Learn the diffferences of heating and air circulation in your RV.

Master Technicians provide some helpful tips in understanding your RV heating system. As a First Time Camper, it is important to know that your RV does not operate like a house when it comes to heating and air circulation. Types of Ducting in the RV: There are 2 types of Furnace ducting in a Keystone RV, ducted in the floor and flexible ducting. Keystone uses a chassis designed for each floor plan to optimize heating, plumbing, and electrical runs. As a result, we are able to minimize inefficiencies.

How RV is built different than a house:

  1. Walls—The walls of a camper are quite a bit different than a house in thickness and R-value. Insulation in an RV’s walls, floors, and roofs typically ranges from 1” to 2.5”. Insulation in home walls can be 4”-6” thick and home roofs may have a couple of feet of blown-in insulation with a huge air gap to dissipate hot and cold air. Homes may have 3 or more times the insulation R-Value than an RV.
  2. Air Vents—Homes typically have a return air vent in each room which pulls air from each room back to the furnace to be heated. The return air of the RV furnace only pulls air from the area surrounding the furnace therefore, while running an RV furnace, it is necessary to keep passage doors to bedrooms and bathrooms open in order to better equalize the temperature throughout the unit. 
  3. Interior Doors Open— In a home many people sleep with the bedroom door closed. However, in an RV… blocking the exchange of airflow will change the room temperature drastically. Also, it is not recommended to block or close off the ducts in the floor, as this can decrease efficiency and possibly cause the furnace to malfunction. 
  4. Fireplace—It is not uncommon to see a fireplace in an RV today and these can be very beneficial to heating your RV or simply taking the chill off. In some scenarios, it may be all you ever need.

Other Considerations to remember for your RV: If you are a cold-weather camper consider your needs and activities. You may need to consider supplemental forms of heat to offset the temperature differences. With the extreme temperature ranges, it is hard to build one unit that fits all the needs that exist out there. Outfitting your RV to accommodate a particular need is very common and many additional accessories are available to help you Camp Better.  Contact a Keystone dealer to discuss your needs.  Just another way Keystone RV helps you Camp Better!

If you wish to review additional information on your RV heating check out Chapter 7 of the Owner’s Manual.