Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Tech Forums > Repairs & Maintenance
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 03-26-2018, 05:38 AM   #1
AM1958
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 19
Furnace and fridge no LP gas.

Hi,

I just got the trailer, (2014 Bullet 31BHPR), out of storage for a trip to Myrtle Beach beginning Friday. I got it home, plugged it in to shore power, turned on the fridge and it went, appropriately, to AC. I tried to turn on the furnace to take the chill off and the blower motor comes on for 20-30 seconds but I don't hear the igniters clicking. I left the fridge on and disconnected from shore power after turning on and lighting the stove to prove LP gas is flowing. The igniters click merrily away but nothing happens. Thinking the battery may be low I left it plugged in to shore power overnight.

This morning the furnace acts in the same fashion as does the fridge. Battery tests in the 12.8-13.1 range. I completely disconnected both gas bottles and reconnected them all. No change in fridge or furnace. I put all the stove burners on full for 30 seconds or so to ensure consistent pressure. All seems fine. I briefly turned on the LP side of the water heater with the cover open. It lit immediately with a strong blue flame.

I will have full hookup in Myrtle Beach and have electric heaters so that isn't an issue I can't overcome. Since it is a two day trip there, (in SE Michigan), I'd like to be able to run the fridge while traveling.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to what I should do next?
AM1958 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2018, 05:49 AM   #2
gkainz
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Arvada, CO
Posts: 709
spider web in the jet(s)? Especially after storage?
__________________
2010 Laredo 245RL
2007 Dodge Ram 2500 CTD 4x4
Andersen Ultimate Gooseneck mount
gkainz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2018, 06:02 AM   #3
AM1958
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 19
Blew the furnace out with compressed air for just that event, I forgot to put it in my "List of things already done"...
AM1958 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2018, 06:30 AM   #4
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,848
The refrigerator usually takes 3 or 4 "complete ignition cycles" (that's 3 lighting attempts per cycle followed by a "Fail" light) before all the air is purged out of the lines. Depending on furnace location/gas line length, it may take a couple for the furnace as well. So, I'd suggest at least 4 or 5 attempts. Let the appliance completely cycle through the three attempts, go into "fail", then turn it off and let it sit a minute, turn back on and let it "cycle through again"....

If that doesn't work, check the fuses on the refrigerator (in the lower outside door, behind the black plastic cover is the control board with 2 glass fuses). If the fuses are OK, then remove the access door from the flame chimney (rear lower right hand side) and use a tooth brush to clean any carbon/dirt from the pilot assembly and sparker). As for the furnace, I'd suspect that there is "something" in the gas delivery system. Either spider webs, dirt, a mouse nest, etc. Did you cover the two furnace outlets on the outside of the trailer before storage? If not, there may be something that "crawled in there and set up housekeeping".... It doesn't take much to disrupt the air flow and shut down the ignition sequence.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2018, 08:20 AM   #5
AM1958
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 19
UPDATE:

I fired up the LP water heater to heat a tank of water to test and it went for 30 seconds and died. I retried and it started dying after about 5 seconds. I blew it out with compressed air and it runs normally now.

After this I tried letting the fridge do a complete 3 tries to light and fail cycle though one had taken place when I first fired it up. I disconnected short power with the fridge off and turned it on. It went through the cycle and failed. I turned it off and on again and it fired right up on gas and I instigated a series of "connect/disconnects" from shore power checking the fridge between each connection or disconnection. It functioned perfectly.

So, despite standing there for 20 minutes or so turning on the furnace, listening to the fan for 20-30 seconds and then have it cut out, turning the furnace off for 30-60 seconds and turning it on again only to have the same thing happen I can say I have made some progress.

Where exactly is the jets for the furnace? I'm getting confused. Last year the furnace wouldn't light, I blew out what I thought to be the furnace jets and it worked straight away. Now, having blown out the same place again with no good result I find that when the fridge started working on LP the area I thought was the furnace jets gets warm.



In the picture the jets I thought were the furnace jest are behind the panel with the red circle on it. There are the jets and a "sliding circle" where the arrow points that I have blown out both where the jets enter and through the "sliding circle". This is also the region that gets warm when the fridge is on. The contacts circled in blue give me 13.7V consistently.

