Furnace blower works but heat won't cycle - dealer not sure when this can be fixed

[BarnhartRV]

Not a happy Heartland owner right now - we bought the North Trail on November 1st - yes - barely 60 days ago - took our first trip over Christmas to the Texas Gulf Coast - there were some beautiful days and then the weather turned much colder just before New Years. The furnace worked fine for a couple of days and then it would cycle on - could hear the blower - but when the propane heat started to kick in - we could count to 5 or 6 seconds and then it would cycle off- we changed out propane tanks - just in case - but we didn't figure we had used much propane and the new full tank didn't make a difference. We gave up and went to Wal-Mart and bought a couple of small electric heaters - just to stay warm and then finally had enough of the cold and cut our vacation short and headed back to north Texas where it was much warmer - lol. Yes - this was our very first trip in our new trailer and a ruined vacation......we called the dealer today and there is no choice but to take it to the Fort Worth dealer (over 50 miles away) and there was no commitment as to when they would look at it or get around to fixing it - it just has to sit there and wait its turn. Seriously??? A brand new North Trail and they can't commit to fixing it by any particular date? How can this be? Very very disappointed......we are retired people and this was a big commitment and we were so much looking forward to short trips in the coming weeks. So very disappointing!! Welcoming any suggestions..........

 

[danemayer]

Hi BarnhartRV,

A couple of things you could check that might avoid a trip to the dealer. First, when you change to a different tank, you have to open the valve very, very slowly. The tanks have an overflow protection device. If you open the valve too quickly, it will activate, blocking propane flow. Second, if that doesn't get things going, swap the tanks. If you have a pigtail problem, by swapping tanks, you can try it on the known good pigtail.

As for dealer turnaround time, some dealers are better than others, but generally speaking, dealer turnaround time is pretty bad. I'm surprised though at this time of year that they won't prioritize fixing yours. One thing you might do is call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN # ready. Ask if they can point you to an independent servicer, or perhaps a mobile servicer who's nearby and is authorized to perform warranty service. Heartland is pretty flexible about authorizing non-dealers to do warranty work, but you need advance approval. And since the furnace warranty (if the furnace is broken) is provided by the furnace manufacturer, the servicer needs to be authorized for warranty work by the furnace manufacturer.

If you use a mobile servicer, they typically charge for travel time, which won't be reimbursed under warranty, but it can often cost less than towing the rig to a distant dealership, dropping it off, and then making another trip to pick it up.

 

[BarnhartRV]

Hi - thanks for the suggestions - we already tried the slow-motion step and it did not have a good result - my hubby is pretty handy - he used to have an HVAC and regfrig repair business - but he doesn't want to do anything that could violate a warranty. This is an Atwood product and the only area repair listed on their site is the very same RV dealer - not sure if they would approve another repair person - not sure how that works.

 

[danemayer]

Hi - thanks for the suggestions - we already tried the slow-motion step and it did not have a good result - my hubby is pretty handy - he used to have an HVAC and regfrig repair business - but he doesn't want to do anything that could violate a warranty. This is an Atwood product and the only area repair listed on their site is the very same RV dealer - not sure if they would approve another repair person - not sure how that works.

Any RV dealership will be authorized by Atwood, and any independent shop that does warranty work would also be authorized. Their service coordinators should be able to tell you if they are. The complication is that if you have a regulator or pigtail problem, Heartland would cover the warranty on those components. I'd suggest calling Heartland to get a pointer to another service location.

 

[TravelTiger]

I can recommend Blue Moon Mobile Repair, they are based in Carrollton, TX. You can take your rig to them as well.


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[BarnhartRV]

Any RV dealership will be authorized by Atwood, and any independent shop that does warranty work would also be authorized. Their service coordinators should be able to tell you if they are. The complication is that if you have a regulator or pigtail problem, Heartland would cover the warranty on those components. I'd suggest calling Heartland to get a pointer to another service location.

OK - Now I'm TRULY impressed!!! Got a call from Heartland Customer Service early this morning - told him all our woes and he talked to the repair shop that is near us and authorized a repair - WOW - that was amazing - I have to say this customer service individual was truly willing to ""think outside the box"" and was authorized to back that us. VERY IMPRESSED right now!!

 

[TxCowboy]

Happy to hear you are getting good customer service. We too have been very happy with Heartland's support team.