Newbie full timer help

[whitetrashcobra]

Ok so I am living full time in my high country and it will be getting cold soon and I a total newbie with this stuff... So in my living romm/kitchen area i jave 1 thermostat that reads Fan,cool,furnace,heat pump and the bed room Has Fan,cool,furnace.
So I assume the Furnace runs off propane amd the heat pump is electric and the furnace comes through the floor. So is the ac unit in my bedroom only a ac unit? And why did it kick on when i selectes furnace? Are the rv thermostats backwards and the furnce is producing heat fr the roof units and not the propane? I was gonna knock the chill off tonight and i selected furna e and the unit kicked o and was blower cold air even set temp to 88 and still cold air.. so does the roof units not have heat?

[Mikendebbie]

You need to provide the year and model of your RV. Thermostat types have changed over the years.

My unit is a 2018. The living room 15k AC also has a heat pump function. Bedroom unit is AC only. Generally the heat pumps only work when outside temps are in 50s. I use the fireplace to take the chill off. The living room thermostat controls the furnace. Bedroom thermostat has no furnace controls. I have replaced both OEM thermostats with MicroAir thermostats.

[whitetrashcobra]

Originally Posted by Mikendebbie

You need to provide the year and model of your RV. Thermostat types have changed over the years.

My unit is a 2018. The living room 15k AC also has a heat pump function. Bedroom unit is AC only. Generally the heat pumps only work when outside temps are in 50s. I use the fireplace to take the chill off. The living room thermostat controls the furnace. Bedroom thermostat has no furnace controls. I have replaced both OEM thermostats with MicroAir thermostats.

Here is pics of thermostats

[RMcNeal]

Assuming yours is similar setup to my 2019 3791RD, the "furnace" option in the bedroom does nothing, but will kick on the fan in the AC unit. That may be what you hear. Our rear unit has the heat pump, so I can run it when cold down to about 40 degrees. The furnace is gas only and controlled by the thermostat in the kitchen, and uses the ducts in the floor. The roof top unit does not come on when in Furnace mode, only the gas furnace.
Incidentally, I can actually use the heat pump when colder out as long as I supplement it with electric heaters and/or the fireplace. Saves on propane.

[whitetrashcobra]

Originally Posted by RMcNeal

Assuming yours is similar setup to my 2019 3791RD, the "furnace" option in the bedroom does nothing, but will kick on the fan in the AC unit. That may be what you hear. Our rear unit has the heat pump, so I can run it when cold down to about 40 degrees. The furnace is gas only and controlled by the thermostat in the kitchen, and uses the ducts in the floor. The roof top unit does not come on when in Furnace mode, only the gas furnace.
Incidentally, I can actually use the heat pump when colder out as long as I supplement it with electric heaters and/or the fireplace. Saves on propane.

Awesome thanks

[whitetrashcobra]

Originally Posted by RMcNeal

Assuming yours is similar setup to my 2019 3791RD, the "furnace" option in the bedroom does nothing, but will kick on the fan in the AC unit. That may be what you hear. Our rear unit has the heat pump, so I can run it when cold down to about 40 degrees. The furnace is gas only and controlled by the thermostat in the kitchen, and uses the ducts in the floor. The roof top unit does not come on when in Furnace mode, only the gas furnace.
Incidentally, I can actually use the heat pump when colder out as long as I supplement it with electric heaters and/or the fireplace. Saves on propane.

Awesome thanks

[Mikelff]

There are several threads on winter /cold weather camping in this forum. Only one thermostat controls your furnace and also your heat pump. The other is only for the AC. I found this out the hard way lol. I would recommend you do a search and read several of these threads. Depending on the type of camping you plan on doing, and the cold temperatures you are expected to be in, there are several ways to heat your rig. I use small space heaters to supplement my gas furnace. That gas furnace is not very efficient and uses lots of propane. If I am not going to be in freezing temps below 32 degrees, I almost exclusively use the small electric space heaters for heat when it’s too cold for the heat pump. Main focus is to make sure your pipes won’t freeze. If spending a fair amount of time in freezing temps, you might want to consider an electric furnace that is an add on to your current gas furnace. Do some research. There is a lot of information out there. Happy camping!

[Moondragon]

The factory flipped my A/C units when they built it, so nothing happened on heat pump as it was in the bedroom, and only the living room thermostat can control it. After the dealer "fixed" it (and blew the roof seal in the process, costing me a new roof), I still don't bother with it.
In milder temps (above freezing), the fireplace does a decent job of taking the chill off. If it's cold enough out that you actually want HEAT, the furnace is really the only option, as that's the only thing that will keep your water lines flowing (heat pump does nothing for you there, neither will electric aux heaters). In Northeast TN last winter, I was burning through 2+ tanks a week, with the thermostat set at 62.

[rgcanoe]

Originally Posted by whitetrashcobra

Ok so I am living full time in my high country and it will be getting cold soon and I a total newbie with this stuff... So in my living romm/kitchen area i jave 1 thermostat that reads Fan,cool,furnace,heat pump and the bed room Has Fan,cool,furnace.
So I assume the Furnace runs off propane amd the heat pump is electric and the furnace comes through the floor. So is the ac unit in my bedroom only a ac unit? And why did it kick on when i selectes furnace? Are the rv thermostats backwards and the furnce is producing heat fr the roof units and not the propane? I was gonna knock the chill off tonight and i selected furna e and the unit kicked o and was blower cold air even set temp to 88 and still cold air.. so does the roof units not have heat?

Each A/C unit has a control box. Both boxes are controlled on a communication cable from the stat. Each unit "could" have a heat strip in it? They will control the furnace / heat strip using the thermostat setting.