Hawk Shell furnace question

[Mainer]

First time posting but I've been following Wander the West for several years. My wife and I are just about to sign a contract for a Hawk Shell. We are very excited and and I could benefit from hearing a bit more about your experiences with the FWC factory installed furnace versus a portable heating unit. Being a bit on the frugal side the install price of $1595 causes me pause? Leaning toward going with the factory furnace but would like to be fully informed about other options. Thanks for your thoughts

 

[longhorn1]

Welcome. We have the factory unit and like it. There have been posts on The Buddy and another. They both need to have the camper vented and create more condensation issues. My 2 cents.

 

[Josh41]

I have a shell without a heater, living in New England, I really wish I had it.

 

[Portercassidy]

I specifically upgraded to a FWC so I could have a nice furnace with a thermostat.

 

[Mainer]

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[CougarCouple]

Hello Mainer
Can't speak about 4wc, as we have a and ATC. I think the factory installed furnace is the way to go they are safe and easy to operate.
The furnace and fuel are secured, safety alarms to protect human life installed. I guess you can try other ways to heat your camper, but I can't see any of them being easier or safer then factory. This is just my opinion, and trying to answer your question. Welcome to WtW, have you tried a search for alternative heating ideas.

Russ

 

[Timothy McGowen]

I'm not sure exactly what the furnace package includes but ask FWC or your dealer. I believe in includes a nice lpg storage compartment and indoor cabinet. It might include a stovetop but I'm not sure. Might be easier to add lpg outlets for future exterior connections.

Sorry I couldn't be more help but I order my pretty loaded.

 

[rollinrollinrollin]

I have a factory installed furnace in my Hawk. Last year I spent a week at Yosemite and the furnace worked flawlessly during very cold temperatures. I would strongly suggest that you spend the extra money for the comfort and safety of a factory installed and properly vented furnace. Along with the furnace I would also recommend a second battery to insure you don’t run out of power when you need it most.

 

[rando]

The factory furnace is probably your best option. The most comparable DIY option would be a Propex heater - which are arguably a better quality heater, but put out less heat. They are around $800 just for the heater, you would still need to add some cabinetry for it, and somewhere to mount/store the propane tanks, the propane plumbing etc. In the end you wouldn't save much if any money.

The portable heaters (Buddy etc) do work, but have several drawbacks: They aren't vented, so all the combustion products including a large amount of water vapor end up in the camper. This increases condensation issues, can smell a little strange and may be a safety issue. Secondly the heaters aren't thermostatic, so you have to manually adjust them to maintain a comfortable temperature. Most people would also balk at running these over night while sleeping, which is fine to do with a forced air furnace. You either have to deal with 1lb propane bottles, or still come up with some way of carrying bulk propane and getting the hose into the camper.

For me there was never any question on getting the factory heater.

 

[Squatch]

I have an Eagle shell. It has the furnace stove combo in the corner, roll over couch, extra vent. I wouldn't have it any other way. All those options are worth every penny. Still leaves plenty of open space vs a built out camper.

The furnace in my '12 draws about 2.5 amps when running which is not much at all. The gas usage is so little it's laughable. But hit the thermostat when you wake up and in 10 minutes the camper is toasty for changing ect. Same before bed. I rarely run it all night. Just warm up the camper when needed.

Another thought for me is safety. The built in furnace is much safer than a hot standalone heater is a small space where it can be tripped over or touched by bare skin. My .02 anyway.

It's also simple. Turn on the gas when you park the camper. Then if and when you need the stove or furnace hit the thermostat or light the stove.

I'm an old backpacker who lives outside the camper mostly. For the 1st year I never even used the stove. But now that is how I make my morning coffee and such. Nothing to set up. Just lift the lid and light it.

The couch provides an extra bed or one you can use when stealth camping with the top down. It also makes the camper much more accommodating on rainy days.

The bonus is that you'll use little gas. So the extra 10 lbs tank is perfect for a portable gas campfire like the little Red Campfire.

