19 PM   #11
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While not a student of Winnie construction, the OP can use his eyes to see whether there are any louvers or vent grates in bays. They would only be there if they were meant to move air.
Failing to find any vents, small electric heaters work to keep things better than the outside, and if you have things susceptible to freezing, put them all into one bay and double the number of heaters?
Indoor/outdoor thermometers are your friend for less than $20. That will give you your temps in the bay you're concerned about.
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Old 06-24-2020, 07:02 PM   #12
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On a Winnebago with enclosed belly and "basement heat" there will NOT be any heat louvers or grills in bays. As someone else mentioned, there is one or more "hose" extensions inside the sealed area. I found one of mine when I had to open up the wet bay to fix a problem behind the metal wall. As long as the LP furnace(s) … my coach has two … are running at a livable temp, no worries. Outside skirting IS NOT necessary, but no doubt would help conserve LP. We spent 7 days with our rig at high altitude in Western NM where the temps rarely rose above 20 below zero. We had no issues other that the discomfort of bare feet on the cold tile floor. In addition to the heat in the enclosed area of the basement, I normally run an auto trouble light or can light with incandescent bulb in the two basement bays that involve water. I also have a wireless thermometer with multiple remote sensors. During that really cold week, one of those bays dropped to low 40's, and the other the to high 30's. We burned 12-15 gallon of LP in that 7 days.
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Old 06-24-2020, 08:32 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Glenn C View Post
I own 1998 Winnebago Chieftain and it has basement heating, I believe your does also you can look at Winnebago website and down load the brochure for your model.

Bingo!

Winnebago has about the best documented Motor Homes out there. You can download the original brochures and owners manuals going back to the time of the flood as the expression goes along with the parts listings. If you call or email their technical support people they will even send you digital drawings of where the supports, wiring, ducts and piping are located in the roof walls and floors. This is great especially if the seller did not provide you the OEM binder or Black Bag with all the manuals, build sheets, etc that are supposed to be left in the coach.

The 1998 Brochure states that all the 1998 Adventurers except for the 34WA (side isle design didn't accommodate heating the basement) had heated rear basement storage compartments which would mean the wet bay and tank area. And of course this would only be true when the propane furnace was running.

See page 5 right hand side of the page 9th item down: https://winnebago.com/brochure-archi...dventurer#5326
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