3260EL Electrical Problem - Furnace - Light Switch and TV - Need your thoughts please

Hello All,

Have a 2014 Bighorn 3260EL.

Having an electrical problem (I think). Here are some symptoms which are weird, and believe they may all (hopefully) be linked to the problem I am having:

1. If the light in the bedroom or the fan in the bathroom is on, the reception on our TV goes to zero.

2. We had our furnace working great, and then one day it just quit. We've only used it 4 or 5 times.

3. When you first enter the 5th Wheel, to the right as you are going up the steps to the bedroom, there are three things stacked on top of each other:

a. Fantastic Fan switch
b. Thermostat which controls the fan, air and furnace (fan and air work ok, no furnace)
c. Hallway light stitch.

The light stitch looks like it has a loose wire. I can get it to come on sometimes, other times it won't go on. I believe this to be one of the problems if not the complete problem.

Since all three of these are next to each other, could it be possible that they are all wired together and a loose wire is causing the problems?

Could there be a loose ground wire there?

If so, what (and how to do it) should I be removing to check it out? We just got back from a 3 week excursion with our RV, and home for a couple weeks, then heading back out to a Heartland regional rally at 7 Feathers Casino in Southern Oregon. So, taking it in to a dealer is impossible because they are so back logged right now.

Of course, as always your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks,

Char & Greg

First...turn of all power (12v an 120v) then remove the switch and plug away from wall. You'll be able to to see the connections.

Here is an example of what my 3 light switches look like (in bathroom) when removed.

Thanks for your feedback. Could that light switch in the hallway be causing my furnace not to work and TV interference (thinking maybe they are all wired in line since they reside so close to each other)? I no no means am an electrician, and am just guessing at this stage. Do you know how to remove the 3 way control (which controls the air, heat and fan)? Should I be even looking at that control? Sorry for all the questions.

Greg

Greg I think you were on the right track when you asked could it be the ground wires. Whenever I get a new RV, I tighten as many ground wires that I can find. This is my second HL and from what I have seen HL usually does a good job with grounds, but I would check. Usually there are grounding strip terminals located in several places. Try taking down the basement wall to see if there are any grounding strips. Usually behind the battery there is a strip. You could shut the 12 volt power off and unscrew the fuse box to look for a ground strip. Also tighten the wires in the box.
Good luck, hopefully it will be the first ground wire you find.

Probably not all of your problems are tied together...my guess is furnace is a separate problem.

TV going out is probably due to LED interference....which could be tied to the hall light not going on. LED's can and will interfere with TV reception. Others will chime in on how to fix it.

On switch issue.....turn the power out, if you are concerned, but if only 12 volts not a whole lot to worry about. If you find a loose wire....fix it.

If you don't know how go out on you tube or somewhere.....or ask a friend. The reason your dealer is backed up is he does not want to deal with your problems. If you give it to him it will sit on the back lot for months.

Your going to have to learn how to dive into most of these things yourself. I know the furnace might be a bigger problem....but even with that there is help here on the forum.

Good luck.

Thanks for the feedback. I pay a dealer to take care of my problems most of the time if I can't fix them myself. The reason any RV is in the shop is because of the problems the RV owner has not problems the dealer has. I appreciate you are most likely an expert at self repair, but I am learning as fast as I can. In the meantime, things happen which I am not qualified to even start looking for solutions let alone learn to fix myself. If I can, I surely will. That's why I ask questions here because most likely most people here have had problems and am thus asking for user group guidance on where to start.

With that said (and sorry for venting), any thoughts with respect to the furnace? I have heard it might be a motherboard? How can I test for that (no idea how to test ohms or anything like that). I find a ton of stuff on youtube which list how to fix things, just not the model and make of what I need to fix. The furnace does not click at all when you turn it on telling me it's not a gas problem. That's about all I know. Your thoughts?

Garypowell said:

Probably not all of your problems are tied together...my guess is furnace is a separate problem.

TV going out is probably due to LED interference....which could be tied to the hall light not going on. LED's can and will interfere with TV reception. Others will chime in on how to fix it.

On switch issue.....turn the power out, if you are concerned, but if only 12 volts not a whole lot to worry about. If you find a loose wire....fix it.

If you don't know how go out on you tube or somewhere.....or ask a friend. The reason your dealer is backed up is he does not want to deal with your problems. If you give it to him it will sit on the back lot for months.

Your going to have to learn how to dive into most of these things yourself. I know the furnace might be a bigger problem....but even with that there is help here on the forum.

Good luck.

Click to expand...

Those 3 items on the wall have their own separate wiring. The furnace thermostat merely shorts a wire when the temp reaches a set number. If you pull the thermostat, you can connect the wires together to see if the furnace starts. If not the issue can be closer to the ac unit and furnace. Since you are uncomfortable with a volt/ohm meter. It may be better to call a mobile repair man to look at it. If you are still under warranty, call heartland with your vin #. You may still have to pay for travel fee, but heartland should take care of parts.

Roller4tan said:

Those 3 items on the wall have their own separate wiring. The furnace thermostat merely shorts a wire when the temp reaches a set number. If you pull the thermostat, you can connect the wires together to see if the furnace starts. If not the issue can be closer to the ac unit and furnace. Since you are uncomfortable with a volt/ohm meter. It may be better to call a mobile repair man to look at it. If you are still under warranty, call heartland with your vin #. You may still have to pay for travel fee, but heartland should take care of parts.

Click to expand...

