[VAC] Re: Coleman furnace

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Checked with my contact at Allied.  Big issue is the liability coverage, 
and no parts support from manufacturers because of that.  Here is his 
(name withheld) take on it:

Most heater units if taken care of are no more dangerous than when they 
were new 30-40-50 years ago, but we as a society are.  Back then people 
still accepted a personal responsibility for their own safety, and took 
it upon themselves to check the operation and condition annually, knew 
to sleep with a window and vent open, and were just more mechanically 
inclined than the general public is nowadays.

His advice (and I agree), is that if you provide combustion air with 
proper ventilation, and verify the combustion chamber doesn't have any 
leaks and the vent flue is open and clear, the older convection heaters 
are still going to give you years of safe service.  A CO2 detector can 
be an additional insurance policy.  To find someone other than yourself 
to repair an older heater will be rather difficult, though.

We use both our 37 year old Hydro-Flame and 46 year old Day & Night in 
our Airstream's regularly, but then again I have diassembled and 
reassembled both units and know every square inch of them.

These older units used no electricity, something only the catalytics 
nowadays can boast. The older furnaces can also warm up a cold trailer 
quickly, something a catalytic can't do - they are good for maintaining 
temperatures once acheived - especially at night.  And let's face it, 
the older furnaces look cool compared to the hidden noisy under counter 
boxes that pass for RV heaters today.

No easy answers.

Best of luck,
RJ
'65 Caravel
'57 Flying Cloud