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Old 04-26-2014, 05:44 PM   #1
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Extremely hot floor vents

I was wondering if anyone has experienced this and what they may have done to stop it as I have never experienced this before!!

Last night a blanket fell off my sons bunk and landed on top of one of the furnace vents that is positioned directly below and to the side of his bed while he was sleeping. In the morning, my wife thought she could smell burning plastic and traced it back to his bedroom. Noticing a blanket on the floor she picked it up and noticed it was extremely hot almost to the point it was melting and was the source of the smell!!

The furnace was only set to 67 degrees as its currently snowing and about -1 outside. The blanket was one of those synthetic furry type blankets but I have a hard time wraping my head around th vent getting that hot....even when covered!!!
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Old 04-26-2014, 08:20 PM   #2
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While the thermostat was set at 67 degrees, the furnace is xxx BTUs and that is what it puts out while it is running. If the furnace is running for long periods of time, then the ductwork and vents can get pretty hot. I have 5 vents in my unit and one is covered by a throw rug and never been a problem, but then it is thick enough that it totally stops air flow thru that vent. Maybe the blanket only reduced air flow plus trapped the heat. There is no way to reduce heat output of the furnace. Maybe one of those vent deflectors could help, but I'm not sure you could prevent a blanket from blocking that also.

I use oil filled electric heaters rather than the furnace as much as possible because when controlled by a receptacle mounted thermostat, they are a constant heat source rather than the temp extremes of the furnace.

So, maybe you could replace the existing vent with a metal vent with a damper and then shut it off so there is no air flow below your son's bed. Then use an oil filled electric heater instead.
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Old 04-26-2014, 09:18 PM   #3
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Thanks for the reply, I suspect you are right and the blanket may have only reduced the airflow. I am going to try and find a vent that I can cut down or stop airflow there like you suggested as it gets quite hot there as the furnace is partially under his bunk. If I can't find that, maybe I'll try a mat like you have.
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Old 04-26-2014, 09:33 PM   #4
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Be careful. It's not always a great idea to cover up the vents. Most Rv heaters run very hot. Covering up vents could burn the heater up or force them to shutoff.
Check this out before you cover them.
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Old 04-26-2014, 09:38 PM   #5
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Funny you should mention that, after I posted I decided to place a small square table over it instead. It sits about 2 feet high and will definitely keep things off the vent until I can figure something out
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Old 04-26-2014, 09:44 PM   #6
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Maybe you can install a vent cover that will direct the vent away from the bunk, but not totally shut it off.
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Old 04-27-2014, 07:18 AM   #7
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Maybe you can install a vent cover that will direct the vent away from the bunk, but not totally shut it off.
But even that won't prevent a blanket from blocking the air flow, creating the same situation. Given that the furnace is so close, that vent will be the hottest. And that part of the trailer will be the warmest and why the blanket ended up on the floor. Many owners put dampers on at least one vent to try and balance the heating across the trailer, so partial restriction might work.
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Old 04-27-2014, 07:24 AM   #8
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But even that won't prevent a blanket from blocking the air flow, creating the same situation. Given that the furnace is so close, that vent will be the hottest. And that part of the trailer will be the warmest and why the blanket ended up on the floor. Many owners put dampers on at least one vent to try and balance the heating across the trailer, so partial restriction might work.
I agree with what Larry said.
We have damper vents in a couple spots in our RV. One I usually keep closed, or just about. The other is in the BR and that one gets adjusted as needed.
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Old 04-27-2014, 08:34 AM   #9
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I use portable heaters also when the campground allows it. Just need to watch your draw. Can't have more than one going in the camper with how I'm set up.

The furnace air can and will get really hot.
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