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Old 11-04-2018, 05:49 AM   #1
Sailorpat1954
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Atwood furnace not firing

Hi all,
I have a passport 2018 2520 RL with a Atwood AFM series furnace.

We are up in northern Michigan and our furnace stop working yesterday. I have a extended warranty with a 200.00 deductible.

From searching the web it seems to be an easy fix by looking at the blinking lights on the control board. But I have to remove the furnace from under the refrigerator.

How hard is it to remove. I am handy and was an electrician my whole life (retired now [emoji16]

Thanks for any input

Thanks
Pat
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Old 11-04-2018, 07:37 AM   #2
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Pat:
If you are in N. Michigan today you are going to need that furnace! Frost on the rooftops here this morning. I have a 2007 Sprinter with a Suburban furnace. It was dead easy to remove:
1) Shut off gas and purge the lines
2) remove grate under fridge
3) remove plenum cover
4) disconnect gas supply
5) remove the two screws that mount it to the floor
6) pull the unit out of the cabinet - the intake and exhaust pipes just press on to the furnace

You'll probably have to cut the wires as I think they install the furnace before the cabinets. Mine the leads weren't long enough to pull the furnace out of the cabinet. I lengthened the leads and put some quick connectors on mine.

Remember to perform a soapy water leak test after you reconnect the gas line.

Good luck

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Old 11-04-2018, 07:38 AM   #3
tommy_z
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Went through this issue recently myself. It was suggested I had a control board problem, but it was just air in the propane line or corrosion on the flame sensor.

I wouldn't call removal difficult, rather tedious. You have to undo all the duct connections. The confined space and low position is what makes it a pain. Don't do it yet - Describe in more detail what is happening to you.
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Old 11-04-2018, 01:05 PM   #4
Sailorpat1954
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When I turn the thermostat to let’s say 90 degrees the fan of the furnace runs for about 20 seconds and then shuts down.

I have full propane tanks and my stove and frig both work fine.
Also I was connected to shore power.

BTW we are back in Dearborn and water lines are blown out.

Thanks
Pat
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Old 11-04-2018, 01:17 PM   #5
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When you turn the thermostat to heat and then ask for the furnace to run there are steps that the control board takes before it fires.

the control board is looking for enough RPM's from the fan (sail switch) not overheated ( limit switch) before it will tell the gas valve to open and the sparker to ignite. If the control board is good then one of the switches is probalby bad. There is an easy way to test once you have romved the furnace.

probably 4 wires to the furnace. HOT, GOUND and 2 from thermostat. use proper sized wire to hook the furnace up to a 12V source, then just put the two thermostat wires together and the furnace should start, Use an Ohm meter to test for continuity across the limit switch and the sail switch. other option is to use a test light. the wiring schematic will be on the furnace, and if you can follow the path you can test both switches.

There is a way to test the control board but it requires a special test tool that isnt cheap. Ours quit a few years ago and the boss never got a new one, so we just pull them out and test the switches and the gas valve with a test light.

This whole process may seem a bit daunting and if it is you dealer should be able to pull it out and diagnose it in less than an hour, We do it in 1/2 hr.
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Old 11-04-2018, 07:56 PM   #6
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The Atwood furnaces have a factory 2 year warranty, so you can get this working without a $200 deductible, just have to go through the process to get it fixed.
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Old 11-05-2018, 07:30 AM   #7
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Ok I have the furnace all disconnected. But I can not pull it free of the exhaust port . I don’t see an screws holding it. Does it take a lot pulling and wiggling to get it out ?

Thanks
Pat
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Old 11-05-2018, 07:49 AM   #8
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The exhaust ports are slid over the plenum tubes. You may have to take the screws out of the plate outside and pull the tubes out.
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Old 11-05-2018, 07:51 AM   #9
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Thanks Chuckster
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Old 11-05-2018, 10:04 AM   #10
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Hi everyone

Thank you all so much for you help.
I have the furnace out, and after calling Dometric’s warranty department I was informed that the unit had a 2 year factory warranty.

I received a phone call back from the service manager of General RV in Brownstown Mi.
He apologized for the confusion and told me there is no deductible.

