Minimum bend for hot air from Propex?

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Minimum bend for hot air from Propex?

Postby TCJ » Fri Feb 18, 2022 10:52 am

Thinking about where I'm going to put my Propex HS2000 heater. I've studied all the threads on Propex installs, including this one:
https://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=72075&p=1271154&hilit=propex+heater+installation#p1254220
and I still am not clear on one thing:

How tight can I bend the OUTLET duct from the heater? Or, another way of asking, what is the minimum length I need to install the heater, from the propane fitting on one end to the bent outlet hose on the other?

eLink's install (from the previously cited thread) looks like he's using a 90-degree fitting on the INPUT side but a gentle bend on the OUTPUT side. I contacted Suremarine (NA distributor of Propex) and they strongly advised against using the Webasto W298-49A (https://www.suremarineservice.com/Heat/Duct-Wyes-Tees-and-Elbows/W298-49A.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiApL2QBhC8ARIsAGMm-KGBB1FFBMmL43IacAdy0Lzz8_ts9oNGJWo6Z1ErA3PoeYP_pgSyTMUaAmzUEALw_wcB) because the bend is so tight. The one eLink used, apparently available on eBay, looks to be less restrictive than the Webasto, but still . . . don't want to choke the heater and cause it to shut down.

On the other hand, both Tony Latham's and eLink's installs using a 90-degree bend somewhere in the outlet duct, so assuming that they're working OK, does it matter if the 90-degree bend is right at the heater?

While I ultimately plan to use the noise-dampening duct to carry hot air to the outlet port, I'm not against using the regular duct to make the bend outside the heater since I understand it can be bent to a tighter radius.
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Re: Minimum bend for hot air from Propex?

Postby tony.latham » Sat Feb 19, 2022 6:05 pm

On the other hand, both Tony Latham's and eLink's installs using a 90-degree bend somewhere in the outlet duct, so assuming that they're working OK, does it matter if the 90-degree bend is right at the heater?


All's I can say is that we have never had a problem with our Propex. Never a blink. We use it a lot more than I thought we would.

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Re: Minimum bend for hot air from Propex?

Postby TCJ » Sat Feb 19, 2022 10:08 pm

Tony,

Thanks for responding. I'm pretty sure it'll be OK, but I'm anal enough to try to confirm before I design part of my teardrop galley around a space that may not be big enough. I ordered a cheap anemometer off eBay and will take some airflow readings with and without a 90-degree elbow . . . hopefully confirming my hunch that it'll be fine. I'll report my findings here.

Both of my friends who own teardrops responded "heater" when I asked them what changes they'd make if they had to do it again. So I'm pretty sure we'll use the Propex a lot too, especially since my wife is a thermal wimp and we'll be spending most of our time out your way (Idaho) at 6,000+ feet.
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Re: Minimum bend for hot air from Propex?

Postby tony.latham » Sat Feb 19, 2022 10:31 pm

Thanks for responding.


Anytime it gets chilly, we preheat the cabin. It's nice to crawl into a comfortable cabin.

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:thumbsup:

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