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jshdcooper
Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2015
Posts: 10
Location: Asheville, NC
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 Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 12:36 pm Post subject: Propane Heat Smell |
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Hi All,
I have 95 EVC and have just started using it in the winter. I've been using the propane heat, which works great but it smells terrible when I start it up. Is it normal for it to smell so bad when it's starting? Do I need to do some maintenance on it?
Thanks!
-Josh |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22670
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 1:06 pm Post subject: Re: Propane Heat Smell |
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It probably is burning off hair, dust, rat feces accumulated over the summer.
Please don't use these things while either driving or sleeping.
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DenverB
Samba Member
Joined: July 23, 2012
Posts: 704
Location: Denver, Colorado
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| Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 12:52 pm Post subject: Re: Propane Heat Smell |
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Why not use the furnace when sleeping? they were meant to be used for that exact purpose. It's sealed and vents outside, only recirculating hot cabin air...
anyway, the smell is most certainly dust (and probably a few rat turds) burning off.
You'll have to remove the rear driver's side panel under the storage closet (not the rearmost panel with the sprayer and fuse box -- the one connected to that) to access the furnace itself (roughly18 little screws), but at some point it's worth it to get in there with a shop vac and some compressed air and clean it all out -- along hosing out the two hvac hoses leading to the front of the furnace vents. Takes you about two hours max the first time. I do it for every van we add to the fleet and it really helps.
For now, you can just leave it on overnight in your back yard or on the street cranked to 75 degrees and it should be *somewhat* better in the morning.
_________________
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'77 Transporter/camper (Bussy - Reef Blue/Pastel White)
'67 bug (Santos - VW Blue)
'84 Vanagon Westfalia (Pink Flamingo - Pastel White/Pink)
'88 Vanagon GL Westfalia (Frankie Says - Wolfram Gray)
'02 Eurovan Weekender (Green Apple)
'95-'03 Eurovan full campers and weekenders (rental fleet)
'84 -'91 Vanagon full campers and weekenders (rental fleet)
'72 Porsche 914 (Greta - RIP)
www.RockyMountainCampervans.com |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22670
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 3:29 pm Post subject: Re: Propane Heat Smell |
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Because it's a 20 year piece of combustion equipment with an unknown use or maintenance history.
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DenverB
Samba Member
Joined: July 23, 2012
Posts: 704
Location: Denver, Colorado
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| Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 4:18 pm Post subject: Re: Propane Heat Smell |
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| Abscate wrote: |
| Because it's a 20 year piece of combustion equipment with an unknown use or maintenance history. |
well, it does have a known use: heat the camper like a camper furnace should.
If he's concerned, he can get it checked by a professional - but I would have no concerns if it's firing right and venting our the side as it should. All of ours have checked out great with no issues. We also run propane and co2 alarms in all vans...
_________________
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'77 Transporter/camper (Bussy - Reef Blue/Pastel White)
'67 bug (Santos - VW Blue)
'84 Vanagon Westfalia (Pink Flamingo - Pastel White/Pink)
'88 Vanagon GL Westfalia (Frankie Says - Wolfram Gray)
'02 Eurovan Weekender (Green Apple)
'95-'03 Eurovan full campers and weekenders (rental fleet)
'84 -'91 Vanagon full campers and weekenders (rental fleet)
'72 Porsche 914 (Greta - RIP)
www.RockyMountainCampervans.com |
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