Furnace
- Thread starter Rdsharp
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CoveredWagon
Well-known member
do you have the t’stat set correctly? Mode and zone.
danemayer
Well-known member
When the thermostat calls for heat, the first thing that normally happens is a relay clicks (usually overhead), and the furnace blower starts up. It may take 15-25 seconds for the blower to get up to speed before an ignition attempt is made.
So when you say "nothing", if you mean no blower and no relay click, then most likely no power is getting to the relay.
First thought: is this the same thermostat you've previously used to turn on the furnace. You probably have 2 or 3 thermostats - only one of them operates the furnace.
Second thought: check for a blown 12V DC fuse.
Third thought: if the thermostats are the same model, try swapping 2 of them to rule out a thermostat malfunction.
So when you say "nothing", if you mean no blower and no relay click, then most likely no power is getting to the relay.
First thought: is this the same thermostat you've previously used to turn on the furnace. You probably have 2 or 3 thermostats - only one of them operates the furnace.
Second thought: check for a blown 12V DC fuse.
Third thought: if the thermostats are the same model, try swapping 2 of them to rule out a thermostat malfunction.
I used my 2018 M245 Furnace for the first time last week. It worked fine Monday and Tuesday but I had to use an electric heater on Wednesday and Thursday to keep the trailer at a livable temperature. Symptom is the fan kicks on, runs for maybe a minute or two then it shuts off. After a while, it cycles the same again. I brought the unit home Thursday afternoon and the furnace worked correctly once after I parked the trailer and then went into the fan cycling mode with no ignition. Any thoughts on what might be preventing ignition?
I contacted camping world and they can't get me in for a diagnostic eval for two weeks; then they need to request warranty authorization and then, if parts are needed, they will need to order parts to perform the repair. I purchased the trailer primarily for Fall camping and it sounds like this whole autumn season is going to be a bust.
BTW...Atwood is the furnace manufacturer.
danemayer
Well-known member
Check the external furnace vents for leaves, insects, any other blockage. Make sure you have good gas flow - try closing the propane tank valves and then re-opening verrrrrry slowly. Switch the dual regulator to the other tank. Make sure you haven't blocked either the air return inside the coach, or restricted/covered any of the heat registers.
In this folder, we have a copy of Gary Brinck's Furnace Diagnostic guide, which may provide further help.
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
Try lighting a stove burner to be sure there is no air in the lines. And if you recently got the rig, be sure there is actually propane in the tanks. First time we used ours, way back when, we found out that neither was actually full. Cold & wet day to learn that.
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Appreciate the feedback. I got the rig at the end of March and have used it several time over the summer, but never had to use the furnace. I had been cooking with the stove burner Monday and Tuesday last week before the furnace stopped functioning so there shouldn't have been an air in the line issue. Actually, the propane tank was the first thing I though of when the furnace stopped working so I went out to check because I knew one was getting low. My second tank was off but when I lifted the number one tank, I could still feel propane swirling around in it. Just for fun, though, I just went out and lit my oven pilot and set my oven on 300 and then lit all three top burners...all functioned perfectly but the furnace will still not ignite.
Previously I tried Danemayer's suggestion of switching the tank selector to the other tank and then real slowly back to tank one. I also removed the exterior cover to the furnace and found a switch that had an "Off" and a "Reset" position. I turned that to "Off" and then back to "Reset". Then I went inside and turned on the furnace. The blower came on and the furnace ignited shortly afterward and started pushing nice warm air into the rig. I left the furnace on and monitored it for a while. It shut down and reignited through three normal cycles, keeping the interior around 75 degree during that time; and then it went back into the fail mode again. I've tried to reproduce the steps I did before when it started working today but to no avail.
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
It had been working for a couple of nights, then would try to fire and quit. Then it just didn’t do anything no matter what I set the thermostat to. Fortunately, it wasn’t real cold and we were going to end our season in a day or so. Flannel sheets and a comforter made sleeping comfy and a Lasko electric heater in the living room kept it comfy when the sun went down.
