Can you have your furnace running while in motion? I know it is recommended to run the generator and use the A/C while on the road...but can /should the same thing be done with the furnace? With a 33' coach there is no way the dash board heat will keep us warm this winter. We plan to take the Barth out for winter drives to keep everything in working order. Can we run the propane furnace along with the batteries (for the ignition and blower)or is this a no-no? I know we can run the furnace before we start our drive, but can it remain on for a few hours while driving in cold weather? Advice please.

[This message has been edited by whamer (edited December 07, 2004).]

Since you are exercising the RV, and exercising the generator requires a load, how about an electric heater or two?

I see no reason why you should be running your furnace in transit. What is it in the mid 30's there. I won't be on that much. But I am surprised you don't have motoraid heaters. For some reason I thought all Barths had them, I have two.

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I use the propane furnace regularly in the colder months when on the road. I've never had any problems operating that way.

Thanks as usual...we will go for a drive with the furnaces running. Dave you mention motoraid heaters...what is that, what do they do?

Newbie stuff again. :-)

[This message has been edited by whamer (edited December 08, 2004).]

On my 28 ft Regal I have "motoraid" hot water and coach heaters. The radiator water circulates throught the water heater to heat the water and also through two heat collectors which have small fans which blow the heat into the cabinet. I have a switch on the left side of the day which says high and low. When the low is on only the front loung heat is on, (collector is under the sofa)and on high both the front and the rear, (under Deb's twin bed) is on. And, boy do they work well. When we were traveling in Canada, it was the 28,29, and 30th of June and it was 38 deg and rain/snowing/raining etc. etc. We were toasty..

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RE: MotorAid units. They are really nothing more than small engine coolant heaters, similar to those used in commercial vehicles. They are inexpensive and an easy retrofit. A friend bought some radiator hose fittings, some copper plumbing pipe, stainless steel clamps, pipe insulation and the heaters. After about two days of on-off work he had a nice setup in the back of the coach. He ran the switch wiring along with the other wiring bundle somehow, so it's a really neat installation, complete with a lighted reostat control.
The MotorAid units as installed are receiving hot engine coolant/water all the time the engine is running. It might be an idea to install a shunt with a couple of valves to prevent this flow during the summer. Even with the fans off the heater cores are still releasing plenty of heat you don't want on a hot July day.

Heater examples at JC Whitney:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ProductDisplay/s-10101/p-8724/c-10101

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ProductDisplay/s-10101/p-5029/c-10101

Hey Dave...we have motoraid heaters! They are just as you discribed and they work just fine. We still have a few things on the dashboard that we did not figure out yet. Top right side is a knob that spins. It is to the right of the spotlight control. It works like a dial but we can not find what it works...and it is not the joystick for the spot light...we figured that one out. We also have not figured out how to get the Hadley Horns to work. They too were installed by Barth. Little by little we are climbing that learning curve. We are really looking forward to seeing another Barth out on the road and asking other owners questions. Since this coach is a little "different" then most I'm not sure we will ever see another "Day Carriage" now also called a hospitality coach...heard Paul Newman call his car racing coach that...no full time bed room, just a party wagon. :-)

"Top right side is a knob that spins. It is to the right of the spotlight control"

If it's like mine, it will be the speed control for the spotlight joystick reaction time, i.e.: knob full left is a S-L-O-W and precise movement of the spotlight...knob full right and the light will jackrabbit around with just a mere touch of the joystick.....

Glad you found the heaters Wendy, you will love the warmth on those 40-50 degree fall days. As far as the horns are concerned. You know of course that they are air horns. If you coach hasn't been driven a while you might have to take it out and drive around for about an hour and then try the horns. If not then you probably have a compressor problem. Most RV place or truck places can fix that easy enough. But be carefull, the first time you kick in those Hadleys you might be surprised a bit.

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There are some prior threads about air horns. Apparently the most common problem is an inoperative solenoid switch. The Hadley website has a procedure to overhaul this solenoid, and suggests it be regularly maintained.