FURNACE with SLIDES IN

[jerseyphil]

I live in NJ, but currently in California w/o my trailer.
Brother-in-Law lives next door.
No Power at house due to Hurricane Sandy.

Offered my Brother in Law use of the trailer -No Generator, but fully charged battery.

With Propane turned ON (stove burners work), Furnace did NOT fire up.
Fan went on, but shut off quickly thereafter.

ANYONE HAVE AN EXPLANATION? IS THERE A SAFETY TO NOT FIRE UP THE FURNACE WITH THE SLIDES IN?

2011 Cougar 318SAB.

Thanks for any insight!!

[Bushman512000]

is the stat. set above the outside temp?If fan does not run fast will not light battery must be up real good! just a idea what to check...Bushman

[jerseyphil]

He pushed the furnace temp way up and same thing happened. Fan went on for a short while, then turned off. No heat came up.

[Festus2]

jerseyphil -
The thermostat should be on the "Auto" setting.

[jerseyphil]

I know my battery was at full charge about a week prior, and was not used after that, but maybe the battery, being 2 years old, just isn't strong enough any more. I don't know.

But thanks for your thoughts on the issue.

Phil

[jerseyphil]

jerseyphil -
The thermostat should be on the "Auto" setting.

Thermostat is definitely on Auto setting. Had him do that first thing.
Thanks,
Phil

[SteveC7010]

If the carpet of one or more of the slides covers any of the furnace duct outlets, running the furnace may not be such a hot idea.

[jerseyphil]

If the carpet of one or more of the slides covers any of the furnace duct outlets, running the furnace may not be such a hot idea.

I agree with that 100%. Wish I were home to figure this one out. I'd probably hook up my truck, plug it in, and open the slides, BUT, I'm not home. Thanks for the input.

[jbsmith]

Sounds like a gas flow problem.

Check tanks. Try to light stove. If it won't stay lit you might need to disconnect the tanks, bleed down lines, and then SLOWLY turn the gas back on. There are recent threads discussing similar issues and instructions to remedy.

The furnace doesn't care about the position of the slides or if ducts are covered, unless you only have one register vent, in which case you're not gonna get heat anyway. Suggest running heat in "Furnace" mode not "Auto" which on the 4 button digital control might also try to kick on the A/C fan.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[JRTJH]

Several things you should consider and check as you work on getting the furnace to operate properly:

1. The battery being charged "last week" may be an issue. There are parasitic drains on the battery. These include the radio, any lights (including switch lights, etc) co2 alarm, propane alarm, smoke alarm, etc. If the battery is not adequately charged, the furnace won't light.

2. The propane must be turned on and functioning. There may be air in the lines. Light the burners on the stove, bleed all the air out of the lines and then try the furnace again.

3. There may be an issue with the bleed valve in the regulator or with the one way valve in the pigtail. Light the hot water heater to see if there is enough propane flowing to fuel a "high propane use" appliance like the furnace.

4. If the furnace worked recently and you've not done anything to it since then, I'd suggest you not start "troubleshooting" the furnace by undoing or reconnecting things. Most likely, it's either #1 or 2 above.

A rule of thumb, if something stops working suddenly, it's usually a simple, obvious fix. There are few truly catastrophic failures.

Good Luck and let us know what you find.

John

[jerseyphil]

Sounds like a gas flow problem.

Check tanks. Try to light stove. If it won't stay lit you might need to disconnect the tanks, bleed down lines, and then SLOWLY turn the gas back on. There are recent threads discussing similar issues and instructions to remedy.

The furnace doesn't care about the position of the slides or if ducts are covered, unless you only have one register vent, in which case you're not gonna get heat anyway. Suggest running heat in "Furnace" mode not "Auto" which on the 4 button digital control might also try to kick on the A/C fan.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I didn't think the position of the slides would matter. The stove did light fine, so I believe the gas is flowing OK. And I know there is plenty of propane. Just before I left for California (see my initial post), I refilled one tank that ran out. I first moved the lever to the tank that had propane (indicator went back to green). I shut off the tank that had none, removed it and filled it. Put it back in, connected the hose, and turned the valve back on. Left the lever where it was since the second tank was now the primary source.