 

[James T Kirk]

If you want to see what installing a Propex heater is all about, you can check out my install HERE

-Kirk Out

 

[abqbw]

My first FWC was a Hawk shell model with the furnace and stove. I highly recommend both. For safety reasons I would never use a non-vented heater in a camper. I know people use the buddy etc, but I would not. The furnace was much more efficient with the electricity (fan) than I expected. One of the main reasons I got a camper after decades of sleeping in a camper shell or tent was to be able to have a place to stand up with the heat and lights on out of the weather. Spend the money. You won't regret it. It makes for an entirely different experience.

 

[Mainer]

Thanks to you all I really appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Lobster]

One of the reasons to buy a shell is the opportunity to do things a little different.
I went with a propex heater,(wasn’t going to get a heater but the popular opinion on this site was ‘get it’).
I mounted the propane tank under the truck, 2015 Tundra, and vented the heater down through the bed.
This allowed me to have a very clean look with zero holes in the side of my shell.
Thermostat, quiet fan, efficient.
I’d do it again.

 

[Vic Harder]

One of the reasons to buy a shell is the opportunity to do things a little different.
I went with a propex heater,(wasn’t going to get a heater but the popular opinion on this site was ‘get it’).
I mounted the propane tank under the truck, 2015 Tundra, and vented the heater down through the bed.
This allowed me to have a very clean look with zero holes in the side of my shell.
Thermostat, quiet fan, efficient.
I’d do it again.

Do you have details on your install? I'm about to buy a Propex myself...

 

[rando]

Having had both a Propex HS2000 and now the newer Atwood, I would think twice about the Propex. The Atwood that FWC is currently installing (Atwood Hydroflame 8012-II) is actually quieter than the propex, uses less electrical power and is significantly cheaper. Depending on your cabinetry, the installation may lend itself to one over the other.

If you had asked a year or two ago, I would have said Propex hands down, but the newer Atwoods are much improved over the older units, and my Atwood has surprisingly been more reliable than my Propex. The Propex was very sensitive to voltage and air flow and would often fault if the fridge was running and if the wind was blowing across the intake from the wrong direction.

 

[Vic Harder]

Having had both a Propex HS2000 and now the newer Atwood, I would think twice about the Propex. The Atwood that FWC is currently installing (Atwood Hydroflame 8012-II) is actually quieter than the propex, uses less electrical power and is significantly cheaper. Depending on your cabinetry, the installation may lend itself to one over the other.

If you had asked a year or two ago, I would have said Propex hands down, but the newer Atwoods are much improved over the older units, and my Atwood has surprisingly been more reliable than my Propex. The Propex was very sensitive to voltage and air flow and would often fault if the fridge was running and if the wind was blowing across the intake from the wrong direction.

Thanks rando. I think the Propex is actually cheaper here in Canada than an Atwood. Easier to find too! But please school me otherwise!

 

[klahanie]

I'l just add that the furnace, being forced air, heats up the interior space very quickly. Nice for when you come in from the cold and want to warm up 'right now !'

Ours is a 16K btu unit - I think they are 12K now - anyway, for winter use I found it used a lot of fuel and power Also when sleeping was hopelessly noisy and cycled too hot/too cold/too hot/too cold during the overnight. This is partly a function of choice of camper construction and furnace model and I do think that it could be mitigated somewhat with a thermostat mod.

I would still buy with a furnace but I say consider your own use and wants for heating. For a low output, constant heat a different device might be better.

 

[rando]

I can't speak for Canadian pricing, but in the US the Atwood runs about $470:
https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VTS-349

Whereas propex HS2800 (similar heat output) is about $850:
https://www.rockymountainwesty.com/Propex_HS2800_Heating_Unit_p/hs2800.htm

The Propex is definitely a well built unit, but in order to be able to use ducting it requires a higher velocity blower, which is a little louder and uses slightly more power. The Atwood is a direct vent heater, and you can't use ducts with this particular model. They are both good heaters so it probably come down to price and which is easier to install in your configuration.

 

[OSUFlyer]

For my Keystone project I am installing a Dometic / AFSAD12 furnace. It appears to be very similar to the newer dometic "Small" furnace line. I found it on sale for $300 but it seems to run around $499 now.

The specs say it uses 2.4 amps but after bench testing I found that once the gas solenoid opens the fan only draws 1.8 amps. It is also much quieter than the Atwood Everest Star I had in my old camper.

https://pantherrvproducts.com/dometic-atwood-afsad12-rv-forced-air-heater-propane-furnace-12k/