Alright, so made some additions in the last few weeks.
First up was making a bracket for the maxtrax to be moved down lower on the rear rack, to free up space for the shower cube to be mounted higher to function better.
The maxtrax mount is made from aluminum, and mounts to the bottom of the factory rack, and then is bolted into the Norweld tray.
Next up was a big one. Swapping out the propane furnace for a Planar diesel heater. After my last trip to Moab a few weekends ago, and the Dometic furnace failing again on me with no error codes, i decided to rip it out and replace it. Between it using a ton of gas and power, and being a complete pile of garbage, it was about time I ripped it out.
I wanted the replacement heater to be OEM in apperance. This meant re-using the factory cover. I removed the plastic trim ring from the existing furnace, and made and adaptor plate and used a thru-hull exhaust fitting. this resulted in it looking factory.
I mounted the ehater within the facotry cabinet. I heat wrapped the exhaust and muffler, and made a heat sheild for the side of th cabinet closest to the exhaust.
I have added additional heat lagging to the muffler and pipe. The exhaust is attached to a bracket that is mounted to the floor, so it can not shift or move. I also used muffler cement to seal all the exhaust connections since they will be inside. I also installed a redundant CO detector as well.
Next up was getting the fuel supply figured out. Since the fuel pump needs to be within 1 meter of the tank, I ordered a tank to fit in the forward storage box. This will make it easy to fill from a standard fuel station. The tank is 5.5L. The heater will burn 5.76 liters at full output in 24hrs of constant running. So this should result in approx 3 days at 8 hours per day at max output. I will carry a small diesel rotopax can for additional capacity.
The intake combustion air is pulled from the louvered panel behind the fridge. The same location is where the heater pulls in the air to run over the heat exchanger and supply into the camper.
I debated on pulling the air form inside the camper, but this will result in less condensation when pulling the air in from outside, but will use slightly more fuel since it needs to heat cold air now.
I made an interior panel from 3/4" AC ply that I had laying around, but I am going to use 1/2" birch and stain it to match the interior as close as possible.
The factory thermostat will be removed, and some USB outlets installed in its place. The controller for the new heater is mounted up near the sink and cutlery drawer. I ran new power for the diesel heater, and capped off the existing power lines from the old furnace.
Since i was left with a gas line from the propane heater, I installed a quick disconnect for a BBQ or firepit in the future.
I am just waiting for the fuel tank, which I should have today so i can mount it and test fire the heater and check for fuel leaks before I button everything up.
Overall I am excited to get rid of the crummy furnace that is in there. I wish I did not need to replace it, and FWC would install a higher quality unit, but that seems unlikely to change. But this should prove to be more reliable, with service and parts much more readily available. But time will tell.
