T2499 HW Heater ByPass Access - A Different Way.

[JohnB]

Fellow Campers

This mod has been a long tome coming. On the T2499 the HW heater is buried under the couch along with the furnace. And under the couch is a piece of Luan board that was screwed down. The first time I had to get in here to flip the HW bypass valve or check the fittings for tightness, I had to yank out the couch base to get to the heater . Mine is a 2004 and do not know if they changed anything on the newer models, but this is what I have.

From that first time I went in to this area I knew something had to give. What an ordeal just to flip the bypass valve that takes a whopping 3 seconds once you can find it. So I left the screws out of the Luan board so I could at least slide the board out and twist my head and body into a contortionist act to get to the heater. At least I did not have to lift the couch. This pacified me for a few years. Every now and then the board would slip out and drop down up against the wall…. So back to the yoga exercises to get it back in place.

Then Kayon Kitty had to get into her heater to replace the heating element and she popped a few good pic’s of the area which got me to thinking. H’mm, there has to be a better way then what I have now. Last weekend the Luan board drooped off again and, OK this is the last time….

So this weekend a new project was born. Here it is.

Here is the T2499 couch setup. Oh and that is the Fern Blue motif.


Here is the lower part of the couch off that has to come out to get at the frame screws. And that piece of Luan board is already off. Now you can get to the HW heater. You can also see there is no support in the middle or along the wall to hold up that Luan board. It slides under the rug by the wall, rests on the HW heater Styrofoam and the plywood box to the right of the furnace. It is supported along the full front. When it pulls forward and drops down in front of that carpet on the back wall, err that’s when it is a bear to get back in with the couch on.


Here is a top shot by the HW heater area before any mods.


And here is a top shot by the furnace area before any mods. Seeing this unused space sparked a thought.


After pondering what to do with this and seeing the available space, this is what I came up with. I already stashed an emergency roof patch kit next to the HW heater in the event I had an issue on the road. But getting to it was complex but it was better than nothing the day I needed it, in the middle of no where, on a Sunday. I had to get under that Luan board still, again doable, just another body twisting.

So here is what I did. I cut 2 door openings. One by HW heater, the other by the furnace.


And I made up a sliding door track and placed it over the openings.


Made up the doors, made a compartment for the furnace area to hold the Dirt Devils to not slide around hitting the furnace duct hoses. Added an extra support in the middle to hold up the Luan board and added one by the HW heater so the board would not rest on top of it. Here it is back in the camper.


I also had to fiddle with air ducts so they would not get pinched and that they had good flow in the turns or equal to what was there originally. Here is a top shot of the Dirt Devil garage.


And a view looking in the garage door.


And here is a top shot of the HW heater area. NOTE: I did not want to put anything next to the furnace that was not there already. Did not want to block any access or add anything that heat could affect when the furnace is running.


And now…..what started this entire endeavor. Getting to the HW heater bypass with out being a contortionist. Just slide the door open, reach in and touch it. This also helps make it easier for annual maintenance to check all hose fittings for tightness.


Here is the couch going back on with the Luan board now with 1 screw in it to keep it from moving around.


On this couch we can fold the front material flaps up. We do this when we are using the furnace so air will go into the furnace better and come out the one heat duct better.


Or you can have them hang down and hide everything and never know I ever did anything.


Hope this helps spark some ideas for others. Like I said, seeing Kitty’s lift off couch and Hutch’s water pump swinging door helped fueled this modification. What a great site we have with a bunch of campers willing to share.

Happy Camping

John

[kanyonkitty]

John,

Great job and photos. You got me wondering "IF" my sofa could have been removed in two sections. I lifted the entire sofa out as one piece. I love you fabric and wallboard color. Well, now I will have to get to my bypass access panel, you have put thoughts into my head. But, you have better tools than I do. OH, I also am planning another project. Since I have the twin bed option, there is a nightstand between the head of the beds. Well, that is where Sunline put the electrical receptacle and cable tv connection. NOT able to watch TV unless I sleep with myself backwards in bed. I am contemplating, removing the drivers side bed, to see "IF" I can re-route the cable and electric to the wall where the shower access panel is. That wall is also where my remote start for the genny is located. I am leary of this project, as I'm not very good with electrical. OH, well, will keep everyone informed of my progress.

Keeps the mods coming,

Kitty

[PTHutch]

John,

Excellent job, and you got that all done in a week-end!? Amazing.

Thanks for sharing.

Hutch

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by kanyonkitty

John,

Snip...

You got me wondering "IF" my sofa could have been removed in two sections. I lifted the entire sofa out as one piece.

....
Keeps the mods coming,

Kitty

Kitty

See here how my lower and back cushion are bolted on. You just take off those 2 nuts, 9/16" wrench, on both the left and right side and the cushion is in your lap.

It's a litte challange to get back on as you are holding the cushion with 1 hand scewing the nut on with the other, but still beats dealing the wood scews in the frame with the lower cushion in place.

The 2 nuts on each side


The bracket with the cushion off. Both sides look like this.


How in the world did you get those frame scews out with both cushion on and then how did you get that monster out of there.......

On the TV. I'll pop some pics of mine and post. My TV shelf is on the wall on the back of the shower. I never use it for the TV but is preped for it.

John

PS 1. The mods, allready have more, just have to post.

PS 2. The tools, gee thanks. They have been a long time collecting the edition. I grew up on a fruit and vegetable farm in upstate NY. Grandpa Ben and Uncle Art never hired much of anything out. We always did everything ourselves. Roof on the barn, learned how to lay shingle, pour a new floor, learned how to float concrete, build a new shed, learned how to build buildings, speed sprayer motor died, learned how to rebuild engines, needed a trailer frame, learned how to weld and so on.

When a project came up and we did not have the tools, it was cheaper to buy the tools and do the work ourselves. So over time the collection became bigger and the assortment very large and across most all trades.

When Grandma/Grandpa passed away, young Johnny picked up the farm and the bills. So I carried on for a number of years and continued the tool buying practice per project. The Radial arm saw you see now just turned 26 years old. When my son was born, I made him a maple dresser, cradle and crib. Perfected some how to deal with hard woods. Now son all grown up and grand kids now using the crib, cradle and dresser and now Grandpa John still uses the saw to build camper projects.

Sold the farm and when we moved to Ohio, I brought all the tools with me and some of the large farm toys. So I have the collection, but not the farm. And now the time to actually do some projects when work leaves me in the state for a weekend.

I’ll get you the TV pics.

John