Furnace Removal

I have a 2019 Heartland Trailrunner 27RKS. The furnace stopped igniting. Heartland technical support said I need to replace the sail switch. However, I can find no way to get to it. There's no access panel on the outside. There are two fake panels to get to it. But you don't room to open the top of the furnace. It looks like it will have to be removed. Any suggestion on how to do that? I've looked for youtube videos but can't seem to find any. This is setup in a permanent spot with a deck attached so I can't take it to a dealership. Any help would be greatly apricated.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Steve,

If there's no exterior access, you'll have to figure out how to remove the furnace. But I'm surprised as there pretty much has to be both an intake and exhaust vent on the exterior. That's where the access panel is typically located.

But maybe back up a bit. I'm also surprised that Heartland Customer Service was able to provide this specific guidance. They typically don't have that level of technical knowledge. So a review might be in order:

When the thermostat calls for heat, you may hear a "click" inside the coach which would be a relay at or near the air conditioner. The furnace blower will start running, pushing cold air for about 20-25 seconds. At that point, there should be 3 ignition attempts. I think you would be able to hear the ignition attempts if standing by the intake/exhaust vents.

If you have a sail switch failure, the blower runs and pushes a normal amount of air out the vents. But after 25 seconds, a failing sail switch prevents the ignition attempt.

So...if the blower is running for 25 seconds and pushing what seems like a normal amount of air, it could be the sail switch. But if you can hear the ignition attempt while standing next to the intake/exhaust vent, then it's not the sail switch.

If the blower doesn't run, it's not the sail switch.
 
Thanks for the reply. Heartland technical support told me it was the sail switch or the control board because I explained to them what it was doing...just has you noted. The blower runs for 30 seconds then stops. There appears to be no attempt to ignite.

There is no external access. Only the exhaust is vented out. The furnace is under the cabinet/bar area. It has a storage slide over the furnace. The only possible way I can see to get to it is remove the molding and paneling on this side of the cabinet. I was just hoping there was an easier way. My wife is very concerned (freaking out actually) when I told her what I was going to have to do to get to the furnace.

See image. Furnace is under the big cabinet on the left.

image2.jpg
 

danemayer

Well-known member
If the cabinet/bar is a separate assembly adjoining the rest of the kitchen counter/cabinets, it may just have a few screws holding it in place.
 

centerline

Well-known member
what brand of furnace is it that it has no air inlet from the outside, but only an exhaust outlet.... a furnace such as that would noot be legal unless there is a hole in the trailer somewhere for fresh air to get in....

the combustion air needs to come from outside, and the exhaust needs to go to the outside.... if the furnace is taking combustion air from the interior of the trailer, and is exhausting it to the outside, there has to be a dedicated opening some where directly to the outside that can NOT be closed off.... the reason being is that if the combustion air is being taken from the interior, it will deplete the oxygen level and can+ cause death.....


so once we figure out what brand and type of furnace you have, we can help.... if in fact it is a suburban furnace, what you are needing to do is a very easy task... but looking at it and trying to figure it out, can seem like very difficult job. its not.....
 
what brand of furnace is it that it has no air inlet from the outside, but only an exhaust outlet.... a furnace such as that would noot be legal unless there is a hole in the trailer somewhere for fresh air to get in....

the combustion air needs to come from outside, and the exhaust needs to go to the outside.... if the furnace is taking combustion air from the interior of the trailer, and is exhausting it to the outside, there has to be a dedicated opening some where directly to the outside that can NOT be closed off.... the reason being is that if the combustion air is being taken from the interior, it will deplete the oxygen level and can+ cause death.....


so once we figure out what brand and type of furnace you have, we can help.... if in fact it is a suburban furnace, what you are needing to do is a very easy task... but looking at it and trying to figure it out, can seem like very difficult job. its not.....


It's an atwood. The only part external to the RV is this https://highskyrvparts.com/rv-parts...ic-atwood-furnaces/dometic-furnace-vent-31809. I'm assuming this is the exhaust AND intake? The rest of the unit is under the cabinet.

Two other thoughts on this issue.
  1. I am using shore power in a campground (RV is setup in a permanent location). The AC circuit breaker did trip this weekend and I only had DC lights until I reset it. They were VERY weak. Is it possible the DV voltage is too low to ignite the furnace (or activate the sail switch)? Does it ONLY use DC to ignite? I will try to charge the battery next weekend.
  2. In the fuse panel, there is a fuse that says "furnace". When I pull it, the blow fuse led does not light. It does light if I pull any other fuse. Does this indicate an issue? Fan does still come one for 30 seconds so I was assuming this was not an issue.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
It's an atwood. The only part external to the RV is this https://highskyrvparts.com/rv-parts...ic-atwood-furnaces/dometic-furnace-vent-31809. I'm assuming this is the exhaust AND intake? The rest of the unit is under the cabinet.

Two other thoughts on this issue.
  1. I am using shore power in a campground (RV is setup in a permanent location). The AC circuit breaker did trip this weekend and I only had DC lights until I reset it. They were VERY weak. Is it possible the DV voltage is too low to ignite the furnace (or activate the sail switch)? Does it ONLY use DC to ignite? I will try to charge the battery next weekend.
  2. In the fuse panel, there is a fuse that says "furnace". When I pull it, the blow fuse led does not light. It does light if I pull any other fuse. Does this indicate an issue? Fan does still come one for 30 seconds so I was assuming this was not an issue.
The furnace uses 12V DC exclusively, so if voltage is low, you'll have a problem with the blower not getting up to full speed and the sail switch may not activate. But when on shore power, if the Power Converter is operating normally, it should be supplying 13.2-13.6 volts. On the tank indicator panel, one indicator shows battery level. That's really either Power Converter output, or battery level, or for that matter, output from the tow vehicle. If you don't have 4 lights while on shore power, the converter is not working correctly.

At the fuse box, the LEDs next to each fuse illuminate if there is a blown (or removed) fuse, AND a load on the circuit. With the fuse removed, if the thermostat calls for heat, the LED should illuminate. But keep in mind that the labels on the fuses can sometimes mislead for various reasons.
 

centerline

Well-known member
the atwood is fairly easy as well, but i would suggest you go online and search... atwood furnace repair manual .... as its more involved than the suburban brand, and harder to access the wiring and gas line... but the access for removal is from the interior intake grill....

and check the reset button, as it may just need to be reset to start working properly again...
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
I removed the propane furnace from my Sundance travel trailer. Like you, my furnace just had the vent on the outside and no furnace panel.

My furnace was installed below the range. I saw you mentioned two fake panels but I'm unclear where your furnace is. If it happens to be below the range, my process was:
1. Turn off propane at tanks
2. Light stove and burn off propane in lines
3. Remove range (includes disconnecting propane and DC wires)
4. Remove cold air return grill below range
5. Disconnect ducts from furnace
6. Disconnect propane and DC wires (be sure to take photos of all wiring before disconnecting)
7. Remove exterior furnace vent grill
8. Remove screws holding furnace in place, then remove furnace
 
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