I am bringing them the unit for fast repair, they don’t have a room for my trailer for 2 weeks. They room and personnel to do the repair if I bring it to them

I will be interested to see how long it takes

Regards
Pat
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Old 11-06-2018, 07:50 PM   #11
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Well general RV said my furnace worked fine on their bench . I picked it up and installed it and did not work.
I will call them and give them the trailer and them figure it.
I will post what the end result is.

Again thank you everyone for your help

Pat
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Old 11-07-2018, 04:32 PM   #12
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Ok furnace is working fine. I switched over to the other full propane tank and it fired right up. I guess there was enough propane in the first tank to light my stove and oven. But not enough pressure or something for my furnace to run.

Anyway it’s working fine and once again Thank You all for your help

Pat
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Old 11-07-2018, 05:28 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sailorpat1954 View Post
Ok furnace is working fine. I switched over to the other full propane tank and it fired right up. I guess there was enough propane in the first tank to light my stove and oven. But not enough pressure or something for my furnace to run.

Anyway it’s working fine and once again Thank You all for your help

Pat
Thanks for the update! New to my RV, and didn't know a low LP tank could cause issues with the furnace. Good to know!
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Old 11-07-2018, 06:02 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by Sailorpat1954 View Post
Ok furnace is working fine. I switched over to the other full propane tank and it fired right up. I guess there was enough propane in the first tank to light my stove and oven. But not enough pressure or something for my furnace to run.

Anyway it’s working fine and once again Thank You all for your help

Pat
Just a thought; your furnace stops and you have to do "stuff" to make it run again. Are you trying to leave one propane valve on and one off on your tanks? Then, when one runs out of fuel you then turn on the other tank? If so, you always run the problem of what you describe. I leave both on all the time; check them occasionally and more often when it's cold.
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Old 11-07-2018, 06:12 PM   #15
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Also when opening the valve on the tank be sure to open slowly or the safety shut off will trip & you'll get no gas. To cure this close the valve, loosen the hose fitting from the tank, reconnect, then open slowly.
One other thing, a low tank should not affect furnace operation, it's regulated down to about 30 psi before the furnace, so if there's anything in the tank the furnace should function properly.
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Old 11-07-2018, 08:27 PM   #16
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The gas pressure the regulator allows to the appliances, water heater, furnace, and stove/oven is 11" of water column, which is a lot less than 30 psi, maybe closer to 1/2 psi. So, If both tanks are connected and valves are open, the auto switchover valve on the main regulator will switch to the full tank soon enough to maintain gas flow to keep things working. We've been over six years full time and never keep one tank closed and never have to get up in the middle of a very cold night to go outside to switch tanks.
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Old 11-08-2018, 03:27 AM   #17
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Ok I understand and I will open both tanks. And yes getting up at 3:00 AM this time of the year and running out side sucks lol.
I always have a spare tank with me anyway.

Thanks guys
Pat
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Old 11-08-2018, 03:37 AM   #18
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Pat, also, not sure where you are camping at, but as temperatures drop, propane and other gasses drop in pressure because the molecules slow down. Keeping full(er) tanks reduces the space the propane fills and helps keep the pressure up better. YMMV, but that's another thought on the issue.

You won't see this as such a bigger issue in warmer climates or during May through September.
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Old 11-08-2018, 08:28 AM   #19
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Two schools of thought regarding dual propane tank valves and auto switch over regulators. They are nice but I prefer to manually select one tank. Then when it’s empty I know for sure the other is full.

They auto switch over regulator should run one tank and then switch over to other full automatically but then you’ve got to keep tabs on what’s full and what’s empty.

I’ve never had a stove or furnace not lite when I manually switched over.

And the other way is fine too... just depends on your flavor.
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Old 11-22-2018, 04:10 PM   #20
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Update

Hey everyone I'm new to the forum and having a similar issue with my new cougar trailer I am a full time RVer and in Barrie Ontario at the moment. 2 hours ago my furnace worked fine I ran out for f propane went out got the tank refilled came back and although everything else works(stove and fridge) my furnace seem to turn on for 20 seconds then shut off. No audiable clicks or anything.
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