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  1. #1
    Left The Driveway
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    Question 2018 261BH Heat not working well

    Hello all. First time posting but I have been lurking for a while. We have a 2019 Transcend Xplōr 216BH Picked up before COVID then it sat a bit until the campgrounds opened again. What a ride eh?

    Many upgrades including dimmers on the lights, changed the light fixtures and added a TV per the demands of the family.... (that ain't camping!). Anyhow...

    I have read a few posts about the uneven heat in these units. We experienced the cold nights that first fall and I don't want to go back. So I have been working recently to get this issue resolved. I pulled 4' of kinked ducting out of the area under the sink at the adjoining wall to the bedroom. Just this act has provided more air flow than we had in the past.

    As I move to the furnace I find it completely leaking from the hot air side. All the joints and duct work are loose compared to a y other furnace I have worked on.

    Any thoughts on the best method for sealing these leaks up? Foil tape?

    Thanks in advance.
    Click image for larger version. 

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  2. #2
    Site Team Soundsailor's Avatar
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    Hey @jimgauldin, glad to see you're able to post. From what others have said on the forum, foil tape is probably your best bet.

    TV or not to TV, tough question. Not the way I used to camp, but I'm too old to camp the way I used to.
    Stephen and Judy
    2022 Reflection 150 Series 260RD (Stella)
    2017 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD (Blue)
    Traded - 2018 Forest River Rockwood Minilite 2104S

  3. #3
    Fireside Member sirtate's Avatar
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    I found that the furnace blew most of the air into the bathroom on my 261bh...
    (Along with most of the other issues you mentioned)
    I stuffed some newspaper into the bathroom vent, effectively sealing it off.

    This forced more air down the ducts to the ones under the dinette...
    We prefer to sleep cooler, so the bedroom vent was fine as it was...
    2021 Transcend 261bh
    2021 Ford F-150 3.5eb

  4. #4
    Left The Driveway
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    Sirtate Thanks for the info. Our first cold night I tossed a bath towel over the vent which ran more of the air under the dinette but not so much into the bedroom due to the now identified ducting being too long and kinked. Being a bit further north than us, your cold nights must be a bit chiller than ours. However, I'm with you when it comes to a cool room for sleeping. The wife, on the other hand, does not have the same opinion....

  5. #5
    Rolling Along
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    We just make do by leaving the bathroom door open a bit so heat can escape it, and since we like to sleep cool, this has been sufficient for us. But I kinda wonder how GD has let this go for years without fixing it. I doubt it's a difficult fix. Slightly improved vent routing and maybe using a smaller line for the bathroom would likely fix most of it. Maybe they tried and it caused the furnace to overheat.
    Current: 2021 Transcend 261BH, 2019 Ford F250 SRW SWB CC 6.2 - Picture
    Previous: 2016 Jayco X213, 2014 F150 EB 3.5

  6. #6
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by rootusrootus View Post
    We just make do by leaving the bathroom door open a bit so heat can escape it, and since we like to sleep cool, this has been sufficient for us. But I kinda wonder how GD has let this go for years without fixing it. I doubt it's a difficult fix. Slightly improved vent routing and maybe using a smaller line for the bathroom would likely fix most of it. Maybe they tried and it caused the furnace to overheat.
    I find these solve the problem with uneven air flow since they can be closed down to restrict the airflow

    JR Products HV4DBK-A Black 4" Dampered Heat Vent https://a.co/d/g1dOAW6
    2018 297RSTS
    2018 GMC Denali HD

  7. #7
    Site Team Second Chance's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jimgauldin View Post
    Sirtate Thanks for the info. Our first cold night I tossed a bath towel over the vent which ran more of the air under the dinette but not so much into the bedroom due to the now identified ducting being too long and kinked. Being a bit further north than us, your cold nights must be a bit chiller than ours. However, I'm with you when it comes to a cool room for sleeping. The wife, on the other hand, does not have the same opinion....
    @jimgauldin -

    Although you joined the forum last fall, welcome - and glad you're posting! A few forum tips:

    1) If you use "Reply With Quote" (to the right of "Reply") as I have here, folks will know to whom you are responding and that person will get a notification.

    2) You can also tag folks using the "@" symbol and their user name (as I have done yours) - they'll also get a notification that way.

    3) You can create a signature block with your RV and tow vehicle information (see mine below). That way you won't have to repeat that information whenever you post or ask a question - and others won't have to ask. You can create a signature by going to:

    Forum Actions (on menu bar) -> Edit Profile -> Edit Signature (under My Settings on the left)

    Now... to your question(s). Heat distribution in the Transcends is a fairly common complaint - especially in the bunkhouse models. Taping the joints at the plenum with aluminum tape (after making sure the ducts are firmly on the outlets and any clamps are tight), straightening out ducting, and partially blocking the outlets closest to the furnace and the common remedies people have found. We also use a small, portable space heater to knock the chill off in the bathroom for showers and to set next to my wife's chair on really cold evenings (her internal thermostat is about 15 degrees off from mine).

    Rob
    U.S. Army Retired
    2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
    Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
    (Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
    Full time since 08/2015

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