BUT, leaving for California, I shut off both tanks. Now, even though the stove lit, maybe my brother-in-law turned on the valves too quickly??? Maybe that affected the furnace? I just don't know. I'll be getting home Monday night. Hopefully my electric will be back on, but I will check out my camper then.

Thanks everyone for your help.

JerseyPHIL

[BRAPOM]

Where in nj I may be able to stop and help out?

[jerseyphil]

Where in nj I may be able to stop and help out?

Thanks for offering. My brother in law is now able to stay at his daughter's apartment and doesn't need my RV. I appreciate it. And I'll be home Monday.

People on this forum are fabulous. Thanks again for offering.

Phil

[JRTJH]

Jerseyphil,

If the excess valve in the tank is the problem, you can identify it by lighting the water heater. The two high propane users are the furnace and the HWH. Often times, the refrigerator and/or the stove burners will operate properly, but the valve will sense a "leak" if there is a larger demand for propane and shut off the bottle to "prevent a leak".

If the HWH works normally and the battery is fully charged, then probably the igniter circuit in the furnace is faulty. Easy to clean the igniter, and using the HWH to troubleshoot the excess valves will tell you what to do next. Let us know if we can offer suggestions or help in any way.

My bet still is that the battery is not charged enough to operate the furnace.

[jerseyphil]

(tx)Jerseyphil,

If the excess valve in the tank is the problem, you can identify it by lighting the water heater. The two high propane users are the furnace and the HWH. Often times, the refrigerator and/or the stove burners will operate properly, but the valve will sense a "leak" if there is a larger demand for propane and shut off the bottle to "prevent a leak".

If the HWH works normally and the battery is fully charged, then probably the igniter circuit in the furnace is faulty. Easy to clean the igniter, and using the HWH to troubleshoot the excess valves will tell you what to do next. Let us know if we can offer suggestions or help in any way.

My bet still is that the battery is not charged enough to operate the furnace.

Thanks so much for offering assistance. And, your comments are very logical regarding the high propane usage of HWA and Furnace.
I actually had the camper winterized before leaving for California, so my HWA is empty and bypass is switched. I will be home Monday to follow up on this issue. Fortunately, my brother-in-law, who was going to use the RV, now has a warm place to stay.

Again, thanks for your assistance.

jerseyPhil

[BRAPOM]

glad he is safe and warm but if you need help just let me know safe travels:wlcm:

[geo]

I'll add something here. If the batteries are getting weak, and I understand this is only an assumption on my part, but the fan would start almost full speed, move the sail switch so the furnace would light, but then with addition current being drawn or the batteries discharging with the fan, the fan speed drops, so the sail switch disengages, so the furnace shuts down. I understand it will be difficult to charge the batteries at this point, but before other tests, get the batteries fully charged or hook up to a running truck, and try it again to see if a little extra 12VDC electrical juice might solve the problem.

Ron

[jerseyphil]

As of this morning, power has been restored to my area in central NJ.

I want to thank everyone for their concern and offers of assistance. I also love helping people and will happily do so if someone is in need. After all, life is soooo much better and more rewarding when we all work together.

Thanks again to all respondees to my thread.

Regards,
JerseyPHIL from North Brunswick, NJ

[jerseyphil]

I'll add something here. If the batteries are getting weak, and I understand this is only an assumption on my part, but the fan would start almost full speed, move the sail switch so the furnace would light, but then with addition current being drawn or the batteries discharging with the fan, the fan speed drops, so the sail switch disengages, so the furnace shuts down. I understand it will be difficult to charge the batteries at this point, but before other tests, get the batteries fully charged or hook up to a running truck, and try it again to see if a little extra 12VDC electrical juice might solve the problem.