Dealer replaced the board for ~$200. But now I know how to pull the furnace out.
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Dealer replaced the board for ~$200. But now I know how to pull the furnace out.
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Domi
Well-known member
I had a very similar problem on our NT. It was what they call a Sail Switch. It is a micro switch that makes sure the fan is blowing before it will allow the furnace to fire. Sometimes ours worked and sometimes it did not.
They are easy to repalce once you rip the furnace out and apart.
If you want to do fall camping look for a mobile repair person and see if you can get Heartland to authorize them to repair it. It will cost you the trip charge but you will be back camping. Or just pay for the repair yourself. I think the switch was $20 the trip charge was $125. Best $145 I spent to go camping that weeekend. Even if it was a $100 board I would still be ahead since I got to go camping.
Just my own opinon but why lose weeks waiting for repairs at an RV dealer.
Good luck,
John
They are easy to repalce once you rip the furnace out and apart.
If you want to do fall camping look for a mobile repair person and see if you can get Heartland to authorize them to repair it. It will cost you the trip charge but you will be back camping. Or just pay for the repair yourself. I think the switch was $20 the trip charge was $125. Best $145 I spent to go camping that weeekend. Even if it was a $100 board I would still be ahead since I got to go camping.
Just my own opinon but why lose weeks waiting for repairs at an RV dealer.
Good luck,
John
Oldelevatorman
Well-known member
We had similar symptoms to yours. Worked, didn't work, on and on! First Heartland sent me a thermostat. Didn't help. Got a mobile guy out and he replaced the board and igniter and even took it home and bench tested. Worked fine and we left for a 3-month trip. Started messin' up again. Called mobile tech in Columbia Falls, MT. A young guy came and the first thing he asked was did anyone check the propane flow? I said no and he ended up replacing the two stage regulator cause of low flow. Just saying! Oh and don't go to CW for repairs, ever imo!
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Since that was an easy service, I went ahead and replaced the regulator...the furnace is still not functional. Good news is that everything else connected to propane still works. ;-)
Is Heartland responsible for the warranty service on the furnace or is Atwood, as the furnace manufacturer, responsible? If it is Atwood, there is an RV service shop about 5 miles from me who is an authorized Atwood service shop.
danemayer
Well-known member
Appliances are warranted by their respective manufacturers. If it's a manufacturing defect in the furnace, Atwood would cover it. But if it's an installation problem, Heartland would be responsible.
To cover you in either case, call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN # ready. Ask for approval to use the RV Service shop for warranty work.
Thank you to everyone for your feedback. After checking with a couple of other RV dealers in the area, I learned that there is a shortage of tech's to work on RV's and no one would be able to look at my furnace until mid-late November. I decided that if I had to wait until the 15th to get it into the dealer to have them investigate the problem, I might as well look into it a bit further myself. This morning I pulled the exterior cover and pulled the ignitor circuit card to see if there might be a loose connector on the board. As I was tugging/pushing on the available connectors, I noticed that one of the wires to the ignitor in the wall of the furnace was canted at an angle to its ignitor terminal so I tapped it lightly and it fully disconnected. I plugged it back onto the terminal until I felt it fully engage/slip onto the terminal. I put everything back together, turned the propane back on, lit the cook stove center burner just to be sure there was no air in the lines and then turned on the furnace. The blower came on as usual and, after a bit, the furnace ignited. I've been monitoring it for the past hour and a half and the thermostat/furnace continues to cycle and hold the trailer at temperature.
I'm heading out again for another week of camping tomorrow so I will leave the furnace on over night to to verify I've solved the problem. Wonder if one of the RV centers I spoke to would be interested in hiring a retired engineer part-time to help them with their back log.
I'm heading out again for another week of camping tomorrow so I will leave the furnace on over night to to verify I've solved the problem. Wonder if one of the RV centers I spoke to would be interested in hiring a retired engineer part-time to help them with their back log.
