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11-07-2019, 01:11 AM
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#1
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Bronze Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Washington
Posts: 26
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Loud Heater Fan
Hi all have a 2000 Dodge RT 190 popular we did some camping this past weekend south of Seattle. The temperature at night got close to freezing and used the gas heater in the coach. It kept us warm put the fan was loud and would wake us. Is this the norm? would like to know if the fan can be replaced for something quitter.
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11-07-2019, 01:16 AM
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#2
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,651
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Our 16K btu Suburban heater is kind of loud in our '2012. But we think it is the of/off action is what makes it more noticeable than if the fan was on steady like the air conditioner fan setting we use.
To combat this noise change, we run a "white noise" sound machine that really helps to mask the cycling as well as outside noises. Other than that, the furnace works very well, sips only a little propane, and is one of the few appliances on my rv that has worked flawlessly.
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11-07-2019, 02:02 AM
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#3
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Arizona
Posts: 1,215
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1997 PW Dodge3500. Suburban heater. Fan is noisy normally. It's like turning on a loud window fan. But if you have any sounds like squealing, it could be the fan bearing. I've never heard of a quiet retrofit. It does have to push a volume of air great enough to throw an internal air driven switch. I believe that's to insure that sufficient airflow exists before the gas heat begins.
I'll have to try rowiebowie's white noise tact. It does sometimes wake me during the night.......
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11-07-2019, 02:10 AM
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#4
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Arizona, Tempe
Posts: 1,697
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No way to quiet the fan that I know of.
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11-07-2019, 02:42 AM
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#5
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Site Team
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,426
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The fan in the water-air heat exchanger that came with our Rixen's hydronic heating system was annoyingly loud. I added a 12VDC PCM motor speed controller that I got from eBay for a few dollars. I now have a knob that lets me continuously control the fan speed, and thus its noise level. Usually, we can set it to a non-annoying level. Works great. I don't know if there are any safety issues doing this with a combustion-based heater.
__________________
Now: 2022 Fully-custom buildout (Ford Transit EcoBoost AWD)
Formerly: 2005 Airstream Interstate (Sprinter 2500 T1N)
2014 Great West Vans Legend SE (Sprinter 3500 NCV3 I4)
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11-07-2019, 03:02 AM
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#6
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Bronze Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Washington
Posts: 26
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Thanks will look into the white noise unit. It does heat very well.
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11-07-2019, 03:03 AM
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#7
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Bronze Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Washington
Posts: 26
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No bearing noise just fan blowing noise.
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11-07-2019, 03:44 AM
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#8
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Arizona
Posts: 1,215
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Did a google search. Most people say they live with it or use some sort of aux heater when they're on shore power. Here's a link but I can't testify to its safety.
https://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Ma...iet&id=1880175
I also uncovered a mod similar to what avanti was suggesting where the user installed a control so that the fan input would be consistently 12v. His was often running at a higher voltage than in the factory specs.
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11-07-2019, 04:27 AM
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#9
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,651
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GallenH
Did a google search. Most people say they live with it or use some sort of aux heater when they're on shore power.
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We've carried a small cheap electric heater our last few trips but never used it since we mostly boon docked. Our recent trip to the Southeast was the exception and we mostly found 30A hookups. We finally tried the heater and liked it so much (quiet and as effective as the Suburban) that we never used our propane heater.
Nice to have a choice, but use is dependent having an electric source.
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11-07-2019, 06:05 AM
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#10
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 3,286
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I consider Eberspacher (Espar) Airtronics D2 heater the best RV heater I have ever owned. Its recirculating air fan RPM is directly link with combustion output, so lower fuel/combustion air mix flow lower RPM of recirculating air fan. Not a rocket science. Truma has also variable fan speed on LPG heater. Propex heaters are also reasonably quiet but fixed RPM as far I know.
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11-07-2019, 01:40 PM
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#11
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ID AZ
Posts: 867
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Take a look at the Camco Olympian Wave heater. It has no fan, uses no electricity and is silent.
__________________
2006 Dynamax Isata 250 Touring Sedan
"Il Travato Rosso"
2015 Travato 59g
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11-07-2019, 02:07 PM
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#12
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 12,415
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If it is a Suburban furnace, they do now have a "quieter" version available that is drop in to the original location. We did that switch quite a while ago and the new one is quieter and got a bit better over time also. That said it is not quiet by any definition. The noise change in our van was to remove the ugly metallic grinding type noise of the original. The new one is more airflow noise and some motor sounds.
I tried every trick I could come up with to quiet the old furnace and nothing helped.
We also carry a small electric heater to use when on shore power, as it is quieter and uses no propane.
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11-09-2019, 11:10 PM
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#13
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: America's Seaplane City, FL
Posts: 1,000
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Haven't seen it mentioned yet but I use those disposable foam ear inserts to silence my surroundings if in a loud area or when having to run the furnace.
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Tick tock, baby(Ironbuttal)
2000 Roadtrek Chevy 200 Versatile(sold)
'98 Safari Trek 2480
Just for fun:'15 Kawasaki Versys650LT
Perfection is a fantasy, though improvement is possible(Wifey).
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11-11-2019, 02:36 AM
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#14
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Bronze Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Washington
Posts: 26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveJ
Haven't seen it mentioned yet but I use those disposable foam ear inserts to silence my surroundings if in a loud area or when having to run the furnace.
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I do have them but my wife can't sleep with them in her ears doesn't bother me though.
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11-14-2019, 07:00 PM
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#15
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Tinley Park IL
Posts: 368
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You risk cracking the heat ex-changer if not enough air is going through it. There's a reason the manufacturer has a certain amount of air cooling the ex-changer. Hopefully the thermal cutoff will prevent that, but I wouldn't run the risk. All JMHO
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11-15-2019, 03:07 PM
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#16
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Bronze Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Ky
Posts: 42
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Have any tried the Little Buddy Heater? it has a screw on propane bottle and a low oxygen cutoff. There is you tube video about it showing its effectiveness. We used ours at our home when we had a huge ice storm and no power for 2 weeks. Also works well in the garage when I have to fix stuff when it is cold.
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11-15-2019, 03:33 PM
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#17
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Virginia
Posts: 764
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I have lost a good amount of my hearing over the years, without the hearing instruments I am struggling; that said, when I remove them and the furnace is on.......maybe it isn't a curse after all! Ron
__________________
Ron J. Moore
'15 RT210P
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