In need of opinions

[NSTS1470]

Where to start. Over the season I would see soot coming out of the exhaust of the heater. If heated fine, no problems at all. It's at the rv center now and they claim now that when they ran it there was no soot. They say from outside all looks and runs good. But then told me that it would cost 2hrs labor (roughly $150)to take it out and inspect. but they assured me they saw no soot. My question is, could this be possible that it now no longer blows soot?


Question 2, in regards to my slide out. On occasion(prob 1 out of 5 times) when I go to extend it it makes a ratchet type sound but doesnt move. Give it a push and then it will go. Once started it goes out fine and never has a problem retracting. Dealer told me that I need a whole new actuator/motor and they will have a price for me on tues once they call Keystone. Holy ****, that seems a bit much considering it is only on the initial start of extending. so does this seem correct.

I dont know enough about these things and hate to get screwed by the rv center. Any help on these things would be greatly appreciated.

[NSTS1470]

anybody, Please help?

[SteveC7010]

I am relatively new to sliders so I think I will defer to others.

But, I do know a bit about RV furnaces. There are two initial causes of soot from the furnace that I would look into before taking it to a RV shop for expensive repairs.

First, the orifice and burner tube needs to be looked at and cleaned. Any obstruction in the tube alters the air/fuel mix and can produce soot. There are some insects that just love the propane and/or the captene in it so they will nest there when they can.

Second, the combustion chamber should be inspected and cleaned. Repair shops use a long cleaning tool that resembles a brush for cleaning test tubes but bigger. I've used my shop vac by removing the plastic end and just shoving the flex hose into the chamber and stack. Some feather dusters or similar can be adapted to work. I can even envision a swiffer duster being modified to work.

BTW, the above generally applies to the fridge and water heater, too.

Looking at Suburban's website, they don't offer manuals unlike Atwood or Dometic. Every FAQ they have there wants you to go to your dealer or a qualified RV tech for any service at all. http://www.rvcomfort.com/suburban/

I know I'd be getting my tools out and taking a look-see for my self before dragging my trailer back to the dealer and paying money for them to look at it, but that is a decision you'll have to make.

[JRTJH]

Steve's advice is sound on the cleaning and repair of your furnace. Spider webs have a nasty way of making things not get enough air... A baby bottle brush and a shop vac are usually all that's needed. And to answer your question, yes it is possible to have a small blockage in the vent, develop soot and when the furnace gets hot enough, to burn away the blockage and not have any further soot.

As for the slide, it sounds more like an adjustment problem on the travel switch rather than an actuator problem. If you look at the Lippert website, (or do a search here for the links) you'll find pretty simple and clear instructions on how to adjust the travel on your slide. In fact, I think there's a topic on here complete with pictures and step by step instructions on the adjustment. It's pretty simple, just need to take your time and not "overadjust" on the first few tries, it's better to do it 3 or 4 times than get it too far the other way and lose your reference. I'd guess yours is set to travel in a little too much, and when it contacts the side of your RV, it moves further in, just enough to bind the actuator. When you push against the slide, you free the actuator and it works properly. It doesn't happen all the time, so it's not critically far out of adjustment, rather just needs a slight tweeking.....

If your RV is in warranty and the dealer is going to repair it for free, that's up to you, but if you're paying for the repair, if it were me, I'd wait until it actually breaks (which it probably won't if you adjust the travel switch). But, just to be sure, I'd run through the manual operation instructions and be sure you know how to manually retract the slide, just in case..... It's always better to be prepared rather than caught by suprise !!!!!

[MILBY]

My friend has a 326 and had that problem with his slide and all he had to do was make an adjustment(not sure what) I would check around on this site before I spent alot of money. They seem very helpfull on here for the most part

[NSTS1470]

thanks for all the advice. I will be speaking with the rv center on tues and will bring this point up on the slide. I will also try cleaning the furnace myself. thanks again