Does this trigger a cause in anyone?
AM1958 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2018, 08:31 AM   #6
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,848
The picture you posted is of your refrigerator. The furnace is not a part of anything posted in those photos.... Typically, the furnace is behind the 5"x10" chrome panel with the two 2" holes in it that sits on the outside of your RV.

When you start the furnace sequence, once the fan starts, do you hear any "clicking" ?? You should hear a sequence of clicks as the ignitor arcs to ground. That "click/click/click/click" should occur, followed by a couple seconds delay and another sequence, another delay and another sequence of clicks... Total of three sequences, then the fan shuts off and the furnace goes into "lockout".

If you aren't hearing the "clicking sequence" chances are your furnace control board is not getting power (fuse or loose wire) or is not working properly.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2018, 10:43 AM   #7
AM1958
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 19
You've got me then mate... This is the side of my trailer:-



The furnace is behind the wall circled. The grill above is the fridge and to the right is the water heater.

I have taken off the grill inside the trailer under the fridge proper and can see the ducts taking the warm air around the trailer but there is nothing serviceable there without, possibly, removing the entire furnace. Everything I have read implies that the furnace should be fully serviceable without having to remove it.
AM1958 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2018, 10:58 AM   #8
B-O-B'03
Senior Member
 
B-O-B'03's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,085
Quote:
Originally Posted by AM1958 View Post
You've got me then mate... This is the side of my trailer:-



The furnace is behind the wall circled. The grill above is the fridge and to the right is the water heater.

I have taken off the grill inside the trailer under the fridge proper and can see the ducts taking the warm air around the trailer but there is nothing serviceable there without, possibly, removing the entire furnace. Everything I have read implies that the furnace should be fully serviceable without having to remove it.
The silver square, under the fridge, in your black circle, is the exhaust for the furnace. I have not seen many trailers that have service access for furnaces on the outside in quite some time.

The control board on my furnace was damaged by a water leak and the whole furnace needed to be removed from the compartment under the fridge, from inside.

-Brian
__________________
2014 Bullet Premier 22RBPR - let the camping commence!
2013 F150 Platinum - 5.0 - 3.55 ELD + towing package
B-O-B'03 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2018, 01:57 PM   #9
instymp
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Weaverville, NC
Posts: 86
Am assuming tanks are full, & regulator is working right?
instymp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2018, 04:04 PM   #10
AM1958
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by instymp View Post
Am assuming tanks are full, & regulator is working right?
Since I now have the water heater, (on LP gas), the stove, (all three burners on full for a minute or more), and the fridge successfully running through multiple changes from shore power to 12V and back I have to assume that, for the largest part the LP system is functional...

Now I'm looking for that little gem of information that will send me down the right road to get the darned thing going...
AM1958 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2018, 07:12 AM   #11
Chief Mole
Senior Member
 
Chief Mole's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Midlands of South Carolina
Posts: 277
Not knowing your interior layout, my first question is what if above the water heater next to the fridge? (my guess is a sink ) I'll bet that under whatever is there has an access panel that you can remove with a Roberts (square) head screwdriver, usually the #2 size bit. With that removed, you should be able to see the furnace unit, maybe even enough to access it to see if a wee beastie has set up camp themselves. If not there, then under the fridge, but that is going to be some cramped quarters if your fridge is mounted low. Hope that this is some help.
__________________
Bill & Anne, Athena (cat), Jada (pup), and Cupcake (cat)
Retired Navy CPO, Vollie Firefighter and Industrial Maintenance Specialist

Wilson III: 2015 Ram Tradesman 2500 6.4l CC 4x4 SB
the gypsy, Belle III: 2018 Sprinter Limited 3531 FWDEN
Chief Mole is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2018, 06:44 AM   #12
{tpc}
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Berkley
Posts: 750
We have a similar situation every year when first getting out of storage. The first time I thought I had a bad regulator or switching unit up on the propane tanks, and was ready to go buy a new one.

Turns out, what works every time is firing up the outside grill which attaches all the way at the back of the trailer. Its the furthest point from the tanks. Once i get the grill lit, everything else works. I figure its just air in the line at some point causing the issue, but I honestly have no idea why that fixes it.
__________________
2022 Ford F150 3.5 Ecoboost SCrew 4x4 MaxTow
2020 Salem Hemisphere Hyper-Lyte 25RBHL
{tpc} is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
fridge, furnace, gas

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 07:04 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.