Ron

I'm sorry, but I don't know the term Sail Switch. What is that?

[geo]

I'm sorry, but I don't know the term Sail Switch. What is that?

It's a small piece of metal attached to a hinged metal arm that trips a microswitch. It's located in the input air tube before the combustion chamber. If the switch doesn't engage the microswitch, there is not enough air flow for safe combustion. It's also a favorite place for mud dauber nests if you don't have screens.

Ron

[jerseyphil]

It's a small piece of metal attached to a hinged metal arm that trips a microswitch. It's located in the input air tube before the combustion chamber. If the switch doesn't engage the microswitch, there is not enough air flow for safe combustion. It's also a favorite place for mud dauber nests if you don't have screens.

Ron

Thanks for the explanation. Now I get it.

I'm still in California and leave for NJ tomorrow.
My Brother-in-Law, who lives next door to me has been great, watching for my property and RV. He has been staying at his house in the cold. Brrrrrrrr!
He called this morning to say the power was back on. He was gitty with happiness. It is the most emotion I've heard from him in a long time. Must have been tough without power.

Thanks again Ron.

Phil

[piperpilot]

New to Fifth Wheel RVIng...heck to rving in general....I gather the furnace will run on just the battery....how long?

[Festus2]

How long your furnace will keep running on battery depends upon a number of things: a)How often the furnace/fan is coming on to maintain whatever temperature it has been set at. b)The condition of your battery and whether or not it is being charged at all- by some external means. c) The type of battery system you have (6volts vs 12 volts) and d) the type/size of the batteries.
It's hard to give a length of time when there are so many variables.

[geo]

To add to Festus2's answer - Yes, the furnace runs only on 12VDC, whether from the batteries or the converter. The furnace is not 120VAC (unless you have Cheap Heat add-on, but then you still need 12VDC for controls and fan).

Phil - I'm very glad your BIL is safe! We have yet to hear from a friend in Manhattan. If you need a Suburban manual, send me a PM with an email address and I'll send you a pdf file of the manual. You might want to look at the exploded diagram to visualize everyone's suggestions.

Ron

[gduff]

We had a similar experience with our 2007 Cougar. (Since traded) Stove worked, hot water heater worked but was very slow to heat. Turned out to be the red regulating valve near the driver’s side tank. They said the diaphragm dried out. We replaced and it worked fine.

[jerseyphil]

Problem was simply the battery. It had no charge left. It is Tuesday here in central NJ.

I put a charger on the battery, waited awhile, and then, with the charger still attached, I successfully fired up the furnace..... with the Slides IN.

I did see that carpet from the slides covered part of three registers, but the furnace still fired up. So, to be safe, I didn't run the furnace long, just long enough to feel plenty of heat coming up.

Thanks again one and all.

PS. I was extremely lucky regarding trees falling. Behind my house is woods. TWO Massive trees fell, and two very large trees fell. One tree just missed my shed, and another is just touching the side of my house, but no damage to the house.... just the garden areas around it.

AND the RV wasn't touched at all!!

I hope all our fellow forum friends are OK. Good Luck to all of you.

Regards,
Phil

[SAABDOCTOR]

hi geo will add your friendto our pryer list. new york city is still a mess. my dw teaches in rye new york which is next town over. telephone land lines and cell towers are still out. i would bet your friend is ok just cold and hungry. my town got power back on saturday. it is a mess here . let us know when you here from him Barney:)

[geo]

hi geo will add your friendto our pryer list. new york city is still a mess. my dw teaches in rye new york which is next town over. telephone land lines and cell towers are still out. i would bet your friend is ok just cold and hungry. my town got power back on saturday. it is a mess here . let us know when you here from him Barney:)

Barney -

We heard from her this afternoon. She and her hubby have been staying with some friends that have power, but are back in their apartment now. No heat and no electricity yet, so back to their friends tonight. She said it is/was a mess, but not as bad as what the media is making it out to be. And their pup is OK!

Thanks for asking!

Ron