Thanks, makes sense... BTW.... WELCOME HOME!

I agree with previous posters that the problems are probably unrelated.

!st thing to check on the furnace would be the fuse box to make sure you don't have a blown fuse.

TV interference is likely from lights/fans that generate electromagnetic interference. Here's some info that might help.

danemayer said:

I agree with previous posters that the problems are probably unrelated.

!st thing to check on the furnace would be the fuse box to make sure you don't have a blown fuse.

TV interference is likely from lights/fans that generate electromagnetic interference. Here's some info that might help.

Click to expand...

Thanks to all. I'll use your info provided and get back when (being optimistic) the problems have been resolved. I have checked the fuses though (FYI).
Greg

GregBassine said:

Thanks to all. I'll use your info provided and get back when (being optimistic) the problems have been resolved. I have checked the fuses though (FYI).
Greg

Click to expand...

Worst case....you don't get it fixed before leaving for Rally. Then you'll have plenty of folks there, that can help. I'll be there Friday around 6-7pm and I'll be glad to help.

Oregon_Camper said:

Worst case....you don't get it fixed before leaving for Rally. Then you'll have plenty of folks there, that can help. I'll be there Friday around 6-7pm and I'll be glad to help.

Click to expand...

Look forward to meeting you, and thanks for the offer. I most likely will take you up on it <smile>.

Greg

The problem with the furnace is unrelated to the other issues, the A/C and fan work, the thermostat gets its power from the furnace to operate. The furnace will most likely have a wasp nest in it, not letting the blower spool up.

hoefler said:

The problem with the furnace is unrelated to the other issues, the A/C and fan work, the thermostat gets its power from the furnace to operate. The furnace will most likely have a wasp nest in it, not letting the blower spool up.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. When we turn on the furnace, there is no sound what so ever (no clicking or any sound which would let us know it wants to try to start). Would having a wasp nest in the furnace cause that to happen? If so, should I get my compressor out and blow into the outside furnace vent? Of course, my Heartland manual shows nothing with respect to my Suburban furnace (how to access and repair), so am kind of guessing any time I make any repairs. We have checked fuses just to make sure that's not the problem. Is there a circuit breaker that might need to be reset? If so, we have a 3260EL, where might that danged breaker be?

Your thoughts?

GregBassine said:

Thanks for the feedback. When we turn on the furnace, there is no sound what so ever (no clicking or any sound which would let us know it wants to try to start). Would having a wasp nest in the furnace cause that to happen? If so, should I get my compressor out and blow into the outside furnace vent? Of course, my Heartland manual shows nothing with respect to my Suburban furnace (how to access and repair), so am kind of guessing any time I make any repairs. We have checked fuses just to make sure that's not the problem.

Your thoughts?

Click to expand...

Greg....are you anywhere near Portland area?

I've used Matt from "That Trailer Guy" for years...he is the BEST! You will be amazed at his abilities and fair pricing. He can come to you or you can take the RV to him. He is in Dundee.

http://thattrailerguy.com/

Oregon_Camper said:

Greg....are you anywhere near Portland area?

I've used Matt from "That Trailer Guy" for years...he is the BEST! You will be amazed at his abilities and fair pricing. He can come to you or you can take the RV to him. He is in Dundee.

http://thattrailerguy.com/

Click to expand...

Thanks, good to know. We live in Tigard (how about you?). I will contact Matt and see if he can take a look. When we drive by (on our way to visit Char's Dad in McMinniville), Matt always looks so busy, so never thought to contact him. Is there a reset button on the furnace? If so, where might I find it in the 3260EL? I've looked and can't find one. Your thoughts?

GregBassine said:

Thanks, good to know. We live in Tigard (how about you?). I will contact Matt and see if he can take a look. When we drive by (on our way to visit Char's Dad in McMinniville), Matt always looks so busy, so never thought to contact him. Is there a reset button on the furnace? If so, where might I find it in the 3260EL? I've looked and can't find one. Your thoughts?

Click to expand...

We are in Beaverton.

Have you looked at these threads?

https://heartlandowners.org/showthr...d-then-slowly-opened-valve)?highlight=furnace

https://heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/64410-Furnace-this-morning-nothing?highlight=furnace

Oregon_Camper said:

We are in Beaverton.

Have you looked at these threads?

https://heartlandowners.org/showthr...d-then-slowly-opened-valve)?highlight=furnace

https://heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/64410-Furnace-this-morning-nothing?highlight=furnace

Click to expand...

I have not, but will check them out now, thanks. One thing which I was just informed is the furnace was running, it quit and we thought it was out of propane, The tanks didn't switch over, so switched it manually to the other tank. the furnace wouldn't start up so figured we'd go back to where we were originally and switched the propane tanks back. Now we can't get any spark or indication the furnace wants to work. Does that help anyone? BTW, I did remove hoses to tanks, replaced them then opened the valves very slowly to ensure no air lock. We are not getting the blower motor to start. Motherboard?

Are you batteries fully charged? Anything below 11v and I don't think the heater's computer will allow it to run.

Oregon_Camper said:

Are you batteries fully charged? Anything below 11v and I don't think the heater's computer will allow it to run.

Click to expand...

I'll check, we haven't done anything to the batteries since we bought the rig. We keep hooked up to shore power whenever we're home (including all winter) and of course at RV parks.

So long as we're hooked up to shore power, shouldn't it work ok? Sorry, a dummy here when it comes to how things work on the RV. Your thoughts?